11-day Desert Oases & Nile Cruise Tour

Day 1: Cairo – Bahariya Oasis

Early in the morning, our representative will meet you at your hotel to embark on an exciting journey through Bahariya Oasis. If you are staying in a hotel in another city in Egypt, such as Luxor or on the Red Sea coast, we can arrange a transfer to Cairo or directly to the oasis.

Bahariya Oasis is the largest and most important oasis in the Western Desert. When you visit the town  of Bawiti, you will see how the main crops (guava, mango, dates, olives) and some of the historical sights of the city are grown. The Greco-Roman necropolis, also known as the Valley of the Golden Mummies, contains a huge number of mummies, some of which are well preserved, and the sarcophagi are painted with gold paint. Later, you will have lunch at one of the local restaurants. Next, you will be able to see the remains of Ain Tibnya, the temple, the clock of the reign of Alexander the Great, who is said to have passed through this oasis; the tomb of Banentiu, with its well-preserved colored hieroglyphs and paintings; a temple in the area of Ain Muftella with four chapels, the walls of which are about two meters high and built about 2600 years ago. You will also visit  the hot springs of  Bir El Gaba and Bir El Matar – a great opportunity for a swim! You will see the so-called “English House” – a British observation post of the clock of the First World War, from which you will watch a magical sunset. Later you will return to the hotel, where you will have dinner and spend the night.

Lunch and dinner are included. Overnight at the hotel in Bahariya.

2nd day: Black and White Deserts

Early in the morning, you will take a jeep to the Black Desert, where you will see numerous rocks and hills covered with black basalt. Then you will go to the White Desert National Park. This desert was once the bottom of the ocean, but after the water receded, there were cross formations that formed bizarre landscapes of amazing beauty. Enjoy this unique landscape, the famous Crystal Mountain and the picturesque Agabat Valley, because you won’t find anything like it anywhere else. Lunch will be served as a small picnic. In the evening you will arrive at the Farafra Oasis, where you will have dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast, lunch (picnic) and dinner are included. Overnight at the hotel in Farafra.

3rd day: Farafra Oasis – Dakhla Oasis

After breakfast at the hotel, you will embark on a tour of the Farafra Oasis with its lush palm orchards and fruit trees, hot springs, farmers’ dwellings and a special museum by the local artist Badr, who works with clay, sand and stone to create paintings and sculptures that depict traditional life in the oasis. These are truly beautiful works of art. After lunch at one of the local restaurants,  Go to Dakhla Oasis, a huge green area surrounded by pink cliffs. You will visit Al Qasr, an old Islamic fortified settlement with well-preserved various buildings (residential buildings, mosques, mills, madrasahs and artisans’ workshops). At the hotel where you will spend the night, you will be offered dinner.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included. Overnight at the hotel in Dakhla Oasis.

4th day: Dakhla Oasis – Kharga Oasis

After breakfast at the hotel, you will drive to the remains of the Roman temple of Deir al-Hajar, built of sandstone with well-preserved interesting reliefs and dedicated to the Theban triad, the Egyptian god Amun, his wife Mut and their son Khonsu. Then you will see the burial ground  of Karat-el-Muzzawakh with its colorful tomb decoration, which dates back to the Greco-Roman era. Next, visit the partially ruined two ancient cities of Budchulu and Qalamoun, which date back to the Middle Ages. After lunch at a local restaurant, you will drive to the Kharga Oasis, where you will visit  the Temple of Geb, a well-preserved sanctuary built of sandstone around the 5th century BC, and Bagawat, a necropolis of Christians that has about 260 tomb chapels. Dinner awaits you at the hotel.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included. Overnight at the hotel in Kharga Oasis.

Day 5: Kharga Oasis – Luxor

After breakfast at the hotel, you will visit the remains of Qasr Shower with its fortress and well-preserved temple, dating back to the Greco-Roman era. It was once an important place where caravan routes crossed. Then you will see the remains  of Qasr el-Labah, a Roman fortified settlement. You’ll be able to visit a large fortress, a sanctuary, and some of the conduits that once provided villages and fields with water. After lunch, you will leave the Kharga Oasis and head to the Luxor. Dinner at the hotel.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included. Overnight at the hotel in Luxor.

