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A journey to the real essence of Egypt. 

If you are open minded, flexible and the type of person that prefers authenticity, off the path experiences when traveling and you love getting to know and experience local’s daily life and culture – even if in some cases some luxury would need to be compromised to get to the real deal, this is the best Egypt tour for you!

Feel the real essence of the country by experiencing from close the real life of locals in two different locations: lower Egypt (the Delta area) and upper Egypt (at the Nile in Luxor’s countryside). You will also stay at lovely boutique hotels, discover the spectacular Abu Simbel temples, explore the world famous Giza Pyramids, some other additional lesser-known pyramids and the main sightseeing places along the legendary Nile river onboard your exclusive and traditional Dahabiya sailboat, one of our favourites in the Nile!

Your Itinerary

1 - Welcome to Egypt

Upon arrival at Cairo International Airport, our representative will welcome you and assist you with the entry process before escorting you to your hotel in a modern, air-conditioned vehicle. Your tour leader will assist you to ensure a smooth check-in and will then review your holiday itinerary with you to confirm pick-up times for each tour and answer all your questions.
Overnight at the Villa Belle Epoque Boutique Hotel

Accommodation

2 - LOCAL LIFE AT THE DELTA FARM & FAMILY VISIT

The Delta area, is a triangle shaped green area full of life, local flora, fauna and crops, where the Nile river encounters the Mediterranean Sea offers a great contrast with the surrounding desert landscapes. This green and fertile land has provided abundant nourishment and resources to Egyptians for thousands of years.

Today, you will explore the delta’s countryside at Monufia, well known due to its agricultural heritage. People of Monufia are known to have a simple life and by their hospitality. Today, you will be hosted by a traditional local family and you will be able to visit their home and family farm, you will have the chance to have a bike (or donkey!) ride to the nearby local small cheese factories where locals prepare their home made cheese with the milk that their cows and goats provide. You will enjoy their traditional homemade fresh dishes based on local ingredients, visit their local markets and hang out places.

This tour offers you a unique chance to meet, connect with locals from de Delta area and get an insight of the daily life of Monufians. Enjoy this authentic journey that connects travellers and locals.

3 - GIZA PYRAMIDS, DAHSUR & EGYPTIAN MUSEUM

After breakfast, you will be accompanied by your private guide to the spectacular Giza Plateau to visit one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: the Great Pyramid of Giza where you will have the chance to enter inside and explore its large and narrow corridors, the pyramid of Chefren, and pyramid of Mykerinus, along with the famous Sphinx and Valley Temple. Don’t forget to bring your torch for the full fun of the experience (pure Indiana Jones style!).

After that, you will have the chance to visit the world-famous Egyptian Museum which houses the largest collection of Pharaonic antiquities in the world.

After breakfast, your private guide will pick you up from your hotel, and drive you south to start your private tour to lesser known gems of the area. Dahshur is a famous royal necropolis with many impressive Pyramids of king Snefru. You will explore the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid, named like that due to its inner burial chamber made of rosette limestones. The site is about 40 km from Cairo. Afterwards, you will drive to Saqqara necropolis where you will visit the Step Pyramid of Zoser, the world’s oldest major stone structure which was built in the 3rd Dynasty (around 2630 BC) for King Djoser.

Delicious local lunch will be served at a local restaurant, before moving on to enjoy an excursion to Memphis City, the ancient capital of the Old Kingdom which is like an open air museum!

At the end of the day you will be transferred back to your hotel to relax after a full sightseeing day.

4 - LOCAL LIFE AT THE NILE BANKS

After breakfast, you will be picked up to take you to the airport to fly to Luxor where you will be picked up by our representative and transferred to your hotel.

After checking-in, get ready to get to know the local people and discovering the countryside life in Upper Egypt. You will visit the local market where locals buy fresh food, vegetables, fruits and also Egyptian bread. Afterwards, a little motorboat ride will transfer you to the family farms of the West Bank to visit a local family at their own house where you will have the chance to meet the real Egyptians of the area, get to know them and see how their daily life is. You will also learn to cook some local delicacies with them that you will eat for lunch later. After this authentic experience, you will be transferred to your charming hotel The Djorff Palace Hotel, a lovely peaceful oasis in the West Bank where you will spend the night.

Accommodation

5 - EMBARK A TRADITIONAL DAHABIYA NILE CRUISE

After a delicious breakfast at your hotel, you will embark your lovely Dahabeya Sailboat on full board basis to sail the Nile the traditional way, just as the Ancient Egyptians did it thousands of years ago (just with the comfort of the 21st century!)

This morning you will explore with your guide the fascinating Karnak Temple. This big temple complex is the largest ever constructed for religious purposes and it was known as Ipet-isu by ancient Egyptians, meaning “ The most select of places”. After this visit, you will be transferred to the UNESCO Heritage site and world famous Valley of the Kings where you will visit 3 stunning royal tombs.

