Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Egypt for three generations: the Pyramids, Aswan and the Nile
9 days from Cairo for grandparents, parents and children 6 and up: three nights by the pyramids, two by the river in Aswan with a pool, Abu Simbel by air, a night on a Nile boat and two in Luxor.
9 days · Round trip from Cairo · up to 12 guests
Feluccas on the Nile at sunset, Aswan Photo: Jorge Láscar, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Feluccas_and_The_Nile_at_sunset_(14284288808).jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 9 days, 8 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from Cairo
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Longest drive
- 2 h on day 7No drive day is longer than 4 hours.
- Activity level
Easy
Two to four kilometres on foot a day, in stretches of under an hour with the vehicle, shade or a seat between them. Expect sand at Giza and Saqqara, uneven ancient stone at the temples and sloping tomb corridors in the Valley of the Kings, often in strong sun. Mornings are for sightseeing and most afternoons for the pool or a rest, and anyone, of any age, can sit out any part of any visit.
- Meals included
- 8 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 4 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 790 (estimated price)
- Season
- Late October to April; best late October to early December and February to March
Highlights
Why this trip
- The pyramids at opening, with the vehicle across the plateau and a pool afternoon after
- The Grand Egyptian Museum on its own morning, with Tutankhamun's treasures together
- A motorboat to the Temple of Isis at Philae, then a felucca to a Nubian village for an early dinner with a family
- Abu Simbel by a 45-minute flight, not seven hours on the road
- A night on a Nile boat, with mummified crocodiles at Kom Ombo after dark
- A sunrise balloon over Luxor's West Bank for those who want it, then the Valley of the Kings while it is cool
- Karnak at 6 am on the last morning
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day, and none is longer than 4 hours.
One price, nothing to pay on the van
Everything on the itinerary is in the price, and nothing is collected on the trip.
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 790 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
The longest drive is 2 h, on day 7.
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Cairo, stay by the pyramids
Cairo International Airport to your hotel in Giza, about 1 hour
- Welcome dinner at the hotel
- Stay in Giza
- Drive about 1 h
Fly into Cairo International Airport (CAI). We meet you after arrivals, help with the bags and drive you west across the city, about an hour depending on traffic, to your hotel in Giza near the pyramid plateau. It is your base for three nights, so you unpack once and tomorrow's early start is minutes from the door instead of an hour in Cairo traffic. The hotel has a pool, and the rest of the day is free for children to swim and grandparents to rest after the flight.
Evening
In the early evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the families for a short briefing: why we sightsee in the mornings, which tickets are already booked, how the tipping pool works, and what children should pack for the sun and the river. Then a welcome dinner together at the hotel at about 6:30 pm, so nobody has to go out again after a long journey.
Included
- Pick-up at Cairo International Airport (CAI)
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Welcome dinner at the hotel
Free time: Rest of the day free at the hotel pool
Activity: Any arrival time works on day 1. If your flight lands after the briefing, your guide catches you up at breakfast and dinner is kept for you.
Giza at opening, then the pool
The Giza pyramid plateau by vehicle and on foot, lunch, back to the hotel
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Giza
- Drive about 30 min
Morning
An early morning because the plateau demands it: by late morning the sand is hot and the coaches have arrived, so we are at the gate when it opens, around 7 am. With a licensed Egyptologist you walk around the Great Pyramid of Khufu, built about 4,500 years ago and still close to 140 metres tall; children usually want to touch the blocks, each taller than they are. Our vehicle then carries everyone across the plateau to the panorama viewpoint, where the pyramids line up across the desert, and down to the Great Sphinx beside the Valley Temple of Khafre. There are seats in the shade at the viewpoint and cold water in the vehicle.
Afternoon
We sit down to lunch near the plateau by about midday and are back at the hotel by 1:30 pm.
Evening
The afternoon is free for swimming and naps, before an evening on your own.
Included
- Giza pyramid plateau at opening with a licensed Egyptologist
- Vehicle across the plateau to the panorama viewpoint
- The Great Sphinx and the Valley Temple of Khafre
- Sit-down lunch near the plateau
Optional experiences
- Inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu. Separate ticket, limited numbers; a low, steep passage not suited to small children
- A short camel ride at the panorama viewpoint. With a licensed handler your guide chooses.
Easier option: Stay with the vehicle at the panorama viewpoint and see the Sphinx from the viewing terrace without walking down.
