Discover this "different Egypt";
by choosing one of our travel programs
or making up your own program in consultation with us
Cultural programs
Groups
trips and theme programs
general/cultural
creative trips
8-days creative painting trip
guided by Joséphine Verbist
Departure: 18-11-2010
-
11 days cultural dance and music trip
with local artists
Departure: 18-2 and 18-10-2010
active/cultural
- 8-days sportive program Aswan-Luxor
with a 3-days bicycle trip - 8 or 15 days walking trip Nubia
Group trips 2010: 22-1 (8 days); 5-11 (15 days) - 8 or 15 days bicycle trip Nile Valley
Group trips 2010: 4-2 and 4-11
Group trips: 18-2 and 25-11-2010
-
8 days spiritual program
with meditation near the temples
guided by Annemarie Hoogenboom
Starting 12-11-2009
-
8 days desert safari with camels
Starting 1-4 and 7-10-2010
reflective programs
These programs are possible as a group as well as individual trip.
Prices are excl. flights
For a detailes description and prices
(click on the program of your choice)
Only
possible as group travel.
Min. 4 max 12 participants. Prices are excl. flight.
Prices: see detailed description
(click above the travel program of your choice)
Who wouldn't like to experience living in an African village just once is his life? Here is your chance!
By renting a house you support the local economy as well. More than 30% of the rent is for the house owners.
One week rent is comparable with two average month salaries!
Note: The houses are okay, but not like you are used to at home.
If you prefer quality, you better choose for a room in the guesthouse.
The village people accept you as one of them, instead of a tourist. Time is yours to discover Nubia all by yourself.
Location: You stay in our guesthouse Bet el Kerem or - if you prefer - in a detached house from villagers, who offer their house for rent to tourists. Our guesthouse and the houses are both located on the Westbank of the Nile river, within walking distance from the local ferry, which brings you to Aswan centre in 15 minutes.
Houses:
The houses are clean and completely furnished, with kitchen, bathroom, toilet, television, warm and cold running water etc. Towels and linen are present in the houses. Rental price per night: € 45,- Max. 4 persons.
- Rent a bike and discover the West bank on your own: the traditional farming areas along the Nile, the unspoilt Nubian villages, the desert roads:
Take your time to enjoy it all. For sure, people will invite you for a drink in their houses: it’s the Nubian hospitality!
- Sailing trips by felucca to Elephantine Island,
to the botanical gardens on Kitchener Island and to the Mausoleum of the Agha Khan.
- Playing a footbal match with the local team: they are ready for it!
- Henna painting
on your hands
- Workshops Nubian cooking
- Music workshops with traditional instruments
(tar, oud, tabla, tambour)
- Or maybe you like to lunch with a Nubian family,
meet the hospitality, the life style and enjoy a delicious meal!
- Camel trips in the desert to the Monastery of Saint-Simeon and enjoy the beautiful view from the hill top of Kubbet al Hawa.
- Horse riding in the area
- A surprising day trip looking for desert foxes
- Bird watching with a professional guide near the first cataract
Places of interest:
There is a lot to discover in and around Aswan!
Under here you find all the sights with a short description:
Tombs of the Nobles
& Kubbet al HawaThe northern hills of the west bank (Kubbet al-Hawa meaning windy dome) are filled with the rock-hewn tombs of princes from the Old Kingdom to the Roman period. The 6th Dynasty tombs, some of which form linked family complexes, contain important biographical texts. Inside, the tombs are decorated with vivid wall paintings showing scenes of everyday life, hieroglyphic biographies and inscriptions telling of the noblemen's journeys into Africa.
Nubian museumIn November 1997, the long-awaited Nubia Museum opened in Aswan. It has been worth the wait as it displays thousands of antiquities that would have been lost under the waters of Lake Nasser had not a major international effort salavaged them during the 1960s and '70s. Also among the highlights are scenes of Nubian life demonstrated with a range of life-size displays.Sited on high ground, the complex com prising the museum building itself, an open-air exhibition, and an open-air theatre is an impressive achievement. The spacious museum building has three floors. The exhibitions represent all stages of Nubian history : Prehistory, the Pharaonic period, Graeco-Roman Period, Christianity in Nubia, Islam in Nubia, and Nubian Folk Heritage.
The botanical gardens on Kitchener IslandKitchner's Island is a botanical garden, filled with exotic plants and trees imported from all over the world. It is a perfect place to spend a lazy afternoon in the shade. The island must be reached by boat, and is located on the other side of Elephantine Island from Aswan. The Island was given to Lord Kitchner for his campaigns in the Sudan, and he moved their and created his garden, importing plants and trees from all over the world.
Elephantine
IslandElephantine Island is the largest of the Aswan area islands, and is one of the most ancient sites in Egypt, with artifacts dating to predynastic periods. This is probably due to its location at the first Cataract of the Nile, which provided a natural boundary between Egypt and Nubia. As an island, it was also easily defensible. In fact, the ancient town located in the southern part of the island was also a fortress through much of it's history. At one time, there was a bridge from the mainland to the island. One of it's main attractions is it's Nilometer. Another major attraction is the ruins of the Temple of Khnum. Don’t forget to visit Animalia. It’s the small museum of guide Mohamed, who collected all kinds of Nubian products and objects from nature around Aswan and Lake Nasser. You’ll find a lot of information about daily life in Nubia and even connections with the history of the pharaohs.
