16 Day Egypt & Morocco Merzouga Tour: Nile Cruise & Hurghada

Meet your Egyptologist guide after breakfast and travel to the Giza Pyramids Complex, where the pyramids of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure dominate the desert plateau.

Continue to the Great Sphinx, the monumental limestone figure with the body of a lion and the head of a king. Your Egyptologist will explain the monument's connection to the Giza complex and the ancient beliefs surrounding royal power and protection.

Visit the Valley Temple of Khafre, located beside the Sphinx. Its massive limestone and granite construction provides another perspective on the engineering and ceremonial traditions surrounding the royal burial complex.

Continue to the Grand Egyptian Museum, where thousands of years of Egyptian history are presented through one of the country's most important archaeological collections.

After breakfast, enjoy a relaxed day in Hurghada with time to make the most of your hotel and the Red Sea coast.

Travelers who want to explore beneath the surface can choose an optional snorkeling trip in the Red Sea.

Begin your Luxor sightseeing at Karnak Temple, one of the largest and most significant religious complexes of ancient Egypt. Walk through monumental pylons and the vast Great Hypostyle Hall while your Egyptologist explains how successive pharaohs expanded the temple complex over centuries. Its enormous columns, obelisks, statues, and sacred spaces reveal the scale of ancient Thebes.

Later, visit Luxor Temple, located in the heart of modern Luxor along the eastern bank of the Nile. Unlike many ancient Egyptian temples, Luxor Temple is closely integrated with the modern city around it. Its colossal statues, towering columns, and ceremonial spaces provide a striking introduction to the religious and royal traditions of ancient Thebes.

After breakfast, cross to Luxor's West Bank and enter the Valley of the Kings, the famous royal necropolis carved into the desert mountains.

Continue to the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, dramatically positioned against the limestone cliffs.

Pause at the Colossi of Memnon, two enormous seated statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III. The statues once stood at the entrance to his vast mortuary temple and remain an unmistakable landmark of the Theban landscape.

Visit Edfu Temple, dedicated to the falcon-headed god Horus. Built during the Ptolemaic period, the temple is one of the best-preserved ancient sanctuaries in Egypt.

Later, visit Kom Ombo Temple, an unusual double sanctuary dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile god, and Horus the Elder.

After breakfast, visit the Aswan High Dam, one of modern Egypt's most important engineering projects.

Continue to the ancient granite quarries to see the Unfinished Obelisk. Still connected to the bedrock, this enormous monument provides a rare opportunity to understand how ancient Egyptian craftsmen extracted and shaped massive blocks of granite.

Take a short boat ride across the Nile to Philae Temple, dedicated primarily to the goddess Isis. Set on an island surrounded by water, the temple is one of Aswan's most atmospheric archaeological sites. Its decorated gateways, columns, sanctuaries, and riverside setting create a memorable final sightseeing experience on your Nile cruise.

Begin at Dahshur, where the Bent Pyramid and Red Pyramid reveal important stages in the development of ancient Egyptian pyramid construction. The unusual shape of the Bent Pyramid and the successful design of the Red Pyramid provide a fascinating introduction to the architectural evolution that eventually led to the pyramids of Giza.

Continue to Saqqara, the vast necropolis of ancient Memphis, and explore the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the earliest large-scale stone pyramid in Egypt. Designed by Imhotep, its stepped design represents a major development in ancient Egyptian architecture and forms the centerpiece of an extensive funerary complex.

Continue to the remains of Memphis, the ancient capital of Egypt. Visit the Memphis Open-Air Museum to see monumental statues and architectural remains, including the enormous limestone statue of Ramesses II, offering a glimpse into the importance of this once-powerful ancient city.

Begin your Moroccan sightseeing at the Hassan II Mosque, one of Casablanca's most recognizable landmarks. Standing beside the Atlantic Ocean, the mosque combines monumental architecture with detailed Moroccan craftsmanship. Its dramatic coastal setting makes it one of the defining sights of Casablanca.

Continue along the Casablanca Corniche, where the city meets the Atlantic. The waterfront offers a more contemporary view of Morocco, contrasting with the historic architecture and ancient landscapes you experienced in Egypt.

