14-Day Egypt Pyramids, Luxor & Red Sea Diving Safari

After breakfast, meet your private Egyptologist guide on the Giza Plateau to explore the Great Pyramids, the Sphinx and the Valley Temple. After lunch at a local restaurant, visit the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), where the outstanding collections cover thousands of years of ancient Egyptian history. Return to your hotel for a free evening.

Overnight: Cairo
Included meals: Breakfast, lunch
Visits: Giza Pyramids, Sphinx, Valley Temple, Grand Egyptian Museum
Good to know: You’ll walk on sand and uneven ancient ground in places. Going inside the Great Pyramid isn’t included.

Transfer to Cairo Airport for your included flight to Luxor. Your local team meets you on arrival, and you head straight to the vast Karnak Temple Complex, with its giant columns, obelisks and sacred lake. Later, explore Luxor Temple, right by the Nile in the center of town. A private transfer takes you back to your hotel, and the evening is free.

Overnight: Luxor
Included meals: Breakfast, lunch
Visits: Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple
Good to know: The order of visits depends on when your flight lands. You can add the Karnak Sound and Light Show at extra cost.

An optional sunrise hot-air balloon ride gives you wide views over Luxor’s West Bank, depending on the weather and availability. After breakfast, visit the Valley of the Kings, where beautifully decorated tombs honor the New Kingdom pharaohs. Continue to the dramatic Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, then stop at the Colossi of Memnon. There’s no flight back to Cairo today; instead you spend a second night in Luxor before heading to the Red Sea tomorrow.

Overnight: Luxor hotel
Included meals: Breakfast, lunch
Visits: Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple, Colossi of Memnon
Good to know: The standard Valley of the Kings ticket covers selected regular tombs; special tombs such as King Tut, Seti I and Ramses IV cost extra. Expect steps and uneven ground.

After breakfast, travel by private air-conditioned vehicle from Luxor to Hurghada and board your Red Sea diving liveaboard. Settle into your cabin, enjoy a welcome drink and meet the dive team, who check your equipment, certification and medical documents during the onboard orientation. Dinner is served on board, and there’s no diving today.

Overnight: Liveaboard yacht, Hurghada Marina
Included meals: Breakfast, dinner
Service: Private Luxor–Hurghada transfer; boarding the liveaboard
Good to know: Standard boarding starts at 3:00 PM. You can arrive later, as the yacht doesn’t leave until Sunday morning.

Leave Hurghada early and head north to Shaab El Erg, better known as Dolphin House. Your first guided dive also serves as an equipment and buoyancy check, among lovely coral gardens and reef fish. Continue to Siyoul Kebir for your second daytime dive, followed by a night dive if conditions and timing allow.

Overnight: Liveaboard near Siyoul Kebir
Included meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Dive sites: Dolphin House (Shaab El Erg), Siyoul Kebir; 2 daytime dives and a possible night dive
Good to know: Dolphin sightings are never guaranteed.

Early in the morning, arrive at Abu Nuhas Reef, the famous “Ships’ Graveyard.” Depending on conditions and your certification, explore two historic wrecks, which may include the Giannis D, Carnatic, Chrisoula K or Kimon M. Continue to Shaab Mahmoud for a third dive at the SS Dunraven. If time and conditions allow, finish with a night dive at an approved coral garden nearby, before the yacht moves into position for tomorrow’s SS Thistlegorm and Ras Mohammed dives.

Overnight: Liveaboard in the Shaab Mahmoud area
Included meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Dive sites: Abu Nuhas wrecks, SS Dunraven, optional Shaab Mahmoud night dive
Good to know: Going inside wrecks isn’t a standard part of the package; it needs the right qualifications and the guide’s approval.

Start with a dive on the SS Thistlegorm, the famous World War II supply ship whose vehicles and equipment still lie on the seabed. Continue to Ras Mohammed National Park at the southern tip of Sinai for more reef diving, depending on navigation timing and sea conditions. The dive team decides how the day’s planned dives are split between the wreck and Ras Mohammed. Later, the yacht makes the long trip south toward the Brothers Islands, estimated at around nine hours.

