EGYPT - BEYOND THE ORDINARY
EGYPT - BEYOND THE ORDINARY
Cairo opens the trip with a day at the Pyramids of Giza, beneath the ancient gaze of the Sphinx, before you step inside the spectacular Grand Egyptian Museum, home to more than 100,000 artefacts including Tutankhamun's legendary gold mask. Then the city falls away. You drive west through the Black Desert and past Crystal Mountain to your camp deep in the White Desert National Park, where chalk formations sculpted by wind rise from the desert floor in extraordinary shapes and the nights are very dark and full of stars.
The return to Cairo takes you through Bahariya Oasis, where the golden mummies discovered here in 1999 lie in state in a remarkable underground museum. Back in the city, explore a different chapter of Egyptian history: the Royal Mummies Hall at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation, the medieval Citadel, and the labyrinthine lanes of Khan El-Khalili, the Middle East's greatest bazaar.
Day 1 Flight To Cairo
Meet & assisted at Cairo airport and escorted to hotel
Overnight: Flamenco Cairo Hotel (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast
Day 2 Cairo - Pyramids, Sphinx And Grand Egyptian Museum
See the 4,500 year old Pyramids on the Giza Plateau, the Grand Pyramid being the only survivor of the "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World", as well as the legendary Sphinx acting as the guardian of the Pharaoh's enormous funerary monument in the Valley Temple nearby. Explore the Sphinx and the many other legends surrounding this timeless regal figure. Lunch at a local restaurant in Giza.
Optional Camel Ride and entry to Cheops Pyramid (extra cost) Visit to the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) complex, a cultural hub that includes one of the largest museums in the world, displaying the diverse heritage of a single civilisation. The museum contains over 100,000 artefacts reflecting Egypt's past from prehistory up to the Greek and Roman periods. See the exhibit of the boy-King Tutankhamun which houses over 5,000 artifacts recovered from his tomb, including his gold mask. As you enter the museum, you will be amazed by the colossal statue of King Ramses II and the 87 huge royal artefacts exhibited at the grand staircase leading up to an impressive 28-meter-high glass facade overlooking the pyramids of Giza.Overnight: Overnight: Flamenco Cairo Hotel (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast at hotel, lunch at a local restaurant in Giza
Day 3 Transfer From Cairo To White Desert
Wake early for breakfast at your Cairo Hotel. Your driver will be picking you up at 7am to whisk you away to the White Desert.
You will be driven to El Heiz Oasis, about 350 km east of Cairo, which should take about 4 hours. Stop for lunch and refreshments at a local restaurant. After lunch, you will drive to the Black Desert, where a layer of black powder covers the mountains, highlands, and sand. Then travel further to Crystal Mountain, known locally as Gebel al-Izzaz, a natural feature which was found by accident. A hill formed by quartzite crystals, it looks amazing in the sunlight, and is It is often called the Jewel of the desert. Finally, you will arrive at a deluxe camp in the White desert where you will be staying. Overnight: Shahrazad CampMeals: Breakfast at Cairo hotel, lunch at local restaurant and dinner in camp
Day 4 White Desert
Enjoy a full day in the White Desert enjoying walks through the white limestone rocks. The White Desert is actually a National Park and the most well-known desert destination in Egypt. There are hundreds of chalk formations here, many reminiscent of an animal. Look for them all. A chicken, a sphinx, camels, tents, and mushrooms. Drive back to your camp where you will enjoy a luxurious rest.
Lunch at a local restaurantOvernight: Shahrazad Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch at local restaurant and dinner in camp
Day 5 Camp To Cairo
After breakfast at camp drive to Baharya Oasis to visit the Mummies Hall of the golden mummies, bennutti tombs and Qasr Selim. After lunch at a local restaurant, you will drive back to Cairo.
Overnight: Overnight: Flamenco Cairo Hotel (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast at camp, lunch at a local restaurant.
Day 6 Cairo - Museum, Coptic Cairo & Khan El Khalili Bazaar
Visit the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation (NMEC), tracing the country's heritage through artefacts and immersive exhibits spanning every era of its history. The highlight is the Royal Mummies Hall, where Egypt's most powerful pharaohs and royals lie in state, a rare and intimate window into ancient rituals of mummification and the lives behind Egypt's most potent historical figures.
Old Cairo begins with the Fortress of Babylon, built by Emperor Trajan in AD 100 to defend the frontiers of his empire. Within its walls stands the Church of St Sergius, believed to have been built by Roman soldiers in the third or fourth century before being converted into a Coptic church. Soldier-saints Sergius and Bacchus inspired the dedication of the church, which marks the spot where Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus supposedly rested during their flight into Egypt. Much rebuilt and restored since mediaeval times, it remains a fine example of early Coptic architecture. Nearby, the Hanging Church takes its name from its position suspended above the gatehouse of the fortress. Thought to originate in the seventh century, this basilica-style church was once the seat of the Coptic Patriarchate. No visit to Cairo is complete without exploring the lanes of Khan El-Khalili, reputedly the largest bazaar in the Middle East. Founded in the 14th century as a caravanserai watering spot, it has since grown into a vast labyrinth of narrow lanes lined with workshops and stalls selling woodwork, glassware, leather, perfumes, fabrics, and Pharaonic curiosities. Remember to bargain hard! Lunch at a local restaurant in Cairo.Overnight: Overnight: Flamenco Cairo Hotel (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast at hotel, lunch at a local restaurant in Cairo
Day 7 Cairo Departure
Transfer from hotel to Cairo airport.
Meals: Breakfast
