This half-day excursion includes lunch, an Egyptologist guide, transfers in a private air- conditioned vehicle, and entrance ticket to Dahshour, site of the Bent Pyramid and Red Pyramid, two structures that pre-date the Great Pyramids of Giza.

Price per person: $ 98.

An early morning wake up call along the banks of the Nile offers the opportunity to take to the skies in a hot air balloon ride, where you can enjoy the surreal feeling of floating over timeless landscapes, with temple views and an amazing perspective on the fertile Nile Valley.

Price per person: $ 154

This is a free morning in Aswan to relax and explore the Nubian Museum or peruse the souq at leisure. Consider joining us, however, for an optional excursion to the temples of Abu Simbel. More than 32 centuries ago, Ramses II built two temples into the rock face of a promontory in Nubia, the larger dedicated to the sun god Harakhti, and the lesser dedicated to the goddess Hathor. A visit to these temples, considered by many to be the apex of Egyptian temple architecture, involves a roundtrip flight to Abu Simbel, departing early in the morning, and includes admission to the temples, lunch, guide service by our Egyptologist, and all transportation.

Price per person: $399

Temples of Luxor Walk – 4 km, rated 1B

After breakfast at our Cairo hotel, we check out and transfer to the airport for a flight to Luxor. Upon arrival, we begin our Nile-side visits with the Temple of Luxor, a magnificent site that reflects the continuity of Egyptian history from the 18th Dynasty to the 14th century AD, when a mosque was built inside the complex to honor Abu Al-Haggag. We then continue to the Temple of Karnak, the largest temple complex in Egypt, which includes three main temples, several smaller shrines, and a number of outer temples. Built over a period of more than 1,500 years, it stands as a symbol of the achievements of successive generations of pharaohs. After our visits, we transfer to the cruise for boarding procedures. We savor dinner and our first night on board the MS Nile Premium.

Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut to Deir el-Medina – 2 km, rated 1B

An early morning wake up call along the banks of the Nile offers the opportunity to take to the skies in a hot air balloon ride, where you can enjoy the surreal feeling of floating over timeless landscapes, with temple views and an amazing perspective on the fertile Nile Valley. Price per person: $154

We then cross the Nile from Luxor to visit the Valley of the Kings. Our visit evokes a twinge of sympathy for New Kingdom pharaohs, who could neither take their treasures with them nor keep them a secret. On the other side of the hill, the dramatic and conspicuous Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut makes no such attempt at illusive discretion. After exploring the temple, our Egyptologist guide leads us across the sands passing the tomb of Montuemhat, El-Assasif tombs, and several others en route to Deir el-Medina, the Village of the Workers. Here we explore excavations of a town built over 3000 years ago for workers responsible for sculpting the tombs of the pharaohs. We pass the Colossi of Memnon by bus en route to our ship, where we’ll check in and enjoy lunch and a rest.

We lunch aboard the ship and in the afternoon, we cruise upstream along the legendary Nile River on the MS Nile Premium, a wonderful 5-star luxury vessel. A relaxing evening passes as we enjoy timeless scenes of traditional white-sailed feluccas, observe agricultural pursuits along the Nile’s banks, and share the company of fellow passengers lounging on the Sundeck.

Today’s first port of call in Edfu offers the superbly preserved Temple of Horus. Further upstream, the Temples of Kom Ombo were dedicated to two deities: the crocodile-headed “Sobek” and “Haroeris,” a double-headed sparrow/hawk. Gaining understanding of the myriad manifestations of the Egyptian pantheon and the cryptic symbols of hieroglyphics requires a good teacher – an Egyptologist who will be with us throughout our Egyptian Adventure.

Aswan Nubian Village Walk – 7 km, rated 2B

Today’s multi-part walk is punctuated with several colorful and diverse stops. We start at the Unfinished Obelisk, a granite quarry with a partially carved obelisk still struggling to be finished after several thousand years. We walk from here to the Nile where we board a boat to sail across to Elephantine Island. Our exploration of Elephantine Island takes us to an ancient Nilometer, an ingenious device used to measure annual flooding and predict harvest yields, and resulting tax revenues. Our small boat cruise continues upstream through stunningly pristine stretches of the Nile to a Nubian village. Here, we learn about this African race who have settled in this southern region of Egypt. If school is in session when we arrive, we ask to visit a classroom, then enjoy lunch in a local restaurant. Returning to Aswan this afternoon, you are invited to finish the walk with a stroll along the Nile promenade Corniche and into the large and colorful souq (market) near our ship.

This is a free morning in Aswan to relax and explore the Nubian Museum or peruse the souq at leisure.