Overnight: Liveaboard sailing toward the Brothers Islands
Included meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Dive sites: SS Thistlegorm, Ras Mohammed National Park; number of dives depends on the final route
Good to know: Going inside the wreck isn’t included as standard.

Explore the dramatic underwater scenery of Big Brother Island, a remote offshore reef with impressive coral walls and a chance of meeting open-ocean species. Up to three daytime dives are planned, depending on currents, weather and marine park permits, and suitably qualified divers may also explore approved sections of the Aida or Numidia wrecks. In the evening, the yacht moves to its permitted overnight anchorage near the Brothers Islands, rather than staying moored at the islands.

Overnight: Liveaboard at an authorized anchorage near the Brothers Islands (not at the islands)
Included meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Dive sites: Big Brother Island; up to three daytime dives
Good to know: Strong currents and open-water conditions call for advanced experience. Night dives and overnight stays at the Brothers Islands are not allowed, so the captain chooses a permitted anchorage nearby.

Make two dives today around Little Brother Island, famous for steep coral walls and open-ocean marine life. After lunch, the yacht sails toward Safaga. An evening dive at a suitable, permitted site in Safaga may be arranged if navigation and sea conditions allow.

Overnight: Liveaboard in the Safaga area
Included meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Dive sites: Little Brother Island; two daytime dives; possible Safaga night dive
Good to know: If the night dive goes ahead, it’s at a permitted Safaga site, never at the Brothers Islands.

Finish your diving around Safaga. Your first dive may be at Abu Kifan Reef or the historic Salem Express wreck, depending on your qualifications, conditions and personal choice. A second dive may explore Panorama Reef or the gentler Abu Soma Garden. After lunch, the yacht heads back to Hurghada, arriving before sunset for your last night on board.

Overnight: Liveaboard at Hurghada Marina
Included meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Dive sites: Abu Kifan or Salem Express; Panorama Reef or Abu Soma Garden; two planned dives
Good to know: The Salem Express is the site of a maritime tragedy and should be treated with respect. You can choose another dive instead where possible.

After breakfast, say goodbye to the captain and crew and leave the liveaboard by about 11:00 AM. Transfer to Marriott Hurghada Resort for an easy afternoon by the pool or the sea. After six days of diving, it’s a chance to unwind and enjoy a relaxed evening on land before tomorrow’s flight to Cairo.

Overnight: Hurghada
Included meals: Breakfast and dinner
Service: Disembarking the liveaboard; transfer to your Hurghada hotel
Good to know: There’s no diving today. Early check-in depends on availability. The day gives you a long break from diving after Friday’s final dives.

After breakfast at Marriott Hurghada Resort, take a private transfer to Hurghada Airport for your included economy-class flight to Cairo. Meet your local Egyptologist guide and explore Islamic Cairo, starting at the historic Citadel of Salah El Din, high above the capital. Visit the magnificent Mosque of Muhammad Ali inside the Citadel and learn about the many layers of the city’s history. After an included lunch at a local restaurant, continue to Khan El Khalili, Cairo’s atmospheric old bazaar, where traditional lanes, workshops and shops give you a lively last look at the city. Transfer to your hotel to check in, with the evening free.

Overnight: Cairo
Included meals: Breakfast, lunch
Visits: Citadel of Salah El Din, Mosque of Muhammad Ali, Khan El Khalili; private guided touring
Good to know: The order of visits and how much time you have depend on the confirmed Hurghada–Cairo flight. The flight follows a day without diving.

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel and get ready for your trip home. At the agreed time, your Memphis Tours representative arranges your private air-conditioned transfer to Cairo International Airport and helps with departure formalities, ending your journey through Egypt’s ancient monuments and the Red Sea.

Included meals: Breakfast
Service: Private airport departure transfer
Good to know: Hotel checkout and departure assistance are arranged around your flight time.