Best Egypt Itinerary 11 days Cairo and Nile cruise

DAY 1- ARRIVAL TO CAIRO

Daily tours Egypt representative will meet & assist you at Cairo International Airport, Transfer to hotel by private air-conditioned vehicle.

Depends on your arrival. If you have an early flight to Cairo, you can contact us to make a tour suggestion.

you can book optional dinner cruise 

Dinner cruise .An unforgettable night on the Nile on a fashionable cruise. enjoy the beauty of Cairo by night on the Nile , Dervish dance and Egyptian music and folklore. Open buffet with variety of Egyptian and western food. We will enliven your stay in Cairo with this wonderful night out that combines the traditions with cultur.

Overnight in the Hotel-Free evening

Meals:No meals

DAY 2- GIZA PYRAMIDS AND EGYPTIAN MUSEUM

You will be picked up from your hotel in Cairo by our tour guide to enjoy a great excursion to The  Pyramids of Giza ( Cheops , Chephren, and Mykerinus)Then proceed to visit the Great Sphinx , which dates back to the time of chephren. and visit   the Valley Temple  .

 Visit the Papyrus Institute

See how the ancient Egyptians made the first Paper in history by using the Papyrus Plant, if you like to buy real papyrus Gifts this will be the most suitable place.

Lunch will be served during the Pyramids at a local restaurant in Giza

Then visit the Egyptian Museum

The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Tahir

It exhibits a rare collection of over 250,000 genuine artifacts that date as far back as 5000 years, including an exclusive exhibit dedicated to the Tutankhamen .A collection of treasures, gold, and jewelry that were buried in his tomb for over 3,500 years before they were discovered in 1920 when his tomb was excavated.

The New Grand museum is not officially open yet. It will be opened officially by the end of  2023.but if you wish to visit it we offer limited tours to test site readiness and the visitor experience ahead of the official opening. Access is scurrently limited to the Grand Hall, commercial area, and exterior gardens. All other interior paces, including access to the galleries and collections, are restricted until the official opening.

If you wish to visit the mummies royal hall, where you will have the feeling of stroling down the vally of the kings where most of these mummies where originaly resting then ask your tour guide to take you to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization . It will cost 50 $ Extra per person.

 Overnight in the Hotel Cairo  

Optional trip to the sound and the light show at Giza Pyramids and costs 40 $ Per person

With the Sound Light Show at the Giza pyramids, the pharaonic history is being re-told by the sphinx, unraveling the ancient secrets and mysterious tales. The Sound and Light show at the pyramids narrates the history of those great kings; Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure.

 Meals: Breakfast+lunch

DAY 3- CAIRO EL ALEMIN -SIWA

Pick-up time from your hotel in Cairo or Giza at 05:00 am. We do recommend ordering a breakfast box from your hotel because of the early departure and driving to El Alamein, a driving distance: of 259 km. It takes 3 hours to drive, on the way we stop for a coffee break. Arrival at El Alamein at 08:30

El Alamein  Controlled the North African coast which opened the way to the whole of Egypt and the trade routes to the Far East via the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. During the Second World War, the Axis powers wanted to dominate Egypt to close Britain`s sea routes to its colonial empire, which the British were desperate to protect. starting in 1940 with the Italian invasion of Egypt via Libya, The coastal town of Al Diffa was the scene of the ongoing battle.

  El Alamein  Museum:

The small  El Alamein museum,  about 1 mile west of the British memorial, is located on the north side of the road, for anyone interested in war Memorabilia. it is worth a stop. Created in 1965 from debris found on the battlefield, It contains uniforms, Weapons, Flags, and other war Paraphernalia. Displays include Photographs and the battle sites

  El Alamein  War Cemetery:

It was designed by Sir Herbert Worthington and is maintained by the British War Graves Commission in Cairo, Here 7,367 men from Britain, Newzealand, Australia, South Africa, Greece, France, India, and Malaysia are buried in individual graves, while 11,945 men, whose bodies were never found, are honored in the cloister that precedes the graveyard

Beyond the cloister is the Individual graves, each, topped with a white Marker, Approximately 815 soldiers were identified and their names are inscribed over the graves

  The German war Memorial:

Thee kilometers, west of the Italian marker, the German war memorial is a single octagonal building erected in 1959, that overlooks the sea, Patterned after the Castle del Monte. the memorial contains the bodies of 4280 German soldiers, at the Entrance, it stands an impressive golden mosaic, to the right of the entrance is a small chapel where families and friends honor the dead with wreaths, Photographs, and memorial ribbons.

