Deserts & Tombs Tour 9 or 10 days

Tour Options
Single Room Supplement
This option guarantees you a single room in all the hotels throughout the tour.
If you are a single traveller, then you may share a twin or triple room with other single travellers in the group. If we do not have any other single travellers available for you to share with at the time of your booking, then we will need to add this supplement to your tour price (this can be refunded to you later if other people book who you can share with).
Sleeper Train upgrade (one way)
Our standard tours use the First Class carriages on the ‘sitting train’ from; Cairo to Aswan, Cairo to Luxor, and Luxor to Cairo. These are comfortable reclining seats with plenty of space around them. If you wish, you can exchange this train for the European-style ‘wagon-lit’ sleeper train, where you get your own private cabin and berth. This option covers a one-way journey on the train and includes transfers and a light evening meal & breakfast on the train.
Cairo City Tour
In Cairo, you have the option of a guided tour around the city. This will include the Egyptian Museum (which houses a vast collection of artefacts from EgyptÂ’s past, including the famous King Tutunkhamun display), the Citadel (a collection of mosques and palaces, with a great view over the city), and the Khan al Khalili bazaar (a mazy market that offers a window to the past and a guaranteed souvenir). The tour lasts for a full day and includes a local English-speaking Egyptologist guide.
Wadi Rayan & Valley of the Whales day trip
This tour features a day trip from Cairo to the Fayoum region where we head for the Wadi Rayan Protected Area, which surrounds a fresh-water lake in the middle of the desert, filled by the remaining irrigation water from the Fayoum area. There are several waterfalls here, and a bird hide which gives good views of the lakes birdlife, particularly in the winter months when the lake is an important stop for migrating water-birds. We also visit the Springs Oasis area, a rare example of an uninhabited Saharan oasis, and host to many different plants and animals, including Dorcas Gazelle, Ruppell’s Sand Fox and Fennec Fox.
After a stop for a packed lunch, we then drive into the stunning desert & mountain scenery of Wadi Hitan (Valley of the Whales). This World Heritage Site is accepted as the most significant site in the world to demonstrate the evolution of whales, and we take a 2-3km walk here to see several specimens of fossilised whales of different types sitting on the surface of the sand, as well as fossilised mangroves and the remains of crab holes.
This tour requires a minimum of 2 people to run.
Hot Air Balloon Flight - Luxor
This trip runs early in the morning in Luxor, so that you catch the early morning sun over the Valleys of the Kings & Queens, temples and desert. The trip runs from between 5.00am and 10.00am (start times vary), with about 1 hour in the air. We normally book this for you on your second day in Luxor, before the West Bank tour. There is a minimum number of people required for the trips to run, and they are also weather dependent. It is very rare however that are cancelled, and if this happens, we will refund you in full.
Alexandria Day Trip
This day trip to Alexandria leaves Cairo early in the morning, and includes a private A/C car or minibus to and from Alexandria (approx. 2½ hours each way), and a guided tour of the city.
The tour is flexible, and includes the Roman amphitheatre, which has twelve semi-circular marble tiers and is in remarkably good condition, and the Catacombs of Kom al-Shoqafa, which is the largest Roman cemetery in Alexandria. Dating from the beginning of the Second Century AD this cemetery displays a unique blend of Pharaonic and Roman art. Later in the afternoon we have the chance to stroll around Alexandria, see the famous library and other sites before returning to Cairo. The tour includes all transportation, lunch, a local English-speaking Egyptologist and lasts for the full day, returning to Cairo by around 19.00. Entrance fees are not included.
Note: If travelling on your own, a single supplement will be added. If other people in your group also take the option, this supplement will be removed.
Sound and Light Show at the Pyramids
Watch this spectacular laser light and sound show at the pyramids. Listen to the head of the Sphinx as it tells the story of the Pharaohs and how the great pyramids were built. The show is available in different languages and runs from early to late evening. All transport is provided along with entrance fees.