Egypt 14-Day Adventure Tour with Nile Cruise

After breakfast, travel to the Giza Plateau for your first major sightseeing day. The Pyramids of Giza come into view across the open plateau, where your guide explains how the monuments were built, used and altered over thousands of years. You see the Great Pyramid, the Pyramid of Khafre and the Pyramid of Menkaure from several viewpoints, with time for photographs and a closer look at the surrounding funerary complex.

Continue to the Great Sphinx, whose human-headed, lion-bodied form was carved from the local limestone bedrock. Your guide points out the temple remains beside it and explains the relationship between the Sphinx, the pyramids and the royal burial grounds. Entry inside a pyramid is optional and subject to ticket arrangements and site access.

Wear a hat, carry water and expect uneven ground with limited shade. Return to Cairo after the visit for a relaxed evening and overnight stay.

Begin with the Cairo Museum Collection, where your guide leads you through galleries of statues, coffins, jewellery, tools and everyday objects from ancient Egypt. Rather than moving quickly through every room, the visit focuses on key pieces and the stories behind them, including royal funerary objects and examples of writing, worship and domestic life.

After the museum, continue into historic Cairo for a walk through one of the city’s older quarters. Depending on the day’s access and traffic, the route may include a historic mosque, traditional lanes or a market area. Your guide explains how the medieval city developed around trade, religion and craft, while allowing time for a drink or a simple local lunch.

The pace is steady, with opportunities to sit between visits. Return to the hotel in the afternoon or early evening to prepare for the next day’s excursion to the Mediterranean coast.

Leave Cairo after breakfast for Alexandria, a road journey of several hours depending on traffic. On arrival, explore the Alexandrian Coast and the city’s connection with the Mediterranean. The Corniche gives you a clear sense of Alexandria’s waterfront, while your guide places the modern city beside the ancient Greek and Roman settlement founded by Alexander the Great.

Visit the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, where underground chambers combine Egyptian, Greek and Roman features. Continue to the Roman Theatre area or another available archaeological site before seeing the exterior of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. A seafood lunch may be arranged locally, subject to the day’s programme and your preferences.

After sightseeing, drive back to Cairo. The return journey is practical rather than hurried, and the evening remains free for rest. Alexandria’s sites involve stairs and uneven surfaces, so comfortable footwear is useful.

Travel west from Cairo by road to the Bahariya Desert Oasis, a journey that usually takes much of the morning. The landscape changes gradually from the Nile Valley’s built-up outskirts to broad desert horizons and low, cultivated areas around the oasis. After arrival, have lunch and take time to settle into the slower rhythm of the desert.

Your local desert team prepares the vehicle and equipment for the following excursion. If time and conditions allow, visit an oasis spring or a nearby viewpoint to see how palms, small farms and groundwater support life in this remote region. The guide also explains the arrangements for camping or the desert accommodation, including meals, water and the next day’s route.

There may be limited mobile coverage and fewer facilities than in Cairo. Bring a small overnight bag, sun protection and a warm layer for the evening. Overnight in Bahariya, ready for the White Desert drive.

Set out by 4x4 after breakfast for the White Desert Wilderness. The route crosses open desert and passes formations shaped by wind erosion, with stops arranged at viewpoints and areas of unusual chalk rock. The pale landscape changes with the angle of the sun, so your guide chooses places where you can walk safely, take photographs and examine the textures at ground level.

Continue through the Black Desert or other nearby desert scenery where included in the local route, then stop for a simple meal and refreshments. Conditions on unpaved tracks can affect the exact order and duration of the stops. Your driver keeps the vehicle close to the group, and you should follow instructions around soft sand, loose rock and exposed ground.

Return to Bahariya before travelling back to Cairo by road. The journey is long, so expect a late arrival and keep the evening free. Rest well for the next morning’s flight south.

Transfer to Cairo airport for your domestic flight to Aswan. On arrival, our team meets you and takes you into the city, where the atmosphere is quieter and the river landscape replaces Cairo’s dense streets. After check-in or luggage drop-off, have lunch and begin a gentle introduction to Aswan according to the flight and local access times.

You may visit a riverside viewpoint or take a felucca ride around the islands if conditions and timing allow. The traditional sailing boat moves at a relaxed pace, giving you a clear view of the granite outcrops, palm-lined banks and villages along the water. Your guide explains how Aswan’s position shaped trade routes and the movement of stone used in ancient construction.

Keep the afternoon flexible because domestic flights can affect the start of the programme. Overnight in Aswan, with an early start planned for the following day’s visit to Abu Simbel.

Leave Aswan early for the Abu Simbel Temples, travelling south through the desert beside Lake Nasser. The drive takes several hours each way, so bring water, breakfast or snacks and a light layer for the vehicle. On arrival, walk towards the rock-cut temples and see the four colossal figures of Ramesses II carved into the main façade.

