Sinai Explorer - a Family Holiday in Egypt (EXFSN)

Duration: 10 days (may vary)
Areas: Egypt
Tour types: Family Adventures, History & Culture, Nature & Wildlife, Walking & Trekking

Description

Magical Cairo
Cairo - home to the famous Pyramids and inscrutable Sphinx and fed by the serene waters of the life-giving Nile. We start our adventures here in the capital - first at the Pyramids, probably the greatest monuments on our planet, the last surviving wonder of the ancient world and perhaps the boldest engineering feat ever undertaken. Next we head downtown to the Egyptian Museum, home to antiquities too numerous to display, and including Tutankhamun's famous gold funerary mask.

Into the Sinai
Leaving Cairo we cross the Suez Canal and enter the Sinai. We take a dramatic route through Wadi Feiran where we walk through date palms to an old basilica for views over this ancient settlement. Continuing to St. Catherine's we get an early night before our pre-dawn ascent of Mt. Sinai - sunrise from the summit is inspiring, as we stand where Moses is said to have received the 10 Commandments. Descending we explore St Catherine's Monastery, founded on the site of the Burning Bush, before making our way to the coast for a swim.

Red Sea & Luxor
Next we head south to walk and scramble through amazing multi-coloured canyons and enjoy lunch with a local Bedouin family before spending a night in a tented camp. Then we take the ferry to Hurghada and travel south to Safaga, where we can snorkel beneath the Red Sea waves to see the myriad of fantastically coloured fish. Finally we drive to Luxor, famous for its incredible antiquities. We head first to Karnak Temple, arriving by horse-drawn calesh, then our final highlight - a journey by donkey to the stunning Valley of the Kings - the perfect end to an amazing trip.

Tour itinerary

Day 1

Join Cairo.

Day 2

Sightseeing to the Pyramids and Egyptian Museum.

Day 3

Drive to and explore Wadi Feiran on foot; continue to St. Catherine's.

Day 4

Very early morning ascent of Mt. Sinai for dawn on the summit; visit St. Catherine's Monastery and drive to Red Sea coast.

Day 5

Drive to and explore the amazing wadis of the Sinai; continue to desert camp.

Day 6

Tour of Ras Mohammed NP/snorkelling; ferry to Hurghada and drive south to Safaga.

Day 7

Free in Safaga; optional snorkelling.

Day 8

Drive to Luxor; afternoon calesh ride to Karnak Temple.

Day 9

Early morning donkey trek to Valley of the Kings; free afternoon.

Day 10

End Luxor.