Expect a deposit at booking, with refunds that shrink the closer you get to your travel date. This is standard across Egypt tour operators, not unique to us, because hotels, cruise ships and domestic flights charge non-refundable deposits of their own the closer the date gets. Read the specific tiers before you pay — they matter more than they seem to.
Key takeaways
- Refund percentage drops in tiers as your cancellation date gets closer to arrival.
- Nile cruise cabins and domestic flights are usually the first parts of a trip to become non-refundable.
- A written cancellation request, not a phone call, is what starts the clock on most policies.
- Rescheduling instead of cancelling is often possible even inside the no-refund window — ask before assuming you've lost everything.
Our own refund tiers
| Cancellation window | Refund |
|---|---|
| More than 60 days before arrival | Full refund minus a 5% admin fee |
| 60–30 days before | 75% refund |
| 30–14 days before | 50% refund |
| 14–7 days before | 25% refund |
| Less than 7 days / no-show | No refund, but rescheduling within 12 months is usually possible |
These are our published tiers — see the full cancellation and refund policy for exact wording and how to submit a cancellation.
Why the tiers exist
Once we book your hotel nights, Nile cruise cabin or domestic flights, our suppliers start charging us for them — often well before your own trip. The tiers reflect what we can still recover the closer the date gets, not an arbitrary penalty.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change my dates instead of cancelling?
Often, yes — ask before cancelling outright, since a date change can avoid the refund tiers entirely if suppliers allow it.
Does travel insurance cover a cancellation fee?
Many policies do, for covered reasons. See Egypt travel insurance for what to check before you buy.
How does this affect when I should book?
Knowing the tiers in advance makes the booking-timing decision easier — see how far ahead to book an Egypt trip.
Reviewed September 2026.