Around your Nile cruise

Egypt beyond the river

The cruise is booked. These are the days around it: Cairo done properly, then one of three directions, depending on where the ship leaves you and how long you have.

Choose a direction
Length6–10 nights around the cruise
SeasonOctober–April
StaysFour Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza; The St Regis Cairo; The Chedi El Gouna; Four Seasons Sharm el-Sheikh; Discovery Bedu Camp, Wadi Rum; Adrère Amellal Siwa
BudgetCairo: $450 – $850 USD per day per person

The Red Sea: $400 – $700 USD per day per person

Sinai and Petra: $650 – $1,200 USD per day per person

Alexandria and Siwa: $500 – $1,000 USD per day per person

Why this page exists

Most Nile cruises run Luxor to Aswan with two nights in Cairo attached, and that is the whole trip. Most river packages include Cairo but rarely do it justice — which is why the three Cairo days stay in every version below.

First-hand

Marc lived, worked and studied in Cairo

Speaks conversational Egyptian Arabic

His Grand Egyptian Museum journal →

AThe Red SeaBSinai and PetraCAlexandria and SiwaIllustrative route, not to scale.

Illustrated route map of Egypt from Cairo: the Nile to Luxor and Aswan, the Red Sea and Sinai to Petra, and Alexandria to Siwa

Three directions

Pick one. Marc will say which.

  • Turquoise water and reef off the Red Sea coast of Egypt

    A · The Red Sea

    After the cruise · 3–4 nights. Four hours from Luxor, five from Aswan. Reefs, then fly home. The simplest combination, and the one most clients should take.

    See the days
  • The Treasury at Petra, carved into the rock face

    B · Sinai and Petra

    After the cruise · 6–7 nights. Sharm el-Sheikh and St Catherine’s, then a flight to Amman and three hours to Petra. Two countries, one arc.

    See the days
  • A desert ridge reflected in a salt lake at an oasis

    C · Alexandria and Siwa

    Before the cruise · 5 nights. The coast, then a long day into the desert to a lodge with no electricity. For the right client, the best five days in Egypt.

    See the days

In every version

Cairo, the anchor

Day1Giza and the New Grand Egyptian MuseumMorning: Arrive at the Pyramids at opening with a private Egyptologist.

Afternoon: Explore the newly fully-opened GEM with the Tutankhamun collection.

Day2The Other Pyramids: Saqqara & DahshurMorning: Drive south to see the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid, crucial to understanding how pyramid building evolved before Giza.

Afternoon: Explore the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, the world’s oldest.

Day3Another side of CairoMorning: Visit Coptic Cairo; continue on to Sultan Hassan Mosque and the Citadel, followed by the nearby Mosque of Ibn Tulun.

Afternoon: Visit the Museum of Islamic Art’s world-class collection of woodwork, glass, and textiles; and then finish the day in Khan al-Khalili market with a local guide who can talk to the traders.

Route A follows the cruise. Route C precedes it. Route B can do either.

The routes, day by day

AThe Red Sea3–4 nights · after the cruise
Days1–4Travel to El Gouna, or Marsa AlamLuxor to El Gouna is four hours by road; Aswan to Marsa Alam about five. El Gouna is Egypt’s premier destination for water sports. Marsa Alam has the better reefs. Sail, snorkel and dive, then fly home from Hurghada or Marsa Alam.
BSinai and Petra6–7 nights · before or after
Days1–3Sharm el-SheikhFly via Cairo and check into a resort with an excellent house reef. Take a full-day boat excursion out to Ras Mohammed National Park and dive or snorkel legendary sites such as Yolanda Reef and Shark Reef; head out on a boat to Jackson Reef’s shipwreck.
Day4Travel to Jordan via Saint Catherine’s Monastery and Mount Sinai Leave Sharm el-Sheikh at night to arrive at the base of Mount Sinai by 1:00 AM; hiking through the night with a local guide for about 2 to 3 hours; summit before dawn to witness the sunrise over the mountains. Hike back down to Saint Catherine’s Monastery and tour the historic site. Travel by taxi to Nuweiba where you will board a Fast Boat from Nuweiba to Aqaba. Then take a private taxi from Aqaba to Petra.
Days5–7Petra and Wadi RumBeat the crowds and visit Petra at opening. Second day in Petra optional. Early evening: travel to Wadi Rum and check into a Bedouin desert camp where you will dine and spend the night under the stars. Watch the sun rise and embark on a Jeep tour to the Lawrence of Arabia Spring, petroglyphs, and sand dunes. Catch your onward transport back to Aqaba or Amman.
CAlexandria and Siwa5–6 nights · before the cruise
Days1–2AlexandriaTwo and a half hours from Cairo. Spend your time wandering the Catacombs, standing on the architecture of the Bibliotheca, walking the Corniche and trying the freshest Mediterranean seafood in the country. Spend the night in one of the city’s historic properties from a bygone era like the Cecil Hotel.
Day3To SiwaDepart Alexandria early. Drive west along the coast to Marsa Matruh for a quick lunch, then turn south into the deep desert. Alternatively, you may choose to spend the night relaxing at a luxury beach resort in Marsa Matruh and enjoy the white-sand beaches and crystal-clear waters before continuing the long trip to Siwa the following day. Check into Adrère Amellal, an eco-lodge of rock and mud with no electricity, where the hotel alone is the destination.
Day4SiwaVisit the Oracle of Amun, where Alexander the Great once stood to consult the god, then explore the 13th-century Shali Fortress ruins. Dive into the crystal-clear waters of Cleopatra’s Spring, and end the day with a sundowner on the rolling dunes of the Great Sand Sea.
Day5Back to CairoNine hours by road. Rejoin the Nile programme.
“Egypt is way more than just the Pyramids. While the Pharaohs get all the hype, the country’s wild deserts, centuries-old Christian monasteries, and massive Islamic mosques offer some of the most epic travel experiences you’ll ever have.”
— Marc Vitria · Expeditioner Travel

Ready when you are

Tell Marc where the ship starts and where it stops.

He’ll take it from there.

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