Detailed itinerary of the 12 Days Egypt Tour to Cairo, Nile Cruise, and Desert Safari

Day 1: Cairo Arrival: Meet, welcome, and assist at Cairo Airport. Transfer to the hotel and check-in.

Day 2: Time: 8:00 am: Cairo Sightseeing Tours – Pyramids: After breakfast at the hotel, pick you up and start out a guided tour to explore Giza Pyramids, the Great Sphinx, Saqqara, Imhotep Museum, the Step Pyramid complex, and Memphis ancient city. Lunch in a local Egyptian restaurant. Transfer back to the hotel.

Day 3: Time: 7:00 am: Aswan – Nile Cruise: Early breakfast from the hotel. Pick you up and transfer to Cairo International Airport for your flight to Aswan. Arrive at Aswan and start our sightseeing tours to Philae Temple & the Unfinished Obelisk. Transfer to the Nile cruise, check-in, and Lunch. After lunch, take a Felucca boat ride around Elephantine Island. Dinner onboard the cruise ship.

Day 4: Sailing – Kom Ombo Temple Tour: Early morning navigation to Kom Ombo. After breakfast, start our guided tour to Kom Ombo temple which was built by the Ptolemies and dedicated unusually to two different gods. Lunch & dinner onboard the cruise ship.

Day 5: Edfu Temple Visit – Sailing to Luxor: After breakfast on the cruise ship, start our tour to Edfu temple by horse carriage. The temple is the second largest temple in Egypt and one of the very well-preserved temples. Continue sailing to later watch the process of crossing the Esna lock of the Nile. Lunch & dinner onboard the cruise ship.

Day 6: Dendera & Abydos Day Trip: After breakfast at your Nile cruise ship. Start a private day trip to the temples of Dendara & Abydos. The two temples are still in great condition with very beautiful colors still seen on the walls and depictions. Transfer back to Luxor onto the cruise ship

Day 7: Luxor Sightseeing Tours: After breakfast on the cruise ship, Check-out and start our guided tour to the Valley of the Kings, the temple of Queen Hatshepsut, the Temple of Medinet Habu, and Memnon Colossi. Transfer. Transfer to Luxor train station for the sleeper train to Cairo.

Day 8: Cairo Sightseeing: After breakfast onboard, Arrive at Giza train station. Pick you up and start our guided tours to the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, Islamic & Coptic Cairo, and the tourist bazaar at Khan El-Khalili. Transfer to your Cairo hotel, check-in, and overnight.

Day 9: Day Trip to Wadi El-Hitan & El-Fayoum Oasis: After breakfast in the hotel, pick you up and start our trip to El-Fayoum Oasis and on to Wadi El-Hitan. El-Fayoum Oasis is around 100 km southwest of Cairo. Our first stop is by Lake Qarun for a morning coffee and the beautiful open scenery of the lake and Qatrani mountain behind. Continue our trip to Wadi El-Hitan. We arrive at Wadi El-Hitan around 11:30 am to start our tour by visiting the open-air museum which is a short walk track with some whale fossils displayed where they were originally unearthed. Lunch in Wadi El-Hitan restaurant. After lunch, continue our tour in Wadi El-Hitan by visiting the Climate Change and fossils museum which is a small museum that accommodated some of the whales’ fossils and other marine fossils that were found in the valley. The fossils are 40 to 200 million years old! We then leave Wadi El-Hitan and continue our trip to Mudawara mountain which is overlooking the lakes of Rayan Valley and the mountains of Magic Lake. Proceed to Wadi El-Rayan to see the waterfalls & possibly immigrating birds. Transfer back to Cairo to your hotel.

Day 10: Cairo – Bahariya Oasis – White Desert: After breakfast at the hotel, pick you up and start our trip to Bahariya Oasis. Arrive at Bawiti for lunch. After lunch, we start our off-road adventure to explore the Black Desert, the crystal desert, the springs, the Aqabat rocky mountains, and the old white desert. We continue our off-road adventure to the New White Desert. We camp at the New White Desert. Barbecue dinner under the stars. Overnight in the white desert.

Day 11: the White Desert – Cairo: After breakfast at the white desert, we start our trip back to Bahariya and then continue to Cairo. Lunch is not available. snacks available.

Day 12: Departure: After breakfast at the hotel. Pick you up and transfer you to Cairo International Airport for your departure flight.

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How long is a Nile cruise from Luxor to Cairo?

11 days
* Cruise Itinerary from Luxor to Cairo - 11 days

Day 07: 07:00 Visit Tel El Amarna / Northern tombs Tomb of Ahmose (EA3) / Visit Tuna El Gebel & Ashmunein.

Do Nile cruises leave from Cairo?

The Egypt Nile Cruise travels between Luxor and Aswan covering a distance of 230 km. We have packages starting from Cairo with a city tour covering the major attractions in Cairo then tourists cover the distance by plane and embark on their cruise ship from Luxor or Aswan.

How many days to visit Cairo and Luxor?

For a quick trip in a week, you're recommended to visit Cairo for 3 days and then Luxor and Aswan for 2 days each. If you would prefer to fully embrace the wonders of Egypt, many couples and families spend 10–14 days there for a more-relaxed pace and more diverse experiences.