International · Nile Valley & Delta
Egypt
Nile Valley & Delta · Egypt · sea level to 100 m (desert plateau)
Walk into a 4,500-year-old tomb before breakfast, float above golden temples in a hot-air balloon at dawn, and end the day bargaining for spices in a bazaar that has changed little since the Fatimids — Egypt delivers scale and antiquity that no other destination on Earth can match.
Egypt is the world's oldest open-air museum: three millennia of pharaonic, Greco-Roman, Coptic, and Islamic history layered along a single river, bookended by the planet's most recognisable monuments. For Indian travellers it combines the spiritual gravity of a pilgrimage with the visual theatre of a blockbuster — nowhere else do you stand inside a 3,200-year-old royal tomb before noon and shop a medieval souk by evening.
Plan it with us
Want Egypt shaped around you?
Tell us your dates — we'll build the trip.
Go in
In season, days sit around 23° and nights near 11°.
What you'll see & do
The sights worth the trip, and how to spend the days around them.
To see
- Giza Pyramids & Great Sphinx — the last surviving Wonder of the Ancient World
- Egyptian Museum, Cairo — Tutankhamun's gold mask, royal mummies, 120,000 artefacts
- Karnak Temple Complex, Luxor — largest religious structure ever built
- Valley of the Kings, West Luxor — 63 royal tombs cut into limestone cliffs
To do
- Hot-air balloon at dawn over the Luxor West Bank temple fields
- Nile felucca sunset sail from Aswan with Nubian crew and tea
- Snorkelling or diving in the Red Sea at Hurghada (2 h from Luxor)
- Sound-and-Light show at Karnak Temple after dark
Before you go
- Indian passport holders must obtain a Letter of Guarantee from a licensed Egyptian travel agency in addition to any visa (VOA or e-visa); airlines at Indian airports check for it at check-in and can deny boarding, and Egyptian immigration has refused entry on arrival without it — arrange it before booking flights at USD 10–30 extra per person via a registered Egyptian operator.
- VOA costs USD 30 exact cash (raised from USD 25 on March 1, 2026); bank counters before the immigration desk rarely break large bills, so carry exact USD; e-visa fees also rose to USD 30 single entry / USD 65 multiple entry as of April 2026 (up from USD 25/USD 60).
- Khamsin sandstorm season (March–May) can cancel Abu Simbel convoys or flights with zero notice and no refund from local operators.
Days, already shaped
3-day plan
- Day 1 Cairo — Giza Pyramids, Sphinx, Solar Boat Museum, camel ride at plateau edge
- Day 2 Cairo — Egyptian Museum (Tutankhamun gallery + Royal Mummies), Khan el-Khalili bazaar, Citadel of Saladin
- Day 3 Cairo day trip — Saqqara Step Pyramid, Memphis open-air museum, Coptic Cairo churches and Ben Ezra Synagogue
5-day plan
- Day 1 Cairo — Giza Pyramids, Sphinx, Solar Boat Museum
- Day 2 Cairo — Egyptian Museum, Khan el-Khalili, Islamic Cairo walking tour
- Day 3 Fly to Luxor — Karnak Temple complex, Luxor Temple illuminated at dusk
- Day 4 Luxor West Bank — dawn hot-air balloon, Valley of Kings (3 tombs), Hatshepsut mortuary temple
- Day 5 Aswan — Philae Temple by motor-launch, Aswan High Dam, felucca sunset; overnight fly back Cairo
7-day plan
- Day 1 Cairo — Giza Pyramids, Sphinx, Saqqara Step Pyramid
- Day 2 Cairo — Egyptian Museum, Khan el-Khalili, Coptic and Islamic Cairo
- Day 3 Fly to Luxor — Karnak Temple, Luxor Museum, riverside corniche dinner
- Day 4 Dawn hot-air balloon; Valley of Kings and Hatshepsut Temple, Colossi of Memnon
- Day 5 Board 4-night Nile cruise; sail to Edfu — Temple of Horus (best-preserved temple in Egypt)
- Day 6 Cruise to Aswan — Kom Ombo dual temple, Philae Temple by evening boat
- Day 7 Abu Simbel day trip by flight (45 min) or police convoy (3 h); fly Cairo; farewell Khan el-Khalili
Getting there, permits & day trips
By air — EgyptAir (direct, 6 h), IndiGo/Air Arabia/flydubai via Gulf hub from Mumbai or Delhi to Cairo (CAI); total journey 10–14 h with connection. Sharm el-Sheikh (SSH) and Hurghada (HRG) reachable via Dubai or Doha with 1 stop. Fares ₹35,000–65,000 return economy depending on lead time.
By rail — No rail link from India to Egypt. Within Egypt: Cairo–Luxor overnight sleeper (12 h, ~₹1,500–2,500 in AC 1st class) is a practical and atmospheric option; book through Egyptian National Railways website or tour operator — walk-up booking is unreliable for foreigners.
By road — No overland route from India. Within Egypt: AC Superjet/Go Bus coaches connect Cairo–Hurghada (6 h, ₹600–900) and Cairo–Alexandria (2.5 h); Luxor–Aswan covered on cruise or shared microbus (3 h). Taxis between sites negotiate per trip — always fix price before boarding.
On a Driftibo trip we handle the transfers.
Permits & entry — Indian passport holders do not have unrestricted visa-on-arrival (VOA) access to Egypt: VOA at Cairo International, Hurghada, and Sharm el-Sheikh airports is granted only if the traveller holds a valid multiple-entry visa from the US, UK, Schengen zone, Japan, Australia, or Canada — or carries a Letter of Guarantee from a licensed Egyptian travel agency whose representative must be physically present at the airport on arrival — at USD 30 (raised from USD 25 on March 1, 2026), single entry, 30 days, paid in exact cash USD at the bank counter before the immigration desk. The recommended route is an e-visa via visa2egypt.gov.eg before departure at USD 30 single entry or USD 65 multiple entry (as of April 2026, up from USD 25/USD 60); even with an approved e-visa, Indian nationals must separately obtain a Letter of Guarantee from a licensed Egyptian travel agency before departure — the portal itself displays this warning, airlines at Indian airports check for the letter at check-in and may deny boarding, and Egyptian immigration can refuse entry on arrival without it; budget USD 10–30 extra per person via a registered Egyptian operator and arrange this before booking flights. Enforcement of the Letter of Guarantee requirement is not perfectly uniform — reconfirm the current practice before quoting clients. A free Sinai-Only visa is issued on arrival at Taba, Nuweiba, and Sharm el-Sheikh land crossings and at Sharm airport, valid 15 days and covering the Sinai peninsula only — not Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, or any destination on the African side of Egypt. No special trekking or archaeological-site permits are required for the standard tourist circuit; paid admission covers Giza, Luxor, Aswan, and Abu Simbel, but drones are banned at all archaeological sites.
Day trips nearby
- Alexandria from Cairo — 2.5 h by train; Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Mediterranean seafood lunch on the Corniche
- White Desert & Bahariya Oasis from Cairo — 4–5 h drive; chalk monolith landscape, desert camp overnight
- Hurghada from Luxor — 2 h road; Red Sea coral reefs, snorkel/dive day trip, return by evening
- Siwa Oasis from Cairo — 9 h AC bus; Alexander the Great Oracle temple, salt lakes, electric-cart village — good overnight add-on for adventure travellers
Seasons and access shift — we reconfirm every detail before we quote.