This is a past tour program.
The itinerary is shown here for information only. To see the current program and tour dates, click here.
For the 3rd year in a row, Friendly Planet is defying skyrocketing travel prices to bring you a fantastic, truly first class Egypt vacation deal fit for a pharaoh. You'll see the famous sphinx & pyramids at Giza, the temples at Luxor & Edfu, King Tut's tomb, old Cairo & much more, plus enjoy 3 nights on a luxury cruise on the Nile. Top it all off with an optional extension to the lost city of Petra and Amman in Jordan!
Pyramids & Nile Cruise Itinerary
Day 1: Depart USA. Your fascinating journey to Egypt begins this evening as you depart JFK International Airport in New York for your overnight flight to Cairo.
Day 2: Cairo. Arrival in Cairo, where East and West come together in a wonderful and chaotic mix of old and new. You'll be met by our representatives in Cairo and assisted with visa and customs formalities.
Proceed to check in at your centrally located 5-star hotel overlooking the Nile River. Your hotel is within walking distance of downtown shopping districts, restaurants, and the famous Egyptian Museum, so enjoy time to explore independently or rest from your flight and enjoy the facilities at your hotel. Ramses Hilton
Sphinx and Pyramids at Giza, Egypt
Day 3: Cairo, Pyramids & Sphinx This morning, after a well deserve rest and breakfast, your guide will escort you on a fascinating tour of the most famous of all sites in Egypt--the Pyramids of Cheops and Chephren. These monuments have stood for 46 centuries and are considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World, possibly the most visited monuments of Egypt. The Sphinx, a feline character with the body of a lion and the face of Khufu (Cheops in Greek) is 50 meters long and 22 meters high. Carved from a single stone, it lies just before the Pyramids, and even today its meaning and origin remain shrouded in mystery.
Tomb of King Tutankhamen
The afternoon is yours to explore Cairo on your own, or take advantage of an optional afternoon tour to the Egyptian Museum, where you'll see, among other treasures, the priceless antiquities of Tutankhamen's tomb ($25 per person). This evening, join your fellow travelers on an optional dinner cruise with entertainment aboard a floating Nile River restaurant. (B)
Feluccas sailing on the Nile near Aswan
Day 4: Cairo & Aswan. Enjoy a full day in Cairo to explore the city on your own. Your hotel is conveniently located within walking distance of many of Cairo's major attractions as well as excellent shopping and dining. Or, take advantage of an optional guided tour of Old Cairo, including the Citadel of Saladin, built on the remains of a Crusader-style fortress, the Alabaster Mosque, and the Hanging Church. Continue to the world-famous Khan El Khalili bazaars, where the sights, sounds, spices and exotic clothing and jewelry, hand-hammered copper, ceramic ware and other treasures are waiting for your deft bargaining to win them at astounding prices.
Later today, transfer to the airport for the short flight to Aswan. Transfer to your centrally located hotel for check-in. Basma Hotel (B)
Day 5: Aswan, Cruise. Transfer to the pier for embarkation of your Nile cruise ship and have lunch aboard. This afternoon enjoy a tour by felucca (a small, swift Egyptian sailboat) around Elephantine Island, once the center of modern Aswan. Before returning to your cruise ship for dinner and evening activities, you'll visit the magnificent Botanical Gardens of Lord Kitchener.
Tonight, join an optional excursion to the Temple of Philae for a Sound and Light Show. Enjoy the spectacular lights of this multimedia presentation which vividly reveals the form and majesty of this ancient site. Walk through the dramatically lit temple as its history is narrated ($49 per person). M/S Tamr Henna (B,L,D)
Kom Ombo on the Nile
Day 6: Aswan, Kom Ombo & Edfu, Abu Simbel Optional Tour. Today, you'll visit Aswan's High Dam, which controls the Nile and is a major source of hydroelectric power in Egypt, and Philae Island with its temple dedicated to Isis. (An optional tour to Abu Simbel is available early this morning). After lunch, sail to Kom Ombo, where, in ancient times, sacred crocodiles basked in the sun on the river bank. The Temple of Kom Ombo is unique in all of Egypt and is shared by the two gods Sobek and Haroeris. Continue sailing to Edfu. (B,L,D)
Colossi of Ramses II, Sun Temple of Abu Simbel
Abu Simbel Optional Tour. Take advantage of a special opportunity to visit the fascinating site of Abu Simbel. The Abu Simbel Optional Tour departs early morning on Day 6 and costs $229 per person, if reserved and prepaid. Since space is limited and arrangements are difficult once you arrive in Egypt, we strongly recommend prior booking of this fantastic extra tour. We cannot guarantee availability on the Abu Simbel optional tour unless booked in advance.
