Egypt & Jordan in 14 Days: Pyramids, Nile Cruise, Petra & Wadi Rum

Egypt and Jordan are only about an hour and a half apart by air, and together they make the great ancient-world journey: the pyramids and the temples of the Nile, then the rose-red city of Petra and the desert of Wadi Rum. For travellers flying all the way from Australia or New Zealand, combining the two makes the long journey even more worthwhile.

This itinerary gives Egypt the time it needs first: three nights in Cairo for Giza, Saqqara and the Grand Egyptian Museum, then a four-night Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan and an early start for Abu Simbel. From Cairo you fly to Amman, then travel south along the ancient King's Highway, through Madaba and Mount Nebo, to Petra.

In Jordan you have a full day in Petra, with time to climb to the Monastery, before a night under the stars in a Wadi Rum camp and a last day floating in the Dead Sea, the lowest point on land. You have a private Egyptologist in Egypt and a licensed Jordanian guide in Jordan, with your own driver throughout.

Journey highlights

• The Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx and Saqqara's Step Pyramid
• The Grand Egyptian Museum and Tutankhamun's full collection
• 4-night five-star Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan
• Abu Simbel, Philae and a felucca in Aswan
• A full day in Petra, including the Treasury and the Monastery
• A night in a Wadi Rum desert camp with a 4x4 safari at sunset
• Roman Jerash, Madaba's mosaic map and Mount Nebo
• Floating in the Dead Sea, about 430 metres below sea level

Day-by-day itinerary

1. Day1

   Arrive in Cairo

   Our representative meets you inside the terminal at Cairo International Airport, helps with your visa and luggage, and walks you to your private car. Transfer to your Giza hotel, about 45–90 minutes depending on traffic, and rest after the long flight.

2. Day2

   Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx and Saqqara

   Reach the Giza Plateau at opening time with your Egyptologist for the Great Pyramid, the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure, the panoramic viewpoint and the Great Sphinx. After lunch, drive about 45 minutes south to Saqqara for Djoser's Step Pyramid and the painted tombs of Old Kingdom nobles.

3. Day3

   Grand Egyptian Museum and Khan el-Khalili

   Spend the morning at the Grand Egyptian Museum, where the Tutankhamun galleries show the boy king's treasures together for the first time, alongside the Grand Staircase of royal statues and Khufu's solar boat. In the late afternoon, visit the Citadel and walk through Khan el-Khalili bazaar.

4. Day4

   Fly to Luxor, Karnak and board your cruise

   Take the roughly one-hour morning flight to Luxor and board your five-star Nile cruise ship. In the afternoon, explore the vast temple complex of Karnak, including the Great Hypostyle Hall, and visit Luxor Temple as the lights come on.

5. Day5

   Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut

   Cross to the West Bank early (an optional sunrise balloon flight can come first) for three royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings, the terraced Temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon. Back on board, the ship sails south through the Esna lock.

6. Day6

   Edfu and Kom Ombo

   Visit the Temple of Horus at Edfu, the best-preserved temple in Egypt, then relax on the sundeck as the ship sails on to Kom Ombo's riverside double temple and its Crocodile Museum. The ship reaches Aswan overnight.

7. Day7

   Aswan: Philae, the High Dam and a felucca

   Take a motorboat to Philae, the island Temple of Isis, and stop at the Aswan High Dam. In the late afternoon, sail on a traditional felucca around Elephantine Island and the granite boulders of the First Cataract. Final night on board.

8. Day8

   Abu Simbel and fly to Cairo

   Leave very early for the roughly three-hour desert drive to Abu Simbel (or upgrade to the 45-minute flight) to see the Great Temple of Ramses II and the Temple of Nefertari. Return to Aswan and fly to Cairo, about 1 hour 20 minutes, for an overnight near the airport.

9. Day9

   Fly to Amman and visit Jerash

   Fly from Cairo to Amman, about 1.5 hours, where your Jordanian guide meets you. Drive about 50 minutes north to Jerash, one of the best-preserved Roman cities in the Middle East, with its colonnaded street, oval plaza and theatres. Return to Amman for the night, with time for the Citadel if you arrive early.

10. Day10

    Madaba, Mount Nebo and the King's Highway to Petra

    In Madaba, see the 6th-century mosaic map of the Holy Land in the Church of St George, then continue to Mount Nebo, where Moses is said to have seen the Promised Land. Follow the ancient King's Highway south, stopping at the Crusader castle of Kerak, and arrive in Petra in the evening.

11. Day11

    A full day in Petra

    Enter Petra early and walk through the Siq, a narrow sandstone gorge about 1.2 km long, to the first view of the Treasury. Continue past the Street of Facades, the Royal Tombs and the Roman-era colonnaded street, then, if you're up for it, climb about 800 rock-cut steps to the Monastery. Petra by Night runs on selected evenings each week.

12. Day12

    Little Petra and Wadi Rum

    Visit Little Petra (Siq al-Barid), a smaller Nabataean site that is often almost empty, then drive about two hours to Wadi Rum. Explore its red sand dunes, rock bridges and canyons by 4x4 with a Bedouin driver, watch the sunset, and spend the night in a desert camp under the stars.

13. Day13

    Drive to the Dead Sea

    Drive north to the Dead Sea, about four hours, and check in to your resort on the shore. Float effortlessly in the salty water, try the mineral-rich mud, and watch the sun set over the hills on the far side. Christian travellers can visit the Baptism Site at Bethany beyond the Jordan nearby.

14. Day14

    Depart Amman

    Transfer to Queen Alia International Airport, about an hour from the Dead Sea, for your flight home via the Gulf, or on to a stopover.

Where you’ll stay

Destinations on this journey

Cairo & Giza · Luxor · Aswan · Abu Simbel