Egypt White Desert Trek 8 days

Transcription

1 The great White Desert extends for about 60 km squared between the oases of Bahariya and Farafra. Declared a National Park in November 2009, the desert has become a popular destination for visiting in recent years. Our White Desert trekking tour allows you to explore the vast desert by walking in caravans for a couple of days and enjoy the spectacular scenery and rock formations. This incredible trekking tour offers 3* hotel and camping accommodation and transport by minivan, 4x4 and local transport. TOUR OVERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS Tour operates: Tour type: Transport: Tour rating: Start - Finish: Minimum group size: 3 April, October - December Trek Maximum group size: 16 Minimum age: Minivan / 4x4 / Local transport Moderate Cairo - Cairo

2 ITINERARY Day 1 - Cairo: Arrival Cairo: Upon arrival at Cairo Airport, you will be met by a Nomadic representative who will assist you through airport customs and the formalities. You will be escorted immediately to your hotel in Cairo by A/C vehicle. (Overnight - Cairo) Day 2 - White Desert: Cairo Bahareya White Desert: After Breakfast we will explore the grand pyramids of Menhaure, Chephren, and Khufu at the Giza Plateau, and marvel at the magnificent stone Sphinx. Then we ll drive through the Western Desert oasis eastwards to Bahareya, where you ll be provided with a prepared lunch boxes from the hotel. Driving on after Bahareya to Aggabat, we ll leave the bus behind and walk through the White Desert until we reach the camp sight ready for the first night of camping. There will be a camping area with sleeping tents and a special tent for dining, fitted with Arabic style cushions and low tables. Lunch and dinners will be prepared by the specialised team in this exotic and unique location. (Breakfast, lunch, dinner & overnight - White Desert) Day 3 - White Desert: Aqqabat Ain Khodra Wadi Abyat: Waking up in the incredible White Desert, enjoy an outdoor breakfast in our camp. Our specialist tour leader and local guide will then lead you on your adventure. You ll walk for 5 to 6 hours through stunning landscapes such as Aqqubat, Ain Khodra and Wadi Abyat, exploring the sedimentary stone formations along the way. All meals are included, with mineral water and soft drinks afterwards. (Breakfast, lunch, dinner & overnight - White Desert) Day 4 - White Desert: Sahara El Gedida The new desert: Today we ll continue to tour through the Sahara El Gedida, trekking for 5 to 6 hours again. Discover this beautiful, unspoilt area of the White Desert, with its incomparable rock formations thanks to centuries of erosion by sand, wind and water. These limestone formations are shaped like obelisks, mushrooms and pyramids. We ll set up camp here for the night. (Breakfast, lunch, dinner & overnight - White Desert) Day 5 - White Desert: Bir Agouz Wadi Khabour the big dune (Days 5 & 6): After breakfast in the camp, we will drive a few kilometers to reach the asphalt at Bir Agouz, whereby we cross the road to the western side of the vast White Desert. After a breath-taking drive, we ll arrive at Wadi Khabur, or the Finger of God. This is an impressive limestone monolith which appears to rise like a finger toward the sky. We ll then head north to our camp, for two nights camping under the clear night sky. (Breakfast, lunch, dinner & overnight - White Desert)

3 ITINERARY Day 5 - White Desert: Day 5 & 6: We breakfast in the camp, after we will drive a few kilometers to reach the asphalt at Bir Agouz, whereby we cross the road to the western side of the vast White Desert. After a breath-taking drive, we ll arrive at Wadi Khabur, or the Finger of God. This is an impressive limestone monolith which appears to rise like a finger toward the sky. We ll then head north, for two nights camping under the clear night sky in our million star camp. Day 7 - White Desert: White Desert Bahareya - Cairo: We depart the desert by 4x4 vehiclesthrough the stunning Oasis of Bahareya. Adventuring on towards Cairo, we ll check into the hotel before spending the evening at your leisure. Why not explore the legendary souks at Khan El Khalili? Bursting with colourful bazaars, shops, and restaurants, discover a real insight into Egyptian trade and enjoy an evening shopping. (Breakfast, & overnight - White Desert) Day 8 - Cairo: Departure - Cairo: Enjoy your final breakfast at the hotel, before an organised transfer takes you to Cairo Airport for your final departure. (Breakfast)

4 WHAT YOU GET Included HIGHLIGHTS Cairo Pyramids of Giza Bahareya White desert Wadi Abyat Sahara El Gedida Wadi Khabour WHAT YOU GET All transfers with an English speaking guide Air conditioned transportation English speaking guide 2 x nights in Cairo based on BB basis (first & second stay) 5 x nights camping in the White desert (Full Board) 1 x (4 X 4) vehicle for carrying the equipments, foods & water during the whole safari trip Lunch will be provided in local restaurant or as picnic lunch on day 2 Soft drinks during meals, 2 large bottles of natural water per person per day All permits Excluded Visa (available on arrival - $18) Tipping kitty ($40) Flights Travel insurance Entrance fees Drinks Spending money Meals - Lunch x 1 / Dinner x 2 (Approx LE10-25 / $2-5 per meal) (Visa & tipping kitty paid in US $) ENTRANCE FEES Where? How Much LE /USD Pyramids at Giza plateau: Khufu and LE66 / $12 USD (Paid in LE = Egypt pounds)

