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The Grand Egyptian Circuit: 11-Day Cairo, Alexandria, White Desert & Nile Cruise

11 days / 10 nights Cairo · Luxor · Aswan · Alexandria Group tour

Duration

11 days / 10 nights

Type

Group

Guide

Egyptologist guide

Transport

Air-conditioned vehicle

Route

Cairo → Cairo → Cairo → Cairo to White Desert → White Desert to Cairo → Cairo to Alexandria → Cairo to Aswan → Aswan to Edfu → Edfu to Luxor → Luxor to Cairo → Cairo

Overview

Eleven days that take you right around Egypt: the pyramids of Giza, Dahshur and Saqqara, a night under the stars in the White Desert, the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, and a 5-star full-board Nile cruise from Aswan to Luxor, all with a professional English-speaking Egyptologist guide. Your first full day is spent on the Giza Plateau with the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure and the Great Sphinx, followed by the Grand Egyptian Museum and its treasures of King Tutankhamun, with lunch at a special local restaurant. The next day you visit the Bent and Red Pyramids at Dahshur, with the option of entering their inner chambers, then the colossal statue of Ramses II and the Alabaster Sphinx at Memphis, and the Step Pyramid of Djoser and the tombs of Saqqara. Then you head into the Western Desert. After a traditional lunch in Bahariya Oasis, you visit desert hot springs, the Black Desert, Crystal Mountain and Agabat Valley before reaching the White Desert National Park for sunset, a barbecue dinner with Bedouin music, stargazing beneath the Milky Way and a night in a desert camp. Back in Cairo, a day trip to Alexandria reveals the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, Pompey's Pillar, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the Citadel of Qaitbay. A flight to Aswan begins your Nile cruise, with Philae Temple, the Kiosk of Trajan, the Temple of Hathor, the Unfinished Obelisk and the High Dam. The ship sails to Kom Ombo's double temple of Sobek and Horus and the Mummified Crocodile Museum, then to Edfu, where a horse-drawn carriage takes you to the Temple of Horus, before reaching Luxor for Karnak and Luxor temples. After the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon, you fly back to Cairo. Domestic flights, ten nights of accommodation including the cruise and the desert camp, meals as listed in the itinerary and all ground transfers in air-conditioned vehicles are included.

Duration

11 days

Route

Cairo → Cairo → Cairo → Cairo to White Desert → White Desert to Cairo → Cairo to Alexandria → Cairo to Aswan → Aswan to Edfu → Edfu to Luxor → Luxor to Cairo → Cairo

Best season

Oct–Apr

Tour highlights

The White & Black Desert with overnight desert camp

Stargazing & desert experience in the White Desert

Great Pyramids of Giza & Egyptian Museum

5 Star Full Board Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor

Day-by-day itinerary

Photo gallery

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What's included

Included

Accommodation for 9 nights as listed in the itinerary, including the 5-star Nile cruise, plus one night in a White Desert camp
All ground transportation and transfers by modern air-conditioned vehicle
Meet and greet on arrival plus airport departure transfer
Professional English-speaking Egyptologist guide
Meals as specified in the daily itinerary
All domestic transportation listed in the itinerary
Full-board accommodation aboard the 5-star Nile cruise

Not included

Travel insurance
Optional tours and excursions
Personal expenses, drinks and laundry
Gratuities for guides, drivers and cruise staff
Entrance fees to archaeological sites (as listed by the operator)
International flights

Good to know

Important information

Entrance fees to archaeological sites, international flights and travel insurance are not included. Check Egypt's visa requirements for your nationality before you travel. The White Desert night is spent in a desert camp, and nights in the desert can be cool, so bring a warm layer. Entering the inner chambers of the Dahshur pyramids is optional and involves steep, narrow tunnels. Comfortable walking shoes, a hat and sun protection are recommended. Gratuities for guides, drivers and cruise staff are not included and are customary in Egypt.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Nile cruise included?

Yes. The tour includes a 5-star full-board Nile cruise from Aswan to Luxor, with visits to Kom Ombo, Edfu, Karnak and Luxor temples.

Are domestic flights included?

Yes. The flights from Cairo to Aswan and from Luxor back to Cairo are included. International flights to and from Egypt are not included.

What is the White Desert night like?

You spend one night in a desert camp in the White Desert National Park. The evening includes sunset viewing, a barbecue dinner cooked under the stars, Bedouin music and stargazing.

Are entrance fees to the sites included?

No. Entrance fees to archaeological sites are not included in the tour price.

Which experiences are optional?

Optional extras include entering the inner chambers of the Bent and Red Pyramids, sliding down the sand dunes in 4x4 jeeps, the Abu Simbel temples and a sunrise hot-air balloon flight over Luxor's West Bank.

What is not included in the price?

Entrance fees to archaeological sites, travel insurance, international flights, optional tours, personal expenses, drinks, laundry, and gratuities for guides, drivers and cruise staff.

Where does the tour start and end?

The tour starts and ends in Cairo. You are met on arrival at Cairo International Airport, and a departure transfer to the airport is included on the final day.

From

$1,080$1,200

Save $120 per person

Per person, based on double occupancy

Departure

Adults

Children

2 adults × $1,080$2,160

Estimated total$2,160

Final price confirmed in your quote.

Expert Egyptologist guide

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