Mausoleum of the Agha KhanThis is the Mausoleum of the spiritual leader of the Ismailis, a Shi'ite sect (as were the Fatimid) based principally in India but with followers around the world. It is a very elegant pink granite structure of late 1950 origin, which also resembles the Fatimid tombs in Cairo. Members of this sect consider themselves to be the direct spiritual descendants of the Fatimid. The Mausoleum has an excellent view, including Aga Khan's white villa below.
Monastery of St. SimeonThe history of the monastery of St. Simeon dates back to the 7th century, and survived long as a Christian stronghold of southern Egypt until destroyed by Saladin in 1173. While still in use it housed 300 monks, and could in addition receive up to 100 pilgrims at a time. The monastery was surrounded by a 10 metre high wall, and doubled as a fortress. Apparently, the monastery did not return to its original use after Saladin's destruction.
The Aswan DamThe Aswan High Dam was designed to control the Nile River. The huge dam controls flooding and stores water for times of drought, it is equipped to provide hydroelectric power. These benefits however do not come without a price tag. When the Aswan Dam was built, the country of Nubia was flooded. The Egyptian government made arrangements for the Nubians to be relocated, but their lifestyle was destroyed.
Unfinished obeliskMuch of the red granite used for ancient temples and colossi came from quarries in the Aswan area. Around these quarries are many inscriptions, many of which describe successful quarrying projects. The Unfinished Obelisk located in the Northern Quarry still lies where a crack was discovered as it was being hewn from the rock.
Abu Simbel;
the world famous temples of RamsesNot only are the two temples at Abu Simbel among the most magnificent monuments in the world, but their removal and reconstruction was an historic event in itself. When the temples (280 km from Aswan) were threatened by submersion in Lake Nasser, due to the construction of the High Dam, the Egyptian Government secured the support of UNESCO and launched a world wide appeal. During the salvage operation which began in 1964 and continued until 1968, the two temples were dismantled and raised over 60 meters up the sandstone cliff where they had been built more than 3,000 years before. Here they were reassembled, in the exact same relationship to each other and the sun, and covered with an artificial mountain.
Temple of Isis on Philae IslandThe Ancient Egyptians built a beautiful and magnificent Temple on this island for the Goddess Isis, but the Temple became submerged after the first Aswan dam was built in 1906, and it was not until the seventies that many nations attempted to save the Temple. All these countries, together with UNESCO, selected a suitable place, but they had to wait until the completion of the High Dam, in 1971, which would stabilize the level of the water around their chosen island..
Kalabsha temple near Lake NasserKalabsha Temple originally built at Kalabsha (Talmis) was moved to its present location at New Kalabsha (Chellal) in 1970, together with other monuments from Nubia, including the Kiosk of Qertassi (Kertassi). Also nearby is Beit al-Wali. It was the largest free-standing temple of Egyptian Nubia and the design of Kalabsha Temple is classical for the Ptolemaic period with pylons, courtyard, hypostyle hall and three room sanctuary.
The double temple of Kom OmboLocated in the town of Kom-Ombo, about 28 miles north of Aswan, the Temple, dating to the Ptolemies, is built on a high dune overlooking the Nile. The actual temple was started by Ptolemy VI Philometor in the early second century BC. The Temple known as Kom Ombo is actually two temples consisting of a Temple to Sobek and a Temple of Haroeris.
Camel market of DarawJust 8 km south of Kom Ombo is the camel market. Sometimes up to 2,000 camels are brought to the market, which is usually liveliest on Sundays. Most of the camels come from the Sudan in caravans up to Abu Simbel.
-
Candid Aswan travel advice
This desert safari is an ideal trip:
* far away from the living world
* alone with the impressive silence of the desert.
Go through this unique experience of immense peace, which will stuck in your mind for a long time.
excl. flight, Incl. transfers, guidance, camels, nights,
meals mentioned in the program.
Excl. visa and entrance fees.
Departure dates 2009:
12 February and 10 October
(min. 4 persons).
The guides are familiar with the desert. They are pleasant and considerate company and love to make that special, relaxed Nubian atmosphere by singing and playing the tambourine.
All together you will be in the desert four days and stay the nights in a comfortable private house at the edge of the desert in a Nubian village (full board).
Day to day program:
Day 1: Arrival
in Aswan. Transfer to a house in the Nubian village Nagh el
Kuba, where you will stay the night during this week.
Day 2: Before we leave for the desert,
we do some cultural sightseeing:
In
the morning we visit the Isis temple on Philae Island and the Kalabsha temple near Lake Nasser with a professional guide.
On the way back we visit the High Dam of Lake Nasser and the Unfinished
Obelisk. Late afternoon we go on board a felucca for a sailing trip by
sunset (famous in Aswan!) We finish the day with a welcome dinner in
restaurant Bet el Kerem.
.
