Private 12-Day Egypt Overland Tour Package

Morning: Giza Plateau

• Great Pyramid of Khufu: Explore the last Ancient Wonder

• Great Sphinx: Unravel its 4,500-year-old mysteries

• Valley Temple: Walk through ancient mummification sites

Midday: Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM)

• Discover Tutankhamun’s treasures & 7,000 years of history

• Lunch at a local restaurant 

Afternoon: Saqqara & Memphis

• Step Pyramid of Djoser: The world’s first stone monument

• Memphis: See the colossal statue of Ramses II

Evening: Return to Cairo

• Relax at your hotel with sunset pyramid views

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

• Overnight: Cairo

Morning:

• Breakfast at hotel

• Flight: Cairo → Luxor 

Karnak Temple – Thebes' Sacred Heart

• Explore the 4,000-year-old temple complex (247 acres!)

• Marvel at:
  • The Great Hypostyle Hall (134 colossal columns)
  • Precincts of Amun-Re, Mut & Montu
  • Avenue of Sphinxes (connecting to Luxor Temple)

• Discover hieroglyphs & pharaohs' legacies

Lunch: Authentic Egyptian cuisine

Luxor Temple by Night – A Golden Wonder

• Walk through illuminated:
  • Grand Pylon entrance
  • Colonnades & courtyards
  • 3km Avenue of Sphinxes

• Hear tales of Amenhotep III, Ramses II & Alexander the Great

Overnight: Luxor hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Morning:

• Breakfast at hotel

• Cross the Nile to explore the West Bank

Valley of the Kings

• Discover 63 royal tombs carved into desert cliffs

• Explore Tutankhamun's tomb (optional entry)

• Admire vivid hieroglyphs & burial chambers of Ramses VI & Seti I

Hatshepsut Temple

• Walk through the 3-tiered masterpiece of Egypt's female pharaoh

• See Punt Expedition reliefs & divine birth scenes

• Marvel at the cliff-carved architecture

Lunch: Local restaurant with Nile views

Colossi of Memnon

• Stand before the 18m-tall statues of Amenhotep III

• Hear legends of their mysterious "singing" at dawn

Evening:

• Return to Luxor hotel

• Optional: Sunset felucca ride on the Nile

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight: Luxor

Morning:

• Breakfast at hotel

• Scenic drive along the Nile

Edfu Temple – Horus' Domain

• Explore Egypt's best-preserved Ptolemaic temple

• Marvel at the legendary battle reliefs of Horus vs. Set

• Admire the 65-foot tall pylons and hieroglyph-covered halls

Lunch: Local riverside restaurant

Kom Ombo Temple – Dual Deities

• Discover the unique twin temple honoring:
  • Sobek (crocodile god)
  • Haroeris (healing Horus)

• See ancient medical reliefs and surgical tools

Evening:

• Arrive in Aswan

• Check into Nile-view hotel

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight: Aswan

Morning:

• Drive through desert landscapes

Abu Simbel Temples

• Stand before 4 colossal statues of Ramses II (65ft tall)

• Explore the Great Temple's victory reliefs and sacred chambers

• Visit Nefertari's Temple – rare equal-sized queen's shrine

Lunch: Return to Aswan for Nile-side dining

Evening:

• Free time to explore Aswan's souk or relax

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight: Aswan

Morning: Modern Marvels

• Aswan High Dam: Visit the 3.6km engineering feat that transformed Egypt

• Unfinished Obelisk: Walk around what would've been a 42m monolith in an ancient granite quarry

Lunch: Nubian-inspired cuisine with Nile views

Afternoon: Philae Temple – Isis' Waterborn Shrine

• Boat ride to Agilkia Island

• Explore the relocated Ptolemaic temple complex

• Discover:
  • Osiris myth carvings
  • Sacred priest chambers
  • Cleopatra-era colonnades

Evening:

• Flight: Aswan → Cairo (included)

• Transfer to Cairo hotel

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight: Cairo

Morning: Ancient to Coptic Wonders

• Egyptian Museum:
  • Lock eyes with Tutankhamun's golden mask
  • See royal mummies & 120,000 artifacts
  • Insider stories from your Egyptologist

• Hanging Church:
  • 7th-century sanctuary floating over Roman ruins
  • Marvel at ivory-inlaid icons of the Holy Family

Midday:

• Taste koshary (Egypt's national comfort food)

• NMEC Museum:
  • Walk through 22 royal mummies in their climate-controlled gallery
  • Admire Queen Meritamun's jewelry collection under dramatic lighting

Afternoon: Islamic Cairo Walk

• Stroll Al Muizz Street (1,000 years of history)

• Discover:
  • Fatimid mosques with geometric mosaics
  • Medieval Quranic schools (madrasas)
  • Khan El-Khalili Bazaar:

  • Haggle for brass lanterns & spices

  • Sip tea at historic El-Fishawi Café (est. 1797)

Evening Options:

• Hotel relaxation

• Optional dinner: Try stuffed pigeon or Umm Ali dessert

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight: Cairo

Morning Coastal Journey

After breakfast, drive to Alexandria

Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa

• Descend into this 2nd-century AD necropolis

• Discover:
  • Graeco-Egyptian fusion art
  • Funeral banquet halls
  • The infamous Hall of Caracalla
  (Donkey discovery story: This site was found in 1900 when a donkey fell through the ground!)

Bibliotheca Alexandrina

• Explore the modern reincarnation of the Ancient World's Greatest Library

• Must-sees:
  • 11-story reading room (architectural marvel)
  • Ancient manuscript exhibits
  • Cutting-edge planetarium shows

Lunch:

• Feast on Alexandria's famous grilled seabass at a seafront restaurant

Afternoon Coastal Treasures

• Qaitbay Citadel:
  • 15th-century fortress on Lighthouse of Alexandria's ruins
  • Panoramic Mediterranean views
  • Museum of salvaged artifacts

• Pompey's Pillar:
  • 82ft red granite monolith
  • Temple ruins of Serapeum

Evening Return

• Relaxing 3-hour drive back to Cairo

• Arrive at hotel by 8-9pm

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight: Cairo

• Morning departure to Fayoum, Egypt’s hidden green paradise

• Explore:
  • Qarun Lake – spot flamingos against desert dunes
  • Hawara Pyramid – remnants of a once-gleaming structure
  • Wadi El-Rayan – turquoise waterfalls in the desert

• Evening:
  • 4x4 dune ride for sunset views
  • Bedouin feast under the stars
  • Overnight in luxury desert camp with Milky Way views
  Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Wadi El-Hitan (UNESCO Site):
  • Walk among 40-million-year-old whale fossils
  • See Basilosaurus skeletons with evolutionary leg bones

• Fossil Museum: Life-sized replicas of ancient sea creatures

• Afternoon return to Cairo (3-hour drive)
  Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
  Overnight: Cairo hotel

• Relaxing hotel breakfast

• Stress-free airport transfer with assisted check-in

• Depart with:
  • Handcrafted souvenirs
  • Unforgettable memories of pyramids, temples & desert nights
  Meals: Breakfast