More active option: Walk with the guide between the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure instead of riding to the viewpoint.
Free time: Afternoon free at the pool
Activity: About 2 km on foot over 3 hours, on sand and uneven stone, with the vehicle at every stop. Leave the hotel about 6:45 am.
Saqqara and Memphis in the cool of the morning
Giza to Saqqara and Memphis and back, about 1 hour 30 in three short drives
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Giza
- Drive about 1.5 h
A later start, about 8 am, for the drive of about 45 minutes south to Saqqara, where pyramid building began and the crowds are far thinner than at Giza. The Step Pyramid of Djoser, designed by the architect Imhotep around 2,670 BC, rises in six tiers above the sand; we walk in through the colonnade to the great courtyard. Nearby, your guide takes the group into a painted Old Kingdom tomb whose walls show fishing, farming and animals, from donkeys to hippos, which children can hunt for and count. A short drive brings us to Memphis, once the capital of a united Egypt, where a colossal statue of Ramesses II lies under a roof among palm groves and an alabaster sphinx sits in the garden, with benches in the shade.
Afternoon
Lunch is at a local restaurant on the way back, and you are at the pool by about 2:30 pm.
Included
- Saqqara: the Step Pyramid of Djoser and a painted Old Kingdom tomb, with a licensed Egyptologist
- Memphis open-air museum and the colossus of Ramesses II
- Lunch at a local restaurant
Optional experiences
- An evening in Khan el-Khalili bazaar with your guide, with dinner in the old city
Easier option: Skip the tomb and wait in the shade at Saqqara; Memphis is level and short.
More active option: Walk the longer loop around the Step Pyramid enclosure with the guide.
Free time: Afternoon free at the pool
Activity: About 3 km on foot, on sand and stone, with the vehicle close by. Some tomb entrances have a few steps.
The Grand Egyptian Museum, then fly to Aswan
Giza to the Grand Egyptian Museum, then a flight from Cairo to Aswan
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Aswan
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
Bags go in the vehicle after breakfast, and the Grand Egyptian Museum, ten minutes from the hotel, gets a whole morning instead of a tired hour after the pyramids. We go in on a pre-booked timed entry soon after opening. Climb the grand staircase lined with royal statues, or take the lift alongside it, stand under the colossal Ramesses II in the atrium, and see Tutankhamun's burial treasures shown together in their own galleries, from his golden mask to his chariots and his childhood chair. Your guide keeps the visit to about two and a half hours with a break in the middle, and if the museum's children's area is open on the day, younger travellers can spend part of it there.
Afternoon
Lunch is at the museum. In the afternoon we drive to Cairo airport and fly south to Aswan, about an hour and twenty minutes, instead of the overnight sleeper train.
Evening
Dinner tonight is free near your hotel on the river.
Included
- Grand Egyptian Museum on a pre-booked timed entry, with your guide
- The Tutankhamun galleries
- Lunch at the museum
- Flight from Cairo to Aswan
- Transfers to and from the airports
Easier option: The museum lends wheelchairs at the entrance when available, and there are seats in the galleries; see only the Tutankhamun galleries and rest in the cafe.
Free time: Evening free in Aswan
Activity: About 2 km on foot, all indoors on level floors with lifts. Camera rules in the Tutankhamun galleries are strict.
Philae by boat, a felucca and a Nubian family dinner
Philae by motorboat, back to the hotel, then a felucca to Gharb Soheil
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Aswan
- Drive about 30 min
Morning
No alarm today: breakfast at leisure, then at about 9 am a short drive to the landing and a small motorboat across to Agilkia Island, which children usually rate as the best part of the morning. The Temple of Isis at Philae once stood on a nearby island that the old Aswan dam flooded for much of the year; in a UNESCO rescue completed in 1980 it was cut into blocks and rebuilt here, stone by stone. Your guide shows the children where early Christians carved crosses into the walls and where 19th-century visitors scratched their names.
Afternoon
Lunch is near the hotel, and the afternoon is free for the pool.
Evening
At about 4 pm a felucca takes the families out under a white sail past Elephantine Island to the Nubian village of Gharb Soheil, with its painted houses, for an early dinner with a Nubian family in their home. We are back at the hotel by about 8 pm.
Included
- Motorboat to Philae and the Temple of Isis with your guide
- Lunch in Aswan
- Felucca sail past Elephantine Island
- Early dinner with a Nubian family in Gharb Soheil
Easier option: Stay on the felucca or at the riverside while the others walk up through the village; the family dinner is near the landing and a guide comes back for you.
