12 Days Family Trip to Cairo, White desert with Nile Cruise

A guide will meet you at Cairo International Airport. He will hold a sign with your name. He will help you once you arrive in Egypt and get your trip started.

You will ride in an air-conditioned car. The car will take you from the airport to your hotel.

New Dynamics Travel will have your guide with you for the check-in. He will help you settle in smoothly.

He will also review your plan for the Egypt trips with you. This is so the pick-up times are clear for each day. 

Overnight in Cairo

Grab breakfast at the hotel, then start your day trips in Cairo. You will visit the Giza Pyramids, Memphis, and Saqqara.

At Giza you will see the Great Pyramid of Cheops. You will also stop at the pyramids of Chephren and Mycerinus. Your tour guide will meet you there and walk with you through each stop. Next, you will get to view the Great Sphinx. You will also see the king's head and the lion body. This design is meant to show the king’s power and good sense. The royal mummy of Chephren was preserved there before it was laid to rest. Your guide will explain each part of the mummification steps while you are at the site.

After that, it is time to eat. You will be taken to Saqqara to see the Step Pyramid of King Zoser. Many people say it is the oldest man made structure built fully from stone in the world. Lunch will be served at a well regarded restaurant. You will also visit the Teti pyramid. Its inner parts are said to be the most impressive among the pyramids you can reach. In addition, you will see the Kagemni tomb. This tomb is linked to a noble family at Saqqara and belonged to the husband of King Teti’s daughter. Both places are included, so you will not need extra tickets. On the walls and in the corridors, you can look at painted scenes and carvings from daily life in ancient Egypt. You will see events shown in both writing and images.

When you leave Saqqara, you will reach Memphis in about twenty minutes. There you will tour an open air museum. It holds items from the old capital of the pharaohs. You can see a large statue of Ramses II. You can also view the alabaster sphinx that was carved from a massive marble block, weighing eighty tons.

When the tour ends, you will be taken back to your hotel for the night.

A New Dynamics Travel guide will meet you at your hotel and take you to Coptic Cairo, then on to the Egyptian Museum. First, you will be taken to the museum halls filled with old Egyptian objects. As you walk through the rooms, you will see how ancient Egypt developed over time. Your Egyptologist will point out the main pieces of the visit, including King Tutankhamun's items and the royal relics that have survived in good condition. Long before the tomb was found in 1 BC, a large amount of gold and jewelry was placed in the sand and stayed there for more than three thousand years.

Before the Coptic Cairo portion starts in full, you will pause for lunch at a trusted local restaurant. After you eat, you will head to The Hanging Church, one of the best known sights in old Cairo. Next, you will go to the Church of St. Sergius, often called the Cavern Church. It was built over the crypt where the Holy Family stayed for around three months, and it is also linked to the spring they used for drinking. Your last stop will be the Ben Ezra Synagogue. People say this is the place where Moses found the basket after it drifted from the Nile near the pharaoh's palace.

After that, you will continue with Cairo Sightseeing Tours to see more medieval parts of the city. You will visit old walls, churches and mosques, and you will also cover the Islamic Cairo area. The stone paths, lanes, and older madrasas, along with their gates and sails, trace back to the 10th century. To finish the walk, you will stop for tea at Fishawy's Oldest Cafe in the Khan El Khalili market. Then you will be taken back to your hotel in Cairo.

Have breakfast, then meet your guide for a walk through Old Cairo. You will visit the Salah El Din Citadel. You will also see the Alabaster Mosque of Mohamed Ali. This mosque is special in Cairo because it shows Ottoman style. The design took cues from Istanbul’s famous Blue Mosque.

The citadel dates back to the time of Salah El Din. It was also shaped during the reign of King Farouk in the early 1900s. Because of that long history, people often talk about it as the seat of the Egyptian government.

Next, you will go to the Cairo Tower. It is a tall, free standing concrete tower in Cairo. Right now it is the top point in the city. For around 50 years it was the tallest building in Egypt and North Africa. The height is 187 meters. From the top you can look at the Saladin Citadel, the Nile, and much of Cairo. It was also the tallest structure in Africa from 1910 to 1971.

After the tour, head back to your hotel. You will stay there for the night.

Your guide will meet you at your lodging and take you to Baron Palace. The trip will be a special one. Edward Empain came to Egypt and was given the title of baron by the French king. This was for what he did in the Paris metro project. In his will, he asked to be laid to rest in Egypt. He also planned a new town and chose Heliopolis. In Greek, Heliopolis means “city of the sun.” He wanted it built in a dry, open area. Many people tell stories about the Baron Empain Palace, and you will get to see it for yourself.

