15 Days Sinai Jeep and Camel Safari & Nile Cruise
15 Days Sinai Jeep and Camel Safari & Nile Cruise
1st Day: Colored Canyon – Mount Sinai
In the morning we will pick you up at the reception of your hotel in Sharm El Sheikh, Dahab, Taba or Nuweiba. If you stay in any other part of Egypt such as Cairo we can of course organize the transfer to Sinai for you.
We will take you in a 4×4 jeep through the fascinating mountain and desert scenery to the Colored Canyon where you will enjoy a hike through this stunning gorge; its rock formations are extraordinarily beautiful as you cannot only find diverse shapes, but also a multitude of different colors which gave this canyon its promising name. So don’t hurry, take your time to enjoy the unique surroundings and take a rest whenever you need. Some passages are a bit tricky, but your guide will of course assist you in case you need some help. Then we will continue the jeep tour through the famous Wadi Ghazala, one of Sinai’s longest valleys, which is named after the gazelles that are told to graze here. It is a great and fascinating part of the desert, with sandstone rocks, caves, dunes, broom and acacia trees – a perfect place for a lunch break.
In the late afternoon we will transfer you to the foot of Mount Sinai (Jebel Musa), Moses’ mountain where he is said to have received the Ten Commandments. You will have dinner and, if you like, you can sleep for some hours. At night you will start your hike towards the top.
Please be aware that you will climb up to a height of almost 2,300 meters! This means that you will have to face low temperatures during this trip – please take warm cloths! Also be aware that for hiking up to the mountain top you should be adequately fit and in good health.
2nd Day: Mount Sinai – St. Catherine’s Monastery – Arada Canyon – El Gona Plateau
Our guide will give you a pocket lamp to enlighten our path. Against a small supplement camels are ready to carry you, all the way or for a part of the distance. Only the last steps must be taken on your own on a stairway (the ‘Steps of Repentance’), before you reach the mountain peak. During all the way you can enjoy the unique atmosphere, marching on the holy mountain with your lamp under the starlit sky. In the early morning you will reach the top where you will see the Chapel of the Holy Trinity and search for a nice place to sit down and wait for the sunrise. After spending some time on the peak you will start wandering down towards St. Catherine’s Monastery and make a stop for breakfast before you start your visit.
The monastery is located at the food of Mount Sinai, on the place, where he is said to have seen the Burning Bush. The first monastic life around this place is supposed to have taken place already in the 4th century AD, which makes the monastery to one of the oldest in the world. The monastery in its current form has been built by the Emperor Justinian I in the 6th century AD, with strong fortifications to protect the monks. Due to this measure, its isolated location and the protection by Mohamed, the Prophet of Islam, it remained untouched during the centuries. For this reason you cannot only see the buildings, walls and decorations in their nearly original form, but also countless precious items have survived until today, among them the greatest collection of antique icons in the world. The library features the second large collection of ancient codices and manuscripts in the world, overtrumped only by the Vatican Library. The monastery still houses monks and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Please be aware that, before you enter the monastery, you must cover your legs, arms and head.
After the visit we will bring you to the wonderful Arada Canyon, also known as the Double Canyon as two branches lead away from the same entrance. You will see bizarre rock formations in different colors and enjoy great views. Some climbing parts are a bit tricky, but your experienced guide will assist you, so if you are adequately fit there will not be any problem. Finally you will reach to a steep sand dune – if you like, you can scale it! Here you will also have lunch. Also this area is full of interesting ancient rock paintings; you can visit some of them. Now it is time to meet your guides and your future companions, well trained gentle camels. They will carry you to the top of the El Gona Plateau. The plateau is 1,700 meters high and around 50 kilometers long and offers a beautiful landscape as well as fantastic views the mountains. You will spend the night on the plateau after watching the spectacular sunset.
Lunch and dinner included. Overnight camping.
