Met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Overnight in Cairo.
Cairo, Alexandria & the Siwa Oasis — 9 Days
9
Days
Overview
Egypt without the Nile valley. This route goes west instead of south: down to the Mediterranean at Alexandria, then along the coast and eight hours into the Western Desert to Siwa, close enough to the Libyan border that the language changes.
Siwa is not like anywhere else in the country. Berber, not Arab, in character; a mud-brick fortress town dissolving slowly in the rare rain; salt lakes so dense you cannot sink; and the oracle that told Alexander what he wanted to hear in 331 BC.
There are long drives in this itinerary and we do not disguise them. What you get for them is a part of Egypt that most visitors never learn exists.
Slower, or differently — always possible. Tell us how you like to travel and we will rebuild the day around it.
Trip Highlights
Tour Itinerary
Day 1 :
Arrival in Cairo
The pyramids and the Sphinx, then the museum. Overnight in Cairo.
Day 3 :
North to Alexandria
The drive to the coast, then the catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa, Pompey’s Pillar and the corniche in the evening. Overnight in Alexandria.
The Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the Qaitbay citadel on the site of the lighthouse, then west along the Mediterranean and south into the desert. Overnight in Siwa.
Day 5 :
Siwa town
The Shali fortress, the temple of the Oracle at Aghurmi, the Mountain of the Dead and Cleopatra’s spring. Overnight in Siwa.
Day 6 :
The Great Sand Sea
Out by 4×4 into the dunes, with the salt lakes, a fossil field and sunset from Fatnas Island. Overnight in Siwa.
Day 7 :
Siwa at its own pace
A day without a plan: the olive and date gardens, the handicraft workshops, a hot spring at dawn or a swim in a salt pool. Overnight in Siwa.
Day 8 :
Back to Cairo
The long drive east across the desert, arriving in the evening. Overnight in Cairo.
Day 9 :
Old Cairo and departure
Depending on your flight, Khan el-Khalili and the Islamic city, or Coptic Cairo. Transfer to the airport.
Costs
The Cost Includes
The Cost Excludes
Enquiry
Dr. Sherif Azab-Els reads and answers these himself, usually within a day. An enquiry costs you nothing and commits you to nothing.
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