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The Nile & Sinai Safari Trek


Enjoy the best of the Nile Valley and experience the Sinai with Bedouin guides




This is a marvellous mix of Nile Valley splendour, compelling Sinai wilderness and Red Sea coast. In Cairo, the pyramids and Sphinx dazzle with their size and secrets, the Egyptian Museum with its treasures. In Luxor, the intricately detailed Karnak Temple and the Valley of the Kings inspire awe as much as the Nile itself – board your cruise boat and sail the great waterway south, to the Nubian capital of Aswan. Here there’s free time to visit Abu Simbel, before we return to Cairo to explore the labyrinthine wonders of the medieval city. Then on to the legendary Sinai – ascend Mount Sinai at dawn for an unforgettable sunrise over sublime desert, before enjoying lunch and a camel ride with new Bedouin friends. Later, relax in the chilled-out seaside town of Dahab, and spend more time in and out of the water at the snorkelling mecca and beach resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.



Gallery View map

Tour Highlights

  • Cairo Museum
  • Edfu and Komombo temples
  • Luxor's open air museum
  • Nile cruise
  • Nubean Aswan
  • Sunrise on Mt Sinai
  • The Great Pyramids and Sphinx
  • The Valley of the Kings
  • UNESCO World Heritage-listed Cairo
  • World-leading snorkelling and scuba diving on the Red Sea

Inclusions

  • • The services of Peregrine’s expert English-speaking local leader throughout the tour, and professional local guides at some sites.

    • Sightseeing (including entrance fees where applicable): Cairo - Egyptian Museum, pyramids, Sphinx, Khan al-Khalili bazaar, Ibn Tulun Mosque and Gayer-Anderson Museum; Valley of the Kings; Temple of Hatshepsut; Colossi of Memnon; Edfu; Komombo; Temple of Isis on Philae Island; and Wadi Ghazala.

    • 4 nights on Peregrine's comfortable Nile riverboat, cruising from Luxor to Aswan, with sightseeing stops along the way.

    • Camel trek in the Sinai accompanied by Bedouin guides. Exploration of an ancient settlement at Nawamis and lunch at a Bedouin encampment.

    • Desert Jeep excursion including the White Canyon.

    • Optional ascent of Mount Sinai (included in price).

    • Horse-drawn carriage ride to the complex at Karnak.

    • Local cuisine dinner in a Nubian village.

    • Air-conditioned sleeper train from Cairo to Luxor. Accommodation in a private, two-person sleeping berth with beds and linen, and an ‘airline-style’ dinner included.

    • Flight between Aswan and Cairo with all transfers on day 8.

    • Free time to explore Cairo, Aswan, Luxor and Dahab.

    • Free day to relax in the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.

    • Arrival transfer.

  • Camel
  • Horse-drawn carriages
  • Jeep
  • Plane
  • Private aircon bus
  • Riverboat
  • Sleeper train
  • 13 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 7 dinners

