Central Holidays
Egypt / Hosted

Desert Oasis

13 Days - 12 Nights

Welcome to Cairo! It's time to begin your Egyptian adventure. Our representatives will meet you after clearing customs at the airport and escort you to your hotel in Cairo.

Your first day in Egypt is sure to set the tone for your entire trip. We begin with a full day tour of some of the most famous Egyptian sights. After breakfast at your hotel, depart for an adventure to tour the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Sphinx. In the cosmopolitan city of Cairo we will shop Egypt's largest bazaar, Khan El Khalili, where you can haggle for Egyptian treasures to take home and stroll Moez Street and dine at cafes along the way on delicious local cuisine. Tour the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities where you can see Pharonic Era treasures and items from King Tutankhamen's. (B,L)

Transfer to the airport for your flight to Aswan. Arrival in Aswan and transfer to your Nile cruise ship. Visit of the Philae Temple, the high dam (completed in 1971) and the unfinished Obelisk. Sail by felucca around Kitchener Island and Aga Khan Mausoleum. Sail to Kom ombo, visit the Kom Ombo temple dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek and to the falcon-headed Horus, God of the morning sun. Sail to Edfu. (B,L,D)

Enjoy breakfast onboard before heading out to explore the city of Edfu and its famed temple on the Nile's west bank. The major Ptolemaic temple, the Temple of Horus at Edfu, was built between 237 and 57 BC under the reign of Cleopatra VII. Built of sandstone blocks, it faces the river with the remains of the ancient settlement of Edfu located just to the west. You will tour the temple and surrounding areas, offering enriching insight about the temple and the settlement?s history. Later in the day we sail to Luxor. (B,L,D)

This morning we visit the West Bank, known as home of the pharaohs burial sites the Valley of the Kings. English archaeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter who became world famous after discovering the intact tomb of King Tutankhamen in 1922. In the adjacent valley the Valley of the Queens we explore the Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III at Medinet Habu and the Colossi of Memnon, showcasing two massive stone statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III. Your guide will explain the symbols and their meanings throughout the hieroglyphs scrawled across these temples. Learn how the ancient Egyptians thrived and built these massive structures on our exploration. In the afternoon we visit the magnificent Luxor Temple and the complex of Karnak, a massive space with more than 25 temples and chapels spread out over an area of roughly one mile by two miles. (B,L,D)

After breakfast, we disembark our Nile River vessel and head to Luxor airport for your flight to Cairo. You will be transferred to your hotel and enjoy some time to relax. Leisure time to explore Cairo at your own pace awaits. (B)

This morning we have breakfast at your Cairo hotel and then drive to Alexandria. Coming up is a full day of amazing adventures including the opportunity to discover one of the best-known ancient monuments still standing in Alexandria today, Pompey's Pillar. The monument is located on the city's ancient acropolis and was originally part of a temple colonnade. Explore the Catacombs, made up of 3 levels cut into the rock including: a large spiral staircase, a rotunda, the triclinium or banquette hall, a vestibule, an antechamber and the burial chamber with three recesses in it. You will also see the Royal Library of Alexandria which was once the largest library in the world and the Qaitbay Citadel in Alexandria which is considered one of the most important defensive strongholds, not only in Egypt, but also along the Mediterranean Sea coast. (B,L,D)

We'll depart Alexandria early this morning and head up the north coast road to El Alamein, a beachside town with warm Mediterranean Sea breezes. We will tour the various military cemeteries in this town for Germany, Italy and Greece as well as the war museum with items from the civil war and other North African battles. We will also visit the Commonwealth of Nations cemetery with graves for soldiers from various countries who fought on the Allied side. Later we continue our drive to Marsa Matrouh where we will check-in to our hotel. (B,L,D)

This morning we leave the seaport city of Marsa Matrouh and its picturesque beaches and travel through the Qattara Depression to Siwa. This depression region is a part of the Libyan Desert and lies below sea level with the landscape consisting of salt pans, sand dunes and salt marshes. This area contains the second lowest place in Africa and is about the size of Lake Ontario. We continue through to the Siwa Oasis settlement. We will stay at a hotel in Siwa this evening. (B,L,D)

We'll have breakfast and then head out to explore the mud-brick buildings that make up this oasis settlement between the Qattara Depression and Egyptian Sand Sea. We will tour the Temple of the Oracle, built in the 6th century BC and dedicated to Zeus, and Cleopatra?s Pool, which is a rock pool fed by a natural hot spring. We?ll tour the old city of Siwa and Mummy?s Mountain (Mountain of the Dead) which is a hill covered with rock cut tombs dating back to the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. Siwa is a unique area with an especially interesting history, palm trees, olive trees and freshwater springs abound in this oasis. Overnight in hotel. (B,L,D)

After breakfast this morning we leave early for our safari in 4x4 jeeps from Siwa to Bahariya by way of the Setra and El Arag oasis areas. We?ll arrive in Bahariya late in the morning and then enjoy a local lunch before setting out on our next adventure. Bahariya consists of many villages filled with the descendants of the ancient people who inhabited the oasis. We?ll tour an English army castle, the hot spring of El Ghaba and even get out and enjoy the sand dunes of the Sahara Desert. The oasis features a Black Desert as well as the White Desert National Park, both named after their colors and stretching into the mighty Sahara. We stay in a hotel in Bahariya this evening. (B,L,D)

Today will mainly be spent on the road as we make our way back to Cairo. We will travel approximately 230 miles, passing beautiful Egyptian landscapes, cities, villages and monuments. Your guide will alert you to important sights and give you their history as we make our journey. We will stop for lunch along the way. You will check-in to your hotel in Cairo this evening. (B,L)

After breakfast you will be transferred to Cairo International airport for final departure. (B)

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