The mystical land of Egypt probably featured in one of your first ever history lessons, and the prevalence of the country in popular culture has likely followed you ever since, with movies about mummies, beauty tips passed down from Cleopatra, and documentaries exploring the mystery of the ancient pyramids. It is a nation many dream of visiting long before they step foot in the thriving modern country that welcomes millions of visitors every year.
See it all with Egypt tour packages
With such important historic sites, holidays in Egypt are one of the most popular options in the region and there are a wide range of itineraries to choose from. Egypt tour packages begin and end in Cairo, Luxor, Sharm-el Sheikh, Aswan and Dahab, and there are numerous options for combinations with other countries including Jordan and Israel. For those flying a long way to reach the transcontinental nation, tour comparison Egypt also offers options that combine with parts of Europe so you can make the most of your time away.
All Egypt tour packages benefit from knowledgeable, qualified local Egyptologist guides, who lead tours through the Temple of Karnak and Egyptian Museum of Antiquities. Air conditioned private transport, scheduled overnight sleeper trains, 4WD vehicles, riverboats, and internal flights, including those to Abu Simbel, are all organised as part of your holidays in Egypt, so you can relax in the knowledge that you are well taken care of.
On itineraries visiting Egypt you will experience multiple unique forms of transport, with organised camel rides at the pyramids and to Mt Sinai, horse-drawn carriage rides to Karnak Temple, donkey rides to the Valley of the Kings, and felucca trips down the Nile.
Accommodation on Egypt tour packages includes overnight camping in the desert, luxury Nile cruises, exclusive accommodation at Red Sea Beach Camp and community-based homestays. There are also Sinai sunrise treks, tours of the Khan al-Khalili bazaar, traditional dinners with authentic food and entertainment, and visits to a Nubian village. There are numerous optional activities as well, such as scuba diving/snorkelling and a Sound and Light Show, and free time in Cairo, Luxor and at the Red Sea resorts.
One of the biggest benefits of Egypt tour packages is not only the fact that accommodation and transport are included, but that your knowledgeable guide will provide valuable advice against scams in areas of highly-concentrated tourism like the pyramids, as well as organising a Baksheesh fund to avoid overspending.
Itching to plan your trip? Take a look at our tour comparison Egypt and find the right itinerary for you.
Want a taste of that insider Egypt tourism knowledge we mentioned before? We have collected the best facts from real life tour guides. Impress them on tour with how much you already know.
- Egypt boasts one of the longest, richest and most well-known histories of any modern country, and the land of the Pharaohs is therefore home to some of the world’s most treasured archaeological sites including Karnak Temple, the Valley of the Kings and the Pyramids of Giza.
- Cairo is the capital city and is home to one of the most impressive museums on the planet, the Museum of Antiquities.
- The earliest peace treaty was signed in Egypt, and the country is responsible for many other inventions such as Hieroglyphic writing, papyrus paper, black ink, the solar calendar, eye make-up, the door lock, toothpaste, condoms, wigs, water clocks, ox-drawn ploughs, breath mints, bowling and surgical instruments.
- The River Nile is the world’s longest river, and accounts for a significant portion of the country’s tourism with luxury cruises along the renowned body of water.
- Egypt is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and the Red Sea and Suez Canal to the east.
- Do not be fooled by Egypt’s magnificent history – it is a thriving modern country with pumping nightlife, particularly in Hurghada on the Red Sea and of course in the capital of Cairo.
- Egypt has brought us many important entertainers and forms of entertainment, including actors Omar Sharif and Amina Rizk, musicians Demis Roussos and Dalida, belly dancing and the Raqs Sharqi dance.
- Egyptians love their water, a fact reflected in the popularity of felucca cruises in Aswan, and summer resorts like Sharm el-Sheikh and Dahab, the latter of which offers excellent scuba diving.
- Egypt is just one of the countries the Sahara Desert calls home, with the 9.2 million km2 stretch of arid landscape extending from the Red Sea all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.
- In ancient Egypt there were multiple gods, including the god of transition, afterlife and the dead Osiris, and the king of the gods Amon Re.
- The Mediterranean port city of Alexandria is well worth a visit with its famed library, Greco-Roman landmarks, beaches and café culture.
- Some of Egypt’s most notable rulers include the boy king Tutankhamun, Ramses II, Akhenaten, Pepi II, Amenhotep III, Queen Nefertiti, Queen Hatshepsut, Cleopatra VII, Pharaoh Khufu (Cheops) and King Thutmose III.
- The Port Said Lighthouse was built in the 19th century to guide ships through the Suez Canal, and is considered an important example of the evolution of architecture with its octagonal shape.
- Considering Egypt’s history there are no shortage of important religious monuments, with the temples in Abu Simbel and Mt Sinai a must-visit, along with Sinai’s Saint Catherine’s Monastery – one of the oldest working Christian monasteries in the world.
- The Bent Pyramid at Dahshur offers a unique glimpse into the evolution of pyramid construction, as the bottom of the pyramid is built at an angle of 54 degrees while the top is at a shallower 43 degrees.
- There are several national parks dedicated to deserts in Egypt, including the White, Black and Western Deserts.
- Modern-day politicians in Egypt include presidents Hosni Mubarak, Anwar El-Sadat, Mohammed Morsi and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, diplomat Mohamed ElBaradei, and Muslim Brotherhood leader Hassan al-Banna.
- Author Naguib Mahfouz, Harrods owner Mohammed Al-Fayed, Princess Diana’s lover Dodi Fayed, scientist Ahmed H. Zewail and architect Hassan Fathy are or were Egyptian.
- The Rosetta Stone is an ancient granodiorite stele featuring an inscription of a decree issued in Memphis, Egypt, in three different languages, which led to the ability to translate Egyptian hieroglyphics.
Courtney Gahan is a serial expat, traveller and freelance writer who has bartered with Moroccan marketeers, seen the sun rise at Angkor Wat and elbowed her way through crowds on NYE in NYC