After the sightseeing, start your sailing journey along the Nile while enjoying a yummy lunch on board. Enjoy the afternoon sailing to Esna, be delighted in the picturesque Nile landscapes and peaceful atmosphere while you relax with your favourite drink and snacks at the chaise longs of the sundeck. Enjoy the sunset from your sailboat at the Nile and afterwards a delicious dinner will be served cooked by your on-site chef with first quality local ingredients.

accommodation

6 - DAHABIYA NILE DISCOVERY: EL KAB & EDFU

Enjoy Your breakfast while you enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the Nile river early morning and start sailing tof El Kab, one of the ancient settlements of Upper Egypt . Continue sailing to Edfu and enjoy a freshly prepared lunch on board.

This afternoon, a short ride across the local village will take you to Edfu Temple, dedicated to the god Horus. It is one of the largest and best-preserved monuments of Egypt, two beautiful granite statues of the falcon god Horus flank the entrance.

Continue our sailing journey and be delighted by the simple life of the farmers and fishermen that you will observe from your sailboat, enjoy the gorgeous nature along the Nile River and the green fertile landscapes with sugar cane fields, banana, and date palm-trees.

Shortly before sunset, the boat crew will drop anchor near Sheikh Rehan Island, where you will enjoy dinner in an atmospheric and quiet surrounding.

7 - DAHABIYA NILE DISCOVERY: GEBEL EL SISELA

Enjoying breakfast on board while you sail calmly to Gebel Silsela.

After lunch, we go to shore to discover the old Pharaonic quarries of Silsela where thousands of workers cut sandstone to supply the pharaohs with their favorite materials to get their temples built. You will visit the off the path rock-cut Temple of Hormoheb and you will enjoy a breathtaking view from the top of the mountain, worth the trek all the way up!

Tonight you will spend the night at a quiet coast of Al Bashir Island where you will enjoy a BBQ dinner.

8 - DAHABIYA NILE DISCOVERY: KOM OMBO TEMPLE

Continue your sail journey along the Nile and after breakfast your will explore Kom Ombo temple with your guide. Kom Ombo is unique as it’s the only twin temple existing in Egypt and it’s dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek. You will also pay a visit to the nearby museum which contains a number of fascinating mummified crocodiles.

After the sightseeing, enjoy a delicious lunch at the sundeck of your lovely dahabiya and spend the afternoon your sailing towards the romantic city of Aswan, where you will have dinner and spend the night in a quiet area of the Nile.

9 - PHILAE TEMPLE VISIT & NILE CATARACTS DISCOVERY FOR NATURE LOVERS. YOUR NUBIAN CULTURAL IMMERSION.

After breakfast, you will disembark your lovely Dahabiya and will visit the Nubian museum to know more about this interesting native ethnic group that has been living in South Egypt and Northern Sudan for thousands of years. The Nubians have a traditional history that dates back to the Egyptian dynasties. After this, a short boat ride will take you to the charming temple of Philae dedicated to the two Goddesses, Isis and Hathor.

After your visit, you will check in your gorgrous and luxurious Boutique Hotel on a quiet picturesque small island of the Nile in front of Philae Temple where you will have the chance to enjoy real Nubian hospitality and the unique traditional Nubian architecture.

Accommodation

10 - THE MAJESTIC ABU SIMBEL TEMPLES

This morning you will have an early start for a good reason. You will join a tour that includes an expert egyptologist guide and a 3h car ride across the desert all the way to the south of the country, near the border with Sudan to explore Abu Simbel, the majestic temples of Ramses II and his beloved wife Nefertari.

After this fascinating tour, you will enjoy a yummy lunch and afterwards you will be transferred to your Nubian eco-lodge to enjoy the afternoon at leisure.

11 - Safe travels!

Today you will be picked up from your lovely hotel and transferred to Aswan airport to transfer to Cairo where you will catch your flight back home

What's included?

Included

  • Meet and greet service by our representatives at airports

  • Assistance of our guest relations during your stay

  • Entry Visa for Egypt provided upon arrival at Cairo Airport

  • All airport transfers by a private air-conditioned deluxe vehicle

  • Accommodation for 3 nights in Cairo including daily breakfast.

  • Accommodation for 1 night in Luxor including daily breakfast.

  • Accommodation for 4 nights onboard Dahabiya on full board basis

  • Accommodation for 2 nights in Aswan including daily breakfast.

  • Domestic flight Cairo/Luxor – Aswan/ Cairo

  • All sightseeing tours in Cairo – privately guided tours

  • All sightseeing tours on the Dahabiya sharing Dahabiya group

  • Abu Simbel Tour, group tour by land

  • All sightseeing tours in Cairo, Luxor, and Aswan as mentioned in the itinerary

  • Entrance fees to all sites as indicated on the itinerary.