Visit Hassan Tower, the famous unfinished minaret of an ambitious 12th-century mosque project. The surrounding columns and monumental stonework provide a sense of the scale originally intended for the complex.

Continue to the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, known for its refined Moroccan craftsmanship, white exterior, and ceremonial setting beside Hassan Tower.

Explore the Kasbah of the Udayas, a historic fortified neighborhood overlooking the Bou Regreg River and Atlantic. Walk through its narrow lanes and take in the contrast between whitewashed buildings, traditional architecture, and the surrounding coastal landscape.

Visit the area surrounding Al-Qarawiyyin University, founded in the 9th century and widely recognized as one of the world's oldest continuously operating institutions of higher learning.

Continue to the Bou Inania Madrasa, a celebrated example of Marinid architecture decorated with carved cedar, zellij tilework, and intricate plasterwork.

Visit the Chouara Tanneries, where traditional leatherworking remains one of Fes's best-known crafts. From nearby terraces, you can see the distinctive dyeing vats and observe a craft tradition closely connected with the city's commercial history.

Enter Fes el-Bali, the historic heart of the city and one of the world's most atmospheric medieval medinas. Its narrow lanes, workshops, traditional houses, markets, and centuries-old craftsmanship make walking through the medina feel like stepping into another era.

Arrive in Merzouga in the late afternoon, where the vast Erg Chebbi dunes rise from the desert landscape.

Visit Rissani, an important historic trading town in southeastern Morocco. The town grew around ancient caravan routes connecting the Sahara with northern Morocco, and its markets still provide a glimpse into the region's long relationship with desert trade.

Visit the Mausoleum of Moulay Ali Sharif, associated with the founder of Morocco's Alaouite dynasty. The site provides an opportunity to learn more about the religious and dynastic history of southern Morocco.

Continue toward Todra Gorge, where towering rock walls rise dramatically on either side of the narrow river corridor. The gorge is one of the most striking natural landscapes along Morocco's desert route and creates a dramatic contrast with the open dunes of Merzouga.

Continue through the Dades Valley, often associated with the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs. The road passes rocky landscapes, fertile oases, palm groves, and fortified villages before reaching your accommodation for the evening.

After breakfast, continue through the Roses Valley, where villages and cultivated landscapes appear between the rugged mountains. The valley is particularly associated with rose cultivation and provides a softer landscape after the dramatic desert and canyon scenery of the previous days.

Continue toward Skoura, an oasis known for its palm groves and historic kasbahs. The contrast between green vegetation and the surrounding dry landscape illustrates how communities have long adapted to Morocco's arid interior.

Visit Aït Ben Haddou, a fortified ksar built from earthen architecture and positioned along historic caravan routes between the Sahara and Marrakech. Walk through its narrow passages and climb toward the upper levels for views across the surrounding landscape. The settlement's distinctive architecture has also made it a popular filming location.

Continue toward Marrakech across the High Atlas Mountains, crossing the Tizi n'Tichka Pass. The road climbs through mountain landscapes before gradually descending toward the plains surrounding Marrakech.

Begin at Bahia Palace, a 19th-century residence known for its courtyards, gardens, carved cedar ceilings, zellij tilework, and detailed stucco decoration. Moving through its interconnected spaces provides a glimpse into the refined architectural traditions of Marrakech.

Continue to the Koutoubia Mosque, whose distinctive minaret dominates the Marrakech skyline. Although the mosque itself is reserved for Muslim worshippers, the exterior and surrounding gardens offer excellent views of one of the city's defining landmarks.

Visit Menara Gardens, where olive groves and a large reflecting pool create a peaceful setting against the distant Atlas Mountains. After the intensity of Marrakech's medina, the gardens provide a quieter perspective on the city.

Enter the Marrakech Medina, a UNESCO-listed historic district filled with narrow lanes, traditional buildings, workshops, riads, and historic gateways. Continue through the Marrakech souks, where artisans and merchants display leather goods, textiles, lanterns, spices, carpets, and traditional Moroccan crafts.

As afternoon turns toward evening, arrive at Jemaa el-Fna, the famous central square of Marrakech.