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Sailtrek & Sinai
Egypt
15 Days: Cairo to Cairo
(9 Nights hotl, 3 nights boat, 1 night train and 1 night hostel)
2008 R 4,770 + LOCAL PAYMENT $150
Other tours by same operator

ITINERARY DAYS

1 Cairo. Hotel.
2 Cairo. Overnight Train to Aswan (B)
3 Aswan. Hotel (B)
4 Aswan Hotel (B)
5 Felucca Cruise. (BLD)
6 Felucca Cruise. (BLD)
7 Felucca Cruise. (BLD)
8 Edfu – Luxor. Guided Tour. Hotel (B)
9 Luxor – Hurghada. Afternoon drive Hotel (B)
10 Hurghada – Dahab. Hotel (B)
11 Dahab. Beach. Hotel (B)

3.Dahab. Beach. Hotel (B)
4.Dahab - St Catherine. Hotel (B)
5.Mt Sinai – Cairo. Hotel (B)
6.Cairo. Tour ends (B)

INCLUDED IN THE TOUR PRICE:

Itinerary as specified. Highlighted text is also included. Fully equipped vehicle, private bus, 4x4 vehicle, domestic flights, services of tour leader, all accommodation, all boat transfers, entrance fees. Please note that due to limited facilities, chalet and lodge accommodation may be on a sharing basis. B: Breakfast. L: Lunch. D: Dinner (All other meals not shown will be to the clients account).

NOT INCLUDED IN THE TOUR PRICE:

International Airfares, travel and medical insurance, personal spending money, visas, passports, vaccinations, personal taxes (including departure and border taxes) all optional activities, unscheduled or optional national / game parks and other activities, gratuities, restaurant meals and drinks, and all other items of a personal nature.

SAILTREK AND SINAI

Our 15 Day Sailtrek & Sinai presents the best of the Nile combined with the beauty of the Sinai. We take you trekking up Mount Sinai for sunrise and sail you down the River Nile in our feluccas. Ever ridden a donkey? You will be one of the experienced riders after visiting the Valley of the Kings using our unusual mode of transport. Cape an exciting holiday in Egypt off with a few relaxing days on one of the Sinai's most loved beaches in Dahab.

PRE DEPARTURE INFORMATION:

Most clients arrive a few days prior to the official start day. This is to give them plenty of time to enjoy all that Cairo has to offer. Your operator can organise any accommodation or activities you may require if you want to arrive early or stay on in Africa after your tour ends. Please contact us for assistance.

On Day 2 clients should meet at the Indiana Hotel, Haile G/Selassie Road, Addis Ababa. Tel: (++ 251 1) 612081 after breakfast for the pre departure meeting. This will give you all a chance to meet your fellow travellers and get to know your guides. The meeting will cover all the aspects of the trip. Please bring with you to this meeting: your passport with relevant visa's and evidence of medical and personal insurance. Please also bring the Local Payment. This must be paid to the tour leader prior to departure and must be paid in Cash. The local payment is required to cover a wide variety of our on-tour expenses, which can include National Park entrance fees, excursions and activities, certain fresh foods, vehicle tolls and entrance fees, as well as some accommodation costs whilst travelling throughout Africa. The local payment is that portion of the tour cost which must be paid in cash to the tour leader at the pre departure meeting.

If you have any questions regarding arrival prior to the tour or any other questions whatsoever, please contact your operator. If you are unable to attend the pre departure meeting, please let your operator know at least one week prior to your departure.

Other pre-tour accommodation is also available. Please contact your operator for assistance. All meals whilst in Addis Ababa will be to your own expense.

Pre Dep. Meeting Point: Indiana Hotel
Address: 16 El Sarray St, Dokki
Contact Details: Tel: (++ 20 2) 3354421
                         Fax: (++ 20 2) 7607947
Pre Dep Meeting: Approx. 09h00 on Day 2
Tour Start Time: Approx. 10h00 on Day 2
Tour End Time: Tour ends on Day 15 after breakfast
Tour End point: Indiana Hotel
Contact Details: As above

DAY 1 – Cairo

Arrive and check into your hotel. Later this evening you will have the chance to meet your tour leader and the other members of the tour. No meals.

