Egypt tour

We went in March to Egypt, Jordan and Israel for 22 days. If I could only do on of the three countries it would be Egypt. We used Mazada Tours but they are an Isaeli company. We also cruised the Nile. We saw many different tour groups.

It seems there are many companies that pretty much ply the same route and itinerary. We were signed up for a Collette tour, that got pandemic-ed away. Viking also does tours, but they are booked out pretty quickly. We're looking now for a 2024 tour.

stan is right, I have been to Egypt three times and the last in Jan of this year.

It is best to compare tours with Nile cruises.

Uniworld
Viking
Avalon
Gate 1

These are just a few to consider. Most of the Nile cruise ships are local and used by foreign tour companies.

COMPARE
What you get, most include four or five star hotels, with the cruises as well as tours of the Upper and Lower Egypt, including the Step Pyramid, Pyramids of Giza, Egyptian Museum, key historical sites in Cairo in Lower Egypt. Also, for Upper Egypt, Aswan to Luxor cruises (of Luxor to Aswan) with several stops, the Valley of the Kings, Temple of Karnak as well as other key sites in Aswan and Luxor.
Some tours include a visit to Abu Simbel on Lake Nasser, south of the Aswan Dam (as well as a cruise on Lake Nasser).

We did Gate 1, stayed in 4.5 or 5 star hotels in Cairo and Aswan, had two river cruises (both three days). One cruise was to Abu Simbel. Cost of the full tour, all but a few meals included, tours included as well as air fare from JFK to Cairo for $3500 pp.

I priced several others, Viking's cost was almost double Gate 1's cost.

Our tour in Egypt was with Odysseys Unlimited . There were two parts of the tour on boats, Lake Nasser and the Nile. Lake Nasser is lined with significant antiquities including Abu Simbel. I preferred this experience on Lake Nasser as there few other boats and our ship was less than half full. I enjoyed the Nile cruise too but the boat was full and there more crowds at the antiquities.I would love to return to Egypt.

Suki, Yes, we had a similar experience on our Gate 1 tour with the Lake Nasser three day cruise from Abu Simbel to the Aswan Dam. We stopped and several temples that most people don't see. Also, like your cruise, our boat was far from full and we got an upgrade to a large cabin.

Our second cruise from Aswan to Luxor wasn't full either, but it was close to full. It was a newer boat than the first one.

Donald, there are a number of posts here discussing various Egypt tour companies that you might want to look at. I'm thinking of a tour at some point in the near future and I'm looking at Odyssey, Viking and Gate 1, based on recommendations here. I would also consider Tauck, which is evidently the creme de la creme of tour companies (and everything is inclusive), but it is also very pricey.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/beyond-europe/egypt-10586f9e-7607-4128-924d-2e9bfde8b1bf
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/beyond-europe/recommendations-for-egypt-tour-companies
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/beyond-europe/who-s-been-to-egypt
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/egypt-practicalities
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/beyond-europe/egypt-tour-for-solo-female

Excellent tour with OAT, Overseas Adventure Travel, in Dec. 2019.

If you decide you want a private tour, check out Go Luxor. And please check out the boats that ply the Nile, there are so many, and in my judgement not created equal. We were on a traditional sailboat called a dahabiya and there were 4 people on the boat ( we were 2 of them) with 8 crew. It was fantastic!