- Duration
- 7 days · 6 nights
- Starts from
- Cairo
- Group size
- Up to 12 guests
- Difficulty
- Easy
Overview
The pyramids and the Egyptian Museum, the Cave Church of Mokattam, Coptic and Islamic Cairo, a night camping in the Western Desert and a full day in Luxor by air.
Few trips mix Egypt's layers quite like this one. You start at Giza with the pyramids, the Sphinx and Khafre's Valley Temple before the Egyptian Museum, then spend a morning at the Cave Church of St Simon, carved into the Mokattam cliffs above the Zabbaleen quarter, home to the families who collect and recycle much of Cairo's rubbish.
A day in Coptic and Islamic Cairo takes you from the Hanging Church and Ben Ezra Synagogue to the mosques of Amr ibn al-As, Sultan Hassan and al-Rifa'i, up to the Citadel and the Alabaster Mosque of Muhammad Ali, and finally into Khan el-Khalili. Then the city falls away: a 4x4 carries you through the Black Desert, Crystal Mountain and the dunes to the chalk formations of the White Desert at sunset, with dinner and a night in a tented camp.
After a quieter day back in Cairo, an early flight to Luxor gives you a full day on both banks: the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's temple and the Colossi of Memnon, then Karnak and Luxor Temple. A hotel room is kept for you to rest before the night flight back to Cairo.
Highlights
- Giza pyramids, the Sphinx and the Valley Temple
- The Cave Church of St Simon in Mokattam
- Coptic Cairo, Sultan Hassan and the Citadel
- Black Desert, Crystal Mountain and sandboarding
- Sunset in the White Desert and a night in camp
- Luxor's East and West Banks in one day
Itinerary
- 1
Day 1
Pyramids, Sphinx, Valley Temple & Egyptian Museum
We collect you at 8:00 from the airport or your hotel and drive to Giza for the pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, Khafre's Valley Temple and the Sphinx. Lunch is included, and the afternoon is spent at the Egyptian Museum before you are dropped at your hotel. Overnight in Cairo.
- 2
Day 2
Cave Church of Mokattam
An 8:00 pickup for the Monastery of St Simon, whose open-air church is cut into the Mokattam hills and is one of the largest in the region. The approach leads through the Zabbaleen quarter, where much of Cairo's waste is sorted and recycled by hand. Back to your hotel afterwards. Overnight in Cairo.
- 3
Day 3
Coptic & Islamic Cairo
From 8:30 you explore Coptic Cairo: the churches of Abu Serga and St Barbara, the Hanging Church and Ben Ezra Synagogue. Then the mosques of Amr ibn al-As, Sultan Hassan and al-Rifa'i, the Citadel with Muhammad Ali's Alabaster Mosque and, to finish, Khan el-Khalili. Lunch is included. Overnight in Cairo.
- 4
Day 4
Cairo → Bahariya → White Desert camp
A 5:00 start for the drive of about four hours to Bahariya, where you switch to a 4x4. You climb the black volcanic hill of El Marsous, stop at a Bedouin village and a cold sulphur spring, see Crystal Mountain and try sandboarding on the dunes before sunset in White Desert National Park. Dinner and the night in a tented camp at El Haiz.
- 5
Day 5
Bahariya → Cairo
Breakfast at the camp, then the drive back to Cairo. The rest of the day is free to rest or wander. Overnight in Cairo.
- 6
Day 6
Cairo → Luxor → Cairo
Pickup at 3:30 for the early flight to Luxor. On the West Bank you visit the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon, and after lunch Karnak and Luxor Temple on the East Bank. A day-use hotel room lets you rest before the night flight to Cairo at around 22:00. Overnight in Cairo.
- 7
Day 7
Departure from Cairo
Breakfast at the hotel, then check-out and a private transfer to Cairo International Airport at a time that suits your flight. Our representative stays with you through the departure formalities.
What's included
- 5 nights in a 3-star Cairo hotel with breakfast (4- and 5-star hotels on request, at extra cost)
- 1 night in a desert tent camp at El Haiz, Bahariya, with dinner
- Domestic flights Cairo – Luxor – Cairo
- Private air-conditioned transfers in Cairo, Luxor and Bahariya, plus a 4x4 for the desert
- Meet-and-assist service at every airport
- Private Egyptologist guide (English, Spanish, German or Italian)
- Lunch on days 1, 3 and 6
- Day-use hotel room in Luxor on day 6
- Entry fees for the sites in the itinerary, plus all taxes and service charges
Not included
- International flights and Egypt visa
- Meals not listed as included
- Optional excursions
- Tips for guides and drivers
- Travel insurance
- Personal expenses
What to bring
- Warm layers and a hat for the desert night, which can be cold in winter
- Torch or headlamp for the camp
- Clothes that cover shoulders and knees, and a scarf for women in mosques
- Comfortable closed shoes
- Sunglasses and sunscreen
- Passport, needed for flights and desert checkpoints
Pickup & meeting point
Pickup at 8:00 on day 1 from Cairo International Airport or your Cairo hotel; we confirm the details once we know your arrival time.
Children up to 11 pay the child rate
Photos
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