Consider joining us, however, for an optional excursion to the temples of Abu Simbel. More than 32 centuries ago, Ramses II built two temples into the rock face of a promontory in Nubia, the larger dedicated to the sun god Harakhti, and the lesser dedicated to the goddess Hathor. A visit to these temples, considered by many to be the apex of Egyptian temple architecture, involves a roundtrip flight to Abu Simbel, departing early in the morning, and includes admission to the temples, lunch, guide service by our Egyptologist, and all transportation. Price per person: $399.

Back in Aswan, we return by plane to Cairo and check into our hotel in time for dinner at a local restaurant.

Pyramids of Giza Walk – 6 km, rated 2B

We start today’s walk at the Great Pyramid of Cheops, where we struggle to take in the enormity of this engineering feat. Our walk route provides multiple vantage points of these monuments to human achievement. After going nose to missing nose with the legendary Sphinx, we enjoy lunch and continue by bus to Saqqara to examine the earliest pyramids. Strolling through Memphis, we finish the day exploring the ancient capital of the Old Kingdom of Egypt, before returning to our Cairo hotel for dinner and nice night’s sleep.

The Saladin Citadel of Cairo Walk – 3 km, rated 1B
Al-Azhar Park Walk – 2 km, rated 1B
Islamic Cairo & Khalili Bazaar – 3 km, rated 1B

Today’s multi-part walk fills in pieces of the cultural puzzle helpful in understanding modern Egypt, a predominantly Muslim nation since the 10th century. The first segment of our walk surveys the Saladin Citadel of Cairo, where we explore the Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha. We then observe Cairo citizens at leisure as we wander through the lovely gardens that overlook Cairo in Al-Azhar Park, also the venue for today’s lunch. In the afternoon, we thread our way through the Islamic Quarter to reach the Khan el-Khalili bazaar, with time to browse and enjoy the maze of colorful shops. After a full day of exploring Egypt’s more recent past, we enjoy dinner and the remainder of the evening at our Cairo hotel.

After a tasty breakfast, we visit the newly-opened Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), a landmark project and the largest archaeological museum in the world. The GEM presents Egypt’s history through more than 100,000 artifacts, highlighted by the full collection of King Tutankhamun’s treasures, displayed together for the first time since their discovery. Lunch will be included at a local restaurant. After some time in the afternoon to rest and pack up for tomorrow’s journey home, we gather this evening for a special Farewell Dinner, sharing memories of our remarkable journey through the timeless wonders of Egypt!

Following one last breakfast at our Cairo hotel, enjoy an included transfer to the airport for your flight from ancient Africa to 21^st century North America!

With help from local experts and walking guides, these itineraries are crafted with extensive on-site planning by WAI tour planners.

When designing Classic Curated Tours, our objective is to capture the essence of a destination—the history, culture, and natural wonders unique to that part of the world. We then build activities and walks that take us inside these characteristics.

Yes, these tours are educational, but they are also interactive and immersive; walking gets us off the bus and penetrates local cultures to not only see, but also touch, smell, and feel these special spaces.

Along the way, interactions with locals amplify the experience by sharing insights into the magic of that particular location.

On top of being a Classic Curated Tour, Egypt is also a Small Ship Cruising Tour, with 4-nights of the itinerary unfolding in the 5-star luxury of our ship, MS Nile Premium, where you can unpack, unwind and enjoy the Nile scenes passing by, along with some great shore excursions and walks.

We generally walk at a pace of 2 to 3 miles per hour. Some walks are oriented more towards education, and therefore take longer due to stops for guide commentary. Nature walks, on the other hand, generally continue at a steadier pace because we’re stopping less to talk.

In most cases, we are not “strolling.” We are walking at a relaxed but steady pace. Your experience will be significantly affected by your level of physical fitness. If not walking regularly at home, we strongly recommend that you make a priority of “training” beforehand in order to both enjoy the trip and avoid medical issues due to overexertion. If you have questions about your ability to participate, please reach out to our office at hello@walkingadventures.fun
The walks in Egypt are a bit less frequent than on our other adventures and they are in the 1B to 2B range, which are generally pretty easy and without too much difficulty in elevation gain/loss or footing. The factor that can make Egypt walks a bit more challenging can be the occasional higher temperature and a bit of sandy walk on our day at the Pyramids of Giza.

We have adopted a walk difficulty rating system which contains a numeric indicator for trail incline and an alpha indicator for trail terrain. The explanation for this system is presented on the table below:

INCLINE
1. Minimal hills or stair climbing. Cumulative elevation gain: <200 feet.
2. Some moderate hills and stair climbing. Cumulative elevation gain: 200-1000 feet.
3. Some significant hill or stair climbing. Cumulative elevation gain: 1000-2000 feet.