The Italian Memorial

The Elegant white marble Italian Memorial, the largest structure at   El Alamein stands 5 kilometers beyond the German Memorial, it was designed by Paolo Caccia Dominoni who served  at El-Alamein and also wrote a book about it

At the Entrance,  there is a small museum and  in the chapel is inscribed ( To 4800 Italian soldiers, sailors, and airmen, the desert and the sea did not give back 38,000 who are  missing)

The main memorial overlooks the sea at the top

Light lunch will be served on the way.

Enjoy the sunset at Fatnas Lake:

Fentes is a small island in Birket Siwa, you can reach it by walking or by bike, It is a wonderful place to sit and enjoy the sunset, You will get a spectacular view of the lake with Gebel Bayda and Hamra forming the backdrop to the west, A walk in the Garden show a variety of trees including Banana, dates, and olive.

Dinner will be served in a restaurant in Siwa,

Overnight in Ghaliet Ecolodge

Ghaliet is a unique SPA Ecolodge located near Amoun Temple and Alexander the greatest oracle in Siwa Oasis. It has been built by nature and designed among palm trees. you can feel the history and the great ancient stories of Alexander the Great while you are in Ghaliet. Enjoy nature, organic design, organic food, and different health programs. The ecolodge includes 12 cozy rooms; each room has its special personality and feeling. You can enjoy staying in the upper rooms with the transparent glass ceiling opening and you feel like you are sleeping in heaven. Also, you can experience the unique outdoor privacy in the lower rooms with their private backyard.

DAY 4- SIWA AND CAMPING IN THE DESERT

Breakfast at the hotel. Pick up at 07:00 am from the hotel. You will visit today's Siwa attractions, we will start with Alexander the Great Temple is also known as the Temple of the Oracle. It is believed that Alexander the Great wished to consult the Siwan oracle to seek confirmation that he was the son of Zeus. The Greek god of gods, when he and his entourage arrived at Siwa oasis after a long trip through the desert.

Then drive to the salty lake. The salty water takes you above the water and makes you float., You don't need to be a good swimmer. Take care when you go swimming and don't let the water reach your eyes. as it is really painful. Choose the Crystal Lake and they are many of them. But keep looking for the purest one, when you see the bottom. Take a bottle of Mineral water to shower with after swimming in the lake, The salt lakes have similar hyper-salinity properties to those of Jordan’s Dead Sea. This also means that the lakes hold great healing properties, much stronger than regular seawater. In all cases, You will make for a wonderful swim!

At 11:00 Then proceed to (Cleopatra's bath )The spring of the sun. It has been mentioned by travelers to Siwa, The legend maintains that Cleopatra swam here,

Then Proceed to the temple of Umm Ubaydah or Amun temple, Just 200 m further from the Temple of the Oracle, the temple was erected by the pharaoh Nectanebo of the 30th Dynasty,

This structure is almost destroyed, owing to its dynamitation in 1896 by an Ottoman governor eager to acquire building material. An inscribed wall represents all that remains to be seen. Based on earlier drawings by pioneer explorers, however, scholars have deduced that the temple was erected by the pharaoh Nectanebo of the 30th Dynasty.

12:00( Taste the Siwan lunch )  in a Siwan restaurant at Abdo restaurant.

Then you will adventure the desert by discovering the Great Sand Sea. by Jeep 4x4 and Enjoy sandboarding -The best dunes for sand boarding in Egypt is here in the Great Sand Sea near Siwa Oasis 

Visit the hot and Cold spring Bir Waheed  Later, we enjoy some traditional Bedouin Tea by sunset and overnight in the desert Camp and Enjoy BBQ dinner.

If you need to Sleep in a Hotel instead of the camp, This is also available. we have nice Ecolodges in Siwa

DAY 5- DISCOVER- SIWA

Siwa, Marsa Matrouh, Cairo

Breakfast at the Camp at 07:00 then drive back to  Siwa oasis - Visit  Shali Fortress :

The Shali Fortress was built on a hill inside a Protective wall originally breached by a single gate, the maze of mud-brick buildings that Comprises the Fortress served the people of the oasis for nearly 8 centuries. The inhabitants had to live in the narrow quarters,  sharing their animals, which were herded into the fortress each evening. The huge chunks of salt so prevalent in  Siwa Oasis were used in the construction of the fortress, as they helped to strengthen the wall, Rain has unfortunately proved to be more destructive to the fortress than any human invaders. the fortress was built in the 13th century and served as the center of Siwan life for over 800 years. The fortress’ mosque is still in use today, with many of the homes restored, and some even turned into local guesthouses.