6th day: Luxor – Nile Cruise – Day 1

After breakfast at the hotel, our guide will meet you and take you to the pier, where the ship will be waiting. You’ll visit the West Bank of Luxor, where you’ll make a short stop to see the 3,400-year-old Colossi of Memnon, the  giant statues guarding the now-defunct temple, and the Pharaohs’ tombs with colorful drawings in the Valley of the Kings. Another visit awaits you – Medinet Abu The façade is decorated with huge statues of Ramses in the guise of the ancient Egyptian god Osiris, well-preserved pylons and walls, as well as more than 7000 square meters of wall reliefs, which are not only pleasantly pleasing to the eye, but also tell us about the history of Egypt. Get ready for another attraction –  the temple of Queen Hatshepsut, who created it for herself of extraordinary architecture, with columns, a hypostyle hall and many statues, paintings and bas-reliefs. Lunch will be served in one of the city’s restaurants. The evening is completely at your disposal. Dinner on board the ship.

Extra charges:

1. Light and Sound Show at Karnak Temple
2. Shopping in Luxor’s Main Market
3. Horse-drawn carriage tour of Luxor

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included. Overnight on board the ship.

7th day: Luxor & Esna – Nile Cruise – Day 2

After breakfast on board the ship, you will visit the East Shore of Luxor with its Karnak Temple, which is one of the largest and most famous temples, quite well preserved with giant columns and colored reliefs, thanks to the architecture of which you can feel the religious cult of the ancient Egyptians. Later, you will  visit the Luxor Temple, a beautiful ancient building that combines different eras. After lunch, you will have some free time, which you can dispose of at your discretion. Then you will go to Esna, where you will see the remains of the most beautiful temples of the Greco-Roman period.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included. Overnight on board the ship.

8th day: Kom Ombo & Edfu – Nile Cruise – Day 3

After breakfast on board the ship, you will visit the unusual double temple of Kom Ombo, one wing of which is dedicated to the god Sobek (in the form of a crocodile) and the other to the god Haroreris (in the form of a falcon). Lunch will be served on the way to Edfu. The Temple of Edfu, the best-preserved temple dedicated to the falcon-headed god Horus, took almost 200 years to build, and its beautifully decorated walls give a complete picture of the myths of ancient Egypt.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included. Overnight on board the ship.

9th day: Abu Simbel & Aswan – Nile Cruise – Day 4

In Aswan, you will arrive early in the morning and go to  the twin temples of Abu Simbel. The Temple of Ramses II, 30 meters high, the pediment of which is guarded by four giant statues of the pharaoh. The temple was carved directly into the rock, more than 60 meters long and beautifully decorated with columns, colored reliefs and drawings. The Temple of Nefertari, the wife of Ramses, is a simplified version of the Great Temple. Please note: here you will see something unique in ancient Egyptian art – the statues of the king and queen that decorate the façade of the temple are equal in size. Lunch will be waiting for you on board. The rest of the day is completely at your disposal: you can relax on a boat or go to explore Aswan.

Extra charges:

1. Light and sound performance at the temple of Filai
2. Visit to Kalabsha Temple
3. Visit to the Monastery of St. Simeon

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included. Overnight on board the ship.

Day 10: Aswan – Nile Cruise – Day 5

Your excursion program will continue after breakfast. Aswan… You’ll visit the gigantic Upper Dam, the greatest achievement in architecture and technology of the 20th century, and the Unfinished Obelisk, ancient granite left in a quarry. Lunch will be at one of the local restaurants in the city. Then you will take a walk to Kitchener’s Island in the amazing Botanical Gardens, a green and tranquil oasis in the middle of the bustling city and visit the island of Elephantine With its famous Nilometer (a well connected to the great river and used to warn of floods), ancient ruins and Nubian villages. And finally, you will see  the Temple of Filai, which was saved from extinction by the flooding of Lake Nasser by dismantling it and restoring it to a higher place In the evening, take the overnight train to Cairo. Dinner on the train.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included. Overnight in a comfortable sleeping compartment of the train.

Day 11: Cairo

Breakfast on the train. Our representative will pick you up from the train station in Cairo and take you to your hotel. This concludes our excursion program.

Note: If you want to expand the excursion program and visit other attractions in Cairo, we will be happy to arrange this for you.

Breakfast is included.