Women only holidays in Egypt
| country: | Egypt |
| departures: | 2010: 28 Sep |
| price: | From £2100 (14 days) excluding flights. |
| more info: | Price includes activities, entries to cultural sites, accommodation on twin share basis, transport, transfers, domestic flights, guide services as per itinerary, all meals except those on "free" days. Min 5 - max 12 clients. Minimum age, 25 years |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Egypt is a country that really is a must on any travellers list. What better way to experience it’s treasures than on board a cruise ship on the Nile on this women only tour! We begin our trip as "land-lubbers" in Cairo and Aswan, taking in the sights and mingling with the locals, before boarding our beautiful boat for a very "cruisey" holiday.
Highlights include:Visiting the amazing Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx Cairo: exploring the bustling bazaar of Khan el Khalili, and visiting the incredible Egyptian museum Luxor: the Valley of the Kings, Mummification Museum, Hatshepsuts Temple, Karnak and Luxor Temples Aswan: we take a sunset felucca trip on the Nile, visit a Nubian village, the fascinating Nubian Museum, the bustling souq, and watch a beautiful sunset from a Nubian restaurant Abu Simbel: see it to believe it: Ramses II temple and Neferatiti’s Temple Cruising in style down the Nile on board a beautiful ship Jeep safari out into the White Desert in the Sahara and sleeping under the stars
Highlights include:
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Cairo. Welcome to Africa's biggest city, with over 20 million inhabitants! You will be met at Cairo airport and transferred to your hotel. Free afternoon to relax and get used to the heat or take a stroll and visit some of the sights nearby. Dinner at hotel. |
| Day 2: | Cairo. Cairo is an incredible city with so much to see and do, so we have a pretty full day today: our first stop today is Memphis and the cemetery of Saqqara, famous for deceased Pharaohs, generals and sacred animals. We visit the Step Pyramid and other interesting sights. The afternoon takes us to the infamous Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, situated on the edge of the city. It is quite fantastic to actually be there in person and to try to imagine how these things were built. If you like, you can try out a camel ride here. There will also be some time for some relaxing shopping nearby – exotic perfumes and papyrus are just some of the wonderful things you can buy. Tonight we have dinner at an Arabesque restaurant to sample typical Egyptian food - after dinner a coffee reader will read your cup to see what your future holds |
| Day 3: | Cairo - Aswan. This morning we take in the amazing sights at the Egyptian Museum, a treasure-trove of Egyptian antiquities. Lunch will be taken at an Egyptian club, which will give you a chance to meet some locals and get to know more about their lives. Next we go to the Citadel, former home to Egypt’s rulers. At the Citadel we visit a mosque and take in the grand views of Cairo. At 8pm we board our overnight train to Aswan, dinner on board. |
| Day 4: | Aswan. We arrive in Aswan and get taken to our hotel out on Isis Island in the middle of the Nile, and then take a leisurely lunch on the Corniche, overlooking the Nile. The afternoon sun is very hot, so you have time out to swim or rest, until things cool off a little. In the evening we go to the Nubian Museum to learn about how the temples of Abu Simbel were rescued from being forever hidden under the waters of Lake Nasser, behind the High Dam. We have a sunset dinner from a vantage point overlooking the Nile. |
| Day 5: | Aswan/Abu Simbel. This morning we take a boat to a Nubian village. In former times Nubia was the land that lay between Aswan and Khartoum – Nubians are distinctively different to Arabic Egyptians, being tall and black. If you would like to ride a camel, you can hop off the boat and ride across the sand along the banks of the Nile to the village. After a look around this colourful village we have lunch in a Nubian home. If you like you can get a temporary henna tattoo from a local Nubian lady. Once again you have a free afternoon to avoid the heat of the day – swim, relax, or whatever you like! When in Aswan, a felucca trip is a must – and one of the best ways to enjoy the balmy Egyptian sunset is on a felucca, sailing on the Nile. Tonight we get up very early to take the 3.30am convoy to the amazing Abu Simbel, a real highlight of the tour. |
| Day 6: | Aswan. We arrive back at the hotel from Abu Simbel around midday – thus you have a free day to do as you please. It is fun to go into town and visit the souq (market) full of all sorts of exotic goodies like spices, scarves, jewellery and much more. Even if you don’t want to buy anything, the atmosphere is great, and you will also meet lots of locals here. Stop off in someone’s shop and have a cup of tea and a chat! You can also take a horse and cart ride around town if you don’t want to walk. |
| Day 7: | Nile Cruise - Aswan to Luxor. Today we board our beautiful cruise ship after breakfast and check into our rooms. We visit some more local sights, like the High Dam, Unfinished Obelisk and Philae Temple and the Botanical Gardens. Lunch on board. If we are lucky there may be a belly-dancer on board to give us a lesson on how to swing those hips and get that belly moving! During the night we set sail for Kom Ombo. |
| Day 8: | Nile Cruise - Kom Ombo. It is just bliss cruising along on the Nile, watching Egyptian life, as we sail past villages and fishermen and women washing clothes in the Nile. We visit the temple of Kom Ombo, or more precisely the Temple of Sobek, the crocodile God. Our local guide will give us an interesting explanation about the hieroglyphics and history. We continue sailing on to Edfu, where we visit the Temple of Horus, the falcon God, and the most completely preserved Egyptian temple. Dinner on board. |