The Nile & Sinai Safari Trek

Day 1
Cairo
Meals Privided:
On arrival at Cairo International Airport, you are met by our representative and transferred to your hotel. This is simply an arrival day so you may arrive in Cairo at any time. Note that hotel rooms are generally only available after midday. The balance of the day is free to explore your surroundings, but normally a Welcome Meeting is held in the evening where you meet your tour leader and fellow travellers.
Day 2
Cairo - overnight sleeper train
Meals Privided:
Breakfast, Dinner
The Egyptian Museum is simply one of the world's great museums, home to a stupendous collection of antiquities and the perfect introduction to our tour, exhibiting many of the region's treasures. We head there after breakfast and our expert guide takes us through Egypt's rich and fascinating dynastic history. You will then have some free time to explore on your own; you may wish to visit the Royal Mummy Room (optional and at extra cost). We then drive out to Giza, home to perhaps the greatest iconic structures ever created by man - the Pyramids and the Sphinx. Instantly familiar yet retaining a mystique and power, getting up close to these incredible pharaonic tombs is captivating. For an additional charge you may be able to go inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu (or Cheops), although occasionally it may be closed to visitors. Afterwards we return to our hotel, where there is plenty of time to freshen up and pack before we are transferred to the railway station for the overnight sleeper train to Luxor. Sleeping berths (beds and linen) are provided in private cabins and an airline-style dinner is served. It is worth bringing additional snacks and your tour leader can help you to arrange this. A toilet is located at the end of each carriage.
Day 3
Luxor
Meals Privided:
Breakfast, Dinner
After an early breakfast on board, the train rolls into Luxor - a buzzing place with a great bazaar and situated close to some of ancient Egypt's most important and extraordinary sights. We transfer to our Nile cruise boat, which will be our home for the next four nights. We can relax by the pool on the boat or explore the town. Later in the day we take horse-drawn carriages to Karnak - one of the world's most celebrated temple complexes, built over a period of some 200 years. Our guided tour of the temple reveals the complex's finest sections. For the rest of the afternoon and evening we are free to relax, shop in the bazaar (open until quite late) or perhaps experience the atmosphere of a local tea house.
Day 4
Valley of the Kings - Luxor - Nile Cruise
Meals Privided:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
We rise early this morning (very much earlier during summer!) and head into the Valley of the Kings, where buried under the arid hills are over 60 tombs of pharaohs, many richly decorated with reliefs and paintings. It's a compelling place, vast and spectacular, and discoveries are still being made. Tutankhamun's final resting place is also located here, but entry to this small tomb is quite limited. It is at additional cost, but you will be given some free time when you will have the opportunity to visit it. Our guide explains the funerary rites of the ancient Egyptians and significance of the many paintings and hieroglyphics. We visit three royal tombs and then continue to the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, set in a spectacular natural amphitheatre. Our final stop is at the Colossi of Memnon - giant statues that were once part of an impressive colonnade. We return to our boat and enjoy lunch on board. There is time to relax on deck or in your cabin before we set sail for Edfu. Departure time may vary, depending on river traffic – please refer to the note regarding cruise schedules in the 'Other Information' section. We pass through Esna Lock, which can sometimes be a slow process depending on the number of vessels waiting to get through, and continue our journey upstream.
Day 5
Nile Cruise (Edfu - Komombo)
Meals Privided:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Morning finds us moored near Edfu, an excellently-preserved temple dedicated to Horus - the falcon-headed god. We disembark and explore the temple as well as experiencing the bustling town centre. Returning to our cruise boat we continue travelling upriver, relaxing on the sundeck and taking in the surrounding sights - desert hills forming a backdrop to lush riverbanks, fishermen casting their nets and farmers working their land. Arriving at Komombo, our short walk around the Temple of Sobek (the crocodile-headed god) that lies picturesquely ruined on the river's edge provides an interesting insight into the Greco-Roman period.
Day 6
Aswan
Meals Privided:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
We arrive in Aswan, Egypt's southernmost city and a place with an easygoing charm that is due in no small part to its large Nubian population. Depending on our arrival time, we may visit the beautiful Temple of Isis that was rescued from the rising waters of the Nile and relocated on Philae Island (alternatively we will visit it tomorrow). It is an absolute gem, its decorative pylons featuring some of Egypt's finest carvings - definitely one of the highlights of Upper Egypt. The rest of our day is free to wander – and Aswan is a great place for it. The Nubian Bazaar is a must, while the excellent Nubian Museum is recommended by many. The waterfront promenade, or Aswan's 'corniche', runs alongside the one of Nile's most appealing stretches and is the perfect place to stop for a mint tea. Aswan is a great little town and there are plenty of relaxing and interesting options here. Dusk is when the waterfront comes alive with families out strolling, socialising and relaxing along the corniche.
Day 7
Aswan
Meals Privided:
Breakfast, Dinner
We disembark our cruise boat and check into our hotel. The rest of the day is free for us to make our own discoveries. The visit to Abu Simbel will take place this morning for those of us who booked this option with our tour leader back in Cairo. This optional trip is well worth it. With the four gargantuan statues of Ramses guarding the Great Temple, this is one of Egypt's most memorable sights. A popular afternoon option in Aswan is a sailboat ride around the islands in a traditional felucca, stopping off at the botanical gardens on Kitchener's Island. Alternatively, take a camel ride to the Monastery of St Simeon - an abandoned 7th century fortress monastery located in the desert on the Nile's west bank. Our tour leader is on hand to help us arrange any excursions. Alternatively, you may just prefer to relax by the hotel pool or do some shopping in the friendly bazaar. In the evening we visit a Nubian village and enjoy the hospitality of our hosts as we dine out on some delicious local cuisine. We are also treated to some Nubian dancing and may even have the chance to perform some of the moves ourselves!