3rd Day: El Gona Plateau – Farsh El Gona – Wadi Zalagha – Zaranig Canyons
After breakfast you will enjoy for a while the beautiful nature around you; then you will trek through the Farsh El Gona and the Wadi Zalagha. You will have lunch en route. In the late afternoon you will encamp at the entrance of the biggest of the Zaranig Canyons.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight camping.
4th Day: Zaranig Canyons
The Zaranig Canyons are three huge and deep sandstone canyons; when it rains, the water floods from here down to Nuweiba at the coastline. You will enjoy trekking all day long through the largest and deepest of them, and you will marvel at the great nature and be enchanted by the peace and tranquility far away from the stressful daily life. We will set up camp at the entrance of the second canyon.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight camping.
5th Day: Zaranig Canyons – Nabq Abu Tureifa
Today you will explore the second canyon. Then you will trek to the Nabq Abu Tureifa; from the mountain top you will enjoy another great view. You will spend the night down in the wadi.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight camping.
6th Day: Abu Tureifa – Wadi Tbeiq – Zigzag Canyon – Wadi Arada
After breakfast we will trek through the pictureaque Wadi Tbeiq; we will spend our break under an acacia tree. Then you will hike through the Zigzag Canyon, a narrow sandstone canyon with a sandy floor which is winding through steep walls and great rock formations. It opens to the wide sandy Wadi Marra which houses numerous acacia trees. In the late afternoon you will reach to the Wadi Arada where you will encamp.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight camping.
7th Day: Bir Safra – Al Haduda sand dune – Gebel Mutamir
After breakfast you will continue your ride through the beautiful landscape with its stunning sandstone formations until you will reach the idyllic spring Bir Safra situated at an open area where two valleys cross. You can refresh with the spring’s clear water. Then you will hike to the great sand dune Al Heduda – it is really something special as the Sinai desert consists mostly of mountains and doesn’t offer a lot of space for large dunes. You will enjoy a great break; you will have lunch and you can wander on the dune – or rolling down. In the afternoon you will head to our camping place at the Gebel Mutamir mountain.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight camping.
8th Day: Gebel Mutamir – Gebel Mahroum – Nawamis
After breakfast you will enjoy riding to the Gebel Barqa, the ‘Mountain with a Hole’, a popular bizarre sandstone formation belonging to the Gebel Mahrum, with a hole cutting through it. In this area you can also find numerous other rock formations as well as small caves and sand dunes. You will have time to stroll around a bit while your lunch will be prepared. After eating you will continue your ride towards the Nawamis area where you will set up camp.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight camping.
9th Day: Nawamis – Ein Khudra Oasis
Today it is time for some culture – you will visit the Nawamis, prehistoric circular burial chambers built of sandstone. After lunch you will trek to the Ein Khudra Oasis, a beautiful oasis with a spring surrounded by numerous palm trees. If you like, you can have a bath here before you will have dinner and go to sleep.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight camping.
10th Day: Ein Khudra Oasis – White Canyon – Flight to Luxor
After breakfast you will hike through the White Canyon which is located only some steps away from Ein Khudra. Its splendid bright rock walls and interesting rock formations enchant every visitor.
In the afternoon you will be transferred to Sharm El Sheikh Airport and take the plane to Luxor. A driver will wait for you at Luxor Airport and take you to your hotel.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight in a hotel in Luxor.
11th Day: Luxor – Nile Cruise Day 1
You will have breakfast in your hotel; then our guide will pick you up and take you to your cruise for your embarkation. After this you will visit Luxor’s West Bank, the ancient Thebes. You will marvel at the huge Colossi of Memnon, once guardians of a no longer existing temple, and the colored Pharaonic tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Then you will visit Medinet Habu with its colossal statues, well preserved pylons and walls and more than 7,000 m2 of decorated and inscribed wall reliefs before you will have lunch. And finally you will see the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, a fascinating mortuary temple which is unique in its architecture. Lunch will be enjoyed in a local restaurant. In the evening you can discover Luxor on your own. Dinner will be served aboard.
