Our Egypt Small Group Tour | First-Hand Travel Guide

Exploring Egypt With G Adventures

8-day small group tour from Cairo | Travelled June 2023

Egypt had been on our bucket list for years, and exploring it on a small group tour turned out to be a fantastic way to experience the country.

From standing inside the Great Pyramid of Giza and exploring the tombs of the Valley of the Kings to sailing along the Nile on a traditional felucca and sharing dinner with a Nubian family, this was a journey packed with experiences.

We travelled with G Adventures, accompanied by an excellent local guide, and experienced first-hand one of the biggest advantages of small group touring: you don't have to worry about getting from A to B.

Your transport and itinerary are organised, there's someone on hand who knows the destination, and you can concentrate on experiencing it.

Thinking about touring Egypt? We can help you find and package the right tour, flights and additional stays around your journey.

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Why We Chose a Small Group Tour in Egypt

Egypt is a country where having an experienced local guide can add enormously to the experience.

Our guide, Arafa, didn't simply get us from place to place. He helped bring Egypt's history to life, advised us on where to eat and helped organise tickets and optional experiences along the way. 

We also loved the social side of travelling as a small group.

We travelled as three people but came home having met travellers we hope to travel with again. Our group ranged from people in their 20s to their late 60s, and many were travelling solo.

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Our Egypt Tour Highlights

Cairo, the Pyramids & Sphinx

Nothing quite prepares you for seeing the Pyramids of Giza for the first time.

We were able to buy tickets to go inside both Khufu and Menkaure. Climbing inside Khufu was hot, cramped and steep in places, but an experience we'll never forget.

If you dislike confined spaces, this may not be for you. The passageways can be narrow, with people travelling in both directions.

And then there's the Sphinx.

Seeing something you've known from books and television your entire life suddenly standing in front of you is quite extraordinary.

Sarah & Nicola's tip: Be cautious about unofficial offers of assistance around major tourist sites and follow the advice of your guide.

Islamic & Coptic Cairo

We also explored another side of the capital, including the Citadel of Saladin, the Hanging Church and St Sergius Church.

One of the advantages of having a guide was being able to understand more of what we were seeing while travelling through such a busy and fascinating city.

The Overnight Train to Aswan

This was certainly an experience!

We travelled from Cairo to Aswan aboard the overnight sleeper train. Our cabin had bunk beds and a small sink, and we'd describe the journey as memorable rather than luxurious.

The train itself was fairly basic, but hearing the sounds of the towns and villages as we travelled south through the night was all part of the adventure.

Aswan, Philae Temple & a Nubian Village

Aswan became one of our favourite stops.

We travelled by boat to Philae Temple, before later crossing the Nile to visit a local Nubian village.

Walking through the village and surrounding fields before eating with a local family as the sun set over the Nile became one of our most memorable experiences of the entire trip.

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Sailing the Nile by Felucca

One of the quieter highlights was boarding a traditional felucca and sailing along the Nile.

After several busy sightseeing days, lying back on deck and watching the scenery pass by was wonderful, although steering the boat ourselves proved rather harder than it looked!

Abu Simbel

The 3am start was worth it.

After driving through the desert, arriving at Abu Simbel and seeing the enormous temples built during the reign of Ramses II was extraordinary.

The temples were famously relocated to protect them from the rising waters created by the construction of the Aswan High Dam - making the site remarkable both for its ancient history and its modern preservation.

Experiences Beyond Egypt's Ancient Sites

One reason we enjoyed this tour so much was that it wasn't solely about ticking off Egypt's famous monuments.

We visited the Funtasia Project in Luxor, where we learnt about a local community initiative and cycled through the surrounding village.

Experiences like this, alongside eating with local families and exploring markets, gave us a different perspective on the country.

Luxor & the Valley of the Kings

Luxor was another huge highlight.

We visited the Valley of the Kings, where three tombs were included with our pass and we chose to add several more, including the tomb of Tutankhamun.

What surprised us was how different each tomb was. Some descended deep underground while others were shorter, and the decoration varied enormously from one to another.

We also visited the Colossi of Memnon, Hatshepsut Temple, Luxor Temple and Karnak Temple.

Seeing Luxor Temple illuminated at night was particularly memorable.

Memphis & Saqqara

Our final optional excursion took us to Memphis and Saqqara, where we could see how pyramid design developed before the construction of the famous pyramids at Giza.

It was a fascinating way to finish the trip, and compared with some of Egypt's headline sites, it felt remarkably quiet when we visited.

Is a Small Group Tour a Good Way to See Egypt?

For us, yes.

Egypt can feel intense at times, particularly if it's your first visit. Travelling with a small group meant the logistics were taken care of while we still had plenty of memorable local experiences.

We particularly enjoyed having:

An experienced local guide • Organised transport • A small group • Optional excursions • Local experiences • Other travellers to share the journey with

It can also be a great option for solo travellers who like the independence of travelling without a companion but would rather not explore an unfamiliar destination entirely alone.

And because we've experienced small group touring in Egypt ourselves, we can talk to you about what it's actually like rather than simply describing an itinerary from a brochure.

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Can You Extend an Egypt Tour?

Your organised tour doesn't have to be your entire holiday.

We can package your tour, international flights, transfers and pre- or post-tour accommodation, and help you extend your journey if you'd like more time before or afterwards.

Tell us how you'd like to experience Egypt and we'll help you find the touring style and itinerary that suits you.

Prefer to explore somewhere else? Discover our Touring Holidays & Small Group Adventures →