- Duration11 Days / 10 Nights
- Tour typePrivate tour
- StartsMeet and assist at Cairo International Airport
- PriceFrom $1,890 per person based on 6+ travellers
OverviewItineraryWhat’s includedPricesFAQ
Tour Overview
This private Egypt and Jordan tour brings together the great sights of both countries at a pace that leaves room to enjoy them. You begin in Cairo with the Pyramids, the Sphinx and the Grand Egyptian Museum, now fully open with every Tutankhamun gallery on show. Then you fly south to Luxor and board a 5★ Nile cruise for four nights, watching village life and palm-lined banks drift by between temple visits with your own Egyptologist guide.
The cruise covers Karnak and Luxor Temple, the tombs of the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut’s terraced temple, Edfu and Kom Ombo, ending in Aswan with Philae Temple and a felucca sail at sunset. Back in Cairo you have a final afternoon for the royal mummies at NMEC and the Khan el-Khalili bazaar before a short flight across to Amman.
Jordan gives you two nights beside Petra, so you can walk the Siq early and spend a whole day among its tombs, temples and the hilltop Monastery. A night in a Wadi Rum Bedouin camp follows a jeep tour through red canyons. Your Jordan entry visa and Petra ticket are included. Expect early starts on some days and plenty of walking, balanced by easy hours on deck.
Highlights
- Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx and the fully open Grand Egyptian Museum
- Four nights on a 5★ Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan, full board
- Valley of the Kings, Karnak, Edfu, Kom Ombo and Philae with your Egyptologist
- A full day exploring Petra, with your Jordan visa and Petra ticket included
- Jeep tour and an overnight stay in a Bedouin camp in Wadi Rum
- Optional Dead Sea float before you fly home
Itinerary
Day 1 – Arrive in Cairo
Your Unlock Egypt Tours representative meets you inside Cairo International Airport, helps with the visa counter if needed and guides you through to your private car. The transfer to your 4★ hotel takes around 45 minutes, depending on traffic. The rest of the day is yours to settle in and recover from the journey. Later, your guide will call to welcome you, run through the plan for the coming days and confirm the time for tomorrow morning’s pick-up.
Day 2 – Pyramids, Sphinx & Grand Egyptian Museum
Spend the morning on the Giza Plateau with your Egyptologist. Walk around the Great Pyramid of Khufu, take in all three pyramids from the panoramic viewpoint, and stand before the Great Sphinx and the Valley Temple. Going inside a pyramid is possible with an extra ticket. After lunch, continue to the Grand Egyptian Museum, which is now fully open. Its Tutankhamun galleries display the boy king’s treasures together for the first time, alongside the colossal statue of Ramses II in the grand atrium.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 3 – Fly to Luxor, Board Your Cruise, Karnak & Luxor Temple
After an early breakfast, transfer to the airport for the one-hour flight to Luxor. Your guide meets you and takes you to board your 5★ Nile cruise ship, where lunch is served. In the afternoon, explore the vast temple complex of Karnak, walking among the 134 columns of the Great Hypostyle Hall. As the light softens, continue to Luxor Temple, which is beautifully lit after dark. Return to the ship for dinner and your first night on the Nile.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4 – Valley of the Kings & Hatshepsut Temple
Cross to the West Bank early, when it is still cool. Your standard ticket to the Valley of the Kings includes three tombs, chosen on the day from those open; Tutankhamun’s tomb needs an extra ticket. Continue to the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, set into the cliffs at Deir el-Bahari, and stop at the Colossi of Memnon on the way back. If you would like a hot-air balloon flight at dawn, we can book one, though flights depend on the weather and can be cancelled at short notice. The ship sails south in the afternoon.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5 – Edfu & Kom Ombo
Visit the Temple of Horus at Edfu, the best-preserved temple in Egypt, with its towering pylon and dark inner sanctuary still roofed. Back on board, relax on the sun deck as the ship continues upriver past fields, palm groves and small villages. In the late afternoon, stop at Kom Ombo, a rare double temple shared by the crocodile god Sobek and the falcon god Haroeris, and see the mummified crocodiles in the small museum beside it. Sailing times depend on river traffic and lock schedules, so the order can change.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6 – Aswan: High Dam, Philae & Felucca Sail
Wake up moored in Aswan, where the Nile is at its prettiest, with granite boulders and golden dunes along the banks. Visit the High Dam, then take a short motorboat ride to Philae Temple, dedicated to the goddess Isis and moved stone by stone to its island to save it from the rising water. In the late afternoon, glide past Elephantine Island on a traditional felucca sailing boat. An optional trip to Abu Simbel can be added for the early morning; ask us when you book.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7 – Fly to Cairo, Royal Mummies & Khan el-Khalili
After breakfast, disembark and transfer to Aswan airport for the flight back to Cairo, which takes a little over an hour. Your guide meets you and takes you to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, where the royal mummies of pharaohs such as Ramses II rest in a quiet gallery. In the late afternoon, stroll through Khan el-Khalili bazaar and its lantern-lit lanes, with time for shopping and mint tea. Overnight at your 4★ Cairo hotel.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 8 – Fly to Amman and Drive to Petra