More active option: Walk the lanes of Gharb Soheil with the guide before dinner.
Free time: Early afternoon free at the pool
Activity: About 2 km on foot. The Philae motorboat and the felucca are a step down from the jetty with a hand from the crew; children wear life jackets on both.
Abu Simbel by air, then onto the Nile
Aswan to Abu Simbel and back by plane, then by boat to Kom Ombo
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Kom Ombo (on board)
- Drive about 30 min
Afternoon
The one very early morning, and Abu Simbel is worth it: the temples face east, the early sun lights the facade, and by midday the site is hot and full. Most tours drive about three and a half hours each way through the desert; we fly instead, about 45 minutes from Aswan, with breakfast boxes for anyone who cannot eat at 5 am, and a short shuttle brings us to the temples. The four seated colossi of Ramesses II, each about 20 metres tall, are cut into the rock, and inside, carved halls run deep into the hill on a level path. Next door, the smaller temple honours Queen Nefertari and the goddess Hathor. Both were cut into blocks and moved up the hill in the 1960s before Lake Nasser rose. We fly back in time to board our Nile boat for lunch as it sails north.
Evening
At dusk it moors at Kom Ombo, where the Crocodile Museum shows mummified crocodiles beside the temple of Sobek.
Included
- Return flights from Aswan to Abu Simbel
- The Great Temple of Ramesses II and the Temple of Nefertari and Hathor
- Board the Nile boat and sail to Kom Ombo
- Temple of Kom Ombo at dusk and the Crocodile Museum
Easier option: Stay on board at Kom Ombo and watch the temple lit up from the sun deck.
Free time: Afternoon free on deck while the boat sails
Activity: About 3 km on foot, on paved and level paths at Abu Simbel and a few steps up from the mooring at Kom Ombo. Wake-up about 5 am; the flight time sets the start. Children nap on deck in the afternoon.
Edfu, then the road to Luxor
Kom Ombo to Edfu by boat, then Edfu to Luxor by road, about 2 hours
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Luxor
- Drive about 2 h
Morning
The boat sails north at first light, and after breakfast on deck we leave it at Edfu. The Temple of Horus here is the best preserved temple in Egypt, built between 237 and 57 BC, with its roof, towering pylon and dark inner sanctuary still in place. Children look for the two granite falcons of Horus at the gate and follow the story of Horus and Seth carved along the outer walls. We are there early, about 7:30 am, before the cruise boats arrive. Then our vehicle drives north to Luxor, about 115 km and two hours, with a stop for drinks and the bathroom halfway.
Afternoon
Lunch is in Luxor, and the hotel pool takes the hot afternoon.
Evening
As the light fades, a short walk through Luxor Temple, floodlit at dusk, to the Avenue of Sphinxes, then dinner nearby by about 6:30 pm.
Included
- Sail from Kom Ombo to Edfu
- Temple of Horus, Edfu
- Drive from Edfu to Luxor
- Luxor Temple at dusk, with your guide
- Lunch and an early dinner in Luxor
Easier option: Skip Luxor Temple and stay at the hotel; dinner can be brought to the hotel's restaurant table.
Free time: Afternoon free at the pool
Activity: About 3 km on foot. If the boat cannot reach Edfu in time, the last stretch from Kom Ombo is by road, about an hour.
A balloon for those who want it, then the Valley of the Kings
Luxor West Bank, about 40 km of short drives
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Luxor
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
For anyone who wants it, and is above the balloon operator's minimum age, the day starts before dawn, about 4 am to 5 am by month, with a hot air balloon flight over the West Bank, included in your trip. You rise with the sun over the Theban hills, the temples and the green fields along the Nile. Whoever stays in bed is collected after breakfast. If flights are grounded for wind, which does happen, we watch sunrise from the West Bank by road instead. Then the whole group goes to the Valley of the Kings while it is still cool and enters three royal tombs whose painted corridors slope into the hillside; children look for the gods with animal heads. Next is Hatshepsut's terraced temple at Deir el-Bahari, and the Colossi of Memnon, two 18-metre statues of Amenhotep III.
Evening
Lunch on the West Bank, back at the pool by about 2 pm, and a farewell dinner together at 6:30 pm.
