Jordan and Egypt Itinerary – 14-Days For All Highlights

Complete Jordan & Egypt Itinerary for 10 or 14 Days

Again, this will depend on your flight times and how you can best use this day. We, unfortunately, only had enough time to get checked into our hotel and get some rest that day.

However, if you get in early enough, you could do a half-day tour of Cairo or perhaps a sunset tour of the pyramids.

If you choose to explore the city, I recommend you visit the Cairo Citadel and explore the Mohamed Ali Alabaster Mosque.

Take a stroll through the bustling streets of the Khan el Khalili Bazaar, and don’t miss out on the chance to see some of the historic Coptic churches and landmarks, such as The Hanging Church.

Seeing the pyramids right away is a better idea than saving it for the end of your itinerary. This is because the Great Pyramids of Giza will likely be the biggest draw point for coming to Egypt, right?

And there is a chance that if your tour doesn’t go according to plan (like our tour snafu) or the pyramids close unexpectedly – due to a celebrity or politician visiting (it does happen from time to time), you’ll still have enough of a buffer to see them at a different time.

Read all my tips for visiting the Pyramids of Giza.

Morning – Go to the Pyramids

Getting to the pyramids right away in the morning will help to beat the heat and the crowds. You’ll also get better photos from the panoramic viewing area, because of where the sun is.

Visit the Great Sphinx after exploring the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Built by ancient Egyptians of the Old Kingdom between 2558-2532 BC, this structure is a remarkable example of their craftsmanship.

*Note – the open time does vary depending on the time of year, be sure to check with your hotel or tour guide.

Afternoon – Tour the Egyptian Museum or Saqqara + Memphis

Many tours combine visiting the Pyramids with the Egyptian Museum or Saqqara. This is entirely personal preference, of course.

If I had to choose, I would say the Egyptian Museum in Cairo wins, hands down for me. This is especially if the brand-new Grand Egyptian Museum is going to be open when you visit! As of February 2024, it is scheduled for a late spring 2024 opening!

However, Saqqara and Memphis are both interesting to visit as well. Saqqara was the necropolis for the Egyptian capital city of Memphis. 

This is where you’ll get to visit the famous Step Pyramid of Djoser, which happens to be the oldest complete stone building complex in the world!

Read all my tips for visiting the Egyptian Museum.

We had opted for a Nile River Cruise to see the remainder of the sights. This is not a must to see these places.

You could, instead, take the train to these destinations or fly to Aswan and then to Luxor and take day trips to all of the places mentioned.

Read my full Nile River Cruise review to decide for yourself.

I will say, though, the cruise was a relaxing way to see all of the spots mentioned in the remainder of this itinerary.

Morning – Flight to Luxor + Nile River Cruise Check-in

For us, our cruise was leaving from Luxor (you could also depart from Aswan – depending on which days work best for your itinerary).

We spent the morning at the airport and then getting checked into our cruise. We also spent a little time wandering around Luxor.

Afternoon – Explore Karnak & Luxor Temples

By about 3 pm that afternoon, we set off with a tour group to explore Karnak and Luxor Temples in Luxor. They are must-see places!

Karnak Temple is actually the second most visited sight in Egypt, the first is, of course, the Pyramids.

Karnak Temple is also HUGE – so be sure to allow yourself at least a couple of hours to fully explore it.

Morning – Valley of the Kings

Next, you’ll head to Luxor’s West Bank to visit the incredible Valley of the Kings. It’s on the west side because that’s where the sun sets, while the East Bank is where ancient Egyptians lived because it’s where the sun rises.  

And don’t miss the Colossi of Memnon on your way to the Valley of the Kings. These gigantic statues portray Pharaoh Amenhotep III. Carved from single chunks of stone, each statue is a staggering 650 tonnes!

Afternoon – Traveling to Edfu via Your Nile Cruise or….

We spent the afternoon relaxing on our Nile River Cruise. However, if you opt not to do the cruise, you could spend this afternoon exploring more in Luxor. (There is also the Valley of the Queens to see!)

Another option is to go straight to Aswan now and take the rest of your day trips from there.

Morning/Afternoon

Edfu and Kom Ombo are towns along the Nile River in Egypt that are home to 2 famous temples – The Temple of Horus at Edfu and the Temple of Kom Ombo.

I, personally, enjoyed the Temple of Horus at Edfu – it was extraordinary to see and when we visited right away in the morning, there were hardly any tourists here.

Since crocodiles were revered in the area, the Kom Ombo Temple has a small museum nearby with about 300 mummified crocodiles on display. The little museum stays nice and cool too, which is good on a hot day. (Note: photos weren’t allowed in the museum when we were there, the photo above is one I purchased from Shutterstock.)

For our Nile Cruise, we visited Edfu straightaway in the morning and then we visited Kom Ombo later that afternoon. If you opt to visit these as a day trip from Luxor or a day trip from Aswan, this will be an all-day tour.

Morning – Temple of Isis (Philae Temple) + High Dam + Unfinished Obelisk

Aswan is a beautiful city located along the Nile River, and it is home to some very interesting places to visit! Out of all the cities we visited in Egypt, Aswan was, perhaps, my favorite.

