11 days · Cairo → Aswan
The Classic Nile
Pyramids, Memphis, Luxor temples and a four-night dahabiya cruise to Aswan and Philae.
From $4,890Read itinerary
Boutique journeys · Established 2014
Egypt, the way it was
meant to be travelled.
Hand-built, small-group itineraries from the pyramids to the Upper Nile — led by Egyptologists, planned from a quiet office in Indianapolis.
Manāzil · مَنازِل · "stations along a journey"
We don't run tours. We compose slow, deliberate journeys through one of the oldest places on earth.
Manazel Egypt began in 2014 as a side project of a long-time traveler who had spent more than a decade following the Nile from Cairo to Abu Simbel. Today it remains a small, owner-led studio — never a call-center, never a 50-passenger coach.
Every itinerary is built one conversation at a time, around the people taking it. Every guide on the ground is someone Gary knows personally.
Groups of 8, never more
Most departures sit at four to six travelers. You'll know everyone's name by day two.
Egyptologists, not handlers
Each region has a dedicated specialist. They were teaching this material before tourism existed.
Fully bonded in the US
Member of USTOA-affiliated supplier network. Trip protection included on every booking.
Signature Journeys
Five itineraries, polished over a decade.
8 days · Cairo & Western Desert
Pyramids & White Desert
Giza, Saqqara, the Egyptian Museum, then four nights camping beneath chalk formations.
From $3,650Read itinerary
9 days · Luxor → Abu Simbel
Upper Egypt in Depth
Valley of the Kings, Dendera, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae and the temples at Abu Simbel.
From $4,200Read itinerary
7 days · Sharm & Marsa Alam
Red Sea & Reefs
Boutique reef-front stays, diving and snorkeling with marine biologists.
From $2,980Read itinerary
6 days · Aswan & Nubia
Aswan Slow Cruise
A small dahabiya, six guests, no engine. The Nile as travelers saw it a century ago.
From $2,640Read itinerary
5 days · Cairo
Cairo for the Curious
Islamic Cairo, Coptic quarter, Khan el-Khalili and the Grand Egyptian Museum.
From $1,980Read itinerary
The founder
Gary Rutherford, of Indianapolis.
Gary first visited Egypt in 2003 on what was meant to be a two-week trip. He stayed for four months, came home, and quietly began planning return visits for friends. Twenty years and roughly forty trips later, that habit became a company.
He still answers the phone himself. He still writes every itinerary by hand before it becomes a PDF. Manazel Egypt is, in his words, "the agency I wish I'd been able to book on my first trip."
Travelers
What people write to us after.
"Gary's itinerary was more thoughtful than anything we got from the large operators. Every day felt like it was designed for us."
"We've traveled with the big names. Manazel is on another level — small, quiet, and deeply knowledgeable."
"Our guide in Luxor changed how we understood the country. We've already booked our return trip."
Field notebook
Postcards from the road.
When you're ready, we are too.
Tell us when you'd like to travel and what you'd like to see. We'll send a hand-written proposal within two business days. No deposit until you say yes.
Start a conversation