Included
- Sunrise hot air balloon flight over the West Bank, for those who choose it
- Valley of the Kings, entry to three tombs
- Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari
- Colossi of Memnon
- Lunch on the West Bank
- Farewell dinner
Optional experiences
- Tomb of Tutankhamun. Separate ticket.
Easier option: Skip the balloon and sleep in; at the Valley of the Kings, choose one tomb and wait in the shaded rest area while the others see the rest.
More active option: Fly in the balloon at sunrise, then add Tutankhamun's tomb on a separate ticket.
Free time: Afternoon free at the pool
Activity: About 3 km on foot, with sloping corridors and some steps in the tombs, in the morning only. The site train from the Valley of the Kings visitor centre saves part of the walk.
Karnak at opening, fly to Cairo
Karnak, then a flight from Luxor to Cairo
- Breakfast
- Drive about 30 min
Morning
Last morning, and the biggest temple complex of all. Karnak opens at 6 am and we are there for it, walking into the Great Hypostyle Hall while low sun slants between its 134 columns, the tallest about 21 metres, before the heat and the tour groups arrive. Children can try to link arms around a column; it usually takes five or six of them. Your guide leads you on past the standing obelisks to the Sacred Lake and the giant stone scarab beetle, which local tradition says brings luck if you walk around it. We are back at the hotel by about 9 am for a late breakfast, a last swim and time to pack. Then we fly from Luxor to Cairo, about an hour, and take you to Cairo International Airport for your flight home, or to a hotel if you are staying on.
Evening
Plan an evening departure, or ask us to add nights in Luxor or Cairo.
Included
- Karnak at opening, with your guide
- Flight from Luxor to Cairo
- Transfer to Cairo International Airport (CAI)
Easier option: Sleep in and join the group at the hotel for breakfast; Karnak is the one visit of the day.
Free time: Late morning free
Activity: About 2 km on foot, on level stone. Book a flight home leaving Cairo in the evening.
- Cairostart
- Giza3 nights
- Aswan2 nights
- Kom Ombo (on board)1 night
- Luxor2 nights
- Cairoend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: Late October and November can still be hot by midday, which is why sightseeing is in the morning. December and January are mild by day but cold at dawn, so bring a warm layer for the balloon and early starts. Balloon flights depend on the wind and are sometimes grounded; we then watch sunrise from the West Bank by road.
Want this plan in your inbox?
Get the day-by-day itinerary by email, or ask us anything about this trip. A trip planner replies the same or next business day.
Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Grandparents, parents and children aged 6 and up travelling together
- Families who want the pyramids, Abu Simbel and the Nile without long drives or late nights
- Grandparents who walk comfortably for half an hour at a time and like a seat in the shade
- Children who like boats, mummies, crocodiles, pools and climbing on things they are allowed to
- A grandparent travelling with one grandchild who wants a fair room price
Not for you if you want
- Families with children under 6
- Travellers who want a full day at every site; the parent trip, Egypt: Pyramids, Abu Simbel and the Nile, moves faster
- Step-free access: tombs have sloping corridors and the sites are on sand and stone
- Anyone who wants a long cruise on a large ship
- Travel from May to September
Minimum age: 6
Most guests are 6 to 80
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
8 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Giza3 nights
- Aswan2 nights
- Kom Ombo (on board)1 night
- Luxor2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 8 nights: 3 in Giza near the pyramids, 2 in Aswan on the river, 1 on a Nile boat at Kom Ombo, 2 in Luxor
- Hotels of a 3-star-plus standard with a swimming pool, and family or connecting rooms on request; we name each hotel and the boat when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up at Cairo International Airport (CAI) and drop-off there at the end
- Flights from Cairo to Aswan, from Aswan to Abu Simbel and back, and from Luxor to Cairo
- Our own air-conditioned vehicle and driver for every drive, with cold water on board
- The Nile boat from Aswan to Edfu
- The motorboat to Philae and the felucca to Gharb Soheil, with life jackets for children
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide for the whole trip
- Licensed local Egyptologists at the archaeological sites
Activities
- Giza: the pyramid plateau, the panorama viewpoint and the Great Sphinx
- Saqqara and Memphis
- The Grand Egyptian Museum on a pre-booked timed entry
- Aswan: Philae, a felucca sail and dinner with a Nubian family
- Abu Simbel: the Great Temple of Ramesses II and the Temple of Nefertari and Hathor
- Kom Ombo temple and the Crocodile Museum
- Edfu: the Temple of Horus
- Luxor: Luxor Temple at dusk and Karnak at opening
- The West Bank: a sunrise balloon for those who choose it, the Valley of the Kings (three tombs), Hatshepsut's temple and the Colossi of Memnon
- All entrance fees for included sights
Meals
- 8 breakfasts
- 7 lunches: near Giza, near Saqqara, at the museum, in Aswan, on the boat, in Luxor and on the West Bank
- 5 dinners: a welcome dinner, the Nubian family dinner, on the boat, near Luxor Temple and a farewell dinner, all by about 6:30 pm
other
- A tipping pool for drivers, boat crew, felucca sailors and site staff
- No shopping stops
Not included
- International flights to and from Cairo
- Egypt visa
- Travel insurance
- Meals not listed (one lunch and three dinners)
- Drinks
- Separate tickets: inside the Great Pyramid and the tomb of Tutankhamun
- Optional activities: the camel ride and the Khan el-Khalili evening
- A tip for your See Sight Tours guide (optional)
- Personal expenses
Local fees: none. Nothing is collected on the trip.
