There is a minimum of two participants required in order for each departure to run. Please do not make travel arrangements until you've received confirmation from Encounters Travel.

Yes! Private departures are available on any travel date, within the voucher period you selected, for two or more participants and additional costs may apply. Please contact our Adventures Team to explore pricing and check on availability.

Yes! If you are interested in more or less days in Egypt, there are other itineraries available. Please contact our Adventures Team for more information and to explore pricing and availability.

You should plan to fly in and out of Cairo International Airport. A representative from Encounters Travel will be in the immigration hall to meet you, help you through immigration and to collect your luggage before providing a transfer to your hotel on day 1. A transfer back to the airport is also included on day 10. Encounters Travel can assist with flight bookings or you can make your own arrangements – the transfers are included either way.

You'll spend most nights in high quality five-star hotels with comfortable amenities, including private bath, swimming pools and a selection of restaurants. Accommodation is on a bed and breakfast basis in most hotels, except in Hurghada which is on a 'soft all-inclusive' basis (i.e. all meals & soft drinks included, but not alcohol). One of the nights will be spent aboard a train in a twin berth sleeper cabin with fold-down beds and bedding provided, and one night will be spent aboard a traditional felucca boat.

For the overnight train journey, you'll stay in an overnight sleeper train. This train has private twin berth cabins with large seats and fold-down beds with sheets, pillow and blanket. The lockable cabins also have a washbasin and storage cupboard, and an airline tray-style evening meal and breakfast is included. Flight upgrades are available on request.

Feluccas are very basic traditional Nile sailboats and are a fun and relaxing way to travel down the river. You'll sleep on the deck of the boat (mattresses are provided, but Encounters Travel suggests that you bring a sleeping sheet, blanket or light sleeping bag during the winter months of November to February). There are no toilet facilities on board, but you'll be joined several times each day and at night by a support boat where a toilet and warm showers will be available. Mosquito nets are provided for use while you're sleeping, but you should bring mosquito repellent for the evenings and early mornings. Your Nubian boat crew will cook all your meals while on board and entertain you in the evenings. An option is available to upgrade the felucca to an extra night in the hotel in Aswan if you would like more comfort for this night.

Single travelers may choose to pay a single room supplement to guarantee themselves a single room throughout the tour. Please contact our Adventures Team to explore pricing and check on availability. Alternatively, you may choose to share a room with another traveler of the same sex. If there are no other single travelers available for you to pair up with at the time of your booking the supplement will be due for payment but will be refunded if a share becomes available later.

Meals provided will be served in the various accommodations and will generally be served buffet style with a mix of different local and international cuisines. Vegetarian options are always available.

Luggage: Suitcases, rucksacks or fabric duffels are all fine to bring with you to Egypt. You should also bring a small daypack/bag to take out during the day. Your main luggage will normally be left in the hotel during your sightseeing trips – you won't need to carry it far, and there are nearly always hotel porters to assist.

Clothing: Most of your time in Egypt will be in a hot climate. However, at night, and especially in the deserts, the temperatures can drop quite dramatically. So you should plan to pack for cool conditions. Formal dress (eg. suits & ties) is not required on the cruise boats or in 5-star hotel restaurants. Long sleeves are recommended to protect from mosquitoes if you are on the felucca. Modesty rates highly in Egypt, especially for women, so to respect the local culture and people, please ensure all clothes are loose fitting and not revealing. Shorts (not hot-pants) are okay in tourist sites, as are t-shirts, but these should not show too much bare flesh (we suggest that your shoulders should remain covered). In the center of Cairo, and when visiting any mosques, legs and arms should be covered.

Other items: For your time on the felucca, Encounters recommends bringing a light sleeping sheet or sleeping bag liner all year round for comfort, and a light sleeping bag in the winter months (November to February). They also recommend you bring a sun hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, a basic first aid kit, toiletries, small towel, money belt, small torch, camera, and charger.

There is a minimum of 2 guests per departure and a maximum of 18 guests.

