Sands & Seas

Guide

Services of a local Egyptologist guide for all sightseeing tours We are committed to being a small group operator, as we feel this gives everyone in the group the best chance to get to know their fellow travellers and to hear and make the most of their guide. There’s no point in us providing great guides if you’ve got to peer over 30-40 shoulders to see them! So, we won’t ever put you in a 50-seater coach with 49 other people and just one guide. Instead, we set our Egypt small-group departures to have a maximum of 18 travellers. Shoestring tours have a maximum group size of 26. On dedicated Nile Cruise tours you may join larger boat groups for the sightseeing trips, though a supplement is always available for a private Egyptologist guide for these tours (requires advance booking). Specialist escorted tours and workshops may have different group sizes - please download the Tour Notes for details. In Egypt we provide fully trained, local English-speaking graduate Egyptologist guides to run your tour and escort you during all of the sightseeing in Cairo and the Nile Valley. We also have permanent local reps in all the main towns/cities and Red Sea resorts who are also at your service, and will be handling all the practical arrangements for the tour. We use local Bedouin guides for tours through the desert. On some departures we may use one guide in Cairo, and a second guide if you are travelling between Aswan and Luxor. At Encounters Travel we only use local Egyptian guides and reps. We feel this gives you the best experience of the country and the sites you are seeing. Please check our website for more details and profiles of some of our most famous Egyptian guides.

Meals

8 Breakfasts 2 Lunches 4 Dinners

Others

The great Pyramids & Sphinx King tut's mask in the Egyptian museum Dramatic Karnak temple Ancient Valley of the Kings Queen Hatchepsut temple Colossi of Memnon Red Sea Riviera Overnight sleeper train in private twin-berth cabins (flight upgrades available) Sightseeing tours as detailed in the itinerary

Transport

All transport and transfers with a local driver 24-hour airport arrival & departure transfer service Our trips feature a mix of different transport options. We want you to feel like you’re really experiencing the country you’re travelling through, but at the same time we want you to finish journeys refreshed enough to enjoy the next stage of the tour. In Egypt we do not use any public tourist buses or overnight coach journeys as we know that people don't sleep on board and end up very tired for the following few days. All the vehicles we use are air-conditioned, many are fitted with speed limiters, and all are inspected and checked daily. Some 4WD vehicles used on desert safaris may not always have air conditioning where they are only used for short periods. For the overnight train journey from Cairo to Luxor (approx. 9 hrs) this tour uses the overnight sleeper train. This train has private twin berth cabins with large seats and fold-down beds with sheets, pillow & blanket. The lockable cabins also have a washbasin and storage cupboard, and an airline tray-style evening meal and breakfast is included. If you wish you may upgrade this journey to internal flights. You can also upgrade the Hurghada-Cairo drive to a flight if you wish - the normal drive takes around 7 hours.

Accommodation

All accommodation as stated in the itinerary 4 Nights in 5-star hotels 3 Nights in a 5-star beach resort 1 Night onboard a Sleeper Train from Cairo to Luxor.

Hygieneprotocol

This tour will be operated in line with our 'Safer Encounters' scheme which covers a wide range of additional hygiene precautions as well as social distancing rules and other measures to help prevent the transmission of Covid-19.

Others

Visa fees Meals not indicated in the itinerary Entrance fees (allow approx. US$85) Tipping kitty (allow US$45) Drinks, snacks, guide tips, and other personal expenses (e.g. laundry) Hotel gala dinners (see Tour notes) Any other items not mentioned above

Flights

International flights are not included but may be available on request

Optional

Hot air balloon in Luxor - This popular optional tour starts early in the morning so that you experience the sunrise over the Valleys of the Kings & Queens, temples and desert. We endeavour to use the earliest flights of the day as they are timed to fit with the rising sun, this means that times may vary. You get around 1 hour in the air. Alexandria day trip - Alexandria is about 2.5 hours north of Cairo on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt. This city is the second largest in Egypt and this full day tour will include the Roman amphitheatre with its twelve semi-circular marble tiers, the Catacombs of Kom al-Shoqafa which is the largest Roman cemetery in Alexandria, Pompey's Pillar, Fort Qaitbey (from outside), the famous modern library before returning to Cairo. If time allows you can tour inside Fort Qaitbey (entrance fee extra) and we may also visit the Montazah Palace gardens. Lunch at a seafood restaurant is included. Cairo city tour - This half day guided tour of Cairo tour begins with Islamic areas including the Citadel of Saladdin, boasting the famous Alabaster Mosque of Mohammed Ali. Then we head onto the Coptic area of Cairo where the Romans constructed the fortress of Babylon. The church of St. Mary was built over the ruins of two towers of the fortress whilst it is more commonly known as the Hanging Church next stop is St. Sergius which is said to be the resting place of the Holy Family. The tour finishes at the Khan-el-Khalili bazaar. Saqqara, Dashour & Memphis - This half day guided tour on the outskirts of Cairo tour provides more insight into the history and evolution of pyramid building, and of the Egyptian civilisation. Our tours are based in the area of ancient Memphis, a former capital of Egypt. First we'll visit Saqqara, a huge desert necropolis which was built for the kings and nobles of the Old Kingdom. Here we see Zoser's 'step' pyramid and the adjacent Imhotep museum where we learn more about Memphis and the history of the region. Next we head to Dashour to see one of the next attempts at pyramid building. Dashour's moniker of the 'bent pyramid' shows they still had a bit to learn, but this is a fascinating site and the pyramid still has much of its original limestone cladding. We'll then return you to your hotel. Cairo to Luxor flight upgrade - This option upgrades the overnight sleeper train from Cairo to Luxor to an internal flight. Instead of spending the night on the train, you transfer to the airport and fly to Luxor, spending an extra night in the hotel there. Hurghada to Cairo flight upgrade - This tour travels by road from Hurghada back to Cairo, a journey of around 6-7 hours driving plus stops. This option provides an upgrade to an internal flight in place of this drive. We aim for morning flights, though flight times will be subject to availability at the time of booking. Single room supplement - This tour is based on twin-share accommodation, with single bookers paired up with another traveller of the same sex in the group. If the final group make-up means that no room share is available, you do not need to pay this supplement. However, if you would like to guarantee yourself a single room throughout the tour, then please add this option to your booking.

Insurance

Travel insurance is mandatory but not included