Sail the Nile,
slowly.
We plan for you, with you. Boutique dahabeya cruises and privately guided journeys through Luxor, Aswan and Cairo, shaped in conversation with the people who travel them.
Every Orientoura journey is privately guided, licensed and built around the rhythm of the river, and around what you tell us. Small boats, real Egyptologists, and time to let each temple breathe.
The Orientoura Companion
From sightseeing to insight
Our free app for your time in Egypt. It shows you what is near you and explains temples, streets and markets in short texts, step by step also as audio. Plus tips for everyday life, from tipping to what to wear.
- Near you: by location or by city
- A map that works offline
- In English and German
- No sign-up and no ads. Your location stays on your phone.
Our featured tours
Yoga Retreat on a Dahabeya
Pyramids & the Nile
Dahabeya Nile Cruise
Classic Nile Cruise
Day trips from Luxor and Hurghada
Already in Egypt, or adding a day to a beach holiday? These run privately, with a licensed Egyptologist, and start at the time that suits you.
Valley of the Kings & Hatshepsut
Luxor in a Day
The Pyramids in One Day
Desert Quad & Bedouin Village
Why travel with us
We are a small team of Egypt specialists, and you reach us directly. Your journey is built in conversation, at your pace, along the river we know best.
Always With You
Every journey is led by a licensed Egyptologist. Our tours travel privately, at your own pace and around your own questions; the retreats run as small groups.
Small Sailboats, Comfortable Rooms
Intimate dahabeyas and smaller ships, with a handful of cabins and sails instead of engines where we can.
No Rush
Fewer sites, seen slowly. We build in space to linger at a temple, walk on a sandbank, watch a sunset.
Tailored to Fit
Prefer to add Abu Simbel, a day in the Western Desert, or an extra night in Cairo? Every itinerary is yours to shape.
Egypt, travelled slowly
Orientoura stands for a simple idea: that Egypt is best understood slowly. From the deck of a small sailing boat, in the middle of a village, or in a small private vehicle, the country reveals itself differently. It is in the light on the water, the quiet of a temple at opening hour or late in the afternoon, and a longer, deeper conversation with a guide who has spent a lifetime among these stones, and who has the time for such a conversation.
We design a small number of journeys with great care, and travel them privately with people who are ready to travel slowly, even for a single day. That is all we do, and we try to do it well.
Destinations along the Nile
Luxor
Aswan
Cairo & Giza
Egypt, in practice
The questions guests ask us before they decide anything. Answered the way we would answer them on the telephone, with the numbers written down.
Dahabeya or Nile cruise ship?
Both sail the same river past the same temples. The difference is what you want the week to feel like.
The best time to visit Egypt
October to April, if you have the choice. Month by month, plus how to make July work.
Which tombs to choose in the Valley of the Kings
Your ticket covers three out of nine. Most visitors pick by whichever queue is shortest.
Money in Egypt
Cash or card, where each one works, and why small notes matter more than you expect.
Let’s plan your Nile
Tell us how you like to travel and we will shape a private journey around it. No obligation, just a conversation with the person who will plan it.
Start planning