13 Days Cairo, Nile Cruise, and Jordan Tour

Unwind at the hotel, then begin your first evening in Egypt with a memorable Nile dinner cruise. Savor a specially prepared meal as Cairo drifts by, enjoy conversation with your professional guide, and take in live folkloric performances—belly dancing, music, and the spellbinding tannoura whirling tradition.

Return to your hotel for a restful night in Cairo.

Journey to the legendary Giza Plateau (c. 2600 BCE), masterpiece of the 4th Dynasty. Here, engineering genius and royal ambition created monuments that have inspired the world for millennia.

Raised around 2570 BCE for Pharaoh Khufu, the Great Pyramid once stood 146.6 m (481 ft) tall; today it rises about 138.8 m (455 ft). Built from roughly 2.3 million limestone blocks and aligned to the cardinal points, it remains the only surviving Wonder of the Ancient World, with an interior that includes the Grand Gallery and King’s Chamber.

Carved from a single outcrop of bedrock, the Great Sphinx has lion’s body, likely the face of Khafre (2558–2532 BCE), has guarded the plateau for over 4,500 years. Nestled between its paws is the Dream Stele of Thutmose IV (18th Dynasty), a landmark inscription of royal devotion.

Part of Khafre’s mortuary complex, this exquisitely crafted granite-and-limestone temple hosted rituals associated with embalming and the Opening of the Mouth ceremony, illuminating Old Kingdom funerary beliefs.

The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) is a state-of-the-art complex on the Giza Plateau, designed by Heneghan Peng with pyramid-inspired geometry and sweeping views of the pyramids. It is aligned with the stellar pyramids of Giza, and spans nearly 490,000 square meters. Inside, a light-filled atrium and climate-controlled galleries showcase 5,000 years of history—from the Hanging Obelisk, colossal Ramses II, statues of Senusert, the Grand Staircase, and Merneptah’s Victory Column to royal regalia. Its centerpiece is the most comprehensive display of Tutankhamun’s treasures, revealing the craft, faith, and power of ancient Egypt.

Enjoy a relaxing lunch at a quality local restaurant with pyramid or Nile views, then continue to:

Designed by the genius architect Imhotep for King Djoser (c. 2670–2650 BCE), the six-tier Saqqara step pyramid is the earliest large-scale stone monument in history. Its complex, courts, and ceremonial structures launched Egypt’s transformative age of pyramid building.

Catch your flight to Luxor, then enjoy a private A/C vehicle to begin your Nile cruise by checking-in and relaxing by spending the overnight. 

The most selected of places, the epic Karnak temple, spreading over 247 acres, evolved from the Middle Kingdom through the Greco-Roman era (c. 2000–30 BCE). Primarily dedicated to the Theban Triad—Amun, Mut, and Khonsu—its treasures include the vast Hypostyle Hall of 134 papyrus-bundle columns, sacred lakes, obelisks, chapels, and processional avenues.

You will enjoy lunch on board and relax. In the evening, you’ll be escorted to witness:

Known as “Ipet-resyt” (the Southern Sanctuary), Luxor Temple Illuminated after dusk, since it was launched by Amenhotep III and added to by Ramses II and others) once hosted the Opet Festival, renewing divine kingship as sacred barques processed along the Avenue of Sphinxes from Karnak. The temple’s reliefs glow in the evening light, an unforgettable sight.

Return to the cruise for dinner and an overnight stay.

A masterpiece of New Kingdom architecture, the terraced temple of Queen Hatshepsut (1507–1458 BCE) blends harmoniously with the cliffs of Deir el-Bahri. Its colonnades and reliefs honor Amun and record the queen’s achievements, including her famed expedition to Punt.

This royal Valley of the Kings holds 63 tombs of New Kingdom rulers (1570–1050 BCE), including Tutankhamun, Seti I, and several Ramses kings. Painted corridors and chambers narrate the soul’s journey with texts from the Book of the Dead and netherworld books.

Have your lunch at the marvelous nile cruise in Luxor then head with your tour guide to:

Colossi of Memnon are known to be the twin statues of Amenhotep III (1350 BCE), each about 18 m (60 ft) tall, once flanked his mortuary temple. Ancient travelers reported a “singing” phenomenon at dawn; today, the restored site offers close-up views of royal iconography.

Enjoy dinner on board as the ship begins its serene southbound sail.

Among Egypt’s best-preserved temples, the Temple of Edfu (Ptolemaic, 237–57 BCE) celebrates Horus and records mythic battles against Seth. Its towering pylons, reliefs, and sacred spaces reveal Ptolemaic religion, language, and ritual in extraordinary detail.