The local currency in Egypt is the Egyptian Pound, often denoted 'LE'. The Egyptian Pound can vary significantly in value against the British Pound, but sticks fairly close to the value of the US Dollar. You do not need to arrange to bring any Egyptian Pounds with you to Egypt, as change facilities are available in all the hotels, airports and banks. You should try to obtain and keep hold of small denomination notes or coins on you during the tour as these are useful for toilets, tips and small purchases. ATMs are readily available in major towns and many local shops will accept VISA/Mastercard or Amex, but may charge fees of up to 10% - check before you pay. Travelers checks are not recommended as they can not be changed in many places now, and can incur high fees.

While in Egypt you'll need sufficient funds to cover meals not included in the itinerary, drinks, snacks, souvenirs and personal expenses such as laundry. These should generally all be paid for in Egyptian Pounds. You may also need to pay for the tour Tipping Kitty and site entrance fees while you are in Egypt. Payments for these may be made to your tour guide in hard currency (USD, GBP, EUR) at the start of your tour.

It's difficult to recommend a level of personal spending money which will suit everyone as this can differ greatly, but as a guideline, Encounters suggests allowing $15-25 per person per day as a minimum. Allow more if you plan on doing lots of shopping, or buying many alcoholic drinks.

Tipping is very much a part of Egyptian culture and customs. To make it easier for you to budget and to remove much of the stress and hassle of tipping lots of people as you go along, Encounters Travel collects a ‘Tipping Kitty’ at the start of the tour. Your guide will manage this as the tour goes along and ask one or more of the group members to assist and make some of the payments. The kitty provides tips for a wide range of people you’ll meet along the tour, including hotel porters, train and station staff, drivers, local reps, etc.

ou should allow approx. $45 per person for this kitty. Your Egyptologist guide is not included in this kitty and you may tip them at the end of your tour subject to your satisfaction with and appreciation of the service they have provided. You should not feel obliged to tip any particular amount and should consider your personal budget. We are often asked to provide a guide however and can suggest that approx. USD 10-15 per person per day would be appropriate. Children under the age of 12 do not need to pay this tipping kitty.

Yes, there are several additional tours, activities, and upgrades available for purchase. Please contact our Adventures Team to learn more about the following add-ons:

Abu Simbel overland - The temples built by Ramses II at Abu Simbel are one of Egypt's highlights, and have a fascinating story behind them to go with their impressive size. When Lake Nasser was flooded, the final water level was going to submerge several temples, the most important of which being Abu Simbel. The temple was therefore dismantled completely and rebuilt further up the hillside where it sits today. The temple stands today as a testament to Ramses II and the great building prowess of the ancient Egyptians, as well as to modern engineering. We depart Aswan early in the morning to join an escorted convoy which departs Aswan at around 04.30. This gets us to Abu Simbel to see the temples in the light of the rising sun, and we then have a guided tour with one of our Egyptologists and some free time before we drive back to Aswan (approx. 3 hours drive each way, with around 2 hours at the temples). All transfers, guide, and entrance fees are included.

Hot air balloon in Luxor - This popular optional tour starts early in the morning so that you experience the sunrise over the Valleys of the Kings & Queens, temples and desert. We endeavor to use the earliest flights of the day as they are timed to fit with the rising sun, this means that times may vary. You get around 1 hour in the air.

Cairo city tour - This half-day guided tour of Cairo tour begins with Islamic areas including the Citadel of Saladdin, boasting the famous Alabaster Mosque of Mohammed Ali. Then we head onto the Coptic area of Cairo where the Romans constructed the fortress of Babylon. The church of St. Mary was built over the ruins of two towers of the fortress whilst it is more commonly known as the Hanging Church next stop is St. Sergius which is said to be the resting place of the Holy Family. The tour finishes at the Khan-el-Khalili bazaar.

