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Into the White Desert

The surreal landscape of the White Desert

Click on the name of the accommodation for details

12 days from £1398

excluding international flights

DAY 1 – Arrival in Cairo.

On arrival in Cairo you will be met in the baggage hall by our representative who will assist you through 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.

Morning visit to the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, and the Solar Boat Museum [more].  The afternoon is free, with the option of visiting the site of ancient Memphis and the funerary complex of Zoser at Saqqara [more].  In the evening there is the option of attending the Sound and Light Performance at the Pyramids [more].
Meals included: Full breakfast.

DAY 3 – The Egyptian Museum.

Morning visit to the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities [more]. Return to your hotel in Giza for lunch, or you may choose to stay on in the city and enjoy one of 3 optional excursions in the Old City of Cairo: The Citadel of Saladin, Mosque of Mohamed Ali and the Khan al-Khalili bazaar [more], Islamic Cairo [more], or The Coptic Museum and the Gayer-Anderson House [more].
Meals included: Full breakfast.

DAY 4 – Fly to Aswan to join your Nile Cruise.

An early wake-up call (unavoidable in Egypt due to the domestic airline schedules) and breakfast, followed by your private transfer to Cairo Airport for the flight to Aswan. On arrival you will be met and transferred direct to your Presidential Cruise Ship at its mooring on the eastern banks of the Nile. This first class cruise ship will be your home for the next 4 nights. After your buffet lunch, you may relax for a while before enjoying a late afternoon sail by felucca, the traditional Nile sailing boat . 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 – High Dam and Philae.  Sail via Kom Ombo to Edfu.

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 and 1902, 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. In the morning you will visit the city's highlights, including the Temple of Philae [more]. Return to your cruise ship and sail to Kom Ombo [more]. Continue sailing to Edfu, where the ship will moor for the night.
Meals included: Full breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner.

DAY 6 - Edfu Temple.  Sail to Luxor.

After breakfast step ashore to visit the Temple of Horus at Edfu [more]. Afterwards, sail through the Esna Lock and continue to Luxor. 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.
Meals included: Full breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner.

DAY 7 - Valley of the Kings and Western Thebes.  Luxor and Karnak Temples.

In the early morning cross the Nile to visit the magnificent archaeological remains of Western Thebes [more]. In the afternoon there are included visits to the two great Pharaonic temples of the East Bank: Karnak and Luxor temples [more].
Meals included: Full breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner. 

DAY 8 - Into the Western Desert.

Disembark from your Presidential Nile Cruise ship.  Today you will be driven through the Western Desert to the oasis of Kharga.  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 onterior is decorated with Biblical images including Adam and Eve, the Ark, Abraham and Isaa.  In the late afternoon take a drive into the sand dunes west of Kharga and witness the sunset over the desert.  Overnight in Kharga.
Meals included: Full breakfast, lunch, dinner.

DAY 9 - Dakhla.  Al Qasr.

Your journey continues west to the attractive oasis of Dakhla which supports some 75,000 people.  Just outside Mut, the 'capital' of the oasis, lies the well-preserved Islamic settlement of Al Qasr, built on Roman foundations and acknowledged as the longest continually inhabited site in the oasis.  To walk through Al Qasr's narrow maze of streets and alleyways is to step back to medieval times; you will discover a blacksmith's forge, an antique waterwheel (or saqqiya) and a donkey-powered grain mill.  The town's Ethnographic Museum contains artefacts and photos from all the oases in the Western Desert. The mud-brick Nasr el-Din mosque (pictured left) has a 21-metre minaret typical of Ayyubid architecture (12th century).  You will also visit the tombs of el-Mozwaka, dating from Pharaonic times.  Overnight in Dakhla.
Meals included: Full breakfast, lunch, dinner.

DAY 10 - 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, 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 11 - Drive via Bahariya Oasis to Cairo.

Return to Cairo via Bahariya Oasis, a key agricultural centre in Pharaonic times. Visit the old town, the Benantui tombs, the temple of Alexander and the famous Golden Mummy at the Bahariya Museum.  You will reach Cairo in the late afternoon.
Meals included: Full breakfast, lunch.

DAY 12 – 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 London Heathrow. Flights are non-stop and have a choice of classes. Current timings (subject to possible change) are as follows:
Heathrow/Cairo. Depart at 09.15; arrive Cairo at 16.15
Cairo/Heathrow. Depart at 17.10; arrive Heathrow at 20.45

Into the White Desert (Tour Reference: WDEG009)
2010 Departures
Price per person based on a minimum of two persons travelling together:

Single Room Supplements on request.

The price includes:

• Scheduled domestic flights on EgyptAir from Cairo to Luxor and from Aswan to Cairo, including local airport taxes
• Hotel accommodation as listed above in twin-bedded rooms with private facilities
• 11 full breakfasts, 8 lunches and 7 dinners as shown in the itinerary. During the Oberoi Philae 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. During the cruise you will join other passengers and have the services of the boat’s English-speaking guide
• Your Egyptian visa.  We will purchase this in advance and you will be issued with the visa on arrival at Cairo Airport.

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 £160 per person)
• International airport taxes
• Tipping. We will be pleased to give guidance in this often sensitive matter 
  

A deposit of £200 per person is required at the time of booking. The balance of the price for your travel arrangements must be paid at least 8 weeks before your departure date.