You will enjoy your lunch on board the nile cruise and head to

A unique double temple (Ptolemaic, 180–47 BCE) honoring Sobek and Haroeris (Horus the Elder), the temple of Kom Ombo mirrors itself along a central axis. Its reliefs famously depict ancient surgical instruments, offering rare insight into Egyptian medical practice.

Sail on to Aswan. Dinner and overnight on board.

Cut into a Nubian cliff in the 13th century BCE by Ramses II, the twin temples of Abu Simbel honor Amun-Ra, Ra-Horakhty, Ptah, and Nefertari. Four colossal seated figures front the Great Temple, famed for its solar alignment (twice yearly) that lights the inner sanctuary. Relocated stone-by-stone by UNESCO in the 1960s to save it from Lake Nasser, Abu Simbel also commemorates the Hittite–Egyptian peace treaty, one of history’s earliest known.

Return to your cruise to have your Lunch & dinner and enjoy the overnight.

Constructed 1960–1970, the Aswan High Dam tamed the Nile’s annual floods, created Lake Nasser, and powered Egypt’s modernization with hydroelectricity, one of the 20th century’s great engineering projects.

Still attached to its granite bed in the ancient quarries, this colossal Unfinished Obelisk, likely commissioned by Hatshepsut, reveals how artisans cut and shaped monoliths. Had it been completed, it would have been the largest ever erected.

A jewel of Ptolemaic and Roman artistry (begun 4th–3rd c. BCE), Philae temple honors Isis, goddess of motherhood and magic. Rescued by UNESCO and relocated to Agilkia Island in the 1960s–70s, it enchants with elegant colonnades, reliefs, and sacred lakeside vistas.

Return to the cruise for lunch, dinner, and fly back to Cairo and transfer to your 5* hotel for check-in and overnight.

Founded in 641–642 CE by the general Amr ibn al-As in Fustat (Old Cairo), Amr Ibn Al Aas Mosque is Egypt’s and arguably Africa’s first mosque. Rebuilt and expanded many times under the Abbasids, Fatimids, and Mamluks, it reflects 1,300+ years of Islamic architectural evolution, from simple palm-trunk origins to arcaded courtyards and elegant colonnades that anchor one of Cairo’s oldest prayer sites.

Also known as the Church of the Virgin Mary, the Hanging Church is so named because it sits atop the southern gatehouse of the Roman Babylon Fortress, giving the impression of being suspended. Dating to at least the 7th–9th centuries (with earlier traditions on the site), it served for centuries as the seat of the Coptic patriarch. Inside, admire cedar-wood screens, inlaid ivory, and icons, many linked to the Holy Family’s famed journey through Egypt.

The golden Egyptian museum is able to uncover the majestic heritage of the 5000-year-old ancient Egyptian civilization. In the shining gates of the museum are some of the most fascinating and captivating pieces of enchanting native art.

Set within Coptic Cairo, Ben Ezra Synagogue is one of Egypt’s oldest synagogues. Traditionally said to have become a synagogue in 882 CE (and extensively restored in the 1890s), it’s renowned for the Cairo Geniza, over 300,000 medieval Jewish manuscript fragments discovered here that transformed scholars’ understanding of life around the Mediterranean. The interior’s carved woodwork and painted details echo the district’s layered religious history.

Savor a leisurely lunch at a Nile-view restaurant, sampling classic Egyptian dishes before continuing your exploration of Old Cairo’s markets and medieval lanes.

Founded in the late 14th century during the Mamluk era, Khan El Khalili Bazaar is Cairo’s legendary souk, a maze of alleys lined with workshops and stalls selling hand-hammered brass, spices, textiles, perfumes, and jewelry. Everyone will have the chance to explore a historic café, such as El Fishawy, serving guests since the 1700s, and soak up the bazaar’s timeless theater. Friendly bargaining is part of the experience.

Dating to the Fatimid period (c. 970 CE), Al Muizz street is an open-air museum of Islamic Cairo, flanked by monumental mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais from the Fatimid, Ayyubid, and Mamluk eras. Landmarks along the route include the complexes of Qalawun and Barquq and the Al-Hakim Mosque. Come evening, dramatic lighting reveals stone carvings and mashrabiyya screens in exquisite detail.

Return to your Cairo hotel for a restful night.

After breakfast, head north to Jerash, one of the world’s best-preserved Greco-Roman cities, flourishing from the 1st–3rd centuries CE. Walk beneath Hadrian’s Arch (129/130 CE), step into the oval Forum (Oval Plaza), and follow the Colonnaded Street (Cardo Maximus) past temples and theaters to hear history echo on its original paving stones.