Felucca hotel upgrades - Although our overnight felucca journey is an amazing experience and often a highlight of the tour, the basic overnight accommodation is not for everyone. This upgrade is designed for those who would like a little more comfort in place of the overnight felucca sailboat trip, where you sleep on the deck of the boat. You may choose to sail on the felucca for a couple of hours with the main group, and have lunch and dinner on the boat and then get transferred back to your hotel in Aswan in the evening. Or you can remain in Aswan for the whole afternoon to look around the markets and Corniche independently, and not do any sailing at all, as you prefer (no meals are included if you remain in Aswan). Your night in Aswan will be spent in a 5-star hotel. The next morning we will transfer you to rejoin the group after they leave the felucca, and the rest of your tour will continue as normal from thereon.

Saqqara, Dashour, and Memphis - This half-day guided tour on the outskirts of Cairo tour provides more insight into the history and evolution of pyramid building, and of the Egyptian civilization. Our tours are based in the area of ancient Memphis, former capital of Egypt. First, we'll visit Saqqara, a huge desert necropolis which was built for the kings and nobles of the Old Kingdom. Here we see Zoser's 'step' pyramid and the adjacent Imhotep museum where we learn more about Memphis and the history of the region. Next, we head to Dashour to see one of the next attempts at pyramid building. Dashour's moniker of the 'bent pyramid' shows they still had a bit to learn, but this is a fascinating site and the pyramid still has much of its original limestone cladding.

Alexandria day trip (only available if an extra night is added) - Alexandria is about 2.5 hours north of Cairo on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt. This city is the second largest in Egypt and this full day tour will include the Roman amphitheatre with its twelve semi-circular marble tiers, the Catacombs of Kom al-Shoqafa which is the largest Roman cemetery in Alexandria, Pompey's Pillar, Fort Qaitbey (from outside), and the famous modern library. If time allows you can tour inside Fort Qaitbey (entrance fee not included) and you may also visit the Montazah Palace gardens. Lunch at a seafood restaurant is included.

Travel insurance is required for this adventure. It allows you to seek reimbursement if you are forced to cancel your trip for unforeseeable reasons, or if you need to cover medical help, emergency transport, and/or theft or accidental damage while traveling. For travel insurance, we recommend VisitorsCoverage as a provider.

We recommend you visit the local government websites where you plan to travel and review the required documentation for entry, current restrictions, and general recommendations for travel within the area. We encourage you to also visit your home country's embassy website if you are traveling to a foreign country. Requirements can change rapidly. Please be sure you stay abreast of the requirements and restrictions for anywhere you plan to visit. You can also enroll in the U.S. government’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) and you will be sent updates if the situation in your destination changes. You can find the program link at https://step.state.gov/.

Yes! Book confidently with Free Cancellations within 72 hours of booking. After 72 hours, cancellation fees will apply.

New For 2022 & 2023 Departures: We’re providing more flexible booking options on this trip.

Up to 60 days prior to departure*
You may postpone or modify your trip up to 60 days prior to departure.

You will have the option to:
1) Select a new travel date within one year and travel within two years of your original travel date. Additional trip costs may apply.
2) Receive a lifetime store credit toward a future trip. Standard cancellation fees will apply.

*Please note, when selecting a new travel date, additional fees may apply if the new date is within a different travel season.

Up to 30 days prior to departure*
You may postpone or modify your trip up to 30 days prior to departure.

You will have the option to:
1) Select a new travel date and travel within one year of your original travel date. Additional trip costs may apply.
2) Receive a lifetime store credit toward a future trip. Standard cancellation fees will apply.

*Please note, when selecting a new travel date, additional fees may apply if the new date is within a different travel season.

Less than 30 days prior to departure
In some cases, you may have the option to postpone your trip within 30 days prior to departure.

If this is available at the time of your request, you will have the option to:
1) Select a new travel date. Additional trip costs may apply and new dates are subject to availability, or
2) Receive a lifetime store credit toward a future trip. Standard cancellation fees will apply.

For more information on our Travel Cancellation Policy please Click Here.