18-Day Egypt & Jordan: Nile Cruise, Abu Simbel, Petra & Wadi Rum

Your trip starts at Cairo International Airport. A member of our team meets you in the arrivals hall and you are driven to your hotel, so there is nothing to arrange after the flight.

No sightseeing is planned today. Check in, rest and adjust to the time difference. A short walk near the hotel or an early dinner is enough for the first evening, because tomorrow is a full day at Giza and the museum.

No meals are included today. It helps to set up an eSIM or buy a local SIM card early, so you can reach our team and your guide easily for the rest of the Egypt section.

After breakfast you meet your Egyptologist guide and the rest of the group and drive to the Giza Plateau. You see the pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure and then walk down to the Great Sphinx. Your guide explains who built them and how the three pyramids relate to each other.

The Great Pyramid of Khufu stood about 481 feet (147 m) tall when it was finished, around 4,500 years ago. In the afternoon you continue to the Grand Egyptian Museum nearby, where the guide links the objects on display to the dynasties you heard about in the morning.

Breakfast and lunch are included. Wear closed shoes and bring a hat and water, because the plateau has almost no shade. Entrance tickets are not part of the tour price, so have a card or cash ready for them.

Today stays inside the city. With your guide you visit Old Cairo, then move on to Islamic Cairo and finish in the lanes of the Khan el-Khalili bazaar.

Old Cairo is the oldest settled part of the capital and home to some of Egypt's earliest churches. Islamic Cairo is the medieval city of mosques, gates and merchant houses, and Khan el-Khalili has been a trading quarter since the 14th century. Seen together, the three areas show how the city grew after the age of the pharaohs.

Breakfast and lunch are included. Dress with shoulders and knees covered for the religious buildings, and carry small Egyptian pound notes if you plan to shop in the bazaar. Pack tonight, because tomorrow starts with a flight to Aswan.

After breakfast you transfer to the airport for the flight south to Aswan, which is included in the tour. On arrival you start sightseeing with your guide at the Aswan High Dam and Philae Temple, and then check in to your Nile cruise ship.

The High Dam was built between 1960 and 1970 and created Lake Nasser behind it. Philae, a temple of the goddess Isis, was taken apart and rebuilt on nearby Agilkia Island to save it from the rising water, and you reach it by a short boat ride.

The ship is your base for the next four nights, and lunch and dinner are served on board today. Keep sunscreen, a hat and your camera in your hand luggage, because you go straight from the airport to the sites before you see your cabin.

You leave early for Abu Simbel, close to Egypt's southern border. Transfers and a guide are arranged for you. After the visit you return to Aswan and rejoin the ship for a quieter afternoon.

Ramses II had two temples cut into the rock here, a large one for himself and a smaller one for his queen Nefertari. Four seated statues of the king, each about 66 feet (20 m) high, face the lake. In the 1960s both temples were cut into blocks and rebuilt on higher ground so that Lake Nasser would not cover them.

All three meals are included today. The start is very early, so sleep early the night before and bring a light jacket for the cool morning. The entrance ticket for Abu Simbel is paid separately.

The ship sails north along the Nile today. You go ashore at Kom Ombo with your guide to see the temple on the riverbank, and then continue toward Edfu.

Kom Ombo is unusual because it was built for two gods at once. One half belongs to Sobek, the crocodile god, and the other to Horus the Elder, so the halls and sanctuaries come in matching pairs. The temple stands a short walk from where the ships moor.

Meals are served on board, since the cruise is full board. The hours between visits are free, and the sun deck is the best place to watch the farms, palm groves and villages along the river. Bring a book and a light layer for the breeze on deck.

You go ashore with your guide to visit Edfu Temple. Back on board, the ship continues north toward Luxor, usually by way of Esna.

Edfu is dedicated to the falcon god Horus and is one of the best-preserved temples in Egypt. It was built under the Ptolemies between 237 and 57 BC, and its roof, tall entrance pylon and wall carvings are largely complete, so you can see how a working temple was laid out.

All three meals are included. Sailing times follow the ship's schedule, so your guide confirms the exact hour of the visit the evening before. This is your last night on the ship, so settle any onboard extras and set aside tips for the crew, which are not included.

You check out of your cabin after breakfast and spend the day in Luxor with your Egyptologist guide. The plan combines the city's main temples with the royal necropolis, as the schedule allows, and you check in to a Luxor hotel in the evening.

Luxor stands on the site of ancient Thebes. The great temples are on the east bank of the Nile, and the royal tombs were cut into the desert hills on the west bank. Your guide confirms the order of the visits on the day.

Breakfast and lunch are included. This is the most demanding sightseeing day of the tour, with long walks on uneven ground and steps and little shade. Wear sturdy shoes, carry water and keep cash or a card ready for entrance tickets.

After breakfast you transfer to Luxor Airport for the included flight to Cairo. A driver meets you on arrival and takes you to your hotel.

