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Into the White Desert

Egypt Holidays - The White Desert

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11 days from £1695

excluding international flights

EGYPT HOLIDAYS FACTFILE

DAY 1 – Arrival in Cairo.

On arrival in Cairo you will be met in by a representative of World Discovery who will organise your Egyptian visa and assist you through immigration and customs. You will then be taken by private car direct to your hotel. Recommended flight from London: bmi from London Heathrow (see below). If you are travelling from a country other than the UK we would be happy to give you guidance on your flight options.

DAY 2 – Pyramids, Sphinx and Solar Boat Museum.

Your World Discovery Egypt holiday begins after breakfast when your private guide will collect you from your hotel and take you to the Pyramids of Giza, the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still intact today.  Beside the Pyramids stands the legendary Sphinx, one of the best known yet least understood monuments of ancient history.  An added bonus with World Discovery this morning is the included entrance to the Solar Boat Museum, located at the foot of the Great Pyramid of Cheops.  The afternoon is free, with the option of visiting ancient Memphis and Saqqara, the latter famous for its unique Step Pyramid, constructed in the 27th century BC.  In the evening there is the option of returning to the Pyramids to watch the spectacular Sound and Light Performance.
Meals included: Full breakfast.

DAY 3 – The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities.

This morning journey with your private driver and guide into the centre of Cairo to visit the world-famous Museum of Egyptian Antiquities on Tahrir Square.  Return to your hotel in Giza for lunch, or you may choose to stay on in the city with your driver and guide and enjoy one of 3 optional excursions in the Old City of Cairo:

The Citadel of Saladin, Mosque of Mohamed Ali and the Khanal-Khalili bazaar

Islamic Cairo, including Ibn Tulun Mosque and the Gayer-Anderson House

The Coptic Museum and the Gayer-Anderson House

The above optional excursions may be booked in advance if required and can be prepaid in the UK with your final invoice.
Meals included: Full breakfast.

STAY ON IN CAIRO
Cairo has so many sights worth seeing, particularly in the Old City, that you may wish to consider staying an extra day (or two!) in order to be able to fit in all the places that interest you.  We can also offer a full day excursion from the capital to the Mediterranean port of Alexandria.  

DAY 4 – Fly to Aswan to join your Nile Cruise.  High Dam and Philae.

After breakfast, take a private transfer to Cairo Airport for the flight to Aswan. On arrival you will be met andtransferred direct to your cruise ship at its mooring on the eastern banks of the Nile. This first class cruise ship will be your home for the next 3 nights.  Aswan, gateway to Nubia, is situated downriver from the First Cataract on the Nile. It was here that the British built a dam between 1898 and1902, but this was superseded by the Aswan High Dam, constructed by President Nasser in the 1960s, resulting in the creation of Lake Nasser, the largest artificial lake in the world.  Enjoy an afternoon of sightseeing in Aswan, beginning with the High Dam itself.  Next, take a motor boat to visit the superb Temple of Philae on its island in the Nile, and then pay a brief visit to the Northern Quarries to view the Unfinished Obelisk.    Overnight in Aswan.
Meals included: Full breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner.

Instead of transferring to your cruise ship on arrival in Aswan, you may choose to continue by EgyptAir to Abu Simbel, returning to Aswan at around midday to join your ship in time for lunch.

DAY 5 – Sail via Kom Ombo and Edfu to Luxor.

In the morning sail to Kom Ombo and visit the Ptolemaic temple. Continue sailing to Edfu, where you will step ashore to visit the Temple of Horus. Afterwards, sail through the Esna Lock and continue to Luxor, where the ship will moor for the night.
Meals included: Full breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner.

DAY 6 - Karnak and Luxor Temples.  Valley of the Kings and Western Thebes.

As ancient Thebes, Luxor was the capital of Egypt’s New Kingdom(1550-1069 BC) and has attracted tourists and travellers since Greek and Roman times with its incomparable wealth of monuments.  In the morning there are included visits to the two great Pharaonic temples of the East Bank; the breathtaking Temple of Karnak, with its great Hypostyle Hall and Sacred Lake, and the smaller but arguably more elegant Temple of Luxor in the centre of town. In the afternoon explore the magnificent archaeological remains of Western Thebes.  You will visit the famous Valley of the Kings, followed by the less well known but very interesting Valley of the Queens. You will also visit the monumental Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari before returning to your cruise ship. 
Meals included: Full breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner. 