CAIRO

When you arrive in Cairo you are thrown headlong into the hustle and bustle of this wonderful city. As you wander the streets your senses will be assaulted on all levels – an endless cacophony of noise with cars tooting, donkeys braying and the muezzin calling the faithful to prayer; the mix of smells like the aroma from cooking pots bubbling with fuul (a local dish that you will certainly sample); the delicious taste of mint tea as you sit in a shaded café to relax; and the endless river of life that you can watch roll past you – women haggling in the bazaars, men talking whilst enjoying a traditional shisha pipe, cars vying for space on the crowded roads, camels ambling serenely along and children playing in the back streets.

There are many things to do in Cairo, from visiting the fantastic Egyptian Museum to the bazaars of Khan el Khalili. Your Tour Leader will be able to make plenty of suggestions for your free time.

DAY 2 – Cairo

A guided visit to the Great Pyramids & Sphinx at Giza. Later there is the option to visit the Egyptian museum with an Egyptologist. Overnight train to Aswan. Breakfast. Approx. 13 hrs train journey

GREAT PYRAMIDS & SPHINX

The Pyramids really do have to be seen to be believed! To get there we weave our way through the manic Cairo traffic, out into the suburbs and then, suddenly, there they are. Huge majestic tombs rising out the desert, towering above the modern city of Cairo and an incredible testament to the immense achievements of the Ancient Egyptians. Built over five thousand years ago the Pyramids are the only one of the seven wonders of the ancient world that is still standing.

We explore the Pyramids and the sphinx with our Egyptologist guide who can explain all the mysteries surrounding their creation – were they built by aliens or are they aligned to the stars?  You will also have the opportunity to climb inside one of the Pyramids and see for yourself the burial chamber inside (not for the claustrophobic

THE EGYPTIAN MUSEUM

What a museum, what a collection! This museum houses the world's greatest collection of ancient Egyptian artefacts including many of the treasures discovered in the tombs of Pharaohs, the amazing golden mask of Tutankhamun and a large number of mummies. To put that in perspective, if you spend just one minute at each exhibit it would take more than nine months to see everything. It is well worth visiting the museum at the start of your tour as the information gained during a visit will help you appreciate the sights you will see as you travel through Egypt.

DAY 3 – Aswan

Transfer to hotel upon arrival. The rest of the day is free to explore the beautiful city of Aswan. Breakfast.

ASWAN

Aswan is a whole world away from Cairo - the pace of life is much slower and the town is small enough to explore on foot. In Aswan the Nile is at its most picturesque with golden sand dunes coming right to the waters edge and scores of white sailed feluccas gliding around the islands. The bazaar runs the whole length of town and is crammed with shops and stalls selling everything imaginable - a great place to hone your haggling skills! To relax you can sit at one of the many cafes and enjoy a cup of sweet tea and a game of backgammon.

One of our favourite activities in Aswan is to visit a local village on the West Bank of the Nile. We can go for dinner and spend the evening on the roof of a local house, eating delicious local food and chatting with the villagers. Some of the local women do henna tattoos so you may find yourself leaving the village with some temporary art on your arm or around your ankle!

DAY 4 – Aswan

A full free day to explore this vibrant Nubian city. Option to visit the temples at Abu Simbel. Breakfast.

Optional Excursion to Abu Simbel: The road between Aswan and Abu Simbel is now open, making it possible for us to operate an optional excursion by road (or by air) to this magnificent site on the morning of Day 4.

DAY 5 – 7 – Felucca Cruise

Free morning. In the afternoon, board our feluccas for a 3 day cruise to Edfu. Stop en route at Kom Ombo. All meals provided on board. Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

NILE FELUCCA CRUISE

Imagine spending your day lying on the deck of a traditional sailing craft, floating gently down the Nile; there is no sound but the wind in the sail, the occasional shouts of hello from children playing on the banks and the haunting call to prayer; there is nothing to do but relax and watch the life along the banks of the Nile – women washing their clothes at the waters edge, fields of corn tended by men in long white robes and the activity of occasional villages. Along the way we visit riverside temples, villages and sandy beaches and each evening as the sun sets over the edge of the Nile we pull over to the side of the river to settle in for the night. We spend the night under a blanket of stars and wake with the sun as the mist rises from the river.