After that, you will go to Abdeen Palace. It is often named among the most lavish palaces on earth. The rooms stand out for their layout, the wall art, and the many clocks placed in different halls. Some of the details are decorated with real gold.

Next, you will visit Mohammed Ali’s castle, also called the Manial Castle Museum of Prince Mohamed Ali. It is a rare royal home. Inside, you can view different cultures side by side. You will see Islamic art and also European styles from other periods. You can also find great spots for photos to keep as a memory.

In the end, you will ride back to your hotel in a vehicle.

Today, you will move to Luxor. A driver will collect you at your Cairo home and take you to Cairo Airport. From there, you will fly to Luxor on a domestic flight. Luxor is known as Egypt’s main tourism hub. When you arrive, our staff member will meet you, help you with the steps, and transfer you by a cool, air-conditioned car to your Nile cruise.

After that, your guide will take you to Karnak Temple. This temple honors the sun god Amun-Ra and the goddess Mut. It also relates to their son, the moon god Khonso. Then you will start the East Bank visit in Luxor. Next, you will see Luxor Temple. This is one of the best known temples. It was built during the New Kingdom period on the East Bank, near the river.

On your first night, you will enjoy dinner on the cruise. You will watch the views along the Nile, and you will also see an entertaining folklore show.

You will stay overnight in Luxor.

Join our early hot air balloon ride over Luxor if you want a fun start to the day.

In the early morning, enjoy the open buffet breakfast on the Egypt Nile River Cruise. After that, your day in Luxor begins. Your private driver and your Egyptologist guide will meet you and take you to the West Bank. From there, you will go to the Valley of the Kings. At the site, you can see the Temple of Hatshepsut, which is also called the Temple of El Dier El Bahari. You can also view the large stone statues of King Amenhotep III, known as the Colossi of Memnon. Your guide will explain in detail how the royal tombs changed over time in ancient Egypt.

When your tour ends, your Egyptologist guide will take you back to the Nile Cruise. Lunch will be served on board. After lunch, the boat will head toward Edfu.

Later, you will have supper, then stay overnight in Edfu.

Morning starts on the cruise ship on the Nile. Breakfast is served first, and the chef uses fresh items. After you finish eating, a New Dynamics Travel staff member will meet you. Today the trip heads to the Edfu Temple of God Horus. Horus was linked to royal power, and he is often shown with a falcon face and large wings.

Next, the boat moves on toward Aswan. Lunch will be served on board before you reach Aswan. Along the way, you will stop in Kom Ombo. It is a small place with an older history. A guide from New Dynamics Travel will collect you and bring you to the Ptolemaic Temple of Kom Ombo. This temple honors the crocodile gods Sobek and Haroeris.

Later, after dinner on the ship, you can watch a Nubian performance if you wish.

At the start of the day, your open buffet breakfast is brought to the boat. After that, you go for your Aswan day tours. First, you visit the High Dam. It stands out right away.

The High Dam was built to control the Nile during the farming season. It helps people save water for the year. It also supports the production of electricity.  

Next, you see the Philae Temple. It is a temple with a look tied to Greco Roman times. The temple was made for the worship of Goddess Isis.  

Then you head to the Unfinished Obelisk in the granite quarries. Many believe it was started for Queen Hatshepsut. It was not completed.  

Later, you keep cruising along the Nile into the evening. You have your meal during this time. Your dinner is served on board as well. You will spend the night in Aswan, in that lively city.

You will begin your day at six in the morning. A driver will pick you up from your place in Cairo. Then you head out of the city and into the desert that sits nearby.

First stop is Bahariya Oasis. This place once served as an important farming center for the old Pharaonic era. You will walk around with your guide and see the palm shade, the spring water, and the wide open feel of the oasis.

After lunch, you go to the Black Desert. The ground here looks dark, and the domes rise like rocky hills. From the sand around them, the view feels sharp and bold.

Next you visit Agabat Valley. It is close by. You can see pale cliff walls and patches of yellow stone that stand out in the light.

Then you reach Crystal Mountain. This site is hard to find and it looks like it is lit from within. The shine comes from calcite crystal.

After that comes the White Desert. It got its name from the bright sand spread across the area. You can climb a few dunes and look out over the landscape as it keeps going.

At the end of the trip, you return to Cairo. You check into your hotel. Then you relax for the night.

When you leave, our driver will take you back to Cairo International Airport after breakfast.

That is the last day of your 12-day private trip in Egypt.