Nothing else is scheduled, which gives you an easy day between the two halves of the trip. You have now covered Cairo, Aswan, Abu Simbel and Luxor, and the Jordan section starts tomorrow.

Only breakfast is included today. Use the evening to rest and repack. Check the baggage allowance for tomorrow's flight to Amman and keep your passport where you can reach it. If you want to see more of Cairo, ask our team for ideas near your hotel.

Today you leave Egypt for Jordan. After breakfast you are driven to Cairo International Airport for the flight to Amman. On arrival you are met and transferred to your hotel.

Amman is Jordan's capital, a city built across a series of hills, and it is your base for the next two nights. There is no sightseeing today, so the afternoon and evening are free.

Only breakfast is included. The flight from Cairo to Amman is an international flight and is not covered by the tour price unless it is added to your confirmed booking, so agree the flight details with our team in advance. Jordan has its own entry rules, so check what applies to your passport before you travel.

Your local guide takes you north of Amman to Jerash. After the visit you return to the capital for a tour of its main sights, including the Citadel area.

Jerash is one of the best-preserved Roman provincial cities in the Middle East, about 30 miles (48 km) from Amman. You walk along colonnaded streets, through the Oval Plaza and past temples and theaters. The Amman Citadel stands on a hill above the old downtown and holds the remains of the Roman Temple of Hercules.

Breakfast and lunch are included. Most of Jerash is in the open on old paving stones, so wear closed shoes and a hat. From here to the end of the trip your sightseeing is led by local Jordanian guides.

You check out and travel south through Jordan today. The drive is broken up by stops at Madaba and Mount Nebo before you continue to Petra for the night.

Madaba is known for its Byzantine mosaics, above all a 6th-century floor map of the Holy Land in the Church of St. George. Mount Nebo is the hill where, by tradition, Moses looked out over the Promised Land. On a clear day the view reaches across the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea.

Breakfast and lunch are included. This is a long day on the road, so keep water, a snack and a charged phone within reach. Have an early night in Petra, because tomorrow is the longest walking day of the tour.

The whole day is set aside for Petra. With your local guide you walk through the Siq to the Treasury and then continue along the main route through the ancient city.

Petra was the capital of the Nabataeans, who carved its tombs and temples into the sandstone about 2,000 years ago. The Siq is a narrow gorge about three-quarters of a mile (1.2 km) long, and it opens directly onto the Treasury, a carved facade about 130 feet (40 m) high.

Breakfast and lunch are included. Expect several miles on foot over sand and uneven stone, with more if you choose to climb to the higher viewpoints. Ask your guide in the morning how far the group plans to go. Wear broken-in walking shoes and carry plenty of water.

After breakfast you leave Petra and continue to Wadi Rum. You explore the desert by jeep and spend the night in a camp among the rocks.

Wadi Rum is a protected desert area of red sand and tall sandstone and granite mountains, and it has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2011. The jeep tour takes you between the cliffs and across open sand flats that you could not reach on foot in a day.

Breakfast and dinner are included, and lunch is at your own cost today. Desert nights are much colder than the days, especially from November to March, so pack a warm layer. Bring a scarf for the wind and dust on the jeep and a small flashlight for the camp.

You leave the desert after breakfast and travel to the Dead Sea, where you check in to a resort for two nights. The rest of the day is kept free.

The Dead Sea shore lies more than 1,300 feet (about 400 m) below sea level, the lowest land on Earth. The water is close to ten times saltier than the ocean, which is why you float without any effort.

Breakfast and dinner are included. Do not shave on the day you plan to float, keep the water away from your eyes and mouth, and stay in for a short time only. Rinse off in fresh water afterward. Water shoes are useful, because the salt on the shore can be sharp.

Today is a full free day at the resort, with no scheduled touring. After two weeks of early starts and long walks, you can spend it between the pool, the beach and your room.

Many travelers float again in the morning, when the air is cooler, and try the dark Dead Sea mud, which is spread on the skin and rinsed off in the water. Because the shore is so far below sea level, the air here is usually warmer than in Amman.

Breakfast and dinner are included. Optional experiences can be added at extra cost if they fit your onward travel plan, so ask our team a day or two ahead. Otherwise, keep the day slow and drink plenty of water.

After breakfast you are driven from the Dead Sea back to Amman and check in to your hotel for the last night of the tour.

The rest of the day is yours for last shopping or simply an easy afternoon. Nothing is scheduled, so you can also use the time to rest and pack.

Only breakfast is included today. Confirm your flight time with our team this evening, so that tomorrow's airport transfer is set correctly. Keep your passport and travel documents in your hand luggage.

Have breakfast at the hotel and check out. A driver takes you to the airport for your onward flight, and the pickup time is set around your departure.

The tour ends in Jordan, not in Egypt, so book your flight home from Amman. If your flight leaves late in the day, ask our team about a late checkout or an extra night, which can be arranged at an additional cost, subject to availability.

Breakfast is the only meal included today. Allow enough time at the airport for check-in and security, and keep a little local currency for small purchases before you fly.