DAY 7 - Into the Western Desert.

Disembark from the M.S Sun Ray after breakfast.  Today you will be driven through the Western Desert to the oasis of Dakhla.  The journey will take you via the XVIIIth Dynasty Temple of Hibis and the fascinating Necropolis of Bagawat, a Christian burial ground dating from between the third and seventh centuries.  The Chapel of Peace has an interesting dome whose interior is decorated with Biblical images including Adam and Eve, the Ark, Abraham and Isaac.  Overnight in Dakhla.
Meals included: Full breakfast, lunch, dinner.

DAY 8 - Dakhla.  Al Qasr.

Spend the day exploring the area, including the well-preserved Islamic settlement of Al Qasr.  Overnight in Dakhla.
Meals included: Full breakfast, lunch, dinner.

DAY 9 - Continue to the White Desert.

Your journey today will take you north from Dakhla through the remote Western Desert, to reach the oasis of Farafra, whose inhabitants live entirely from cultivating dates and olives.  After a short stop for lunch continue to the incredible White Desert.  In this surreal landscape (left), the wind has fashioned the chalk monoliths into weird and wonderful shapes that loom above a dusty plain littered with shells and crystals.  The colours change dramatically as the day wears on, and are particularly dramatic at dusk and sunrise.  You will spend the night at a private campsite in the desert.
Meals included: Full breakfast, lunch, dinner.

DAY 10 - Drive via Bahariya Oasis to Cairo.

Return to Cairo via Bahariya Oasis, a key agricultural centre in Pharaonic times. Visit the old town, the tomb of Benantiu (son of a XXVIth Dynasty Governor of Bahariya), the temple of Alexander and the famous 'Golden Mummies' at the Antiquities Inspectorate Museum.  The valley where the mummies were discovered (in 1996) is currently off limits to tourists due to ongoing archaeological excavations.  You will reach Cairo in the late afternoon.
Meals included: Full breakfast, lunch.

DAY 11 – Fly back to UK.

Morning free. In the afternoon transfer to the airport for your homeward flight.
Meals included: Full breakfast.

International Flights

We recommend the services of bmi from LondonHeathrow. Flights are non-stop and have a choice of classes. Currenttimings (subject to possible change) are as follows:
Heathrow/Cairo. Depart at 09.15; arrive Cairo at 16.20
Cairo/Heathrow. Depart at 17.25; arrive Heathrow at 20.50

Egypt Holidays: Into the White Desert (Tour Reference: WDEG009)
2012 Departures
Price per person based on a minimum of two persons travelling together:

Single Room Supplements on request.

The price includes:

• Scheduled domestic flight on EgyptAir from Cairo to Aswan, including local airport taxes.
• Hotel accommodation as listed above in twin-bedded rooms with private facilities.
• 10 full breakfasts, 7 lunches and 6 dinners as shown in the itinerary. During the M.S. Sun Ray cruise, a light afternoon tea will also be served.
• Private transfers at each location.
• All sightseeing as shown (unless indicated as ‘optional’), including entrance fees.
• The services of a private guide for the included sightseeing in Cairo and during the visit to the Western Desert (days 7 to 10). During the cruise you will join other passengers and have the services of the boat’s English-speaking guide.
• Your Egyptian visa.  Our agents will organise this on your arrival at Cairo Airport (no forms or photos required).
  

Not included in the price:

• International flights (see our recommendation above). We are happy to discuss the flights with you and give you further guidance.
• Optional sightseeing. It is recommended that the optional excursion by air to Abu Simbel is booked prior to your departure from the UK (current price £170 per person).
• International airport taxes.
• Tipping. We will be pleased to give guidance in this often sensitive matter.   

A deposit of £250 per person is required at the time of booking. The balance of the price for your Egypt holiday must be paid at least 8 weeks before your departure date.