13 Day Egypt Classic Tour with Nile Cruise and Oasis

Welcome to Egypt. When you land at Cairo International Airport your tour representative will meet you, help with the arrival process, and take you to your hotel in a private air-conditioned vehicle. After you check in, you’ll go over the itinerary and the plans for the coming days.

The rest of the day is free so you can settle in before starting your 13 Day Egypt Classic Tour with Nile Cruise and Oasis.

Overnight: Cairo
Meals: Welcome drink

After meeting your Egyptologist guide at the hotel, you’ll head to the Giza Plateau. There you’ll see the Great Pyramid of Khufu along with the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure, and hear about how these monuments were built. You’ll also visit the Great Sphinx, one of Egypt’s most familiar ancient landmarks.

Next comes the Valley Temple, which was linked to the funerary rituals of the Old Kingdom, followed by a visit to the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) in Giza to look at its large collection of ancient Egyptian artefacts.

When the sightseeing is finished you’ll return to the hotel to relax.

Overnight: Cairo
Meals: Breakfast, lunch

In the morning you leave Cairo for the roughly four-hour drive to Bahariya Oasis, one of the highlights of an Egypt classic tour with Bahariya Oasis and White Desert. Once you arrive you’ll visit the Valley of the Golden Mummies, the Tombs of the Nobles, the Temple of Alexander the Great and the Temple of Muftella.

Lunch is at a local restaurant, then you check in at your accommodation. Later in the day a 4x4 takes you up to the Black Mountain and the remains of the English House, where you can take in the panoramic views of Bahariya Oasis as the sun goes down.

Overnight: Bahariya Oasis
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

After breakfast you stop at a salt lake and spend a little time among Bahariya’s sand dunes and palm groves. From there you continue into the Black Desert, with its dark volcanic hills and rock formations, then drive through El Haize Valley.

A stop at Crystal Mountain lets you see the quartz formations before you move on to the Valley of Agabat. Later you reach the White Desert, where the wind has shaped the chalk and limestone into unusual forms.

This part of your Cairo and Nile cruise with Western Desert oasis tour gives a quieter view of Egypt, away from the busy cities and the big temples. You settle into the desert camp and have a Bedouin-style dinner under the stars.

Overnight: White Desert camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Breakfast and the usual mint tea come first, then you head to Farafra Oasis. There you visit Bir Setah, a natural hot spring, and the small mud-brick museum put together by the local artist Badr.

The road continues toward Dakhla Oasis, with stops at Deir El Hagar, an ancient temple from the Roman period, and the rock-cut tombs of El Muzawwaqa. You also walk through the old Islamic settlement of Al Qasr, with its narrow lanes and traditional buildings.

Later you can relax at a hot spring and look out over Dakhla’s farms and sand dunes. The day ends with Bedouin tea while the sun sets over the desert.

Overnight: Desert Lodge in Dakhla Oasis
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

After breakfast you continue your Cairo Luxor Nile cruise and desert adventure package through the Western Desert. First stop is Qasr El Labkha, the old Roman fortress that once stood along the Forty Days Road, followed by a visit to the Kharga Museum.

You then see the Temple of Hibis and look at the remains at Nadura from outside, before moving on to the Bagawat Christian cemetery with its ancient chapels and the biblical wall paintings that are still visible. Later the road takes you toward Baris Oasis to visit the Temple of Dush and the remains of the settlement that once guarded an important desert trade route. The quiet of the desert settles in as you reach camp for the night.

Overnight: Desert camp in Kharga Oasis
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Breakfast is followed by the drive from Kharga Oasis to Luxor in a private air-conditioned vehicle. The journey takes around six hours, depending on the road and any stops.

When you arrive you board the 5-star Nile cruise ship and have lunch on board. In the afternoon you explore Luxor’s East Bank, starting at Karnak Temple, the vast complex that successive rulers kept adding to, and then Luxor Temple with its monumental architecture. Dinner is back on the ship for your first night on the Nile, marking the start of the cruise part of the journey.

Overnight: Nile cruise in Luxor
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

After breakfast on board you cross to the West Bank. You stop first at the Colossi of Memnon, the two large statues that once stood in front of Amenhotep III’s mortuary temple. Next comes the Valley of the Kings, where many New Kingdom pharaohs were buried in tombs covered with religious scenes, and then the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, the striking terraced monument dedicated to one of Egypt’s most notable female rulers.

You return to the ship for lunch as it sails toward Edfu. The evening is free to relax on board, with dinner while the Nile scenery slides past.

Overnight: Nile cruise
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Breakfast is followed by a visit to Edfu Temple, one of the best-preserved temples in Egypt. Dedicated to the falcon-headed god Horus, its large gateways and detailed reliefs give a clear picture of ancient religious practices.

Back on the ship you sail on to Kom Ombo. There you visit the unusual double temple dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile god, and Horus the Elder, and hear about its distinctive layout. Lunch is on board, then the cruise continues toward Aswan. Dinner is a quiet evening on the river.

Overnight: Nile cruise
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

After breakfast on board the day in Aswan begins at the High Dam, the major modern engineering work on the Nile. Next you take a motorboat to Philae Temple, set on its island and dedicated to the goddess Isis. The last stop is the Unfinished Obelisk in the granite quarries, where you can see how the ancient craftsmen cut the stone.

You return to the ship for dinner and your final evening on board in Aswan.

Overnight: Nile cruise in Aswan
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

After breakfast you leave the Nile cruise. You can spend a little free time in Aswan or take an optional trip to Abu Simbel if it’s available and the arrangements are made.

Later you transfer to Aswan railway station and board the sleeper train to Cairo. Dinner is served on board as the overnight journey north begins.

Overnight: Sleeper train to Cairo
Meals: Breakfast, dinner

Breakfast is on the train before you arrive in Cairo. Your tour representative meets you at the station and takes you to the hotel. Early check-in is possible if a room is ready.

The rest of the day is free, relax at the hotel or take an optional Cairo excursion if you want to see a bit more of the city at your own pace.

Overnight: Cairo
Meals: Breakfast

Breakfast is at the hotel, and you can use any remaining free time according to your flight schedule. At the arranged time your representative and driver transfer you to Cairo International Airport for departure.

Your 13 Day Egypt Classic Tour with Nile Cruise and Oasis ends after a journey that has taken in ancient monuments, historic temples, Nile scenery and the quieter landscapes of the Western Desert.

Meals: Breakfast