Optional activities (against supplement):
- Sound and Light Show at the Temple of Karnak
- Shopping on Luxor’s biggest bazaar
- Carriage Ride through Luxor
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight aboard.
12th Day: Luxor & Esna – Nile Cruise Day 2
You will have breakfast aboard. Then you will visit Luxor’s East Bank with the Temple of Karnak, one of the largest and most fascinating temples in the world; as it is still in an amazingly good state with giant pillars and colored reliefs, you can really get a feeling of the ancient Egyptians’ architecture and religious cult. Finally you will visit Luxor Temple, a fascinating ancient edifice uniting building activities of various eras. After lunch you can enjoy some leisure time at your own disposal. Then your cruise will move to Esna where you will visit the remains of a beautiful temple dating back to the Greco-Roman period, featuring magnificent columns with varying lotus-leaf capitals and a pronaos decorated with great relief.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight aboard.
13th Day: Kom Ombo & Edfu – Nile Cruise Day 3
After breakfast aboard you will visit the amazing double temple of Kom Ombo, a sanctuary symmetrical along its main axis, one side dedicated to Haroeris, the other to Sobek, with impressing reliefs. Then you will sail to Edfu and enjoy lunch en route. The Temple of Edfu, dedicated to the falcon-god Horus whose statues flank the portal, is one of the best preserved temples in Egypt; its completion once took almost 200 years, and its beautiful decorated walls provide precious information about the ancient religious myths.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight aboard.
14th Day: Abu Simbel & Aswan – Nile Cruise Day 4
You will arrive in Aswan in the early morning and we will take you to your visit of the Twin Temples of Abu Simbel. The Temple of Ramesses II is 30 meters high and four enthroned colossal statues of the pharaoh guard the portal. The interior of the temple was dug into the rock on a length of more than sixty meters and beautifully decorated with pillars, colored reliefs and rock cut figures. The Temple of Nefertari, Ramesses’ wife, is a simplified version of the Great Temple. Please be aware that you see here something unique in ancient Egyptian art – the statues of the king and the queen adorning the façade are equal in size.
After returning to your cruise you will have lunch. The rest of the day is at your own disposal. If you need to refresh, just relax on the ship and enjoy its facilities. Or have a walk in Aswan or book an additional visit.
Optional activities (against supplement):
- Sound and Light Show at the Temple of Philae
- Visit of the Temple of Kalabsha
- Visit of St. Simeon’s Monastery
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight aboard.
15th Day: Aswan – Nile Cruise Day 5
You will disembark after breakfast. Now you will get to know Aswan. You will visit the giant High Dam, one of the greatest achievements in architecture and engineering of the 20th century, and the Unfinished Obelisk in the ancient granite quarries. Then you will have lunch before you will sail to the amazing botanical garden on Kitchener’s Island, an unexpected green and calm oasis amidst the busy city, and visit Elephantine Island with the famous nilometer, the ancient ruins and the Nubian villages. And finally you will see the enchanting Nubian Temple of Philae which was once saved from disappearing in the floods of the Lake Nasser reservoir by dismantling and rebuilding it on a higher location. In the evening you will take the plane back to Sharm El Sheikh; our driver will pick you up at the airport and take you to your hotel. This concludes our program and services.
Note: If you want to continue your trip in the capital, we can also book a flight or night train ticket to Cairo for you. If you would like to extend the program and visit Cairo with us, we can organize this for you.
Breakfast included.
Included:
- All mentioned transfers in high-class air-conditioned vehicles
- Domestic flight Sharm El Sheikh – Luxor – Sharm El Sheikh
- Guided jeep and camel safari
- Camping in the Sinai desert
- Guided tours in your language
- Entrance fees for the above mentioned sights
- 5-days-cruise Luxor – Aswan with full board
- Meals, mineral water and soft drinks during the excursions and tours
Not included:
- Gratuity (tips) for drivers, tour guides
- Personal items, meals, drinks or services not mentioned
- Listed optional activities
- International and domestic flights
- Visa