Once the heart of public spectacle, the hippodrome (250 m end-to-end) hosted chariot races and athletic events for crowds up to 15,000. Wander the surviving track and tiers; during select programs, reenactments conjure the roar of ancient race days.

Dedicated to the goddess of the hunt, this 2nd-century sanctuary rises on a commanding terrace, its soaring Corinthian columns and fine carvings reflecting Jerash’s prosperity and refined craftsmanship.

Enjoy a very wonderful lunch before continuing your international trip.

Continue to Ajloun, built in 1184–85 by a general of Saladin to guard trade routes and check the Crusader advance. Its hilltop position offers sweeping views across the Jordan Valley and stands as a textbook example of Ayyubid/early Islamic military architecture.

Back in the capital, explore the Citadel (Jabal al-Qal‘a), occupied for over 5,000 years, featuring the Temple of Hercules (Roman), the domed Umayyad Palace complex (8th c.), and the Jordan Archaeological Museum. The hilltop panorama frames modern Amman against layers of antiquity.

 You will spend the night at your hotel in Amman.

Enter the 19th-century Greek Orthodox church to view the 6th-century Mosaic Map of the Holy Land—the oldest surviving geographic depiction of Palestine and neighboring regions, labeled with 157 Greek inscriptions and once composed of millions of tesserae (rediscovered in 1884).

Continue to Mount Nebo, traditionally the place where Moses viewed the Promised Land. From ≈817 m (2,680 ft), gaze across the Jordan Valley to the Dead Sea and, on clear days, the hills of Jerusalem. The memorial basilica preserves exquisite 5th–7th-century mosaics of pastoral and hunting scenes.

Descend to Earth’s lowest land elevation (-430 m / -1,410 ft) for leisure time at the Dead Sea. Experience effortless floating in hypersaline waters and, if you wish, try the mineral-rich mud long prized for wellness.

Enjoy a very wonderful lunch before continuing your international trip.

Head to your hotel in Petra to check in and spend the overnight.

Petra is a celestial spot known as the Nabataean capital carved into rose sandstone. Founded by Arab Nabataeans and flourishing from the 4th c. BCE, Petra spans ~264 km² (102 sq mi) at ~810 m (2,657 ft). Walk the 1.2-km Siq to Petra’s most photographed façade:

Likely completed in the early 1st CE under King Aretas IV, the ~39-m-high masterpiece blends Hellenistic forms with Nabataean flair, revealed dramatically at the Siq’s end.

Continue to the eastern cliff tombs, the Urn, Silk, Corinthian, and Palace tombs, monumental façades from Petra’s 1st-century zenith that illuminate elite burials and artistic exchange.

Originally hewn by the Nabataeans and enlarged post-Roman annexation (106 CE), the theatre seats up to ~7,000 and fuses local rock-cut ingenuity with Greco-Roman stage design.

A rare freestanding temple (30 BCE–40 CE) within a city famed for rock-cut monuments, it likely served the Nabataean pantheon (often linked with Dushara). Despite earthquakes, its robust masonry endures.

You will then enjoy your flavorful dinner after arriving at the metaphysical Wadi Rum

In the afternoon, transfer to Wadi Rum—a UNESCO-listed desert of red dunes, natural arches, and towering sandstone massifs. After a desert welcome, savor a Bedouin dinner and stargazing beneath crystal-clear skies. 

You will devour the night in a fascinating traditional Bedouin camp, surrounded by the desert’s tranquility and the majesty of the star-filled skies, creating an extraordinary experience.

Dating to the 1st c. CE near Rum Village, this sanctuary marks Wadi Rum’s place on caravan routes between Arabia, Petra, and the Mediterranean. Surviving walls, inscriptions, and a defined courtyard hint at Nabataean ritual and engineering in an arid landscape.

A perennial source framed by fig and tamarisk, linked to T. E. Lawrence’s 1917–18 passages during the Arab Revolt. Nearby rocks preserve ancient Thamudic inscriptions, a timeless waypoint for herders and caravans.

A narrow slot canyon whose shaded walls are etched with Thamudic and Nabataean petroglyphs, ibex, camels, human figures, and scripts—offering a vivid open-air archive of desert life.

Enjoy your exceptional dinner and end your international journey to Egypt and Jordan.

After the tour, return to Wadi Rum Village. Continue by private transfer to Amman or Queen Alia International Airport for your departure, bringing your Jordan chapter to a graceful close.