| Day 9: | Nile Cruise - Luxor. Just when you might think you have seen enough temples and tombs to last you a lifetime, we visit the West Bank of the Nile in Luxor, and the infamous Valley of the Kings. See where the Kings of Egypt were once mummified and laid to rest with all their treasures. Amazing. Lunch on board. In the afternoon we visit the incredible temples of Karnak and Luxor. You will be gob-smacked by the huge columns at Karnak, and by the fascinating history of Luxor temple, having been home to both Muslims and Christians. Another highlight of today is visiting the Mummification Museum, where you will see not only mummified humans, but also cats, crocodiles, monkeys and other animals, and learn about the fascinating mummification process. |
| Day 10: | Luxor - Cairo. Disembarkation after breakfast and morning flight to Cairo. We spend the afternoon at Khan el Khalili Bazaar, shopping for exotic treasures, soaking in the atmosphere, the spicey smells and the unusual sights. Time for a coffee/karkade/tea in a café to do some people-watching. Tonight we enjoy a meal on board a felucca on the Nile in Cairo. |
| Day 11: | Cairo - White Desert. We leave Cairo early, stopping for a short break on the 365km drive before continuing on to Bahariyya, an oasis town in the Sahara desert, where we have a leisurely lunch. Time for a little adventure! In the afternoon we begin our jeep safari into the spectacular Western Sahara – the desert changes dramatically at every turn - we visit the "black" desert, some natural springs, an old oasis, crystal mountain and the beautiful white Aqqabat dunes. Our guide cooks us a tasty meal over the camp fire as the sun sinks behind the mysterious white rock formations. The night is spent sleeping out in the White Desert under a wonderfully, starry African sky. Life does not get much more exotic than this! |
| Day 12: | White Desert - Bahariyya. Waking up in the Sahara is truly magic – not an everyday experience! We complete our jeep safari in the desert, then back to Bahariyya for lunch. There is time to relax for a couple of hours during the heat of the day at our hotel in Bahariyya, before heading off around 5pm to watch the sun set over the desert from a fantastic vantage point. There will also be time to take a dip in the natural springs at the hotel. |
| Day 13: | Bahariyya – Cairo. We complete our visit in Bahariyya with a visit to the local tombs and the museum containing the famous Golden Mummies. We then have lunch and head back to Cairo for our farewell dinner. |
| Day 14: | Cairo. Sadly, it is time to leave this unique country, but the wonderful memories should linger for a very long time. Transfer to airport and fly home! |
women only tours
Our company specializes in holidays exclusively for women over 25. If you have no-one to to travel with, well, now you do! You get to travel with a group of like-minded women in a safe, supportive and fun atmosphere – no male-female dynamics, no being the third wheel, and no single supplements! It’s a chance to relax, enjoy your holiday and be yourself. Our trips are small-group, mid-range and all-inclusive. We travel in small groups to have more interaction with the locals, we partake in great little adventures, and being just women, you get to do things that women enjoy – like indulging in a local spa, learning to cook local food, and of course, retail therapy! Short and sweet: women-only trips are great fun!
how this holiday makes a difference
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Environment:
All of our present staff come from a variety of backgrounds which lend themselves to sustainability of our planet: we have worked in National Parks, for Greepeace and for volunteer organisations. Needless to say, conservation and preservation comes naturally to us, from our office to across the globe! Where possible we like to give back. In this instance one of the most heart-breaking sights we encounter is the mistreatment of horses used to transport tourists on sightseeing tours. In Luxor you have the option to visit the horse treatment centre or make donations to this wonderful charity. To educate our clients, we send out a Responsible Travel Code of Conduct with the pre-departure information: these are guidelines for respecting local environments, peoples and places. When in the Sahara desert we ensure we leave only our footprints behind… and no waste. Community: We are passionate about the people and places we visit: when in other countries we want our visit to be a mutual exchange with the locals, we want to have contact with them, learn from them and them from us in a positive way. Travelling in small groups allows us to visit the locals and thus have a more authentic experience. Interaction is a big part of our trips – we like to make you feel like you are part of a place, and not protected from it. Along the way we use local guides not only for their local knowledge, but also so you can meet and get to know a variety of people from different backgrounds. We patronise locally run restaurants. As we use local service providers, the majority of the cost of this trip goes to Egyptians. We encourage our clients to bring their unwanted clothes with them to wear and then give them away to the needy on the trip - making more room for souvenirs in their bags, thus supporting the local economy! Our company has also specially selected two Ethiopian children to educate, Liya and Ermais, whose solo mothers struggle to raise them. We and our clients make donations towards their education, as well as using the profits from water bottle packs (which we have locally made) which we sell to our clients. Ethiopian sewing and weaving communities thus also benefit from this project. We visit Liya and Ermais when we are in Ethiopia to see how they are progressing. |
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. |