It was quite clean and modern and traffic was not as horrifically crazy as it was in most of Egypt. You can visit the Temple of Isis, which is actually located on an island and was built to honor the goddess Isis back in 690 BC.

The High Dam (fed by the Nile River) is also not that far away…nor is the unfinished obelisk..which is the largest known ancient obelisk!

Read about fun things to do in Aswan.

Afternoon – Relax or Do a Tour

You could spend your afternoon hanging about by the pool on your Nile River Cruise or your hotel or you could do an excursion. We visited the Nubian Village.

Another option is to take a sunset felucca ride and visit some of the islands in the area. (Personally, I think this would be the nicest option.)

Or you could see the Sound and Light Show at Philae Temple – which is supposed to be the best out of all of the sound and light shows.

Morning – Abu Simbel

Abu Simbel is an absolute must-do if you are traveling to Egypt. This was honestly cooler for me than seeing the pyramids, and I have been dreaming about visiting the pyramids since I was 8!

Abu Simbel is a village in Southern Egypt, near the border of Sudan. It is home to two massive rock-cut temples one for the great Egyptian ruler Ramses II and one for his chief wife, Queen Nefertari.

This place was honestly one of the highlights of this entire trip and I highly recommend you check it out.

Read more about visiting Abu Simbel and what to expect.

Afternoon – Flight or more time in Aswan or Cairo

Depending on how your flight works out, you could fly from Aswan back to Cairo and then to Jordan.

Or you could spend another night in Aswan or Cairo and then fly out the next morning. (There is also a tiny airport in Abu Simbel – but flights are very few and far between!)

With the way our flights worked out, this entire day was lost to travel. However, if you get a better flight time than we did, you could spend this day doing a tour of Amman.

This morning you’ll want to wake up and get on the road to Wadi Rum. The sand in Wadi Rum is known for being the reddest in Jordan (colored by iron oxide).

Wadi Rum looks so much like Mars – many movies have been filmed here for their otherworldly scenes such as The Martian, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Prometheus, Red Planet and…of course, Lawrence of Arabia – just to name a few.

Once you arrive, you could do a sunset Jeep tour or camel/horseback ride. Then, spend the night enjoying your Bedouin camp (there are tons of luxury options to choose from too – if you’re not a fan of camping). 

Morning

Wake up bright and enjoy the sunrise from your desert camp. Then, you could take a hike in Wadi Rum, or perhaps do a different tour that you didn’t do the night before.

Afternoon

Drive to Petra and get settled into your hotel – I would also recommend getting to bed early. Tomorrow is an early start!

Petra deserves at least 1 full day of exploring. I would get up early, and get your tickets to enter just as the visitor’s center opens. (It opens at 6 am all year long.)

This way, you’ll beat the crowds, and have a few hours to enjoy it before tour groups begin showing up.

This incredible site is not only a UNESCO World Heritage site, but it is also recognized as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, much like the Pyramids of Giza.

Petra’s entrance is through the Siq, a narrow gorge bordered by towering cliffs. The first glimpse of Al-Khazneh (The Treasury) is incredible.

It’s one of the most intricate temples in the ancient Arab Nabatean Kingdom city of Petra. Plus, it also happens to be the filming location of Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade.

Read all my tips for visiting Petra.

Morning – Drive to Your Dead Sea Resort

It’s a few hour drive to get from the City of Petra to the Dead Sea.

You definitely want to check out the Dead Sea while visiting Jordan. It’s the lowest body of water on earth, the lowest point on earth, and also the richest source of natural salts in the world.

Personally, I would recommend staying at one of the resorts on the Dead Sea. Most Dead Sea Resorts are more on the luxurious side and offer spas, massages, and all sorts of relaxing treatments.

Afternoon – Relax or Explore Mt. Nebo & Madaba

You could spend the afternoon relaxing at your Dead Sea resort or you could venture over to Mt. Nebo and Madaba for a half-day of exploring.

Depending on whether or not you would like to explore Northern Jordan, or spend a day of likely much-needed relaxation day at a Dead Sea Resort – is entirely up to you! Northern Jordan does have some interesting sights to see – especially Jerash.

You can see my entire post on visiting these places and decide for yourself how you’d like to spend this last full day.

Hotels – Where We Stayed

Egypt

While we were in Cairo/Giza we stay at the Marriott Mena House – which had incredible views of the Pyramids! It was also a very luxurious place to stay. You can read my full review of staying here.

For the remainder of the time in Egypt, we were on our Nile River Cruise. Read my full review of our Nile River Cruise.

Jordan

While we were in Amman, we stayed at the Amman Marriott Hotel – and it was a fantastic stay! The staff, rooms and food onsite were all fabulous.

In Wadi Rum we stayed at the Mazayen Rum Camp – which was one of the best experiences we’ve ever had in our travels.

The Dead Sea we had used the beach at the Dead Sea Spa Resort  – this was a bit of a walk to get to the beach from the hotel, but overall it was a nice resort.

Unfortunately, we made the mistake of not staying overnight in Petra, despite there being tons of great accommodation options.