Essential Egypt

Guide

All group trips are accompanied by one of our group leaders. The aim of the group leader is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. Intrepid endeavours to provide the services of an experienced leader however, due to the seasonality of travel, rare situations may arise where your leader is new to a particular region or training other group leaders. Your leader will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see, recommend great local eating venues and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense, you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the places visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious, and social aspects. At Intrepid we aim to support local guides who have specialised knowledge of the regions we visit. If you are interested in delving deeper into the local culture at a specific site or location then your leader can recommend a local guide service in most of the main destinations of your trip. All Intrepid group trips are accompanied by one of our group leaders. The aim of the group leader is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. Intrepid endeavours to provide the services of an experienced leader. However, due to the seasonality of travel, rare situations may arise where your leader is new to a particular region or training other group leaders. Your leader will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see, recommend great local eating venues and introduce you to our local friends. Due to the vast historical significance of the region, your Tour Leader in the Middle East will also be a Local Tour Guide and will be licensed, registered and trained in accordance with local authorities to provide full guiding services through out your Middle East Adventure.

Meals

8 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 4 dinners

Others

Included activities Cairo - The Egyptian Museum Cairo - Pyramids and Sphinx Luxor - Valley of the Kings (3 tombs)

Optional

Cairo - Camel ride at the Pyramids - EGP100 Cairo - The Egyptian Museum Mummy Room (entry fee) - EGP150 Cairo - Sound & Light Show at the Pyramids (entry fee) - EGP200 Cairo - The 2nd Pyramid of Khafre (entry fee) - EGP60 Cairo - The Great Pyramid of Cheops (entry fee) - EGP300 Aswan - Felucca Sail - EGP75 Aswan - Nubian Museum (entry fee) - EGP100 Aswan - Philae Temple - EGP140 Aswan - Philae Temple Sound & Light Show (entrance only) - EGP150 Aswan - Unfinished Obelisk (entrance only) - EGP80 Aswan to Abu Simbel: return transport by bus & entrance fee (price from per person - minimum 4 passengers) - USD100 Aswan to Abu Simbel: return flights and entrance fee (book with www.egyptair.com - prices from approx) - USD320 Kom Ombo - Kom Ombo Temple - EGP80 Edfu - Edfu Temple - EGP100 Luxor - Karnak Temple - EGP120 Luxor - Sound and Light Show at Karnak (entry fee) - EGP250 Luxor - Luxor Museum (entry fee) - EGP120 Luxor - Luxor Temple (entry fee) - EGP100 Luxor - Hatshepsut Temple - EGP82 Luxor - Tomb of Tutankhamun - EGP200