Tips for your guide are included.
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 790 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
Prices in these answers apply from Jan 1, 2027. Black Friday offer: 8% off the small-group price for requests received by Dec 1, 2026. From CAD 4,035 per person. Dec 2 to Dec 31: from CAD 4,210. From Jan 1, 2027: from CAD 4,385.
What age do children need to be?
Six and up, travelling with a parent or grandparent. Every day is planned to work for a 9-year-old and a 70-year-old: sightseeing in the mornings, a pool or rest most afternoons and dinner by about 6:30 pm. The balloon operator sets its own minimum age and height, and children below it stay on the ground with an adult.
Is there a price for children?
Not a published one yet. Prices are per person sharing a room, and children's prices depend on the hotels, the boat cabins and the flights on your dates. Ask when you request to book and we quote your family's price before anything is charged.
What does the price include?
Eight nights in hotels with pools and on a Nile boat, 8 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 5 dinners, flights from Cairo to Aswan, to Abu Simbel and back and from Luxor to Cairo, our own vehicle and driver, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, every entry in the day plan, the felucca, the Nubian family dinner, the balloon and a tipping pool.
How big is the group, and will we be with other families?
Seven to 12 guests, counting children, on a departure planned for families travelling across generations, so the pace and the dinners suit everyone. A family of six or more usually fits best on the private trip, on a date you choose, with your own guide and vehicle.
Can grandparents manage the pyramids and the tombs?
Yes, if they walk comfortably for about half an hour at a time. Our vehicle crosses the Giza plateau, the museum has lifts and seats, and in the Valley of the Kings anyone can see one tomb and wait in the shade. Nobody has to go inside a pyramid.
How long are the drives?
Short. The longest is Edfu to Luxor, about two hours with a stop. Abu Simbel is a 45-minute flight from Aswan instead of about seven hours of desert road in a day, and we fly between Cairo and Aswan and from Luxor back to Cairo.
I am a grandparent travelling with one grandchild. What is the single supplement?
If you share a room with your grandchild, there is no supplement: you each pay the twin-share price, with any child price we can offer. A traveller who wants a room alone pays a supplement from CAD 790.
When is the best time to go with children?
Late October to April. Late October to early December and February to March are the most comfortable; the December holidays and March break suit school calendars but are busier. We do not run this version from May to September, when the heat is hard on children and grandparents.
Do Canadians need a visa for Egypt?
Yes. Canadian passport holders can usually buy a visa on arrival at Cairo airport or apply for an e-visa in advance, and passports need at least six months of validity. Children need their own passports. We confirm the current rules when you book.
How does booking work?
Request to book with your dates and the ages of everyone travelling. We check availability and provide the final quote, itinerary and booking terms before you accept. No payment is taken when you send the request. The small group starts from CAD 4,385 per person sharing, with taxes.
Can our family travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. The private trip is for your party only, on a date you choose, with your own guide, vehicle and driver, from CAD 7,895 per person. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we quote it separately.
Is the food safe for children?
Included meals are at hotels, on the boat and at restaurants our guide knows, with plain options such as grilled chicken, rice, bread and fruit alongside Egyptian dishes. Tell us about allergies when you book. Drink bottled or filtered water, which the vehicle carries.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
Book your Tour
Get in Touch
- Toll Free1-888-961-6584
- Local1-289-271-9767
© 2026 See Sight Tours. All rights reserved.