Temple of Edfu, Egypt
Day 7: Edfu, Esna, & Luxor. Today's visits include the Temple of Edfu, a Greek-built monument to Horus, falcon-headed son of Osiris. It took about 200 years to complete and has helped fill in many gaps of knowledge about the Pharaonic architecture that it imitates. Sail to Esna, and cross Esna Lock to Luxor, one of Egypt's greatest attractions for the sheer grandeur of its monumental architecture and excellent state of preservation. (B,L,D)
Mortuary temple of Queen Hapshepsut near Luxor
Day 8: Luxor & Cairo. After breakfast, disembark and board your touring coach to visit the West Bank of the Nile and the Valley of the Kings, where 64 of Egypt's Pharaohs have their royal tombs hewn into the sheer rock. Continue to the impressive Deir El Bahari mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut, an architectural wonder built against the backdrop of a looming cliff face and the Colossi of Memnon, two huge seated statues of Amenhotep III.
The Great Court, Luxor Temple
Highlights of today's tour are visits to the Temple of Karnak, one of the most overwhelming monuments of the Pharaonic legacy, with work carried out on the temples over a period of 1500 years, and Luxor Temple, strikingly graceful and added to over the centuries by Tutankhamen, Ramses II, Alexander the Great and others. Transfer to the airport for your flight back to Cairo.
Ramses Hilton (B)
Old City and Mosque
Day 9: Cairo/USA. Today you'll be escorted to the airport as you bid farewell to Cairo and board your return flight to the USA. Your fascinating journey comes to an end as you arrive in the USA later today. Or, why not take advantage of your already-included airfare to extend your stay at the mysterious, rose-red city of Petra in Jordan! (B)
Pyramids & Nile Cruise plus Petra Itinerary
The Treasury, Petra
Days 1 – 8: Same as Pyramids & Nile Cruise tour above.
Day 9: Cairo/Amman/Petra. Transfer to the airport for the short flight from Cairo to Amman. After customs formalities, board your touring coach and drive south, via the Kings Highway, to Petra. Arrival early this evening at your deluxe hotel located very close to the archeological site of Petra, where you'll enjoy a spectacular view of the ancient site and surrounding mountains. Join your fellow travelers for dinner and a stroll around the grounds of this fascinating hotel. Taybet Zaman
Day 10: Petra/Amman. Your guided tour begins with a ride on horseback and then a walk through the Siq, a narrow gorge flanked by huge cliffs. As you reach the end of the Siq, you'll behold the breathtaking sight of the Treasury, its elaborately carved façade looming high above you. Explore the various tombs and structures in this site and marveling at the artistry and creativity that must have inspired the Nabateans to construct so marvelous and dramatic a city. Later this afternoon, drive north to Amman and your hotel.
Landmark Hotel Amman or
le Meridien Hotel (B)
Amman citadel © Jordan Tourism Board
Day 11: Amman. Located in the heart of Amman's diplomatic and business districts—just minutes away from the vibrant city center—your hotel is close to Amman's major historical sites including the Citadel and the Roman amphitheatre. Explore the city at leisure, or take an optional tour to Jerash.
Ruins at Jerash, Amman
Located 30 miles north of Amman, Jerash is considered one of the largest and most well-preserved sites of Roman architecture in the world outside Italy. To this day, its colonnaded streets, baths, theaters, plazas and arches remain in exceptional condition. Within the remaining city walls, archaeologists have found the ruins of settlements dating back to the Neolithic Age, indicating human occupation at this location for more than 6500 years.
Roman Amplitheater, Amman, Jordan
After lunch, return to Amman where you'll visit the major historical sites, including the Roman amphitheatre, Archaeological Museum, and the ruins of the Temple of Hercules ($100 per person). This evening, you're invited to join your fellow travelers for an optional dinner at a local restaurant ($25). (B)
Day 12: Amman/USA. Today you'll be escorted to the airport as you bid farewell to Amman and board your return flight to the USA. Your fascinating journey comes to an end as you arrive in the USA later today. (B)
Destination FAQs
For quick answers to Frequently Asked Questions about travel to Egypt, click here.
For quick answers to Frequently Asked Questions about travel to Jordan, click here.
We are very happy with the entire experience of the tour. Well organized. I forgot my camera in the bus in Luxor and remembered it in Cairo! The tour guide located it and the camera was sent to me! All I had to do is make one phone call! Great job!
— Pragnya Purohit, Hillsborough, NJ
Just wanted to let you know the trip was amazing. I already recommended Friendly Planet tours to a couple of friends. I'm very impressed, and I'm so glad I came across your service on TravelZoo. It was excellent. Thank you so much.
— Josephine Castillo, West New York, NJ
This world traveler gives Friendly Planet's Pyramids & Nile Cruise excursion 2 very enthusiastic thumbs up! Truth be told, given the low cost of this tour, we expected a mid-grade vacation. What we received was first class all the way! Every minute was packed with amazing sights, sounds and adventures. We couldn't believe the level of service, the caliber of our tour guides, the variety of activities and the quality of our accommodations. Friendly Planet exceeded our expectations in every way. Since this was our first "group tour," we were concerned being stuck with a group. Again, we were pleasantly surprised. The folks on our tour were fun, friendly and with similar adventurous spirit. With the small group size, we never felt "crowded." Plus, my husband and I received plenty of downtime to feel reenergized and enough "alone time" to still find romance. A big thank you to Friendly Planet for making ours a remarkable experience that will be remembered forever! We look forward to taking another trip with you soon!
— Annabel Eyrick, St. Louis, MO
