Egypt two weeks - Not the most attractive of beasts

Nile treasures and beach getaways

Egypt in two weeks

Get the best of Egypt in two weeks with this itinerary. Start out in Cairo with the unforgettable pyramids of Giza for a crash-course in ancient Egyptian mythology. Then fly on to the harbour city of Aswan where a traditional wooden sailboat will take you on a magical Nile cruise. As you sail past the sleepy shores of the Nile, combine leisure on deck with visits to age-old ruins. Wander past the temples of Luxor and imagine what it was like to live back in the days of the Pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings. The peace and quiet on the tranquil beaches of Dahab will help you to relax and unwind at the end of this two week trip through ancient Egyptian civilisation.

During this two week trip you'll stay at charming hotels in cities near ancient Egyptian attractions, onboard a felucca on the Nile and at a warm and inviting beach hotel by the Red Sea. If you would prefer to build your own trip, piece together your holiday with our mini Egypt adventure tours.

Tip: instead of taking a domestic flight from Cairo to Luxor, you can also take a night train.

Duration	14 days/ 13 nights	Accommodation	Charming small hotels, comfort level 3, one night onboard a felucca, comfort level 1 (see accommodation)
Price	Please see our Contact Us page for more details	Includes	Transport, accommodation with breakfast, English-speaking guide
Transport	Private transport by Land Cruiser or minibus and felucca	Excludes	Flight (domestic and international), visa, other meals, tips

Day 1: Arrival in Cairo

It's about a 5 hour flight from the UK to Cairo. On your arrival at Cairo Airport you'll be greeted by our local representative. He or she will arrange a visa for your passport and will assist with customs formalities.

Once your suitcase has rolled through baggage claim, you'll head towards your small city hotel in the heart of Cairo. Depending on traffic it should only take you 30 to 45 minutes to get there. If you would like some advice on where to go for great meals and which neighbourhoods you should visit to catch a glimpse of local atmosphere, don't hesitate to ask our representative. If you would like him or her to guide you through the city on your first evening on the Egypt in two weeks tour, just ask and he/ she will join you. It's customary to tip the representative at the end of the evening if they do show you around.

Day 2: The pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx and Saqqara

Early in the morning our driver will pick you up and drive you towards Giza. After about 20 minutes of city traffic you'll start to see two of the three pyramids appear, seemingly out of nowhere. They're both extraordinary and impressive. Naturally you could bring along a good book on pyramids and ancient Egyptian history. We've arranged for an English-speaking guide to join you, tell you the stories behind the pyramids and to take care of the entrance fees for you (all included in the price of this module). After you've seen the pyramids you can walk towards the legendary Sphinx. It may be a little smaller than you may have expected, but nonetheless... it's still an incredible sight.

After lunch on the two week Egyptian adventure you'll continue on to Saqqara. Relatively few tourists come to this site, mostly because tourists usually book tour packages that only include the pyramids of Giza. You may not see as many tourists here, but that doesn't make this area any less impressive. To this day Saqqara is the largest archaeological site in Egypt with many hidden treasures still buried beneath the sand. At the end of the day your driver will take you back to your hotel in Cairo and you'll say good bye to both your guide and driver. It's customary to tip both.

Day 3: Cairo - Flight - Aswan

If you have enough time to spare, we suggest extending your two week Egypt itinerary with an extra night in Cairo. This will give you an opportunity to for instance visit the world famous Egyptian Museum or the Citadel in the historic part of the city. Afterwards you'll fly from Cairo straight to Aswan in about 1.5 hours. Our local representative will be waiting to meet you at the airport. He or she will answer any questions you may have about your trip and together you'll discuss your itinerary for the next few days, so that you can determine what time you want to start out in the morning. Together you'll drive to your hotel, a lovely mid-class hotel located directly on the Nile riverbank. Sit back beneath a parasol on the terrace and enjoy a cold drink as you watch sailboats sail along the Nile. There are no other activities planned for this first day in Aswan, so spend the rest of the day as you wish.

