Small group tours to Egypt, Cairo to Luxor
| country: | Egypt |
| location: | Sinai Desert, Red Sea, Pyramids, Luxor |
| departures: | 2010: 20 Feb, 20 Mar, 27 Mar, 3 Apr, 1 May, 24 Jul, 14 Aug, 4 Sep, 16 Oct, 23 Oct, 30 Oct, 6 Nov, 11 Dec, 25 Dec 2011: 22 Jan, 19 Feb, 19 Mar, 26 Mar, 9 Apr, 30 Apr, 13 Aug, 3 Sep |
| price: | From £935 - £1065 (10 days) including flights from the UK, from £545 - £615 excluding flights |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Egypt contains a great cultural heritage that goes back to the very beginnings of history. Its antiquities are amongst the oldest and most remarkable monuments in the world, and a diversity of people have left their indelible mark on the country’s history.
Cairo & Sinai Peninsula:
From the capital, where we visit the Pyramids of Giza and the Egyptian Museum, we head east into the heart of the mountainous Sinai peninsula. This rockscape once sheltered prophets and hermits, and became home to the first monasteries in history - including St Catherine's, built on the site of the Burning Bush. From here, we recommend climbing to the top of Mount Sinai (1524m) to witness the sunset over the wilderness. The small and laid back resort of Dahab gives us a first taster of the Red Sea, before we set off for a thrilling 4WD ride into the nearby canyons.
Red Sea Coral Reefs:
Our next stop is a wild beach camp along the coral reefs of the Ras Mohammed conservation area - Sinai's southerly tip, which provides some of the best snorkelling in the world. A catamaran ferry then takes us to Hurghada where we can enjoy more snorkelling or perhaps some diving around the offshore islands.
Antiquities of Upper Egypt:
Our stay in Luxor, the bustling 'Thebes of a Thousand Gates', includes a donkey trek to Hatshepsut Temple & a visit to the Valley of the Kings, which was made famous in 1922 by the discovery of the 'cursed' tomb of Tutankhamun. Another 'al fresco' highlight of this trip is a calesh ride along the sphinx-lined avenue to Karnak: built over two millennia, the vast Temple of Amun was colonised by successive civilisations, each leaving their mark on this unique site.
Highlights:
Cairo & Sinai Peninsula:
From the capital, where we visit the Pyramids of Giza and the Egyptian Museum, we head east into the heart of the mountainous Sinai peninsula. This rockscape once sheltered prophets and hermits, and became home to the first monasteries in history - including St Catherine's, built on the site of the Burning Bush. From here, we recommend climbing to the top of Mount Sinai (1524m) to witness the sunset over the wilderness. The small and laid back resort of Dahab gives us a first taster of the Red Sea, before we set off for a thrilling 4WD ride into the nearby canyons.
Red Sea Coral Reefs:
Our next stop is a wild beach camp along the coral reefs of the Ras Mohammed conservation area - Sinai's southerly tip, which provides some of the best snorkelling in the world. A catamaran ferry then takes us to Hurghada where we can enjoy more snorkelling or perhaps some diving around the offshore islands.
Antiquities of Upper Egypt:
Our stay in Luxor, the bustling 'Thebes of a Thousand Gates', includes a donkey trek to Hatshepsut Temple & a visit to the Valley of the Kings, which was made famous in 1922 by the discovery of the 'cursed' tomb of Tutankhamun. Another 'al fresco' highlight of this trip is a calesh ride along the sphinx-lined avenue to Karnak: built over two millennia, the vast Temple of Amun was colonised by successive civilisations, each leaving their mark on this unique site.
Highlights:
- Venture into the remote landscapes of the Sinai desert.
- Relax and snorkel on the Red Sea coast.
- Discover the treasures of ancient Thebes.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Join tour Cairo. |
| Day 2: | In Cairo. Cairo is Africa’s largest capital city and is known as the city of a thousand minarets. We visit the Egyptian Museum (which contains the Tutankhamun Treasure) and drive to Giza to see the Pyramids and Sphinx, among the most impressive man-made spectacles in the world. |
| Day 3: | Fly to Sharm El Sheikh then drive to Dahab. Today we fly to Sharm el Sheikh then drive through spectacular mountain desert of Wadi Farian to arrive in the Red Sea resort of Dahab If time allows we will stop and take a walk through the date palms and see the old basilica. |
| Day 4: | Drive to St Catherines, Mt Sinai Ascent. Today we drive through the desert to the St Catherines village where we visit St. Catherine's Monastery, built in 342AD to mark the place where Moses received the Ten Commandments. |
| Day 5: | 4WD to Ras Mohammed. 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). |
| Day 6: | In Ras Mohammed, ferry to Hurghada. 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. |
| Day 7: | In Hurghada. We have a full day in Hurghada and you will have another chance to dive, snorkel and swim over the colourful coral reefs. |
| Day 8: | Drive to Luxor. Leaving the Red Sea coast, we turn inland travelling over barren mountains to Luxor. |
| Day 9: | In Luxor. Rising very early this morning, we cross the Nile to enjoy an adventurous donkey trek passing through an enchanting landscape of irrigated farmland and mud brick villages en route, pausing to view the famous Colossi of Memnon, the last remains of the once mighty temple of Amenhotep III then on to the extraordinary Temple of Queen Hatsheput, Egypt’s only female Pharaoh, who usurped the throne from her son, the future Tuthmoses III. |
| Day 10: | Tour ends Luxor. |
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. how this holiday makes a difference
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Environment:
We're very much aware of the fragile environments around us as we travel through the desert and snorkel in the Red Sea. Our robust Responsible Tourism Policy covers all such activities and all our leaders, guides and suppliers are required to work to its strict guidelines. Our commitment to responsible tourism is not limited to our overseas operation and we have measures to ensure our UK office operates according to our responsible tourism policy. Carbon offsets for all flights booked with us are included in the tour cost. Community: Learning about the country we are travelling to is really important on our tours and Egypt is just brimming with history and culture! One of the reasons we prefer to use local tour leaders where possible is they can give a real insight into the local culture; anything from learning about the education system, to making sure we don’t fall foul of any taboos! Secondly it is our policy to generate business and employment opportunities in the countries we travel to by employing local people. All our leaders in Egypt are locals and we’ve personally trained them all too so they are comfortable in their work and you get great service. You can be fairly confident that your money is benefiting the local community in the areas we visit. We use a a huge number of small local suppliers, such as restaurants and cafes (where we can also sample delicious local food!), donkey owners, drivers, calesh drivers, boatmen...all of whom get a benefit from us being there. The fact that we have worked with lots of these people for many years has really given them a stable source of income and we’ve also helped them out in difficult times. We’re delighted that you’ll have the chance to meet so many of them on your trip! We really think meeting the people is one of the best things about overseas travel and try to find opportunities for you to get a real flavour of local life, such as sharing stories with our Bedouin guides around the camp fire in the Sinai. Whilst you are in Luxor you will have the opportunity to visit the Sunshine Orphanage which we have supported for many years. As well as the above, we support a variety of charities and projects worldwide which support vulnerable communities and habitats including Friends of Conservation, Hope Worldwide and Send A Cow. We are also actively engaged with UK travel industry bodies which promote best practice in responsible tourism, such as Tourism Concern, The Travel Foundation and AITO. |
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. |