Inside, your guide explains the scenes showing royal ceremonies, religious offerings and military victories. The smaller temple nearby is dedicated to Queen Nefertari and the goddess Hathor, with finely carved figures and painted reliefs. The visit usually lasts around two hours, allowing time to explore both temples without rushing through the chambers.

Return to Aswan by road after the visit. The afternoon is free for rest, and your guide confirms the next day’s boarding arrangements. The site is exposed, with limited shade between the entrance and the temple façades, so a hat and comfortable shoes are helpful.

After breakfast, take a short boat ride across the lake to the Philae Sacred Temple, built on Agilkia Island after the original temple complex was moved during the construction of the Aswan High Dam. The approach by boat reveals the pylons and columns gradually, and your guide explains the rescue project as well as the temple’s connection with Isis, Osiris and Horus.

Walk through the courtyards, relief-covered halls and colonnades before returning by boat to Aswan. Later, board your Nile cruise vessel and complete the check-in formalities. Cabin arrangements, safety information and meal times are explained by the onboard team, while luggage is kept to a manageable amount for the cruise.

The rest of the day is for settling in and watching the riverbanks change from the deck. Sailing times can vary with navigation and lock procedures, so the crew confirms the evening schedule on board.

Wake on board as the vessel continues north between Aswan and Luxor. The riverbanks show a narrow strip of farmland, palm groves and villages bordered by dry hills. Breakfast is served on board before the first shore visit, and the cruise team shares the day’s landing arrangements so you know when to be ready.

At Kom Ombo, walk from the boat to the temple dedicated to Sobek and Horus the Elder. The reliefs, twin entrances and symmetrical layout reflect the temple’s shared worship. Later, continue by road or horse-drawn carriage where locally arranged to reach the Temple of Edfu, one of the best-preserved temple buildings in Egypt. Your guide points out the monumental gateway and scenes describing the struggle between Horus and Seth.

Return to the vessel after the visits and sail onwards. The order can change slightly because the cruise follows the navigation schedule. Dinner and overnight are on board.

Arrive in Luxor after breakfast and begin exploring the east bank, the side traditionally associated with living temples and the rising sun. Visit the Karnak Temple Complex, entering through its great gateways and moving between courtyards, chapels and the vast Hypostyle Hall. Your guide explains how different pharaohs added to the complex over many centuries, leaving layers of columns, obelisks and carved inscriptions.

Continue to Luxor Temple, where statues, reliefs and a long processional route show its connection with royal ceremonies. The temple is especially clear when viewed as part of the ancient city rather than as an isolated monument. Allow time for photographs and questions before returning to the cruise or local accommodation.

Much of the visit is outdoors on stone paving, and the midday sun can be strong. Carry water, wear practical shoes and keep valuables secure during transfers through the city.

Cross to Luxor’s west bank after breakfast, where the ancient funerary landscape stretches between the river and the Theban hills. Enter selected Valley of Kings Tombs and follow your guide through painted corridors leading below the desert surface. The open tombs change according to the local access plan, and each one has its own combination of burial texts, figures and ceiling decoration.

Continue to the Hatshepsut Mortuary Temple, set against the cliffs at Deir el-Bahari. Its broad terraces and ramps lead towards sanctuaries decorated with scenes of trade, worship and the queen’s royal rule. A further stop may include the Colossi of Memnon, two large seated figures beside the old approach to the temple area.

Return across the river in the afternoon. The valley involves walking over uneven surfaces and some tombs have steep passages, so travellers with mobility concerns should discuss the route with our team before the visit.

Leave Luxor after breakfast for the road transfer to Hurghada, travelling east across the desert towards the coast. The journey takes several hours, with a rest stop arranged along the way when practical. As the mountains give way to the sea, the scenery changes again, and you arrive in time to check in and settle into your accommodation.

The afternoon is free to relax beside the Red Sea Shores. You can swim, sit by the water or arrange an optional snorkelling or boat activity through the appropriate local desk. Sea conditions, equipment and departure times vary, so confirm details before booking any water excursion. Our team can also help with practical questions about transfers and luggage.

Keep the evening easy after the road journey. Enjoy dinner at your own pace and prepare your bags for departure. This final overnight gives you a short break by the coast before the tour ends.

Enjoy breakfast and a final quiet morning in Hurghada before your airport transfer. The departure arrangement is based on your flight time, so our team confirms when you need to leave the hotel and allows time for the road journey, luggage check-in and airport procedures. Keep your passport, travel documents and valuables in your hand luggage.

If your flight is later in the day, you may have time for breakfast by the water or a short walk near the hotel, subject to the hotel’s check-out policy. The morning is otherwise kept flexible rather than adding another sightseeing stop, giving you space to pack and leave comfortably after two weeks of travel.

Our representative assists with the transfer to Hurghada airport. The 14-day Egypt adventure ends when you depart, with the day’s schedule shaped by your confirmed flight time.