Day 4: Aswan - Philae & Kalabsha temples

Today we've only planned an excursion for half a day, so you'll have the rest of the day to head out on your own. After breakfast our English-speaking guide will take you to the harbour where you'll board one of the wooden boats that sail to Philae Island. One of the most beautiful temples in the area is located on the island, the temple honouring the Mother Goddess Isis. The rising waters of the Nile once threatened the survival of the temple and so it was relocated stone by stone to higher ground by UNESCO. The temple also features a night-time sound & light show; it may sound like the tourist thing to do, but it's actually quite spectacular to see the temple at night.

After visiting the temple of Isis you'll sail back to the mainland where you'll be taken to the temple of Kalabsha at Lake Nasser. This temple was once one of the largest temples of the Egyptian Nubian civilisation. In an attempt to protect the temple from the Nile, it too was moved 50km to its current location along the Nile. You'll be back at your hotel around lunchtime and you'll say your goodbyes to your guide. Generally guides receive a tip at the end of the day; £5 - £10 in Egyptian pounds is a pretty good guideline.

Day 5: Departure from Aswan on a felucca

Sometime later on this morning you'll be collected from your hotel in Aswan. Your driver will take you to the pier where a traditional sailboat will be waiting for your arrival. We suggest bringing along a daypack with a warm sweater, bottle of water, sleeping bag and toiletries for one night. The rest of your belongings will be transported by your driver and returned to you on shore the following day.

As soon as the sailboat leaves the pier, you'll glide across the Nile through the Egyptian countryside, leaving the busy city of Aswan behind you. As you sit back on deck you'll have the best possible vantage point to watch life on the river unfold in front of you. Feluccas sail across the Nile in silence, allowing you to enjoy the sounds of water and wind. Just before sunset the ship will dock at a small Nile island. As the sun slowly sinks further into the horizon, your skipper will prepare dinner by campfire.

Egypt two weeks - Kom Ombo hieroglyphics

Day 6: End of the Nile felucca tour - Arrival in Luxor, via Kom Ombo

After sunrise on day 6 of the Egypt in two weeks itinerary, you'll sail along the Nile for another hour or so before docking near Kom Ombo. Your skipper will prepare one last delicious breakfast for you before you leave the ship. Our local representative will be waiting for you on the pier with a bus and your belongings. After driving for about 15 minutes you'll reach the temples of Haroeris and Sobek at Kom Ombo. Robust temple ruins stand proudly along the Nile where the white sails create a stark contrast with the clear blue sky.

After visiting the temple you'll travel on to Luxor by minibus. It'll take another 3 hours approximately to reach your hotel in this historic city. Once you arrive in Luxor you'll meet up with our local representative. He or she will answer any questions you may have and you can make arrangements for tomorrow's visit to the temples of Karnak. Since Karnak is always a busy tourist destination, we suggest visiting the temple either very early in the morning around 7:30 or at lunchtime around 13:00.

Day 7: Luxor - East Bank - Karnak Temple

You'll be collected from your hotel in the morning or afternoon, depending on your own personal preferences. Our English-speaking guide will accompany you to Karnak, the temple of temples, which lies about 10 minutes from the city centre. For over 1300 years nearly all pharaohs contributed to the construction of what is probably the most splendid structure in Egyptian history. The best time to visit the temple is around 7:30am, around lunch time or after 15:00pm, avoiding the tour busses.

You'll start out at the Avenue of the Sphinxes at the temples spectacular entrance. Karnak's dimensions are extraordinary. As you cross through several outer temples you'll finally reach the centre of the temple, the absolute highlight of Luxor. The entire temple covers an area of 6000 square metres. Its 'forest of columns' of 134 columns covered by chiselled hieroglyphic figures is unique. It's hard to believe that this was created by man. Some parts of the old ceiling still feature the original colours. The rest of the day on the Egypt in two weeks tour is yours to spend as you wish.

