12-Day Grand Tour of Egypt: Cairo, Nile Cruise, and Sahara Desert Tour

Day 1: Arrive in the Ancient Kingdom for Your Grand Tour of Egypt

You’ll never walk alone! One of our tour managers will meet you when you arrive at the Cairo International Airport, and take you to your hotel. Once you’ve checked in, they will discuss your itinerary with you and then offer you a free “Welcome” drink before they leave you to enjoy the remainder of the day as you wish. Spend your first night of your Grand Tour of Egypt in your hotel in Cairo.

Day 2: Visit the Giza Pyramids & Egyptian Museum

After enjoying breakfast, you will check out of your hotel and take a trip to the Giza Pyramids of Cheops, Chefren and Mykerinus. You will also visit the Great Sphinx and the Valley Temple. After visiting and exploring the Giza Pyramids, you will then be taken to a good local restaurant for some lunch. Next on the list is the Egyptian Museum, where you can view as many as 120,000 pharaonic artifacts, including some real mummies (ticket for the mummies room is optional).

Finally, you will end your day with an opportunity to do some souvenir shopping in the historic Khan El Khalili Bazaar before making your way to the Giza train station, where you will board a very comfortable overnight sleeper train to Aswan.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 3: Free Day in Aswan or Abu Simbel (optional)

You will be met at Aswan station and then transferred to your hotel. You have the option to enjoy a tour to one of Egypt’s top tourist attractions, the Temples of Abu Simbel. These temples were originally carved out of the mountainside during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II in the 13th century BC, as a lasting monument to himself and his queen, Nefertari. Overnight in Aswan.

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 4: Explore Aswan’s Attractions

After enjoying breakfast, you will travel aboard an air-conditioned vehicle to board your luxury Nile cruise. You will enjoy lunch on the boat, and then you will visit the famed Unfinished Obelisk and the incredible Philae Temple. You will enjoy dinner back on the vessel, and you will spend the first night of your cruise on the water in Aswan.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 5: Visit Kom Ombo, Edfu & Esna

You will enjoy breakfast aboard the ship and then set sail for Kom Ombo, where you will visit the Kom Ombo Temple. You will enjoy lunch on the ship, and then set sail for Edfu, where you will visit the Temple of Horus. The trip to Esna is accompanied by afternoon tea. You will stay aboard ship in Esna for the night.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 6: Luxor West and East Bank adventure

After breakfast on the cruise ship, you will set sail for Luxor, where you will experience a tour of the West Bank, taking an excursion to the royal cemetery for 62 Pharaohs, Valley of the Kings. Next you will visit the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut, which was built by the architects of the New Kingdom Pharaoh Hatshepsut in the 15th century BC, at El-Deir El-Bahari. Furthermore you will enjoy a brief stop at the Colossi of Memnon.

On the East Bank of the Nile in Luxor you will explore the Karnak Temples, as well as the Luxor Temple. You will spend the night and enjoy dinner aboard the cruise ship once more.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 7: Visit and camp at the Oasis of Baris

You will rise early, enjoy breakfast, disembark from your Nile cruise and cross the Nile to board a 4×4 vehicle, complete with Bedouin guides for the trip to the Oasis of Baris where you will visit the Temple of Dush. You will camp under the stars for the night.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 8: Explore Kharga and Dakhla oases

After breakfast, you will drive to Al Kharga, a famed oasis town, producing dates, cereals and vegetables. Here, you will see the Temple of Hibis, built in the Roman period. You will also be able to visit the Al Bagawat Christian burial grounds, which date from the 7th century. You will end your day in Dakhla, in a traditional reed hut.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 9: Camel Trek at Dakhla Oasis

Enjoy a traditional breakfast in the Dakhla Oasis, and then enjoy the medieval mud brick town of Al Qasr, which features a unique school, as well as an olive press and a granary.

You will visit the Ethnological Museum and natural hot springs for a bit of rest and relaxation. Lunch will be taken in Dakhla, and you will set off after the heat of the day aboard camels, bound for the Great Escarpment, where you will enjoy dinner and camp for the night.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 10: Discover Farafra oasis and the White Desert

You will head north of Dakhla to Farafra Oasis, where you can explore the Badr Museum and explore the sulfur springs. Later that day, you will enter the White Desert, where you can enjoy a sunset walk and camping in the desert. Warm clothing is recommended for this trip during the months of October through March.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 11: Bahariya oasis sightseeing and back to Cairo

You will stop in Bahariya Oasis on your return trip to visit the astonishing Crystal Mountain and the Black Desert before heading back to Cairo where you will be spending the last night of your tour.

Meals included: Breakfast and lunch

Day 12: Bid the Pharaohs farewell

All dreams end, and today is unfortunately the end of what was once also just a dream. After you have enjoyed breakfast at your hotel, your tour manager and a driver will arrive and take you to Cairo International Airport in the comfort of an air conditioned company car for your departing flight back home. They will assist you with your luggage; they’ll help you with check-in, and then it will be time to say goodbye. Have a safe journey home.

Meals included: Breakfast

Inclusions – What is included in your Grand Tour of Egypt:

• Meet, greet and assist upon arrival and departure
• Accommodation in Cairo for 2 nights (includes breakfasts)
• Accommodation on sleeper train from Cairo to Aswan for 1 night (half-board)
• Accommodation in Aswan for 1 night (includes breakfast and taxes)
• Accommodation on a Nile cruise ship for 3 nights (full basis)
• Accommodation in Kharga (camping) for 1 night (full board basis)
• Accommodation in Dakhla for 1 night (half-board)
• Accommodation in Dakhla (camping) for 1 night (full board)
• Accommodation in White Desert (camping) for 1 night (full board)
• All sightseeing tours as stated in the Grand Tour of Egypt itinerary
• Camel riding in Dakhla for about 20 km
• Transfer from Cairo to Dakhla/Kharga to Luxor
• All transfers from Kharga to Bahariya (air-conditioned 4×4 vehicle)
• Entrance fees to all sites as indicated in the Grand Tour of Egypt itinerary
• Lunch during sightseeing tours
• Mineral water and soft drinks when camping in the desert
• English speaking guide (Expert) for all tours
• All transfers to/from airport/station and hotels in A/C vehicles
• Mineral water during your tours
• Portage when needed
• All service charges and taxes

Exclusions – What is not included in your Grand Tour of Egypt:

• Optional tours
• Meals except where indicated
• Personal expenses
• Tips and gratuities
• International airfare
• Egypt entry visa

Accommodation Plan

• Movenpick Media City Hotel, Cairo
• Mövenpick Aswan Resort
• MS Salacia Nile Cruise
• Campsite in El Kharga Oasis
• Desert Lodge Hotel El Dakhla
• Campsite in the White Desert

Prices are quoted per person in US$ and are valid until the 30th of September 2024, except during the Christmas, New Year, and Easter holidays.