Day 1
Cairo - Free Day. Your Egypt travel adventure begins with you being met at Cairo airport and transferred to your hotel. Your Oasis Tour leader will meet those of you who have arrived at our Hotel for an informal get together. (No meals provided today)
Day 2
Cairo - The tour starts in the bustling metropolis that is Cairo, with our own Egyptologist guide for the day. We spend the morning at the Egyptian History Museum and after lunch we explore the world-famous Pyramids - inside and out - and the Sphinx at Giza. Trips to Cairo aren't complete without a camel ride which is also included and is guaranteed to be a good laugh. In the evening we catch an overnight train to Aswan. (Two meals)
Please note: The Egyptian Government are currently giving consideration to making it mandatory for tourists to travel on Sleeper Services for the train journey from Cairo to Aswan. Whilst we have always found the 1st Class reclining seats comfortable, should the authorities decide to impose this restriction then there would be an additional charge for your trip to reflect this increased cost, currently estimated to be around £25. However this proposal has been around for some time, and has never been acted upon, so we think it unlikely to affect your trip. We will contact you straight away to advise you of any changes in respect of this.
Days 3 to 4
Aswan - Our train arrives in the morning and we are transferred to our Hotel. Tours to Egypt are not complete without a visit to Aswan and its beautiful setting on the Nile - feluccas, desert sand, sparkling water, palm trees, tropical plants, granite rock outcrops, islands and the Nile's first cataracts. The culture of Aswan's darker Nubian inhabitants is palpably African and more laid back than the rest of Egypt. Here you can walk along the Corniche with its riverside restaurants and attractive boulevards, or mix with locals in the narrow market alleys and stop in small cafes. We also include a visit to the great stone monuments of the Sun Temple built by Ramses II deep in the southern desert at Abu Simbel. (included in the cost of the tour). We also organise a trip to the Temple at Philae and you can also go by felucca to visit Elephantine Island. Your Tour Leader will advise and inform you of the various things you can do and places to visit in and around Aswan, including an evening visit to a Nubian village. (One meal)
Days 5 to 6
River Nile, Felucca - In the morning we transfer to our feluccas, the perfect relaxing antidote to a busy Egypt adventure trip. We spend the next two days and nights aboard watching Egypt glide by and sleeping under the stars. Originally introduced by the Romans, these traditional sailing boats use only wind power and occasionally oars. We will sleep on board over night as well as stop off at villages and sandy beaches. A canopy can be erected as protection from the sun during the day, and wind or dew at night. (Three meals each day)
Day 7
Luxor - Our Felucca trip will end this morning, but our Egypt adventure continues. After the felucca trip you will have the opportunity to visit Kom Ombo temple and the Temple of Horus at Edfu. We transfer by mini bus to our Luxor hotel from where you have the afternoon to explore Luxor's sights. The vast Karnak Temple complex beats every other monument in Egypt except perhaps the Pyramids of Giza and is a must on any Egypt tour. Built on an awesome scale (it does house the gods after all!) its Levithian size will astound you! We include a visit to Karnak Temple reached by our own horse-drawn carriages. There is also the option of the Sound and Light Show in the evening. Luxor Temple is in the centre of town within easy walking distance of our hotel. (One Meal)
Day 8
Luxor - Today we visit the Valley of the Kings & Workers, where our guide shows us around a number of tombs. Intended by the Pharaohs who built them to be the ultimate insurance policy on eternal life, the tombs are very well hidden and we have to scramble down long dark underground shafts to discover their dramatic and quite amazing funerary glory. We will also visit the Colossi of Memnon and there is also the option to visit the Valley of the Queens. After this those who want can take a sturdy donkey each and have an hours ride through the villages of the West Bank, a great opportunity to see local life and lots of fun (it may be too hot to do this in the summer months)! You have a free afternoon where it is possible to visit a local orphanage which Oasis sponsors. (One Meal)
Day 9
Luxor to Hurghada - We visit Luxor Temple with an Egyptologist guide in the morning. In the afternoon we travel for four hours by road to the Red Sea resort of Hurghada where we overnight in a local hotel. (One Meal)
Day 10
Hurghada to Dahab - We catch the morning hydrofoil ferry for the short hop across the Red Sea to the Sinai Peninsula. We now transfer you to the most relaxed and, for many, the most enjoyable place in Egypt. We arrive in Dahab in time for a seafood lunch and a cold beer on the beach! (One Meal)
Please note: we are one of the very few companies operating tours in Egypt that uses the hydrofoil across the Red Sea, thus doing away with the very long and tedious 18hr bus journey and allowing an extra day in Dahab.
Days 11 to 13
Dahab - With year-round sunshine, warm sea temperatures and a laid-back atmosphere, it is no wonder Dahab has become so popular with travellers - especially those on our Egypt Encompassed trips.
Here almost 'anything goes' and our stay in Dahab can become quite hedonistic! Here also there are no big tourist hotels nearby and we stay in a small air-conditioned hotel 5 minutes walk from the beach. This part of the Red Sea is also known as one of the world's top diving locations, with spectacular coral gardens and marine life you can snorkel to within metres of the beach. There is the opportunity to scuba dive, desert trek by camel or quad bike, visit St Catherine's Monastery and climb Mt Sinai (where Moses received the Ten Commandments) or simply relax on the beach. (No meals)
Day 14
After our final day relaxing in Dahab, we begin overnight trips back to Cairo where our Egypt adventure travels draw to a close. No meals are provided today. (No meal provided).
