Cultural Discovery Tour In Egypt With Nile Sailing

Arrive Cairo and check-in at hotel.

Overnight Standard Hotel (H+)

Cairo is situated mainly on the east bank of the Nile. We drive to Giza to see the Pyramids and Sphinx, among the most impressive man-made spectacles in the world. The Great Pyramid of Cheops is the largest of the group. Second is the Pyramid of Chephren, and third, Mykerinos, the smallest. The complex includes the Sphinx, and the splendid Granite Temple. We also visit the Egyptian Museum, which contains the Tutankhamun treasure and houses the richest collection of pharaonic antiquities in the world.

Overnight Standard Hotel (H+) Included meals: Breakfast

This morning we drive under the Suez Canal to Sinai. This vital communication route, linking the Mediterranean and Red Sea, was finally opened in 1869 after many failed attempts during previous centuries. We continue our journey into the Sinai through desert landscapes and a dramatic route through Wadi Fairan to St. Catherine’s. Our hotel is situated below Jebel Musa (Mount Moses).

Overnight Standard Hotel (H+) Included meals: Breakfast

This morning we rise early for the unforgettable experience of the sun rising over Mount Sinai.  After the sunrise we return back to the bottom where we visit St. Catherine's Monastery, built in 342AD to mark the place where Moses received the Ten Commandments. Priceless books and manuscripts have been preserved within the fortress-like ramparts of the monastery which seems today an oasis of peace and calm, hemmed in by towering cliffs. Afterwards we head to the coastal resort of Dahab or our overnight stop

Overnight Standard Hotel (H+) Included meals: Breakfast

In the morning we explore the surrounding desert landscapes on a rugged jeep safari, exploring narrow canyons both on foot and by 4WD (some scrambling involved). We continue by 4WD to the most southerly point of the Sinai Peninsula and our basic beach side camp in Ras Mohammed National Park. Even though it appears barren and hostile, the park has a great variety of permanent residents like birds, insects and small mammals. Camping in Egypt is ‘Bedouinstyle’ with everyone camping in the open under the stars.

Overnight Basic Camping (C) Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Ras Mohammed was Egypt’s first National Park and offers a huge variety of exotic marine life. Brightly coloured fish live on the coral reef, but it also attracts tuna, barracuda and turtles, who come to the reef to feed. The beaches here offer great underwater activities; we include a snorkelling trip. We then board the catamaran for our crossing to Hurghada.

Please note: When the authorities deem that it is not possible to cross to Hurghada by sea, we will make alternative arrangements that could involve flights or ground transportation endeavouring to cause as little disruption to your itinerary as possible, however this could involve a change to your overnight stop.

Overnight Standard Hotel (H+) Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

We have a full day in Hurghada and you will have another chance to dive, snorkel and swim over the colourful coral reefs. There is the opportunity to go on an optional boat trip (6 to 8 hrs) to the sand islands and coral reefs off shore or alternatively relax at our comfortable hotel.

Overnight Standard Hotel (H+) Included meals: Breakfast

Leaving the Red Sea coast, we turn inland travelling over barren mountains to Luxor. Modern Luxor is a small town on the east bank of the Nile. Upon our arrival we shall witness the daily bustle of the town, where horse drawn carriages (caleshes) jostle with the motorised traffic. This afternoon we travel by calesh to visit the stupendous Temple of Amun at Karnak, the labour of numerous pharaohs. Dating from around 2000 BC, the scale and grandeur of the site is amazing: it covers the area of about 10 European cathedrals. The Temple Precinct encloses the Festival Temple of Tuthmosis, the Hypostyle Hall built with 134 pillars carved all over with scenes of the King worshipping Amun, (the principle God of Egypt at the time of the Middle Kingdom), Hatshepsut’s obelisks, a number of other temples and the Sacred Lake. In the Court of the Cachette an upstanding stele documents a pact between Ramses II and the Hittite king and is one of the first international treaties ever recorded.

Overnight Standard Hotel (H+) Included meals: Breakfast

This morning, we cross the Nile and journey by bus to the extraordinary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Egypt’s only female Pharaoh, who usurped the throne from her son, the future Tuthmoses III. The scale of the temple and its magnificent setting are breathtaking, but perhaps even more remarkable are the details - look out for the fine carving of the ‘Expedition to the Land of Punt’. We then take a short bus ride to the Valley of the Kings’ to explore some of the more important sites made famous in 1922 by the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun by Howard Carter. We visit three tombs.  After the visit we return to the East Bank and the afternoon is free for your personal exploration.  You could choose to wander through the Markets in Luxor or even take an optional donkey trek through the villages and fields of the West Bank which ends with you watching the sun set over the Nile.

