12 Day Private Egypt Tour: White Desert, Oases & Nile Cruise
Duration
12 days
Max Group Size
12
Departure Type
Guaranteed
Guiding Method
Fully guided
Physical level
moderate
Operated In
English
Age Requirement
7 - 75 Ages
About this tour
Experience a complete 12-day round-trip Cairo expedition that unites Egypt's Great Western Desert oases and White Desert National Park with a 4-night 5-star Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan and a domestic return flight to Cairo. Designed for travelers who want a seamless, end-to-end desert and river program starting and ending in the capital, every stage is privately guided.
Spend Days 1 and 2 in Cairo visiting the Giza Pyramids, Great Sphinx, Saqqara Step Pyramid, and Grand Egyptian Museum. From Days 3 to 6, journey by private vehicle and 4x4 Jeep through Bahariya Oasis, the Black Desert, Crystal Mountain, the White Desert (1 night starlit Bedouin camp), Farafra Oasis, and Dakhla Oasis (Al Qasr and Deir El Hagar). On Day 7, cross via Kharga Oasis to Luxor to embark on a 5-star Nile cruise ship (4 nights, Full Board) visiting Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple, Karnak, Edfu, Kom Ombo, and Aswan's Philae Temple and High Dam.
On Day 11, disembark in Aswan (with an optional early-morning trip to Abu Simbel) and fly back to Cairo for a final night at a 5-star hotel before your Day 12 international departure.
Route
- 1CairoAfricaEgyptStart
- 2El GizaAfricaEgypt
- 3SaqqaraAfricaEgypt
- 4Bahariya OasisAfricaEgypt
- 5Black DesertAfricaEgyptBahariya Oasis
- 6White Desert National ParkAfricaEgyptQasr Farafra
- 7FarafraAfricaEgypt
- 8Dakhla OasisAfricaEgyptEl Qasr
- 9KhargaAfricaEgypt
- 10LuxorAfricaEgypt
- 11EdfuAfricaEgypt
- 12Kom OmboAfricaEgypt
- 13AswanAfricaEgyptEnd
What makes this tour special
Itinerary
Airport Meet & Assist: Meet your private representative at Cairo International Airport (or your Cairo pickup location at 08:30) and transfer by private air-conditioned vehicle to your 5-star Cairo hotel.
Evening at Leisure: Relax at your hotel overlooking Cairo (meals on own).
Overnight: 5-Star Hotel in Cairo | Meals Included: None
Morning Pyramids & Saqqara Tour: After breakfast, join your private Egyptologist guide to visit the Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara, the Great Pyramids of Giza, and the Great Sphinx (4 hours; entrance tickets included).
Lunch & Afternoon Grand Egyptian Museum: Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant, then explore the treasures of the Grand Egyptian Museum (2.5 hours; entrance ticket included) before returning to your Cairo hotel (dinner on own).
Overnight: 5-Star Hotel in Cairo | Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Morning Desert Drive: Depart Cairo at 08:00 after breakfast in a private air-conditioned vehicle for the 4-hour journey to Bahariya Oasis and enjoy lunch at your eco-lodge.
Afternoon Bahariya Sightseeing: Visit the Hall of the Golden Mummies, the painted Tombs of Bannantiu, the salt lake, and English Mountain at sunset (entrance tickets included), followed by dinner at the lodge.
Overnight: Boutique Eco-Lodge in Bahariya Oasis | Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Morning Off-Road Excursion: After breakfast, board your 4x4 Jeep to explore the volcanic hills of the Black Desert, stop at El Haize spring for a picnic lunch, and visit Crystal Mountain and the dramatic valleys of Agabat.
Sunset & Starlit Camp in White Desert: Enter the White Desert National Park to admire the wind-sculpted chalk formations at sunset and enjoy a freshly cooked Bedouin campfire dinner under the stars.
Overnight: Private Bedouin Tent Camp in the White Desert | Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Sunrise & Morning Drive: Wake to sunrise over the chalk monoliths of the White Desert and enjoy camp breakfast before driving to nearby Farafra Oasis.
Afternoon in Farafra: Check in to your oasis lodge for lunch, visit Badr's mud-sculpted art museum, walk through date-palm gardens, and relax in the warm mineral spring of Bir Sitta before dinner.
Overnight: Oasis Lodge in Farafra | Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Morning Drive to Dakhla: After breakfast, drive 3 hours along the desert road to Dakhla Oasis and enjoy lunch at your eco-lodge.
Afternoon Heritage Tour: Explore the 12th-century fortified mudbrick village of Al Qasr, the Roman sandstone Temple of Deir El Hagar, and the painted rock tombs of Muzawaka (entrance tickets included), followed by dinner.