5 USEFUL INFORMATION Before you go Visas & permits Travel insurance All Nomadic passengers must have fully comprehensive travel insurance to travel in Egypt. This must include sufficient cover for tour cancellations due to personal reasons, repatriation flights back home if you're too ill to complete a tour, hospital treatments, personal accidents and individual baggage and valuables. Please note that some optional activities may require additional cover as well. Furthermore, in terms of your cancellation cover this must start immediately when your policy is issued so you can claim with your insurer if you have to cancel your trip before its departure. Finally please remember to take a copy of your travel insurance with you to Egypt! Vaccinations It is strongly recommended although not required for you to be vacinated against Typhoid and Hepitatis A as well as Tetanus and Polio in an oral dose. Due to a recent rise in Meningoccal Meningitis a vacination against this is also advised. In you have any further concerns though please contact your local GP for advice. On location Currency The currency in Egpyt is Egyptian pounds (E, EGP or LE), with 1LE consisting of 100 Piastres. Obviously the currency is subject to fluctuation however typically: GBP1=8.6LE, USD1=5.5LE, EUR1=7.0LE & AUD1=3.7LE. Currency can be exchanged or arrival in Egypt or before in some cases and exchange facilities are available as well as ATM's being present in most major towns. How much money you need, depends largely on the individual but we would recommend an average of $30-40USD/day for items such as drinks, snacks and souvenirs. In addition you will need to budget for your tipping kitty, independent tipping, optional activities and entrance into some sites. In terms of these entrance fees we recommend that you budget for between $80-200USD for the entire trip. To save time this money will be collected on day 2 of your trip but if at any time you change your mind about a site prior to entrance you can receive this back. Finally, on the Nile 5* cruise and in 5* hotels it is important to note that bills can only be settled in foreign currency due to government rulings. Without a doubt Egypt represents great value for money. For example, for a 500ml bottle of water it only costs around $0.70USD. Similarily a bottle of great tasting local beer is also cheap, costing around $2.80USD. Climate Egypt is mainly hot and dry. Tempeartures in the summer regualrily exceed 38c and in extremes can even exceed 50c. Temperatures do drop during winter though from late November to February where typically during the day they range from 15-20c and at night they fall below 10c. Rain is not common but notably does occur more in the North. Altitude The altitude of Egypt ranges from 133 m (436 ft) below sea level in the Libyan Desert to 2,629 m (8,625 ft) above sea level in the Sinai Peninsula. Packing

6 Luggage We advise you to pack all your gear in a frameless backpack particularily if going on a felucca journey or desert oasis trip. For other tours a suitcase with wheels would also be acceptable though. In addition you should also bring a daypack for your essentials such as your wallet, camera and water. It is also advised you place this in a plastic bag due to contact with sand and dust. Your luggage must not exceed 20kg, so pack as light as possible! What to bring For trips in general lightweight cotton garments are best suited to the Egyptian climate, however we do have some tour specific guidelines as well. If going on a felucca journey or a desert oasis trip we recommend that you bring a sleeping bag. In addition although in Wadi Rum, Jordan bedding is provided, you may want to bring a cotton sleeping bag/liner for personal comfort in the summer and a winter weight sleeping bag due to low tempartures at night in the winter. In terms of clothing, again if doing a felucca journey we recomend that you pack warm clothes due to low tempartures. This is also the case if you are doing the Mt Sinai excursion in Dahab or travelling between November and March generally. If doing Mt Sinai between March and November it is even recommended that you bring thermal clothing and walking boots due to icy conditions at the summit. Comfortable walking shoes are also recommended for the Valley of the Kings and Pyramids of Giza as well as flips flops for the felucca journey. Finally, it may be worthwhile bringing a sleeping bag, neck pillow and eye covers if travelling on the overnight seater train. Although we will provide a full check-list some of the main items to bring with you are: Personal first aid kit, antiseptic gel, mosquito repellent, suncream, flat toilet tissues, a photocopy of your passport & travel insurance, tour voucher, 2 passport photos, money belt, waterproof jacket, hat, swimsuit, towel, sungalsses, water bottle, camera & film, torch & batteries and a universal 2 pin adapter. * Finally, if bringing your smart phone with you, please make sure that you turn your data roaming off, to avoid heavy increases to your bill! Responsible travel Cultural awareness We cannot emphasis enough that we are travellers and therefore guests. So it is our duty to respect and adjust where possible to the people of the region, their customs and views. In this respect Egypt is a Muslim country, so care should be taken to dress respectfully especially in large cities and towns. For example, dont wear short, tight or ex military clothing. In addition to this, please don't take pictures of people without their prior permission and remove your shoes when entering mosques. Egypt is 2 hours ahead of GMT. Apart from between 1 May and 30 September when due to daylight saving it increases to 3 hours ahead of GMT. Religious awareness Egypt is predominatly Muslim so once agin please dress conservatively. Also please be aware that during Ramadan although visitors are not expected to fast, our tour itineraries do slightly differ to ensure we still visit all itinerary attractions. Security It is vital as a traveller that we ensure that the natural beauty of the regions we cross is preserved and in Egypt there are a number of ways that this can be done from not littering on archeological sites and sticking to pathways to not damaging these places etched with history and not polluting areas such as the Nile. When taking part in activities such as diving it's also important to further consider the environment and stick to the guielines that you are given when your there. This is all for your own safety as well.

7 DATES & PRICES Prices shown are based on twin or triple sharing with the same sex. Where an optional single upgrade is available, it will be detailed in the Excluded information in the 'What you get' section and bookable in MyNomadic Tour price Single supplement (optional)