12-Day Cairo, Abu Simbel, Nile Cruise & Hurghada Tour

Your tour starts in the arrivals hall at Cairo International Airport. A member of our team meets you there and takes you to your hotel, so you do not have to arrange a taxi after a long flight.

Nothing is scheduled for today. Check in, rest and adjust to the time difference. If you arrive early and still have energy, keep it light, because tomorrow is a full day at Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum.

No meals are included today. Keep a small amount of cash for dinner and water, and set up a local SIM card or an eSIM so you can reach our team from the first evening.

After breakfast you meet your English-speaking Egyptologist guide and drive to the Giza Plateau. You walk around the three main pyramids and then down to the Great Sphinx, with time for photos at each stop.

The Great Pyramid of Khufu stood about 481 feet (147 m) tall when it was finished and is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world still standing. In the afternoon you continue to the Grand Egyptian Museum, where your guide puts the monuments, the dynasties and the objects on display into one timeline.

Breakfast and lunch are included. Wear closed shoes and a hat, since the plateau is open desert with no shade, and carry water. Entrance tickets for Giza and the museum are paid separately.

Today moves from ancient Egypt to the living city. With your guide you visit Old Cairo and Islamic Cairo and finish in the lanes of the Khan el-Khalili bazaar. On some departures the day instead features the Cairo Citadel or the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, and our team confirms your program before you travel.

Old Cairo is the oldest part of the city and home to some of its earliest churches. Islamic Cairo is known for its medieval mosques and gates, and Khan el-Khalili has been a trading quarter since the 14th century.

Breakfast and lunch are included. Dress modestly for religious sites, with shoulders and knees covered, and bring a scarf if you plan to enter a mosque. In the bazaar, bargaining is normal and expected.

After breakfast you transfer to the airport for the flight south to Aswan. Your guide meets you there for the Aswan High Dam and Philae Temple, and afterward you check in to your Nile cruise ship, which is moored in Aswan tonight.

The High Dam was built between 1960 and 1970 and holds back Lake Nasser. Philae Temple, dedicated to the goddess Isis, was moved block by block to Agilkia Island to save it from the rising water, and you reach it by a short motorboat ride.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included today, and from now on meals are served on board. Pack what you need for the day in your carry-on bag, because you go sightseeing before you reach your cabin.

You leave Aswan early for Abu Simbel. Transfers and a guide are arranged for you. After the visit you return to Aswan and rejoin the ship for a quiet afternoon on board.

Abu Simbel lies about 175 miles (280 km) south of Aswan, near the border with Sudan. Ramses II had two temples cut into the rock here, one for himself and one for his queen Nefertari. Between 1964 and 1968 both were cut into blocks and rebuilt on higher ground to save them from Lake Nasser.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included. This is the earliest start of the trip, so go to bed early the night before and bring a light jacket for the morning. The Abu Simbel entrance ticket is paid separately, like the other site tickets.

Today the ship is under way on the Nile. You go ashore with your guide at Kom Ombo, where the temple stands right above the riverbank, and then continue sailing north toward Edfu.

Kom Ombo is unusual because it is a double temple. One half is dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek and the other to the falcon god Horus, and the building is laid out as two matching halves side by side.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served on board. Between visits you have free hours on the sun deck, so keep sunscreen and a hat at hand. Sailing times follow the ship's schedule and can shift from one departure to the next.

In Edfu you visit the Temple of Horus with your guide. The cruise then covers its last stretch of river to Luxor, where you spend the next two nights.

The Temple of Horus was built between 237 and 57 BC and is one of the best-preserved temples in Egypt. Its tall entrance pylon, roofed halls and inner sanctuary are largely complete, so you can see how a temple worked from the gate to the shrine.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included today. Have your bags packed before you leave the ship, and keep small Egyptian pound notes ready, because tips for the cruise crew are not part of the tour price.

Today is your full day in Luxor, the site of ancient Thebes. On the East Bank you visit Karnak and Luxor Temple with your guide, who explains how both complexes grew over many centuries. The program also takes in the West Bank across the river, and your guide confirms the West Bank stops for your departure.

Karnak is the larger site. Its Great Hypostyle Hall holds 134 stone columns, the tallest of them close to 70 feet (21 m) high. Luxor Temple stands about 1.7 miles (2.7 km) to the south, at the other end of the Avenue of Sphinxes.

Breakfast and lunch are included. Start with a full water bottle and wear sturdy shoes, since the ground is uneven and there is little shade. Dinner is on your own this evening.

After breakfast you leave the Nile Valley and travel by road to Hurghada on the Red Sea coast. On arrival you check in to your resort, and the rest of the day is free.

The route crosses the Eastern Desert, a dry range of hills between the river and the sea, and the drive takes about four hours. From here the trip changes pace, from temples and tombs to rest by the water.

Breakfast and dinner are included today. Lunch is not, so carry snacks and water for the road. Keep swimwear near the top of your bag if you want to use the pool or the beach as soon as you arrive.

Today has no schedule. Spend it on the beach, by the pool or using the resort facilities at your own speed.

Hurghada is one of Egypt's main Red Sea resort towns, known for clear water and coral reefs close to shore. Snorkeling, diving, island boat trips and desert activities can be arranged where available. All of them are optional and cost extra.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included today. If you want to add an activity, ask our team a day ahead so the timing and the price are clear before you commit. The sun is strong on the coast all year, so use sunscreen even on a breezy day.

After breakfast you check out and travel back to Cairo. The journey is by road or by domestic flight, and your booking confirmation shows which one applies to you. A driver takes you to your Cairo hotel.

By road, Hurghada is about 280 miles (450 km) from Cairo, and the drive usually takes five to six hours. The flight takes about one hour.

Only breakfast is included today. The evening is left free so you can rest, repack or have dinner in the city on your own. If you want gifts to take home, this is your last chance to shop.

Have breakfast at the hotel and check out. A driver takes you to Cairo International Airport for your flight home, and the pickup time is set around your flight.

If your flight leaves late in the day, ask about a late checkout or an extra night in Cairo when you book. Both cost extra and depend on availability.

Allow plenty of time at the airport, since there are security checks at the terminal entrance and again before the gate. Keep a few Egyptian pounds for tips and small purchases on the way.