Day 8: Luxor, East Bank - Valley of the Kings, West Bank

After breakfast you'll be collected by our guide and taken to the opposite side of the Nile. There are more cosy guest houses and family-run hotels filled with travellers and backpackers on this side of the Nile. As soon as you cross over to the other side of the Nile, you'll feel as if you're in an entirely different kind of Luxor. Nearly all pharaohs are buried here and to this day it is a impressive burial site for archaeologists.

Our driver will be waiting on the West Bank pier to drive you through winding mountain roads to the Valley of the Kings. In ancient Egypt, this was considered a holy burial place for Pharaohs. At the end of the day you'll be dropped off at our comfortable ‘family run’ countryside hotel at the edge of the village. At the end of the day, freshen up and enjoy dinner on your hotel's rooftop-terrace, surrounded by the tranquillity of the countryside.

Day 9: Luxor - West Bank

Spend today on the Egypt two week itinerary as you wish. You can take a taxi cab to the temples and tombs you missed out on yesterday, or you could simply visit them on foot. Another option would be to go sailing on the Nile on a traditional Felucca or hire a bicycle and go biking through the countryside independently. If you're travelling with children you may want to go for a donkey ride. Your hotel's reception staff will gladly help you out, all you have to do is ask.

For something special you can choose a hot air balloon ride at sunrise above the Valley of the Kings and the West Bank. Don't worry about not being able to afford it; it only costs approximately £55. It's a unique experience and lasts for about 20 minutes. You can also choose to do this early in the morning on day 2. When the time comes to have dinner, we recommend having the simple, yet tasty dish of 'Memnon' at one of the restaurants in the town of Gezira.

Day 10: Luxor - Dahab

Today you'll take a domestic flight to Sharm El Sheikh. Our local representative will be waiting to greet you and will take you to your hotel in Dahab which lies an hour away. We've selected the most memorable accommodation options in and right outside of Dahab for you to stay at. In the evening you can visit the boulevard where the scent of grilled jumbo shrimp will certainly stir up an appetite. Have a fruit cocktail at one of the enchanting Bedouin restaurants. If you have some space left for desert, check out Shark Restaurant. The thick floor cushions on the ground offer a great place to lounge as you watch the moon rise above the Saudi mountains on the other side of the sea and listen to the surf softly hit the shore.

Day 11 - 13: Dahab

After breakfast you'll snorkel your way through Dahab's Red Sea underwater paradise. Depending on the current and how many people join you, you'll visit the famous diving spot 'The Blue Hole' (more than 100m deep). When the water is clear you can look all the way down to a depth of 35m. You won't believe all the incredible colour combinations at the reefs, not to mention the brilliantly coloured fish... Be sure to bring along suncream SPF 30 or higher. Once you've spent enough time in the water, you can settle into one of the thick cushions beneath the palm trees on the beach for a cup of Bedouin tea. Spending a day in the water will probably give you a hearty appetite. You can order whatever you like on the beach, from shish kebab and grilled chicken to omelettes or falafel.

After you've returned to the hotel you can spend the afternoon going for a sunset camel or horseback ride in the desert. If you like, you can be collected from your hotel on horseback. You can of course spend the last few days of your Egypt two week trip relaxing on the beach too.

Day 14: Departure from Dahab - End of your Egypt two weeks itinerary

If you would like to spend more time relaxing, diving, snorkelling or sightseeing, then you can extend your stay in Dahab by one or more days. It's also quite affordable for novice divers to get their diving certification in Dahab. Intermediate divers can dive down to the remains of the SS Thislegorm. Diving down to this well preserved World War II shipwreck is an unforgettable experience. Army jeeps, motor cycles and even army shoes still rest in their watery grave at a depth of 30m. If you're only able to travel in Egypt for two weeks, this is the last day of your trip and you'll fly back home from Sharm El Sheikh today.