TERRAIN
A. Almost entirely on pavement.
B. A significant part of the route is on well-groomed trails with very few obstacles.
C. A significant part of the route is on somewhat difficult terrain (rocky / rooted paths or
soft sand).

The M/S Nile Premium is a 5-star ultra-luxury Nile cruise ship that offers a comfortable and elegant travel experience while visiting historical sites along the Nile in Egypt. It was launched in November 2008 as one of the newest and most luxurious floating hotels on the Nile, setting a new standard for elegance with its spacious cabins and cross-cultural design. M/S Nile Premium features 56 standard cabins (included in the tour price). 

The tour starts and finishes at the airport in Cairo, Egypt (CCE), with included transfers to and from our Cairo hotel at the beginning and end of our tour.

We recommend that you contact Laura Pfahler, the travel agent we work with, to help book your flight arrangements. In this age of airfare complications and airport uncertainty, using a travel agent is a good investment!

More details about flight arrangements and travel agent contact information will be provided in an Adventure Advice PDF by email after you register for the Adventure. Please do not book your airfare prior to receiving these flight details from us!

Laura Pfahler: 503.434.6401 or llp@wtpdx.com

WAI believes strongly in the importance of travel insurance for financial and medical protection from any number of unforeseen circumstances that can arise before departure or during your Adventure. Many travel insurance providers are available for you to consider.

Laura Pfahler and Sharon Mitchell of World Travel Inc. are travel agents who provides air travel and insurance services to many WAI travelers.

Laura Pfahler: 503-434-6401 or llp@wtpdx.com

Sharon Mitchell: 971-261-2091 or smitchell@wtpdx.com

Check out Insurance Tips from World Travel for a short introduction to travel insurance.

(NOTE: WAI receives no commission or financial remuneration from World Travel Inc.).

Be aware that some travel insurance policies contain time-sensitive provisions (i.e. some benefits, such as coverage of pre-existing conditions, are available only if the policy is purchased within a certain number of days of the purchase of the travel package). In addition, remember that airfare is not covered by any travel insurance policy you may have purchased for the tour.

As always, do some shopping to ensure you are getting the best value. Using the SquareMouth.com website can be a good way to compare pricing.

Other options include:

Allianz

Betins

Travel Guard

Travel Insured International

WAI bears no responsibility for travel insurance benefits advertised by various credit card companies. If you are relying on this type of benefit for insurance, we advise you to verify coverage types and limits and that your purchase does in fact qualify you for this insurance.

NOTE: We suggest purchasing from a reputable, well-established insurance company (avoid buying insurance from an unknown company found only online). Travelers interested in purchasing “cancel for any reason” insurance coverage should be careful to check pricing and terms BEFORE they register for a tour. Recent changes in the international travel landscape has caused changes in the policies of some insurance companies, and made the purchase of this particular type of policy even more time-sensitive.

Walking Adventures International reserves the right to cancel this tour departure with fewer than 15 participants, in which case registered participants will receive a 100% refund of payments received.
This refund policy contains one exclusion. Many suppliers require non-refundable deposits as a condition of booking services. Though it is rare, unforeseen circumstances can force us to cancel a tour. In cases where supplier’s non-refundable policies are imposed, WAI attempts to retrieve as much of these deposits as possible but cannot guarantee a 100% refund. In cases where full refunds cannot be obtained for a cancelled tour, we will do our best to transfer unrefunded money as traveler credits to be applied to a future tour to that destination.

Our approach to wellness on tour has traditionally been to encourage travelers to:
• Focus on health before the tour so you start healthy.
• Pace yourself while on tour; travel is inherently stimulating and can produce adrenalin boosts that mask energy drain. Guard your energy reserves and consider the length of the trip and whether to opt out of some activities and/or walks.
• Be self-aware. If you feel yourself tiring or feel a bug coming on, take precautions to block it (e.g. extra rest, extra doses of vitamin C, etc).
• If you feel a bug coming on or if you take ill, distance yourself from others when possible.
• If you feel ill, isolate yourself towards the back of the bus and away from others and please wear a mask. 

After registration, an “Adventure Advice” email will be sent with critical information on flight arrangements as well as important steps required by our ship. Other general advice is also included to help you prepared in the months before your trip. Please do not buy airline tickets until you review this Adventure Advice email.

A second document of Travel Tips will be published in the months leading up to departure to further aid your preparation.

The second deposit, along with the final payment, will be preceded by reminders from WAI 2-3 weeks before each due date. All payments are non-refundable after the due date.

Please see our General Tour Conditions for the full terms and conditions for participation in this Adventure.

Around 2-3 weeks before departure, you will receive a final email packet with details of the program, including hotel names and contact information, a list of fellow travelers, and a more detailed daily schedule.

We look forward to sharing this amazing Egypt Adventure with you!