Overnight Standard Hotel (H+) Included meals: Breakfast

This morning we transfer by bus to Aswan, Egypt’s most southerly city, traditionally regarded as the frontier post of Upper Egypt. Sited on the east bank, it stands just below the first Cataract and is the meeting point of Arab culture with Nubia and black Africa. This afternoon you may wish to take an optional excursion to Philae Temple, situated on a picturesque island in the Nile.

Overnight Standard Hotel (H+) Included meals: Breakfast

Today we have the option of travelling by bus or by air to the fabulous rock-hewn temple of Abu Simbel, a major highlight of the tour. Cut into the rock face, this enormous structure was raised 61m to save it from inundation by the artificial lake created by the Aswan High Dam. The 20m high statues represent Ramses II.

Overnight Standard Hotel (H+) Included meals: Breakfast

This morning we suggest a camel trek through the desert to the abandoned Coptic Monastery of St. Simeon. Later we board our feluccas for our voyage, sailing towards Edfu. The leisurely and informal nature of felucca sailing means that no fixed night stops can be given. These depend to a considerable extent on the elements. As we sail, we see the intensive cultivation of the Nile Valley and at intermittent points are small villages which depend upon the river for their livelihood. In general, our evening stops will be by the river bank or at mid-river islands, where we set up a wild camp allowing pleasant early morning swims. We sleep on the deck of the feluccas and the experience of sleeping under the stars more than compensates for the limited facilities. Our crew look after us admirably and are great fun. Our stopping times, however, are extremely variable and we need to take maximum advantage of the northerly winds.

Overnight Accommodation on Boat (U) Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today we continue upstream, seeing the intensive cultivation of the Nile Valley and small villages which depend upon the river for their livelihood. In the afternoon we aim to reach Kom Ombo. The temple of Kom Ombo is unique in that it is dedicated to two gods, Horus and Sobek. Sobek the crocodile god was much needed at this spot as the river here was noted for crocodiles until early this century.

Overnight Accommodation on Boat (U) Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today we enjoy another day taking in the scenes of life on the Nile, enjoying a book, chatting with group or crew members and forgetting all about time as we sail down the worlds longest river.

Overnight Accommodation on Boat (U) Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We sail towards Edfu today, the largest Egyptian temple after Karnak, dating from the time of the Ptolemies (3rd-1st century BC). A falcon-headed god guards the Temple of Horus, which is in almost perfect condition. The temple is unusual in that the roof is still intact. After checking into our hotel, the afternoon is free for you to explore Luxor town.

Overnight Standard Hotel (H+) Included meals: Breakfast

We have a free day in Luxor for personal exploration. A stroll along the Nile is a very good way to absorb the atmosphere and there is also a very good version of the Son et Lumiere show at Karnak Temple.

Overnight Standard Hotel (H+) Included meals: Breakfast

Today we spend the day heading west, entering the Western Desert, part of the Great Sahara. Christian in its early history, the Western Desert then fell to the Muslims and the Berbers. Finally, in the 11th century, it became part of Egypt. The first of the four major oases we visit is Kharga whose main wealth comes from date palms.

Overnight Standard Hotel (H+) Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

One of the best preserved Christian necropoli in the world is found at Al Bagawat, home of some beautifully preserved Old Testament frescoes. Situated on a hill just outside Kharga Oasis, we visit several of its 263 mud-brick tombs, dating back to the 4th-6th centuries. Close by the town are the remains of a temple of the Persian period, practically unique in Egypt, called the Temple of Hibis. Later we continue westward along a surfaced road towards Dakhla. On arrival, we have the chance to trek on camels across the desert to our first camp under the spectacular desert stars.

Overnight Basic Camping (C) Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

During our time in Dakhla we visit the unusual mud-brick islamic village of Al Qasr. We wander the ramshackle streets, a living museum of crumbling mosques, pottery workshops, basket weavers and blacksmiths. Continuing north, as we approach Farafra the terrain becomes a white limestone ‘moonscape’. Farafra is the smallest of the four major oases, the desert scenery is at its best here – steep cliffs ring the oasis on one side and the wind forms dunes from the sand on the other.

Overnight Standard Hotel (H+) Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We enjoy a leisurely morning in Farafra Oasis, wandering the backstreets and soaking up the easy-going ambience of this remote town, poised at the eastern edge of the Great Sand Sea. Later in the afternoon we strike out by 4WD to explore the extraordinary and spectacular geology of the White Desert. The desert is best seen at dawn and dusk, so we sleep out amidst the ghostly outcrops and absorb the surreal atmosphere of this unique place.

Overnight Basic Camping (C) Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Returning by 4WD to the road, we continue by bus to Bahariya Oasis, past isolated springs and across a wind-eroded sandstone plain. The environs of Bahariya have many sites of archaeological interest, including the valley of the Golden Mummies, one of the most important finds in Egypt since the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb.

Overnight Standard Hotel (H+) Included meals: Breakfast

Included meals: Breakfast