Transfer to Cairo airport for the flight to Amman, which takes about 1 hour 15 minutes. Your Jordan entry visa is already arranged as part of the tour, and your driver meets you on arrival. Head south along the Desert Highway, a journey of around three hours with a rest stop, to Wadi Musa, the town at the gates of Petra. Check in to your 4★ hotel and enjoy a quiet evening ready for a full day on foot tomorrow.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 9 – Full Day in Petra
Start early with your local guide and walk the Siq, a narrow gorge over a kilometre long, until the Treasury appears through the rock. Carry on past the Street of Facades, the Theatre, the Royal Tombs and the Colonnaded Street. If you have the energy, climb around 800 steps to the Monastery, with sweeping views from the top. The day involves many kilometres on sand and stone, so wear sturdy shoes and carry water. Return to your hotel in the evening.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 10 – Wadi Rum Jeep Tour & Bedouin Camp
Drive about two hours south to Wadi Rum, a protected desert of red sand and sandstone mountains. Meet your Bedouin driver and set off by 4×4 to see rock bridges, carved inscriptions, narrow canyons and sweeping dunes, stopping to watch the sunset over the valley. Settle into your Bedouin camp for a traditional dinner, often cooked slowly in an underground oven, and an evening around the fire. With almost no light pollution, the night sky here is extraordinary.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 11 – Dead Sea (Optional) & Departure
Enjoy the desert at sunrise and breakfast at camp. If your flight time allows, drive north to the Dead Sea, around four hours away, for an optional float at a resort with a day pass, then continue about an hour to Queen Alia International Airport in Amman. If you prefer, go directly to the airport. Most travellers fly home from Amman, though we can also arrange a flight back to Cairo if that suits your onward plans better.
Meals: Breakfast
Good to know: Nile cruise sailing times and the order of temple visits can change with river traffic and the Esna lock. The Jordan Pass visa waiver needs at least 3 nights in Jordan, which this itinerary includes.
What’s Included
Included
- Meet and assist at Cairo airport and all airport transfers in Egypt and Jordan
- 3 nights in a 4★ hotel in Cairo with breakfast
- 4 nights on a 5★ Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan, full board
- 2 nights in a 4★ hotel in Wadi Musa (Petra) with breakfast
- 1 night in a Wadi Rum Bedouin camp with dinner and breakfast
- Domestic flights Cairo–Luxor and Aswan–Cairo
- Cairo–Amman flight
- Jordan Pass bought in your name (covers the Jordan entry visa, Petra and Wadi Rum entry)
- Private Egyptologist guide in Egypt and a licensed local guide in Petra
- Wadi Rum jeep tour with a Bedouin driver
- Entry fees to all sites in the itinerary, including three tombs in the Valley of the Kings
- Felucca sail in Aswan
- Lunch on day 2
- Private air-conditioned transport throughout
Not included
- International flights
- Egypt visa
- Amman–Cairo flight if you choose to return via Cairo (quoted on request)
- Tutankhamun’s tomb and pyramid interior tickets
- Abu Simbel excursion and hot-air balloon flight (optional extras)
- Dead Sea resort day pass
- Drinks on the cruise and meals not listed
- Tips for guides, drivers and cruise staff
- Travel insurance and personal expenses
Prices
| Group size | Price per person |
|---|---|
| Single traveller | $3,590 |
| 2 travellers | $2,290 |
| 3–5 travellers | $2,050 |
| 6+ travellers | $1,890 |
Per person in USD. Child prices depend on age and the services included – ask us for a child price before you book. Prices can be higher over Christmas, New Year and Easter; we confirm the exact price in writing before you pay.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Jordan visa included?
Yes. We buy a Jordan Pass in your name, which covers the Jordan entry visa, Petra and Wadi Rum, so there is nothing extra to buy; you stay three nights in Jordan, as the visa waiver requires. We only need a passport copy when you book. The Egypt visa is not included; UK citizens and many others can buy it online or at Cairo airport.
What is the Nile cruise ship like?
We use well-reviewed 5★ ships with air-conditioned cabins, private bathrooms and large windows, a sun deck with a pool, and a restaurant serving buffet meals. All meals on board are included, while drinks are extra. We confirm the exact ship with your booking. Sailing times depend on river traffic and locks, so the order of temple visits can occasionally change.
Can I add Abu Simbel?
Yes, Abu Simbel can be added as an extra on day 6 from Aswan. It is a long morning by road, about three and a half hours each way, starting before dawn. Road convoy times are set by the authorities and can change, so we confirm the exact pick-up time the evening before. A short flight is also possible on some dates.
How do I pay for this tour?
As this package includes hotels, a Nile cruise and several flights, we ask for a deposit when you confirm so we can secure those bookings in your name. The balance is paid on arrival. We send a clear written summary of what has been paid and what is due before you travel.
Is this tour very tiring?
There are several early starts, particularly the flights and the West Bank in Luxor, and Petra means a long day of walking on uneven ground. The cruise days are much gentler, with time to rest on deck between visits. If you would like a slower pace, we can add an extra night in Cairo or Petra for an additional cost.
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Want to combine tours or change anything? Contact us or message us on WhatsApp and we will tailor it for you.