Accommodation

The style of accommodation indicated in the day-to-day itinerary is a guideline only and may change. On some occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in our preferred accommodation. In these cases, we will use a similar standard of accommodation. Throughout the trip, we request that our properties prepare rooms in time for our arrival, especially if we're arriving prior to normal check-in time. However, this isn't always possible which means we won't be able to check-in immediately on arrival at some hotels. Instead, we can store our luggage and explore our new destination or on some trips, have use of shared day rooms until all rooms are available. OCCASIONAL ALTERNATIVE ACCOMMODATION: The style of accommodation indicated in the day-to-day itinerary is a guideline. On rare occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in our usual accommodation. A similar standard of accommodation will be used in these instances. ACCOMMODATION STYLE: Some of the accommodation along the way is basic or simple, three and four star accommodation in the Middle East (with the exception of Israel) is often not equal to same star facilities in some western destinations. Rooms are clean and comfortable, however you may note some small maintenance issues that have been overlooked, please assist us by bringing these to the attention of your Leader so that we can follow up with our hosts. Many restaurants and hotels do not serve alcohol for religious reasons or due to local laws. Breakfast is included in 95% or our hotels, pleaser refer to our daily itinerary for meal inclusions. TWIN SHARE / MULTI SHARE BASIS: Accommodation on this trip is on a twin/multi share basis. CHECK-IN TIME: Throughout the trip we request that our hotels prepare rooms in time for our arrival, especially if we're arriving prior to normal check-in time. However this isn't always possible which means we won't be able to check-in immediately on arrival at some hotels. Instead, we can store our luggage and explore our new destination. Standard check in time is 1400 hours. PRE/POST TRIP ACCOMMODATION: If you've purchased pre-trip or post-trip accommodation (subject to availability), you may be required to change rooms from your trip accommodation for these extra nights. SHOWERS: Showers at some hotels only have hot water at peak times (usually morning and evening). Outside of these times you may need to speak to reception to obtain hot water. HEATING AND AIR-CONDITIONING: As a desert region, this part of the world has extremes of weather. Winter months (approx December to March) can be very cold. All of our hotel accommodation contains suitable bedding, and simple light bedding is provided during camping activities such as an overnight felucca, desert camps or at the Red Sea Beach camp stay. Most of our travellers find the bedding provided here adequate, but for your own comfort and if you are particularly sensitive to the cold, consider bringing your own sleeping bag, thermals, scarf, gloves and a warm jacket. Some of our guesthouses / hotels don't supply heating. In many cases this would be a major financial and environmental strain on our hotels and the local towns. Summer (approx June to August) can be very hot everywhere we travel, which means that it can be quite uncomfortable for those not used to the heat. Not all our hotels have air-conditioning, and in those that do, it's not always functioning. ROOM ISSUES: If you have any issues with your room, please speak to the hotel and your tour leader right away so that the problem can be addressed without delay. Hotel (5 nights),Overnight train (2 nights),Felucca (1 night)

Transport

Private vehicle,Felucca,Overnight sleeper train There are some long travel days and some rough travelling in areas away from main tourist routes. Windy roads, rough surfaces and cramped conditions make for some challenging travel experiences. On some long travel days we depart early in the morning to ensure we optimise our time at our next destination. If you experience travel sickness we recommend you consider medication to help ease the discomfort. SECURITY WHILE TRAVELLING: Occasionally you may experience a Tourist Police Escort in your vehicle and whilst not common convoys between select towns or regions are possible. This practice has been implemented by local authorities to monitor the safety and security of visitors to Egypt. OVERNIGHT TRAIN: On this itinerary, you will be travelling by overnight sleeper train. The sleeper cabins are about 2x1.5 meters and are 2 berths. There are 2 beds on top of each other. Pillows, sheets and blankets are provided. There is also a compartment next to the upper bed for luggage storage and a small sink. Toilets are located at the end of the carriage. Each carriage has 10 cabins which are all lockable from the inside. If you have booked a single supplement you will be assigned to your own berth. During your journey dinner and breakfast are provided however the meals are very basic and you may wish to bring along your own fresh fruit, snacks and water to supplement these. OVERNIGHT FELUCCA ON THE NILE: On this trip you will be travelling and sleeping on a felucca. A felucca is a traditional wooden boat with broad canvas sails. The felucca offers some shade and protection from the elements. However, there is no cabin or enclosed section. You will be sharing a sleeping area with your fellow group members for the night and a shared bathroom facility (western style toilet). You'll sleep outside on a simple mattress, there is a wooden ceiling above you but the area is otherwise open. If you feel the cold you should consider bringing a sleeping bag. These can also be rented locally. Please advise your leader during the welcome meeting. You may also wish to bring a sleeping sheet from home. Conditions will be basic during your felucca trip. If you are prepared for this, you’re sure to have a memorable adventure. During the colder months (October to March) temperatures can get as low as 5°C at night. Our Nubian sailing crew ( normally 2 for sailing, 1 for cooking ) provides all the meals, which are hearty and delicious. We recommend that you pack everything you may need for the night in a small day bag. The felucca will stop a few times during your journey and overnight stay.

Others

Other activities and services not included

Flights

International flights not included.

Insurance

Insurance is not included. Travel insurance is required for this tour. Please make sure you are adequately covered. If you require travel insurance, TourRadar has partnered up with World Nomads to provide a hassle-free experience. More information can be found here (https://www.tourradar.com/travel-insurance).