  • Tea, Coffee during Meals onboard your Dahabiya

  • Local English-speaking tour guide during your tours

  • Lunch at a good quality local restaurant

  • Bottled water during your tours and transfers

  • All service charges and applicable taxes included

​
Excluded
  • International flights (direct flights from London Heathrow to Cairo return cost around £350 per person depending on the season)
  • Entry Visa into Egypt. If your country is eligible for Visa on arrival, we can arrange this service on request to make more smooth your entry in the country.
  • Any optional tours
  • Tipping Kitty
 Make a booking
Cairo
Cairo, the Capital of Egypt with a total population in excess of 16 million people is where we would suggest you would begin and end your Egypt holiday. This metropolitan city is one of the largest in Africa, the largest in the Middle East and the 15th largest in the world! Cairo is often associated with ancient Egypt where you can visit the Great Pyramids and Sphinx of Giza. As well as these there are gorgeous historical sites such as the Islamic city, Old Cairo and the Egyptian Museum. Although firmly attached to the past, Cairo is also home to a vibrant and modern society with some areas being described as “Paris on the Nile” built in the 19th Century. An ideal place to base yourself at the beginning and end of your Egypt holiday.
Aswan
Heading south along the River Nile beyond Luxor, lies the smaller city of Aswan. Here, the river is wide, slow and beautiful surrounded by colourful local villages that feature the traditional lives of the Nubians. A quiet and beautiful area is the perfect place to stay in Egypt for your cultural and scenic views fix.
Luxor
Luxor continues to have an ancient feel and look, located in the Southern Nile Valley otherwise known as the “Land of the Pharaohs” and the “worlds greatest open-air museum”. Here you will find ruins of temple complexes connected by an avenue of sphinxes over one and a half miles long all standing within a modern city.

On the West Bank of the Nile, most of the ruins and tombs still remain, including the Valley of the Kings, which contains the famous Tomb of Tutankhamen and the stunning Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Nearby, a number of ancient temples and Theban necropolis are located: the Temple of Medinat Habu, Colossi of Memnon, the Ramesseum, Valley of the Queens and Valley of the Nobles. A stay in Luxor with us is sure to fill your historical appetite.
Hurghada
Relax at the end of your holiday with a few nights on the shores of the Red Sea. Enjoy the fantastic weather all year long, paradisiac white sanded beaches with turquoise waters and colourful corals and colourful fish!

Soak up the sun on the beach or jump on a jet ski and get the adrenaline running!

Whatever your preference, the Red Sea is the perfect place to wind down after an unforgettable trip.
Sharm El Sheikh
Relax at the end of your holiday with a few nights on the shores of the Red Sea. Enjoy the fantastic weather all year long, paradisiac white sanded beaches with turquoise waters and colourful corals and colourful fish!

Soak up the sun on the beach or jump on a jet ski and get the adrenaline running!

Whatever your preference, the Red Sea is the perfect place to wind down after an unforgettable trip.
Alexandria
Alexandria was one of the most important metropolis of the ancient world and highly influenced by the ancient Greeks. This significant city was home of the famous lighthouse of Alexandria (Pharos), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World; the Great Library (the largest in the ancient world); and the Necropolis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages.
Esna
Esna Temple, or, also known as Temple of Khnum, is dedicated to the god Khnum, his consorts Menhit and Nebtu, their son, Heka, and the goddess Neith. Well known for its remarkable beauty and the magnificence of its architecture.
Edfu
Edfu Temple, dedicated to the falcon God, is one of the best-preserved temples of the Greco Roman era and the two beautiful granite statues of the falcon god Horus towering over the entrance as you walk in.
Kom Ombo
Temple of Kom Ombo. The unusual Kom Ombo temple has two identical entrances, hypostyle halls, and sanctuaries. Explore the exceptional beautiful temple of Haroeris (Horus the Elder) and Sobek (Crocodile God). The temple was built with two symmetric entrances, halls, and sanctuaries; it is the only double temple all over Egypt.
Abu Simbel
The main attraction is the great sun temple of Ramses II and the Temple of Queen Nefertari. Both temples were discovered in 1813 it was almost completely covered with sand. Then both temples were moved in 1960 by the help of Egyptian government and UNESCO to avoid the rising water of the Nile. Ramses II built the temple mostly to honour himself as inside there is a mural depicting his famous victory at Kadesh battle where his army defeated his enemies. On the north of Ramses temple, the Nefertari Temple which was built by Ramses II to his favourite wife Queen Nefertari among other 200 wives and concubines.
Gebel Silsela
Here lies the old Pharaonic quarries of Silsela and the off-the-path rock-cut Temple of Hormoheb.
Abydos
The ancient Egyptian believed of God (Lord of the underworld) to be buried here. The temple was built by King Seti I, and completed by King Ramsess II, known as the temple of Seti I.The paintings of the Gods and Pharaohs on the walls of the Osiris Temple at Abydos are among the most beautifully preserved in Egypt.
Dendera
Temple of Hathor is situated here- goddess of love and joy.

Your adventure starts here!

Do you fancy having a chat about Authentic Egypt? Personally, it's one of our favourite things to talk about.

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