Cairo-Aswan-Luxor

Cairo

After a long flight we arrived a day early in Cairo, and had time to spend walking along the Corniche, as most of Cairo's residents seem to do in the evening or take a sunset felucca ride for some very different views of the city. We visited the peace and quiet of the oldest part of Cairo, the Coptic Christian sector climbed the Cairo Tower. it was a great time to began to explore the narrow cobbled streets, churches and synagogues around the city. Early the next morning we meet our group and leader we headed out on an orientation walk and a trip to Islamic Cairo. We immersed ourselves in the madness of this chaotic city, traversing busy streets before catching taxi's to check out the Khan al-Khalili bazaar, After our bazaar visit we took part in the traditional "bong" smoking pipe. (apple flavour- check out the photos)

On our second day we traveled to Giza to visit the unsurpassed pyramids and Sphinx, this really was the highlight of any trip to Egypt. The pyramids are on the outskirts of Cairo ( a short train trip) with the city on one side and the desert on the other. Our guide took us through the amazing history of the area as well as plenty of time for photos and taking it all in. After the pyramids we had a break for lunch and a chance to try some of the local specialities for those who are hungry.

We then head back to the city centre to visit the Egyptian Museum. With thousands of exhibits, it's easy to lose yourself in the many corridors - we also visited the Tutankhamun rooms, where the famous golden death mask of King Tut and his gilded sarcophagi are displayed. The afternoon was free to continue exploring the city with a walk. Tonight we will catch an overnight sleeper train to Aswan.

Aswan

Superbly located on the banks of the Nile, the Nubian City of Aswan is Egypt's southern gateway to the rest of Africa. We really enjoyed our visit to a village for a traditional Nubian lunch on a local families boat as we sailed down the Nile, taking in all the local surrounds. As well we stopped for a fantastic camel ride over dramatic dune scenery to view the abandoned monastery of St Simeon.

Abu Simbel

We had a very early morning rise to catch the buss which departed approximately. 3:00 am and travel in convoy to Abu Simbel. This was really well worth the early rise - just look at the photos, just amazing place.

Today we boarded a Felucca to spend the day out on the river and then a night under the stars. Our Nubian sailing crew provides all the meals, which are hearty and delicious. The felucca is a traditional wooden sail boat with broad canvas sails. The boat has a canopy that offers shade and protection from the elements, however there is no cabin or enclosed section. The conditions are very basic during our felucca trip but was an adventure of a lifetime. We slept outside, on the deck of the Felucca on comfortable mattresses. Our Felucca trip took us from Aswan and stops at points of interest en-route and watching the sun setting across the Nile in the evening what a sight - see photos. The next morning we woke to the color of a magnificent sunrise and then continue our journey down the Nile. This is the absolute highlight of the trip for all.

Luxor

Heading north we travel to the ancient Egyptian capital of Thebes, now known as Luxor. From the spectacular temple complex of Karnak to the extraordinary paintings and hieroglyphs in the tombs in the Valley of the Kings, this open-air museum is full of wonderfully preserved reminders of the pharaohs of Egypt. We take donkeys over to the West bank to visit some of the tombs. We also explored the magnificent Karnak Temple, perhaps the most impressive of all the ancient Pharaohs' monumental works. The tonight we took an overnight train back to Cairo (approx. 8.5 hours).

Cairo

4th January 2007 - Egypt