| country: | Egypt |
| location: | Sinai Desert, Nile Cruises, Pyramids, Luxor |
| trip type: | Moderate walking holidays |
| departures: | 2009: 24 Nov, 29 Dec 2010: 5 Jan, 26 Jan, 23 Feb, 23 Mar, 20 Apr, 28 Sep, 10 Oct, 26 Oct, 23 Nov, 28 Dec |
| price: | From £1320 (17 days) excluding flights. We can arrange flights from the UK |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
On our Egypt adventure holiday we combine a journey to capture the rich historical legacy of Egypt with a superb trek in the Sinai Desert. On the cultural stages of our Egypt adventure holiday we visit the pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx; take a trip to Luxor and the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings and cruise down the Nile to take in the wonders of Pharaonic Egypt. By contrast our trek takes us deep into the desert landscape.
In the company of our Bedouin guides we wander the wadis (dry river beds), bathe in the cool waters of Galt El-Azrak and ascend rocky vantage points to gain panoramic views of the Sinai Peninsula.
At camp we share Bedouin tales and legends before completing an ascent of Mt Sinai, climbing the 750 steps to where the Ten Commandments were delivered to Moses.
In the company of our Bedouin guides we wander the wadis (dry river beds), bathe in the cool waters of Galt El-Azrak and ascend rocky vantage points to gain panoramic views of the Sinai Peninsula.
At camp we share Bedouin tales and legends before completing an ascent of Mt Sinai, climbing the 750 steps to where the Ten Commandments were delivered to Moses.
what's included on our Egypt adventure holiday & Sinai trek
15 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 14 dinners, 4 star hotel accommodation, overnight train Aswan to Cairo, group camping equipment (sleeping bags and sleeping mats not included), trekking crew whilst on trek, first class Nile cruise, local English speaking guide throughout, site guides at the major sites visited, all site entrance fees Note: High season price on application - applicable from 20 Dec to 10 Jan and for the 2 week Easter period.day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Join Cairo |
| Day 2/3: | In Cairo, visit the Great Pyramids |
| Day 4: | Drive to Sinai via the Suez Canal |
| Day 5/8: | Commence trek in the high ranges of the Sinai, following Bedouin trails through impressive gorges and ascending Gabel Bab (2080m) en route to the flanks of Mt Sinai |
| Day 9: | Ascend Mt Sinai (2285m), complete trek, drive to Sharm El Shaikh |
| Day 10: | Speedboat to Hurghada |
| Day 11: | In Hurghada |
| Day 12: | Drive to Luxor |
| Day 13: | In Luxor, visit Valley of the Kings |
| Day 14: | Nile cruise |
| Day 15: | Arrive Aswan |
| Day 16: | Optional trip to Abu Simbel Temple. Overnight train to Cairo |
| Day 17: | In Cairo trip concludes |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places. highly commended
This tourism business was Highly Commended in our 2006 First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards - the largest awards of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society. Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
|
Environment:
The natural landscapes we explore are some of the richest, often most challenging, yet at the same time some of the most fragile environments on earth. With education, experienced leadership and appropriate equipment and techniques, it is possible to travel responsibly through these regions. For us, it is critically important that such wilderness travel experiences do not diminish the natural values of the environment. Our environmental sustainable principles: True sustainability is a guiding aspect in all aspects of our business planning and operations. Specifically our tour operations should be managed in a way where the natural and cultural values of the host region are undiminished in the long-term. Where possible, we engage in partnerships with local environmental groups and/or land managers to actively campaign for conservation or promote environmental protection and/or rehabilitation. Our Responsible Travel Guidebook: Our philosophy since 1975 has been to leave only footprints and take only photographs. To reiterate this, every customer who travels with us receives a copy of our award-winning Responsible Travel guidebook. This detailed book outlines our environmentally sustainable principles, and outlines how each customer can minimize their impact while travelling. Global Warming and Carbon Balancing: The root cause of Global Warming is society's dependence on emission creating fossil fuel. Planting trees is not going to reverse this trend or cancel our carbon emissions very quickly or effectively. We believe the way to reduce these dependencies is to create clean energy production. Therefore, we support renewable energy projects like wind and solar power, and we are aligned with Climate Friendly, the gold standard setter in effective, meaningful action addressing climate change. So, while we believe that tree planting can play a small role in greenhouse gas abatement, we have gone the extra mile in promoting a longer term solution. Is this cheap? No. Is it responsible? Absolutely! Community: The local Bedouins are pivotal on our trek in Sinai. Their local knowledge is superb and through employing local Bedouins and their camels we provide a much needed source of employment and wage. This trek is conducted with the local sheik’s blessing and he ensures that work and money is spread evenly amongst the local Bedouin camp. Our responsible travel principles: Our company aims to maximise the positive benefits of tourism for host communities. This includes training and employment of local staff, using local suppliers and assisting in the development of sustainable local businesses. We actively minimise the negative effects that tourism can have by ensuring that tourism does not divert resources away from local communities or drive up prices on local resources. We provide opportunities for real cultural exchange, where locals and visitors alike can share and learn from each other in an environment of mutual respect. We contribute to the welfare of the host community. This is epitomised in our Community Project Travel program where we organise for our travellers to spend time in disadvantaged villages upgrading basic facilities such as health, education and water access. We strive to educate our travellers about the destination and its local cultures as well as providing guidelines on appropriate behaviour to minimise impact. No local payments policy: Local cash payments are becoming increasingly popular with many operators in the adventure travel industry. This policy seems to benefit the tour operators more than the local economies or the travellers, as it avoids local taxes and transfers the costs and risks of cash handling onto the travellers. In accordance with our Responsible Travel practices, we have chosen a policy of not asking for such payments. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |








