10-Day Egypt Tour with Cairo, Nile Cruise and White Desert
This 10 day Egypt tour Cairo Nile cruise White Desert itinerary is designed for travelers who want to combine Egypt’s major cultural highlights with a Western Desert experience in one journey. The route starts in Cairo, continues through Saqqara, Dahshur and Memphis, then flies south to Aswan for a Nile cruise toward Luxor before returning to Cairo for Bahariya Oasis, the White Desert and Old Cairo.
For travelers comparing routes, this trip works well as a 10 day Egypt itinerary with Nile cruise and White Desert because it combines archaeology, Nile cruising and desert landscapes without separating them into different holidays. If you are still comparing trip structures, our Egypt 10-day itinerary guide gives additional planning context.
Cairo, Saqqara, Dahshur and Memphis
The journey begins in Cairo before visiting Saqqara, Dahshur and Memphis. Highlights include the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the Bent Pyramid, the Red Pyramid, the alabaster sphinx and the statue of Ramesses II. Travelers planning this section can also read our Saqqara and Memphis day trip guide for more background on these ancient sites.
Aswan to Luxor Nile Cruise
After Cairo, the itinerary continues by domestic flight to Aswan. The cruise section includes the Unfinished Obelisk, Philae Temple and the Aswan High Dam, followed by Kom Ombo and Edfu before reaching Luxor. In Luxor, the program includes Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple, the Colossi of Memnon, Hatshepsut Temple and the Valley of the Kings.
This makes the trip especially relevant for travelers searching for an Egypt tour with Bahariya Oasis and Nile cruise or a Cairo Aswan Luxor White Desert tour. For more detail on the river journey, see our Nile Cruise Luxor to Aswan guide.
Bahariya Oasis and White Desert Camping
After returning to Cairo, the tour heads southwest to Bahariya Oasis. The desert section includes the Black Desert, El Haize natural hot spring, the Valley of Agabat and an overnight camp in White Desert National Park. Crystal Mountain is visited the following day before the drive back to Cairo.
This part of the itinerary adds a different side of Egypt to the archaeological route and is useful for travelers looking for a 10 day Egypt tour with White Desert camping. More practical information about this region is available in our White Desert Egypt safari guide.
Old Cairo Before Departure
The final sightseeing day focuses on Cairo’s historic religious heritage, including the Citadel of Saladin, the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, the Hanging Church, the Church of Abu Serga and Ben Ezra Synagogue. The final day is reserved for the transfer to Cairo International Airport for departure.
Overall, this itinerary is suited to travelers looking for one trip that combines Cairo, a Nile cruise, Luxor, Bahariya Oasis and the White Desert while keeping the original 10-day, 9-night structure.
-
Guided
-
All Language Available
-
Available
Tour Itinerary
After arrival in Cairo, our representative will meet you and transfer you to your hotel.
Overnight in Cairo hotel.
Welcome drink.
After breakfast, you head to the Giza Plateau for the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing. You walk among the three great pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, with time for photos from the classic panoramic viewpoint, and then continue to the Great Sphinx and the Valley Temple at its feet.
After lunch at a local restaurant, you move on to the Grand Egyptian Museum, which sits just beside the plateau. Your guide leads you up the Grand Staircase, lined with statues and royal monuments, and through the galleries that follow ancient Egypt from its earliest days to the Roman period. The visit ends with the Tutankhamun galleries, where the young king’s treasures are displayed together in one place.
Transfer back to the hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch.
Overnight in Cairo hotel.
In the early morning, transfer to Cairo Airport to catch your flight to Aswan.
After arrival, check in to your Nile cruise.
Meet your guide and visit the Unfinished Obelisk, an important ancient quarry monument associated with the period of Queen Hatshepsut.
Continue to Philae Temple, dedicated to the goddess Isis and relocated during the international salvage campaign that protected the complex from rising waters.
Visit the Aswan High Dam, completed in the 20th century and responsible for creating Lake Nasser.
Return to your cruise.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Breakfast is served aboard your Nile cruise.
Visit Kom Ombo Temple, associated with the god Sobek.
Continue sailing to visit Horus Temple at Edfu, also known as Edfu Temple.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Breakfast is served aboard your Nile cruise.
After arrival, visit the Karnak Temple complex, one of the largest religious complexes of ancient Egypt. Its Great Hypostyle Hall was developed under several New Kingdom rulers.
Continue to Luxor Temple, a major New Kingdom sanctuary closely connected with the annual Opet Festival.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Breakfast is served aboard your Nile cruise.
Visit the Colossi of Memnon, the colossal seated statues associated with King Amenhotep III.
Continue to the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir El Bahari, the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut.
Proceed to the Valley of the Kings, the royal necropolis used by pharaohs and powerful figures of the New Kingdom.
Meals: Breakfast.
Fly to Cairo.
Overnight in Cairo hotel.
Early in the morning, your guide will pick you up from your Cairo hotel and drive to Bahariya Oasis, approximately 370 km southwest of Cairo.
Have lunch, then continue to the Black Desert, the natural hot spring of El Haize, and the rock formations of the Valley of Agabat.
Continue to White Desert National Park, known for its distinctive wind-carved chalk formations.
Camp overnight in the White Desert.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Breakfast at the campsite.
Visit the quartz crystal formations at Crystal Mountain before driving back to Cairo.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch.
Begin with the Citadel of Saladin and visit the Mosque of Muhammad Ali from inside.
Continue to the Hanging Church, built above the remains of the Roman fortress.
Visit the Church of Abu Serga, associated with the Holy Family tradition.
Continue to the Ben Ezra Synagogue.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch.
Transfer from your hotel to Cairo International Airport to catch your flight.
Meals: Breakfast.