Then proceed to the Mountain of the Dead a conical mountain a little over a kilometer to the north of Shali. Tombs from the twenty-sixth Dynasty, Ptolemaic, and Roman periods are cut into the side of the mountain, There are four tombs worth seeing at Gebel Al – Mawta. Si Amun Tomb is the most beautiful in Siwa Oasis. Si Amun appears to have been a wealthy Egyptian, Perhaps of Greek origin, but a follower of the ancient Egyptians belief, The tomb contains an Image from the Egyptian pantheon, including an Exquisite painting of the goddess nut standing beside a sycamore tree.

Then drive to Cairo, passing by Marsa Matrouh for lunch Discover Marsa Matrouh, Egypt’s Mediterranean shore. With sandy white beaches and crystal clear waters, many believe that Cleopatra herself bathed in the tranquil waters of Marsa Matrouh. 

Lunch will be served in Marsa Matrouh in Magdy restaurant -Seafood restaurant

Then Drive back to Cairo Arrival in Cairo at 20:00 

DAY 6- ASWAN- ATTRACTIONS

Pick up from your hotel in Cairo then transfer to the Airport for a short flight to Aswan then transfer to the Nile cruise.

Today you will visit Aswan attractions, including the Temple of Philae, and tour by Felucca around Elephantine, the High Dam and the Unfinished Obelisk

Phiala temple :

Built to honor the goddess Isis, this was the last temple built in the classical Egyptian style. Construction began around 690 BC, and it was one of the last outposts where the goddess was worshipped.

The high dam:

Aswan High Dam is a rock-fill dam located at the northern border between Egypt and Sudan. The dam is fed by the River Nile and the reservoir forms Lake Nasser. Construction for the project began in 1960 and was completed in 1968. It was officially inaugurated in 1971.

The Unfinished Obelisk  :

Aswan was the source of ancient Egypt’s finest granite, used to make statues and embellish temples, pyramids, and obelisks. The large unfinished obelisk in the Northern Quarries has provided valuable insight into how these monuments were created, although the full construction process is still not entirely clear. Three sides of the shaft, nearly 42m long, were completed except for the inscriptions. At 1168 tonnes, the completed obelisk would have been the single heaviest piece of stone the Egyptians ever fashioned. 

12:00 lunch on board the Cruise

At 16:00 sailing trip with Felucca around Elphinatine island and Visit Lord Kitchener island.

Optional trip to the Nubian village.

The Nubian villages are known for their colorful streets, the rainbow-painted walls, and the kind people there! Nubians have a unique skin tone and also a unique language that no one in Egypt talks like. this fantastic tour to the Nubian Village lets you meet and impact with a Nubian family and to learn about their simple lifestyle, culture, and traditions


Dinner &overnight on board the Cruise
Meals: Breakfast-Lunch-Dinner

DAY 7- ABU SIMBLE

Breakfast & Lunch on board the cruise.

Early visit to Abu Simbel from Aswan

Abu Simbel temples :

The two temples of Ramses the second and the Queen Nefertari were carved out of the mountain on the west bank of the Nile between 1274 and 1244 B.c. The Great Temple was dedicated to Ramses the second, Ra-Harakhty, Amun Ra and Ptah with 4 Colossal statues. The second temple was dedicated to The Queen Nefertari and Goddess Hathor, the two temples were dismantled stone by stone and rebuilt on higher ground. The preservation of the two temples of Abu Simbel must Rank as the greatest Achievement of the Unesco.

lunch on the Nile cruise

13:00 Sail to Kom Ombo

The temple of Kom Ombo :

The temple and the associated settlement site located 40 K.m north of Aswan, the temple was dedicated to the deities Sobek and Horus and date mainly to the Ptolemaic and Roman period(332 B.b -395 A.c).
Sail to Edfu-Overnight in Edfu 

Dinner &overnight onboard the Cruise

DAY 8- EDFU AND LUXOR

Breakfast on the Nile Cruise and visit the Edfu around 08:00 by horse carriage.

