Educational Visits to Egypt

Western Desert Oasis Adventure Safari

Great Prices From Only £949 Full Board

	Information
What this holiday includes:	:: Bed and Breakfast in 3* accommodation (Cairo). :: Lunch - taken at an excellent local restaurant as recommended by your guide - (Cairo). :: Dinner taken either at hotel or at an excellent local restaurant - (Cairo). :: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner and overnight accommodation during Oasis Tour. :: Exclusive services of expert Tour Guides and qualified Egyptologist. :: Four by four wheel drive air conditioned car with desert driver. :: All local transfers in Egypt - e.g. airport, train stations etc. :: Private transport to and from sites of antiquities, museums etc. :: Entry fees to sites of antiquities, museums etc, as listed below. :: Return flights from UK airport of your choice.
What you will see: (Sites and tours included in the price of this holiday.)	:: Pyramids of Giza - Khufu, Khafra, Menkaura; :: The Sphinx; :: The Tombs of the Nobles; :: The Sphinx Temple; :: The Valley Temple of Khafra; :: The Egypt Museum; Tutankhamen's Treasure.
	:: Visit the " English House " to watch the sunset over the desert :: Temple of Alexander the Great :: The tomb of Zed Amon EfAnkh :: The tomb of his son Bannentiu :: The ancient Roman spring Ain Bishmu. :: The Crystal Mountain and the Black Desert :: Morning dive in the hot spring of Bir Sitta :: Tour of Farafra Oasis. :: The old Islamic town of Qasr Dakhla :: Museum in Mut :: The unique "upside down" mastabas :: Museum of Wadi Gedid's Ancient Egyptian, Christian and Islamic artefacts :: The Temple of Amon in Hibis :: The old market area of Kharga. :: The village New Baris.
This holiday does not include:	~ Price differences between your UK chosen airports. ~ Local tips and gratuities. ~ Drinks ~ Entry Visa for Egypt

 

