How to plan a private trip to Egypt from India

Who arranges it

TripsGala plans private trips to Egypt, including from India, with private guides at each site and an itinerary written for one person or a small group. We arrange the whole thing: flights, accommodation, private transport, local guides, the activities in the plan, and entry fees for the sites in it. Guides speak English, and other languages where a guide in that language is available in Egypt. There is no fixed departure and no group to join. The route is built around who is going, how much time they have, and what they most want to stand in front of.

Getting there and entry rules from India

The practical facts that depend on starting in India:

• Flying time: about 6 to 8 hours nonstop from Delhi or Mumbai to Cairo.
• Visa: Indian passport holders need a visa for Egypt, and most apply online for an e-visa before they fly. Entry rules change, so confirm them before booking anything.
• Time difference: Cairo runs behind Indian Standard Time, so a morning landing still leaves the whole afternoon usable.
• Money: the Egyptian pound is the local currency. Cards work in hotels and larger restaurants; cash is useful in markets and for tipping guides and drivers.

Domestic hops inside Egypt, such as Cairo to Luxor or Aswan, are short and are usually written into the plan rather than left to chance.

When to go, and how long to stay

October to April is the comfortable window. Daytime warmth in Cairo, Luxor and Aswan is easy to walk in, and mornings at the temples are cool enough to take slowly. June to August brings severe heat in the south, which shortens what anyone sensibly does between noon and four. Ramadan changes opening hours and the rhythm of the streets; it is workable, and worth knowing about in advance.

Eight to twelve nights suits most first visits. Six nights is the shortest that covers Cairo and either Luxor or Aswan without the whole thing turning into transfers.

What a route usually covers

Cairo holds the Giza pyramids and the Sphinx, the older step pyramid at Saqqara, and the lanes of Islamic Cairo with their coppersmiths and tea glasses. Luxor is home to the Valley of the Kings on the west bank and the vast columned hall at Karnak on the east. Aswan sits where the Nile narrows around granite islands, with the temple of Philae on its island and Abu Simbel reachable to the south.

Between Luxor and Aswan, many people sail. A dahabiya, a small traditional sailing boat with only a handful of cabins, moves slowly enough that the riverbank stays in view all afternoon. Red Sea time at El Gouna or Hurghada, or a day in Alexandria on the Mediterranean, works well at either end for anyone who wants the pace to drop.

How the planning starts

It begins with the Soul Compass, a free six-minute set of questions about mood, needs and travel style. You can name Egypt outright, or leave the destination open and see what comes back. Within 48 hours a human curator sends the Living Proposal, your personal day-by-day itinerary. It stays flexible for eight days, so sites, pace and hotels can be swapped, then it locks and we book. Cost depends on the season, the length of stay, the size of the group and how much of the trip is custom, so the quote comes with the proposal rather than before it. TripsGala has more than a decade of practice, mostly by referral.

Start with the Soul Compass, six free minutes of questions about your mood, needs and travel style.