Home14-Day Egypt Pyramids, Luxor & Red Sea Diving Safari
Over 14 days, this Cairo, Luxor and Hurghada tour takes you from the monuments of the pharaohs to some of the finest dive sites in the world. It starts with private sightseeing in Cairo, where you’ll see the Giza Pyramids, the Great Sphinx and the Grand Egyptian Museum, before a flight south to Luxor for the temples of Karnak and Luxor and the royal tombs of the West Bank. After two nights in Luxor, a private car takes you to Hurghada, where you join your Red Sea liveaboard on Saturday for a week at sea. Designed for experienced divers, the safari plans to visit the SS Thistlegorm, Abu Nuhas, Ras Mohammed, the Brothers Islands and Safaga. A night at a Hurghada resort follows, then a flight back to Cairo for a private guided tour of the Citadel of Salah El Din and Khan El Khalili, with lunch, and a final night at Le Riad de Charme. Memphis Tours looks after your flights, private land touring and transfers, and your yacht and dive team run the shared safari.
Why You’ll Love This Trip
- History above the waterline, adventure below it: Combine the greatest archaeological sites of Cairo and Luxor with some of the Red Sea’s most celebrated diving.
- Your own guide on land: An English-speaking Egyptologist and private air-conditioned transport accompany you throughout the land programme.
- A week-long safari for experienced divers: Dive the wrecks of Abu Nuhas and the SS Thistlegorm, the reefs of Ras Mohammed, the Brothers Islands and Safaga, with up to 18–20 dives depending on navigation and conditions.
- Time to breathe between highlights: Two nights in Luxor, a relaxing stay at Marriott Hurghada Resort after the safari and a last guided day in Cairo, with a night at Le Riad de Charme.
- Organised from start to finish: Domestic flights from Cairo to Luxor and Hurghada to Cairo, private sightseeing and transfers, full board on the yacht and guest relations support.
- Airport meet-and-assist on arrival in Cairo and guest relations support throughout the land tour
- Private air-conditioned transfers and private guided sightseeing in Cairo and Luxor as listed
- Economy-class domestic flights Cairo → Luxor and Hurghada → Cairo
- 3 nights in Cairo with daily hotel breakfast
- 2 nights in Luxor with daily hotel breakfast
- 7 nights on the dive liveaboard with full-board meals and snacks
- 1 night in Hurghada on half board
- All listed sightseeing in Cairo and Luxor on a private basis
- A private English-speaking Egyptologist guide and the scheduled entrance fees
- Lunch on sightseeing days in Cairo and Luxor
- Private transfer from Luxor to Hurghada to board the yacht on Saturday
- Mandatory liveaboard national park and marina fees
- The planned diving package (around 18–20 dives, depending on conditions), including permitted night dives
- Drinking water, soft drinks, tea, coffee, towels and Wi-Fi on the liveaboard, subject to coverage
- VAT and taxes on the included services
- International flights
- Egypt entry visa and personal travel or specialist scuba insurance
- Diving equipment hire and optional Nitrox (US$40 per person)
- Course and certification fees
- Optional hot-air balloon flight, Karnak Sound and Light Show and special tombs
- Meals not listed in the itinerary
- Alcoholic drinks and personal expenses
- Tips for the crew and guides (the crew suggests €80)
A Memphis Tours representative greets you at Cairo International Airport, helps you through arrival formalities and accompanies you to your hotel in a private air-conditioned vehicle. Your tour manager runs through the programme with you and confirms tomorrow’s arrangements, and the rest of the day is yours to settle in.
Overnight: Cairo
Included meals: None
Service: Airport meet-and-assist; private hotel transfer
After breakfast, your private Egyptologist meets you on the Giza Plateau to explore the Great Pyramids, the Sphinx and the Valley Temple. Lunch is at a local restaurant, followed by the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), whose remarkable galleries trace thousands of years of ancient Egyptian civilisation. You 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: Parts of the visit are on sand and uneven ancient ground. Entry to the interior of the Great Pyramid isn’t included.
A transfer takes you to Cairo Airport for your included flight to Luxor. Our local team meets you on arrival and takes you straight to the vast Karnak Temple Complex, with its forest of columns, towering obelisks and sacred lake. Later, you visit Luxor Temple on the Nile in the heart of the town, before a private transfer back to your hotel and a free evening.
Overnight: Luxor
Included meals: Breakfast, lunch
Visits: Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple
Good to know: The order of visits depends on your flight’s arrival time. The Karnak Sound and Light Show can be added at extra cost.