Days	Time	Description
1st Day	PM	Cairo :: Arrival and Check-in at hotel. :: Your room will be prepared ready for your arrival where you may freshen up before retiring to bed or spend a little time exploring your locality (depending upon timing of flights and your arrival).
2nd Day	AM	:: Enjoy a leisurely morning in your hotel and surrounding area where you will have time to prepare for your first visit. Giza Plateau :: Pyramids of Khufu, Khafra and Menkaura. :: The Great Sphinx and the Sphinx Temple and Valley Temple of Khafra. :: Tombs of the Nobles.
	PM	Egyptian Museum - Cairo :: Visit to the Egyptian Museum - A guided tour of the museum that leads you through the wealth of treasures from the Old, Middle and New kingdoms and where you will discover for yourself the treasures of Tutankhamen. :: There will be opportunities to buy souvenirs and works of art throughout the day. :: Overnight in Cairo
3rd Day	AM	:: Breakfast taken at Hotel. :: Travel from Cairo to Baharia Oasis in 4 x 4 Vehicles
	PM	:: Arrival at Baharia Oasis and settle in to accommodation. Baharia Oasis :: Time spent exploring the Baharia Oasis at your leisure and with the assistance of your guide. :: Baharia oasis (With the magical healing hot spring). :: Visit to the English house which was a lookout post during World War I is today in ruins, but it's location on "the Black Mountain" give a unique panorama view over the northern part of the Baharia Oasis. :: Overnight in Baharia Oasis (basic hotel accommodation).
4th Day	AM	:: During the early morning, visits will take place around Baharia Oasis. There are several ancient temples in the oasis. The most famous is the one that has the cartouche of Alexander the Great. Unfortunately the combination of wind, location and time has eroded these temples and today there is not much left to see. :: We will visit the local museum with some of the amazing "Golden Mummies" that were recently discovered here. There is also a visit to two ancient Egyptian tombs, first the tomb of Zed Amon EfAnkh and then the tomb of his son Bannentiu. Finally, before starting our journey deeper into the desert, we will visit the ancient Roman spring Ain Bishmu and see how the ancient irrigation system provided enough water for the irrigation of farming land.
	PM	:: Returning to your 4 x 4 car, the journey continues south - but before leaving Baharia we pay a visit to the Crystal Mountain and the Black Desert with its many black topped mountains. It is important to remember when visiting places such as the Crystal Mountain to "Take nothing with you, and leave nothing behind". Farafra Oasis :: Driving out of the Baharia depression and down the escarpment to Farafra Oasis, one will soon start to see smaller white chalk cliffs - a forewarning of the adventure ahead. The white cliffs become gradually larger as the journey continues south - and suddenly you are in the White Desert. If any destination can be called "magic ", then it's the White Desert. The Governorate of Wadi Gedid work today together with the Egyptian Ministry of Environment on protecting the White Desert through making it a National Natural Preserved area. :: Before spending a magical night under the stars, in this, one of the greatest treasures of our planet - we will visit the El Bahr Cave with wall paintings from prehistoric man. The name "El Bahr" come from the word "sea" as here you will find remains from the vast ocean that once covered this area. Ostrich eggs and other fossils have also been found here. :: Overnight camping in the White Desert.
5th Day	AM	:: After a magical, but often cold night in the White Desert, a morning dive in the hot spring of Bir Sitta is a most welcome start of the day. :: Farafra, or the "Land of the Cow" as it was named in Ancient Egyptian times, was, until recently the most remote human settlement in the desert. So remote that it was not that long ago when a representative of the Oasis had to take his camel and ride to Dakhla Oasis to find out what day they should perform their Friday prayers, as the inhabitants had totally lost track of the days. :: Today the inhabitants are of mixed backgrounds, as farmers have immigrated from the Delta and the Nile Valley. We will see the old city as part of the new agricultural areas of Farafra during our visit.
	PM	Dakhla Oasis :: From Farafra we drive south towards Dakhla Oasis. In this huge green farming oasis we will visit: :: The old Islamic town of Qasr Dakhla in its desert-medieval style, built on top of a city from Roman times. Mut, the center of Dakhla is still using its Ancient Egyptian name after the goddess of Waset (Luxor), and here we will visit the remains of the old city Qasr Mut. :: The small but important Ethnographic Museum in Mut give a unique glimpse inside the traditional culture of the oasis. Plan of a traditional house, locally produced items as dresses, jewellery, rugs and more. The village scenes with clay figures by the local artist Mabrouk are our video screen into this culture. The local culture itself has its own video screen out of their culture in the next house, as that's the local cinema. Further visits will take you to the "Temple of the Rock” and the Coloured Mountain. :: Overnight in Dakhla Oasis (basic hotel accommodation).
6th Day	AM	:: After breakfast we will visit the unique "upside down" mastabas (burial monuments from the Ancient Egyptian Old Kingdom) found close to Balat. These are important monuments due to the governors of Dakhla buried here and they demonstrate the importance of the Oasis as far back in time to when the Pyramids where built in the Nile Valley - some four and a half thousand years ago. :: It's time to bid farewell to the beautiful Oasis of Dakhla, and start our drive towards the last oasis for our desert journey. This is the Kharga Oasis, the centre for the Governorate of Wadi Gedid - a Governorate responsible for 40 percent of Egypt's land area.
	PM	Kharga Oasis :: Visits in Kharga will include the Museum where artifacts from the whole of Wadi Gedid's Ancient Egyptian, Christian and Islamic periods are exhibited. The Amon temple in Hibis is one of only two temples known to have been built during Persian rule of Egypt (26th Dynasty). The inscriptions on the later built Roman gate give us very important information in our understanding of the Roman imperial rule in Egypt. After Christianity came to Egypt with St. Mark the Evangelist, the Christian community was, at times, under hard prosecution from Roman rule with many thousands of martyrs. Many fled to the desert for protection. Kharga was one of these places and the result of this is that Bagawat has one of the oldest and best-preserved Christian cemeteries in the world. :: Hibis temple - On top of a hill close to Hibis lies the Roman temple-fortress Nadura, a typical lookout and in many ways similar to the English House visited in Baharia - apart from the fact that Nadura was built nearly two thousand years earlier. :: Overnight in Kharga Oasis (basic hotel accommodation).
7th Day	AM	Kharga Oasis :: Check-out of accommodation after Breakfast. :: In the center of Kharga Oasis you will have the opportunity to visit the old market area of Kharga. The market is mainly serves the local population, but as a visitor you will first of all be able to see the real desert market. There will also be items such as hand-woven baskets and locally made goods that are good items to take back from the journey, and your souvenir will be a small contribution to the local industry as well. Dakhla and Kharga have many beautiful and locally produced craft items such as the aforementioned baskets (most made from palm leaves), there are also mats, rugs, pottery, some jewelry (simple silver work), local dresses and the traditional hats made of palm leaves in Dakhla. :: Travel to Luxor.
	PM	Kharga Oasis/Luxor :: Before leaving the oasis depression you will drive south passing many villages also belonging to Kharga Oasis. Of more modern history, the village New Baris is of special importance, as it was here the word renowned architect Hassan Fathy attempted to build a village for the oasis. Now close to deserted, it still has the mark of a grand idea and a beautiful architecture built on local traditions and in local material. The counterpart to New Baris is Hassan Fathy's New Gourna in Luxor. :: Arrival in Luxor :: Board train for Overnight Journey to Cairo :: Overnight - travel to Cairo.
8th Day	AM	Cairo :: Arrival in Cairo :: Opportunity to buy souvenirs and for some last minute shopping. :: Opportunity for Optional Excursion to Pharaonic Village.
	PM	:: Journey to Airport :: Airport and onward journey home.
9th Day to 12th Day or 14th Day
		For those taking the extended holiday of 12 or 14 Days, there is a choice of extensions that include: 4 or 7 nights in Luxor; a 4 or 7 night Nile Cruise; 4 or 7 nights in the Red Sea Resort of Hurghada; or a combination of any of the above.
	NOTES	For the one night in open air (day 4), most prefer to bring their own sleeping bag. If you will require sleeping bags, please advise. Toilet tissue or moist tissues will also be necessary for personal hygiene for this one night as there are no hotels or conveniences nearby. TRAVEL IN THE OASES: This trip is for the hardy! The trip is designed for flexible, energetic people who like to be active and have a spirit of adventure and a positive attitude. We will be travelling into remote areas of the western Egyptian desert. Whereas the hotels are the best available, they will not be up to the standard of the hotels along the Nile. Most will not have bell staff, and you may have to carry your own luggage. Meals will not be haute cuisine and several lunches will be picnics or box lunches. On some days you will be walking over uneven terrain for a mile or more. There are days we will be travelling in 4 x 4 vehicles that may not be air-conditioned or new. A flexible attitude, team spirit and a good sense of humour are helpful. If you have questions about your ability to handle this sort of challenge, please contact us to discuss your requirements. NOTE ABOUT ANY ITINERARY CHANGES: On rare occassions, last minute changes in our itinerary, accommodation, and transportation schedules may occur (this is outside of our control). A good book to read as well as a flexible attitude and a sense of humour are essential.

top

NB. Prices include all flights, accommodation, transfers and transport in Egypt, entrance fees to museums and sites of antiquities and visits as listed in the itinerary and the services of a tour guide and Egyptologist, but are subject to small price fluctuations, airport tax and fuel surcharges as applied by the airlines at the time of booking. From time to time it may be necessary to change the order of the itinerary due to flight times and train timetables - we do, however, endeavour to keep any changes to a minimum.