9 Day Egypt Itinerary | Cairo, Nile Cruise & Red Sea Resorts

Your ENA representative greets you at Cairo Airport and escorts you to your hotel. The rest of the evening is yours to settle in or stroll Cairo’s lively streets. Overnight in Cairo.

After breakfast, your guide leads you to the Giza Plateau, where the pyramids of Cheops, Chephren, and Mykerinos rise against the desert horizon. You’ll step into the Valley Temple, where priests once carried out rituals of mummification, and face the Great Sphinx, its lion body and human head guarding the plateau for more than 4,500 years.

Lunch is enjoyed at a local restaurant before continuing south to Saqqara. Here, the Step Pyramid of King Djoser stands as the earliest large-scale cut-stone monument in the world, marking the beginning of pyramid evolution.

Your day concludes in Memphis, Egypt’s first capital founded by King Menes around 3100 BC. Amid scattered ruins, the colossal statue of Ramses II and the great Alabaster Sphinx remain as timeless witnesses to Egypt’s origins. Overnight in Cairo.

An early flight carries you to Aswan, where you’ll board your five-star Nile cruise. After settling in, begin exploring with a visit to the Aswan High Dam, a monumental 20th-century project that reshaped life along the Nile. Then sail to Agilkia Island, home of the Philae Temple, dedicated to the goddess Isis. Built in the Ptolemaic era, it was carefully relocated stone by stone during the 1960s to save it from Lake Nasser’s rising waters. Overnight on board in Aswan.

This morning offers an optional excursion to Abu Simbel, where two colossal temples carved into the cliffs of Nubia immortalize Ramses II and his queen Nefertari. Returning to the cruise, you’ll stop at Kom Ombo, a rare double temple uniquely shared by Sobek, the crocodile god, and Haroeris (Horus the Elder). Reliefs carved into its walls detail ancient medical instruments and rituals. Continue sailing toward Luxor and overnight aboard.

Arrive at Luxor and explore the East Bank. At Karnak, you’ll enter the largest religious complex ever built, a city of temples, obelisks, and sanctuaries dedicated mainly to Amun-Ra. Its Hypostyle Hall, with 134 soaring columns, is one of the most impressive architectural feats of antiquity.

Later, stroll Luxor Temple, begun by Amenhotep III and expanded by Ramses II. Once the centerpiece of the annual Opet Festival, its processional avenue lined with sphinxes linked it directly to Karnak. Overnight on board in Luxor.

Cross the Nile to the West Bank, final resting place of pharaohs of the New Kingdom. The Valley of the Kings holds more than sixty tombs, richly decorated with myths of the afterlife—among them, the tomb of Tutankhamun.

Nearby, the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut rises in terraces from the cliffs of Deir el-Bahari, a masterpiece of harmony and proportion. Finally, pause before the Colossi of Memnon, two 18-meter statues of Amenhotep III that once flanked his grand temple.

After the tour, travel by private coach through the Eastern Desert to Hurghada on the Red Sea, where you’ll check into your all-inclusive resort.

A day of leisure awaits on the Red Sea coast. Relax on sandy beaches, swim in turquoise waters, or enjoy your resort’s amenities. Optional activities include snorkeling and scuba diving among coral reefs teeming with life—from angelfish to moray eels. Overnight in Hurghada.

Flight back to Cairo. Then, step inside the Grand Egyptian Museum, home to over 120,000 artifacts including royal treasures, mummies, and statues spanning 5,000 years. Then wander the historic Khan El Khalili Bazaar, Cairo’s most famous market since 970 AD, where brass lamps, spices, and jewelry fill the narrow lanes. Overnight in Cairo.

Your tour ends with breakfast at the hotel, followed by transfers to Cairo International Airport for your flight home.