This is what you will experience on your wonderful three day felucca cruise down the Nile. Feluccas are traditional sailing boats that have been used on the Nile for centuries. There is no motor – if the wind is not blowing then we drift as the river takes us. There are no facilities on board; if you need the toilet then the boat will pull over to the bank and you can find a suitable bush; if it is hot we erect a simple canopy to provide shade; if it is cold then you snuggle up under your sleeping bag.

Each felucca sleeps 6 -10 people and is crewed by a captain and a deck hand – both of whom have grown up along the banks of the Nile and have become long standing friends of The Imaginative Traveller. As well as being experienced Nile sailors they also make the most delicious meals out of simple local ingredients – you may sit down to a lunch of local bread, white cheese, hummus and delicious fresh juicy tomatoes or a dinner of freshly cooked chicken, pasta and mixed vegetables with delicious tomato sauce. They may also treat you to a bit of impromptu entertainment of Nubian singing or drumming.

The deck is covered with mattresses and cushions and you will sleep sardine style across the boat, however bedding is not provided so you will need to bring a sleeping bag. In the summer months (March – Oct) you may like to bring a sleeping sheet AS WELL to use instead of your sleeping bag if the nights are warmer. You will also need to provide your own towel during the cruise. Before your cruise your tour leader will give you lots of information about what you can expect and will be able to answer any questions that you may have.

It is very important that if you are unable to swim, you inform your tour leader before boarding the felucca.

DAY 8 – Luxor

Disembark in Edfu and transfer to our hotel in Luxor. In the afternoon we take horse drawn carriages for a guided tour of Karnak Temple. Breakfast. Approx. 2 hrs driving

DAY 9 – Luxor – Hurghada

Ride to the Valley of the Kings on sturdy donkeys. Our route back takes us past the Colossi of Memnon. Afternoon drive to Hurghada. Breakfast. Approx. 5 hrs drive.

DONKEY RIDE

The Valley of the Kings is on the other side of the Nile, on the West Bank. To get there we rise at around 4.30am (to avoid the heat) and meet up with our donkeys who will be our favoured (and most fun!) method of transport. Each member of the group will be assigned a donkey and given a quick lesson in how to control them, before we set off on the 7 km ride. We take quiet roads, with lovely views of the green fields leading to the edge of the Nile and the sheer cliffs of the desert beyond. We are not the only people up at this time and you will pass villagers on their own donkeys on their way to the fields.

DAY 10 – Hurghada – Dahab

We rise early to board the hydrofoil from Hurghada to the Sinai. Transfer to Dahab on the Red Sea coast. Breakfast. Approx. 5 hrs in total.

THE SINAI

Imagine massive reddish brown granite mountains, coral gardens and coloured reefs, blue skies, crystal water, wide amazing valleys, coloured canyons, Bedouin tribes, nomad footsteps, big camels and tiny goats and you'll have a good idea of how beautiful the Sinai is.

DAHAB

Do you know what Dahab means in Arabic? It means 'gold', so it's not hard to imagine what Dahab looks like – amazing beaches and an almost unrivalled variety of coral gardens and coloured reefs. Here you may find yourself hanging out in a beach café with a shisha pipe, eating sea food while watching the moonlight reflect on the crystal water, riding a camel in the desert, having tea with a Bedouin family or simply watching the local children wander beneath the palm trees selling handmade Bedouin crafts.

DAY 11-12 – Dahab

Two days at leisure on the beach where you have the opportunity to snorkel in the Red Sea. Breakfast

DAY 13 – Dahab – St Catherine

Free morning in Dahab. In the afternoon, transfer to St Catherine where we spend the night near the foot of Mt Sinai. Breakfast and dinner. Approx. 2 hours driving

DAY 14 – Mt Sinai – Cairo

Rise early to climb Mt Sinai for sunrise. Afternoon drive back to Cairo. Breakfast. Approx. 8 hrs driving

DAY 15 – Cairo

Tour ends after breakfast. Breakfast.

2008 Departure Dates
 

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