Is an Egypt tour package cheaper than booking everything yourself? A line-by-line look at what a package covers, the official ticket prices, and when DIY wins.
It depends on the shape of the trip. Doing it yourself makes most sense for a short Cairo stay with few moving parts. A package makes most sense once the trip adds internal flights, a Nile cruise and Abu Simbel in a fixed number of days. The entrance tickets alone on a classic 10-day route cost over EGP 6,300 per adult, before any hotel, flight or guide.
Key Takeaways
- Our 10-day package from the USA starts at $1,499 per person. It covers 9 nights, a 4-night Nile cruise, domestic flights, Abu Simbel by air, a guide, transfers and entrance fees.
- The tickets on that route cost EGP 6,310 to 6,462 per adult at official prices. The range exists because two official sources list different prices for Abu Simbel and the Temple of Hatshepsut.
- Some things are hard to price yourself in advance. The Grand Egyptian Museum publishes no fixed price and needs a timed online booking. Sleeper train fares are not published.
- Some costs are the same either way: international flights, the $30 e-visa, travel insurance and tips.
- Doing it yourself wins on short, single-city or very flexible trips. A package wins on multi-city trips with fixed dates.
What a package price actually covers
To compare fairly, start with everything a package includes. This is what is in our 10-Day Egypt Package from the USA:
| Part of the trip | In the package | If you do it yourself |
|---|---|---|
| Arrival | Meet and greet with fast-track at Cairo Airport, private transfer | The immigration queue, then a taxi or ride-hailing app |
| Accommodation | 9 nights, including a 4-night Nile cruise with full board | Book each hotel and the cruise separately, and match the dates |
| Domestic flights | Cairo to Aswan and back, plus Aswan to Abu Simbel and back | Book each flight, and fit them around the cruise schedule |
| Entrance tickets | All sites in the itinerary | Buy each ticket (see the next table) |
| Guide | Licensed English-speaking Egyptologist throughout | Hire guides city by city, or go without |
| Ground transport | Private air-conditioned vehicle for every transfer and visit | Arrange drivers or taxis each day |
| Meals | Daily breakfast, full board on the cruise, welcome and farewell dinners | Pay as you go |
The entrance tickets, priced
These are the official foreign-adult prices for the sites on that 10-day route, from Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities:
| Site | Adult ticket |
|---|---|
| Giza Plateau (Pyramids and Sphinx) | EGP 700 |
| National Museum of Egyptian Civilization | EGP 550 |
| Citadel of Salah El-Din, Cairo | EGP 550 |
| Philae Temple | EGP 550 |
| Abu Simbel | EGP 750 or EGP 822 * |
| Kom Ombo Temple | EGP 450 |
| Edfu Temple | EGP 550 |
| Karnak Temple | EGP 600 |
| Valley of the Kings | EGP 750 |
| Temple of Hatshepsut | EGP 360 or EGP 440 * |
| Luxor Temple | EGP 500 |
| Total | EGP 6,310 to 6,462 |
* Two official Ministry websites list different prices for these two sites, so we show both. All monument prices are set in Egyptian pounds, so convert them at the exchange rate on the day you check. Students aged 24 or under with a valid student ID pay about half.
The parts that are hard to price yourself
- The Grand Egyptian Museum does not publish a fixed public price list, and every ticket must be booked online in advance for a set entry time.
- Sleeper trains between Giza, Luxor and Aswan do not publish their fares, although the timetable is public. The trip from Giza to Aswan takes about 12½ to 13½ hours.
- A Nile cruise has its own boarding point and schedule, so your flights and hotels have to fit around the boat, not the other way round.
- Guide fees are not published in one place, and they vary by guide and by day.
None of these is a reason not to go it alone. They are the places where a DIY budget most often turns out wrong. For typical hotel and food budgets, see our guide to Egypt travel costs.
When doing it yourself is the better deal
- A Cairo-only trip. The Pyramids, the museums and old Cairo all work from one hotel, with no flights to coordinate.
- A long, flexible trip. If a missed connection or a sold-out cruise just means an extra day somewhere, you do not need anyone else to plan around it.
- You have been before. You already know how the tickets, transport and timings work.
When a package is the better deal
- A fixed number of days across several cities. Cairo, Aswan, Abu Simbel and Luxor in 10 days means every flight, cruise night and transfer has to line up.
- Abu Simbel by air. The flights have to match the cruise schedule, and the package books them together.
- Peak dates. Over the holidays, the risk is not the price but finding that the cruise or flight you need is already full.
- Your first trip. Having one company responsible for the whole chain, from the airport to the last transfer, is part of what you pay for.
How to compare any quote, including ours
- Count the nights, and check where each one is spent: hotel, cruise, or on a train.
- Check which domestic flights are included. On many trips, including our 3-night Nile cruise, Abu Simbel is an extra.
- Check the tickets. "Main entrance fees" can leave out tombs and sites that charge separately.
- Check the guide: for the whole trip, or only in some cities.
- List what is excluded. On ours that means international flights, the e-visa, insurance, tips and the optional $120 balloon.
Our list of common booking mistakes covers more of what to look for.
Where to start
Tell us the trip you have in mind, and we will send a line-by-line quote you can put side by side with doing it yourself.