Edfu temple  :
Upper Egyptian site dominated by a large well preserved temple, dedicated to the hawk-God Horus. The construction of Ptolemaic temple of Horus, which was founded on the site of a much earlier temple, dated to the period between the reigns of Ptolemy the Third(246 B.c).

The descriptions on the walls include the Myth of contending of Horus and Seth(Probably performed annually as a religious Drama.

You will be back around 10:00 
Lunch on the Cruise
At 10:30 Sail to  Luxor  through Esna lock
Arrive  Luxor  at 18:00

Visit  Luxor  temple.
Luxor  Temple:

Largely built by the New Kingdom Pharaoh Amenhotep the third and completed by King Tutankhamon and the Great King Ramses the second.

The first pylon was raised by Ramses the second and decorated with His Military Battle of Kadesh.

Dinner &overnight on board the Cruise.

Optional trip to the sound Light  Karnak  temple

The Karnak Sound and Light Show highlights the dramatic history of ancient Thebes. The show narrates the achievements of some great Pharaohs, with poetic descriptions of the ancient treasures. all of this with 40 $ P.P

DAY 9- LUXOR- THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS AND KARNAK TEMPLE

Optional trip balloon ride over the valley of the Kings 120 $ per person

Get your cameras ready for a stunning balloon ride over the historic town of Luxor. Catch the rays of the early morning sun illuminating the city and its surrounding mountains.get a bird's eye view of Luxor's ancient sites from aboard of a hot air balloon

Breakfast on the board on the Nile cruise, then disembarkation and visit the west bank of Luxor and Karnak karnak.

The Valley of the Kings :

Once  called the great Place of the Truth, this valley is called now the valley of the Kings. It is a majestic domain of the Pharaohs who once lay in great stone Sarcophagi awaiting immortality. The isolated valley behind Deir el Bahri is dominated by the Pyramid-Shaped Mountain Peak.

The colossi of Memnon:

Massive pair statues Know as the Colossi of Memnon , Rising about 18 M from the plain. They are the remains of what was once the largest complex on the west bank  built by Amenhotep the Third.

The Queen Hatshepsut temple:

Rising out of the desert Plain, in a series of terraces. The temple of Hatshepsut Mergs with sheer limestone Cliffs of the eastern face of the Theban Mountain as if Nature herself had built this extraordinary monument.

Karnak  :

Karnak is more than a temple is a spectacular Complex of Sanctuaries, Kiosks, Pylons, and Obelisks. All dedicated to the Theban gods and to the Greater Glory of Egypt`s Pharaohs.

 Karnak  was the Most Important place for the worship of the Theban Triad(Amun, Mut, and Khonso).

Lunch will be served during the trip.

Transfer to Luxor airport and fly back to Cairo

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

DAY 10- THE OLD CAIRO AND ISLAMIC CAIRO

Pick Up time from your hotel in  Giza at 08:00 am with your Egyptologist tour guide, Enjoy a fantastic orientation tour of Cairo on an 8-hour excursion that takes in the major monuments of Old Cairo and the maze of streets and stalls of the historic Khan El Khalili Bazaar.,

Saladin Citadel :

you will drive up to the Saladin Citadel, constructed by Salah al-Din on the Moqattam Hills in 1183 AD as a defense against Crusader armies. Known for its fresh air and sweeping views of Cairo, it is now a preserved historic site of mosques and museums, including the Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha

Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha :

Designed by the Turkish architect Yousif Boushnaq, who came to Cairo especially from Istanbul to build the great building, the mosque's alabaster structure stands in beautiful contrast to the sandstone city.

Lunch will be served in a local restaurant in Old Cairo

Coptic Cairo :

Then, visit Old Cairo to see major attractions such as the Hanging Church, the Ben Ezra Synagogue, the Church of St. Barbara, and the Church of Abu Serga, one of the oldest Coptic churches in Cairo

Khan el-Khalili Bazaar:

Continue to the Khan el-Khalili Bazaar, one of the oldest bazaars in the Middle East. Discover a maze of alleys that have been at the center of Cairo’s trading activities since the 14th century. ,

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

DAY 11- INTERNATIONAL DEPARTURE

Breakfast at the hotel then a representative will transfer you to the airport and assist you through final your departure formalities.

If you wish to extend your stay in Cairo, please contact us.