Overnight: Eco-Lodge in Dakhla Oasis | Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Morning via Kharga Oasis: Depart early after breakfast to Kharga Oasis to visit the Christian Necropolis of Bagawat and view the Persian-era Temple of Hibis (entrance tickets included), with lunch en route, then continue across the desert escarpment to Luxor.
Late Afternoon Cruise Embarkation & Luxor Temple: Board your 5-star luxury Nile cruise ship in Luxor and enjoy an evening guided visit to the illuminated Luxor Temple (entrance ticket included) before dinner onboard.
Overnight: Aboard 5-Star Luxury Nile Cruise (Moored in Luxor) | Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Morning West Bank Tour: After breakfast onboard, cross the Nile with your Egyptologist guide to visit three royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, and the Colossi of Memnon (entrance tickets included).
Karnak Visit & Afternoon Sailing: Tour the monumental Karnak Temple Complex (entrance ticket included), then return to the ship for lunch and sail south through the Esna Lock toward Edfu.
Overnight: Aboard 5-Star Luxury Nile Cruise (Moored at Edfu) | Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Morning Edfu Excursion: After breakfast, ride a horse-drawn carriage to the Ptolemaic Temple of Horus in Edfu for a 2-hour guided tour (entrance ticket and carriage included).
Afternoon Sail & Kom Ombo Tour: Enjoy lunch onboard while sailing to Kom Ombo, then visit the riverside twin Temple of Sobek and Haroeris and the Crocodile Mummy Museum (entrance ticket included) before continuing to Aswan.
Overnight: Aboard 5-Star Luxury Nile Cruise (Moored in Aswan) | Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Morning Aswan Tour: After breakfast onboard, join your Egyptologist guide to visit the Aswan High Dam and take a motorboat to the island Temple of Isis at Philae (3 hours; entrance tickets and boat included).
Afternoon Felucca & Farewell Dinner: Return for lunch onboard, enjoy a traditional felucca sail around Elephantine Island in the afternoon, and dine onboard in Aswan.
Overnight: Aboard 5-Star Luxury Nile Cruise (Moored in Aswan) | Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Morning Disembarkation & Flight to Cairo: Disembark after breakfast in Aswan (an optional early-morning excursion to Abu Simbel is available before your afternoon flight), then transfer to Aswan Airport for your included domestic flight back to Cairo.
Evening in Cairo: Meet your driver at Cairo Airport and check in to your 5-star Cairo hotel (lunch and dinner on own).
Overnight: 5-Star Hotel in Cairo | Meals Included: Breakfast
Departure Transfer: After breakfast at your hotel, meet your private driver for your scheduled transfer to Cairo International Airport by 17:30.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Trip includes
Included
3 nights at a 5-star hotel in Cairo (Nights 1–2 and Night 11, with morning breakfasts)
3 nights at boutique oasis eco-lodges in Bahariya, Farafra, and Dakhla (Nights 3, 5, 6, Full Board)
1 night private Bedouin tent camp in the White Desert National Park (Night 4, Full Board)
4 nights aboard a 5-star luxury Nile cruise ship from Luxor to Aswan (Nights 7–10, Full Board)
Domestic flight from Aswan to Cairo (Day 11) is included; international flights to and from Cairo are not included.
Licensed private English-speaking Egyptologist guide in Cairo, Luxor, Edfu, Kom Ombo, and Aswan
Experienced Western Desert 4x4 driver-guide and Bedouin camp crew (Days 3–7)
Guiding Method
Fully guided
English11 breakfasts (Days 2–12), 9 lunches (Days 2–10), and 8 dinners (Days 3–10)
Bottled mineral water, tea, and coffee during all desert safari days and transfers
Domestic economy flight from Aswan to Cairo on Day 11
All private air-conditioned highway transfers, 4x4 off-road desert Jeep, Edfu carriage ride, Aswan felucca, and Philae motorboat
White Desert National Park permits and all entrance tickets to Giza, Saqqara, Grand Egyptian Museum, Western Desert oases sites, Luxor, Edfu, Kom Ombo, and Aswan monuments
Excluded
Personal travel and medical insurance is not included.
Egypt entry visa fees
Dinners on Days 1, 2, and 11; lunches on Days 1, 11, and 12
Optional Abu Simbel excursion on Day 11
Personal expenses and gratuities
Availability
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Make this journey exclusively yours
By design, this is a group tour. You can however request a private, customized version of this tour for yourself or your private group of people. Private departures are usually more expensive, but come with these benefits:
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