Day 8
Cairo
Meals Privided:
Breakfast
After breakfast we are transferred to Aswan airport for the short flight back to Cairo where we are transferred to our hotel. Today we dive into another layer of Egyptian history: medieval Cairo. We head to Khan al-Khalili Bazaar, Cairo's oldest mosque and the Gayer-Anderson Museum. The 'Khan', sprawling around an old area known as Al-Azhar, is a quintessentially Cairo experience - a warren of alleys with stalls serving up a succession of intoxicating scenes and retaining a distinctly medieval and sometimes carnivalesque feel. It's Cairo's finest area for you to practise your bartering skills! We explore the gold market, 'perfume street' and the spice market, where heady aromas hang in the air like a thick blanket of Damascene cloth (which can be purchased next door in the cloth market!). The beautiful 9th century Ibn Tulun Mosque is one of the oldest, largest and arguably the most beautiful mosque in Egypt – the perfectly proportioned courtyard and distinctive minaret both help to mark it out as a masterpiece of Islamic architecture, Nearby stands the Gayer-Anderson Museum, housed in two fine old villas (dating to the 16th and 17th centuries AD). Once owned by an English army officer, the two houses contain a fascinating collection of Arabic artefacts, furniture and memorabilia, giving us a great insight into Cairene life during the Ottoman period.
Day 9
Cairo - Mount Sinai
Meals Privided:
Breakfast, Dinner
This morning we travel east towards Suez, where we drive through the Ahmed Hamdi Tunnel that takes us under the Suez Canal and then turn south towards St Catherine's, at the base of Mount Sinai. It's a long drive (around eight hours) and on the way we stop for a light lunch. We reach our hotel in the late afternoon, where there may be time to relax before dinner.
Day 10
Mount Sinai - Dahab
Meals Privided:
Breakfast, Lunch
Those wishing to ascend Mount Sinai to watch the sun rise over the peninsula will be woken up between 2 am and 3 am (depending on the season). It is a fairly steep climb (with steps all the way) and as it is dark, most people take two to three hours to reach the summit. Unquestionably the view is worth the effort – the countless granite folds of the Sinai Mountains glowing in the gathering dawn are hauntingly beautiful. Afterwards, we return to our hotel for a well-earned breakfast. Note that during winter months (October to March) it can get very cold on the mountain and may even snow during the height of winter. Please ensure you have warm thermal clothes during this period. Around mid-morning we head off along the road to Nuweiba. After an hour or so we reach Wadi Ghazala (Gazelle Valley, but sadly there are no gazelles to be seen), where we meet our Bedouin friends who then accompany us for the next few hours. We ride camels through fairly flat terrain, surrounded by spectacularly eroded mountains. After an hour or two we stop for a simple lunch at a Bedouin encampment before continuing our journey and gradually ascending to Nawamis, where we explore an ancient settlement consisting of stone houses that are believed to have originally been tombs. We then make our way back to our vehicle and head towards the coastal resort town of Dahab. The evening is at leisure, giving us time to enjoy dinner and a drink in a beachside bar.
Day 11
Sharm el-Sheikh
Meals Privided:
Breakfast
After breakfast we load into jeeps for a morning drive through this spectacular region. We observe different types of desert and a variety of rock formations. At White Canyon we see an ancient pass that has been used by traders for centuries. Returning to the main road we drive down to Sharm el-Sheikh, a picturesque resort nestling at the tip of the Sinai Peninsula. Our hotel is close to the centre of town and there are plenty of shops to browse in. The nightlife in 'Sharm' is particularly renowned, with an eclectic mix of restaurants, bars and nightclubs – and the locally-caught fresh seafood is particularly delicious.
Day 12
Sharm el-Sheikh
Meals Privided:
Breakfast
Today is free for you to do as you please. There are a number of optional activities and water sports available. You can arrange a one-day diving trip through your hotel, hire snorkelling gear, take a boat trip out to the coral reef or just relax at your hotel or on the beach. Sharm el-Sheikh is Egypt's most popular resort and with good reason. It's a great place to unwind, providing a perfect end to your trip.
Day 13
Sharm el-Sheikh - Cairo
Meals Privided:
Breakfast
After a relaxed start, it's a long drive back to Cairo and we expect to arrive back at our hotel in the late afternoon or early evening.
Day 14
Cairo
Meals Privided:
Breakfast
Your trip ends today after breakfast. Check-out time is usually around 12 noon and you are free to leave at any time. If you have arranged a private airport transfer you will be advised of the pick-up time. Additional accommodation can be pre-booked if you wish to spend more time exploring Cairo.

IN A NUTSHELL

14 days
$2,295
15

TOUR INFORMATION

Start End Price
15/10/201128/10/2011 $2,295
22/12/201204/01/2013 $2,295
05/01/201318/01/2013 $2,295
19/01/201301/02/2013 $2,295
16/02/201301/03/2013 $2,295
16/03/201329/03/2013 $2,295
30/03/201312/04/2013 $2,295
13/04/201326/04/2013 $2,295
27/04/201310/05/2013 $2,295
11/05/201324/05/2013 $2,295
25/05/201307/06/2013 $2,295
08/06/201321/06/2013 $2,295
08/12/201221/12/2012 $2,295
24/11/201207/12/2012 $2,295
10/11/201223/11/2012 $2,295
25/02/201209/03/2012 $2,295
24/03/201206/04/2012 $2,295
14/04/201227/04/2012 $2,295
28/04/201211/05/2012 $2,295
12/05/201225/05/2012 $2,295
02/06/201215/06/2012 $2,295
30/06/201213/07/2012 $2,295
15/09/201228/09/2012 $2,295
29/09/201212/10/2012 $2,295
13/10/201226/10/2012 $2,295
27/10/201209/11/2012 $2,295
06/07/201319/07/2013 $2,295
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