Begin, if you wish, with an optional sunrise hot-air balloon flight over Luxor’s West Bank, subject to weather and availability. After breakfast, explore the Valley of the Kings, where richly painted tombs were carved for the pharaohs of the New Kingdom. Continue to Queen Hatshepsut’s striking temple at Deir el-Bahari and pause at the Colossi of Memnon. Rather than flying back to Cairo, you stay a second night in Luxor before setting off for 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 gives access to a selection of regular tombs; special tombs such as King Tut, Seti I and Ramses IV carry an extra charge. Expect steps and uneven surfaces.
After breakfast, a private air-conditioned vehicle drives you from Luxor to Hurghada, where you board your diving yacht. Once you’ve settled into your cabin, enjoy a welcome drink and meet the dive team, who check your equipment, certification and medical paperwork during the onboard briefing. 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: Boarding normally opens at 3:00 PM. Arriving later is fine, as the yacht doesn’t sail until Sunday morning.
The yacht leaves Hurghada early and heads north to Shaab El Erg, known as Dolphin House. Your first guided dive doubles as an equipment and buoyancy check, among pretty coral gardens and reef fish. You then move on to Siyoul Kebir for a second daytime dive, with a night dive to follow 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 encounters can never be guaranteed.
You reach Abu Nuhas Reef, the famous “Ships’ Graveyard”, early in the morning. Conditions and certification permitting, you’ll explore two historic wrecks, which may include the Giannis D, Carnatic, Chrisoula K or Kimon M. Next comes Shaab Mahmoud and a third dive on the SS Dunraven. If time and conditions allow, the day ends with a night dive at an approved coral garden nearby, while the yacht positions itself 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: Wreck penetration isn’t a standard part of the package; it requires the right qualifications and the guide’s approval.
The day opens with a dive on the SS Thistlegorm, the renowned Second World War supply ship whose cargo of vehicles and equipment still rests on the seabed. Navigation timing and sea conditions permitting, the yacht continues to Ras Mohammed National Park, at the southern tip of Sinai, for more reef diving. The dive team decides how the day’s planned dives are divided between the wreck and Ras Mohammed. Later, the yacht begins the long crossing south to the Brothers Islands, estimated at around nine hours.
Overnight: Liveaboard sailing towards 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: Entering the wreck isn’t included as standard.
Today is dedicated to Big Brother Island, a remote offshore reef with dramatic coral walls and the chance of encounters with open-ocean species. Up to three daytime dives are planned, subject to 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 a permitted overnight anchorage near the Brothers Islands instead of mooring at the islands themselves.
Overnight: Liveaboard at an authorised 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 mean advanced experience is essential. Night dives and overnight stays at the Brothers Islands aren’t permitted, so the captain selects an authorised anchorage close by.
Two dives are planned around Little Brother Island, known for its sheer coral walls and open-ocean marine life. After lunch, the yacht sets course for Safaga. An evening dive at a suitable, permitted Safaga site 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: Any night dive takes place at a permitted Safaga site, never at the Brothers Islands.
Your final diving day is spent around Safaga. The first dive may be at Abu Kifan Reef or the historic Salem Express wreck, depending on your qualifications, the conditions and your own preference. A second dive may take in Panorama Reef or the gentler Abu Soma Garden. After lunch, the yacht returns 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 marks the site of a maritime tragedy and should be dived with respect. Where possible, you can choose an alternative dive.
After breakfast, say farewell to the captain and crew and leave the yacht by around 11:00 AM. A transfer takes you to Marriott Hurghada Resort for a lazy afternoon by the pool or on the beach. After six days of diving, it’s a welcome chance to relax on dry 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 is subject to availability. The day gives you a long interval after Friday’s final dives.
After breakfast at Marriott Hurghada Resort, a private transfer takes you to Hurghada Airport for your included economy-class flight to Cairo. Your local Egyptologist meets you for a tour of Islamic Cairo, beginning at the historic Citadel of Salah El Din, perched high above the capital. Inside the Citadel, visit the grand Mosque of Muhammad Ali and hear about the many chapters of the city’s past. After an included lunch at a local restaurant, wander through Khan El Khalili, Cairo’s atmospheric old bazaar, where narrow lanes, craftsmen’s workshops and shops give you a vivid final impression of the city. You then 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 the time available depend on your confirmed Hurghada–Cairo flight. The flight follows a day without diving.
Enjoy breakfast at your hotel and prepare for your journey home. At the agreed time, your Memphis Tours representative arranges a private air-conditioned transfer to Cairo International Airport and assists with departure formalities, bringing your journey through Egypt’s ancient monuments and the Red Sea to a close.
Included meals: Breakfast
Service: Private airport departure transfer
Good to know: Hotel check-out and departure assistance are timed around your flight.
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4195
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4295
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