Day 3/6:
After enjoying breakfast on the roof terrace of Bet el Kerem, we
leave for the desert on a camel; the beginning of the safari. We leave southwards.
The next days you will discover the surprising varied desert landscape from south (the Aswan Dam) to north (the Kubaniya district).
Here you will stay one night in a large traditional Nubian house at the edge of the desert.
Day 7: You exchange the desert for the water and the camel for a boat:
a relaxed day sailing, picknick and swimming in the Nile if you like. In the Nubian village Nagh el Kuba dinner is ready.
Day 8: In the morning possibility to do some shopping in the market of Aswan. In the afternoon we visit the Nubian museum. The trip ends with a dinner in Nubian house; a perfect location with marvellous view over the Nile valley and the first cataract.
Marsa Alam used to be a small fishing place. Since in 2001 an international airport was build, the popularity of Marsa Alam is growing fast and is becoming one of the favourites holiday destination in the Red Sea area
Snorkling, diving, opportunity of wachting delfins and - very special! - sea cows makes Marsa Alam a very interesting place. We also organize camel trips and picknicks in the desert area.
Direct flights are possible from several airports to Marsa Alam.
You can flexibly make your own combination trip.
For example:
Book a 15 days flight to Marsa Alam and stay the night there in the Cataract Resort
after your arrival. The next morning you drive by taxi in 4 hours to Aswan.
In Aswan you enjoy a 10 days cultural holiday (see our programs around Aswan) and stay the night in a private house in a Nubian village.
We organize the complete program, which we composed in consultation with you.
The last days you spend in Marsa Alam for a wonderful relaxing beach holiday.
In Marsa Alam we can offer you rooms in the luxe Cataract Resort:
Incl. transfers, assistance, bicycles,
nights, meals during cycling days.
Excl. flight, visa and entrance fees.
Total distance 240 km. Start of the trip:
Individual: daily, min. 2 persons.
Group trip: 24-12-2009; min. 4 persons
A small impression of this unique cycle trip.
You'll experience village life; the pleasant, hospitable atmosphere.
Visit a camel market and the pharaoh temples along the route:
the double temple near Kom Ombo, the temple dedicated to Horus near Edfu.
In Luxor we will visit the world famous Valley of the Kings..
If possible we spend the night in comfortable houses along the route, a few times in a felucca (traditional sailing boat,
which also takes the luggage) and the last night in a hotel in Luxor.
Meals are served in the felucca, which is also keeping your luggage. English speaking guidance is present during the whole trip.
Day to day program:
Day 1:
Arrival in Luxor airport. Transfer to Aswan by car (3,5 hours). We will spend the night in guesthouse
Bet el Kerem (b&b) in the Nubian village Nagh el Kuba on the West bank of the river Nile.
Day 2: Today we will cycle to the Isis temple on the island Philae (partly by boat). On the way back we pass by the "High Dam"; the dam that created Lake Nasser, and we visit the Unfinished Obelisk. In the evening dinner with a Nubian family in the village.
Day
3: Early in the morning we leave by bike from
Aswan to Daraw over the West bank.
We stay the night near Daraw.
Day 4: In Daraw we visit the large camel market in the morning (only on Sundays) which is located on the route between Sudan and Egypt.
continuation day 4:
Afterwards we continue our trip to Kom Ombo, where a unique double temple is located, dedicated to both the falcon god Horus and the crocodile god Sobek.
After visiting the temple we cycle to the village of Faris.
Day 5:
The trip continues from Faris to Edfu (temple from the Old Kingdom, dedicated to Horus.
Day 6: From Edfu to Esna (temple of the god Khnum). From Esna by train to our final destination Luxor, where we will stay the night in a hotel. .
Day
7: In the morning we will visit the world famous Valley of the Kings,
also by bicycle. Later this day occasion to visit the the Luxor temple, museum, temple of Karnak (sound and light show) etc.
Day 8: After breakfast time to do some last shoppings on the market e.g. In the afternoon transfer from the hotel to the airport for the flight back home.
Marsa Alam used to be a small fishing place. Since in 2001 an international airport was build, the popularity of Marsa Alam is growing fast and is becoming one of the favourites holiday destination in the Red Sea area
Snorkling, diving, opportunity of wachting delfins and - very special! - sea cows makes Marsa Alam a very interesting place. We also organize camel trips and picknicks in the desert area.
Direct flights are possible from several airports to Marsa Alam.
You can flexibly make your own combination trip.
For example:
Book a 15 days flight to Marsa Alam and stay the night there in the Cataract Resort
after your arrival. The next morning you drive by taxi in 4 hours to Aswan.
In Aswan you enjoy a 10 days cultural holiday (see our programs around Aswan) and stay the night in a private house in a Nubian village.
We organize the complete program, which we composed in consultation with you.
The last days you spend in Marsa Alam for a wonderful relaxing beach holiday.
In Marsa Alam we can offer you rooms in the luxe Cataract Resort:
Creative painting trip Nubia
Price € 495,-per personIncl. transfers, guidance, nights
and painting materials
. Excl. flight, visa, entrance fees.
The pleasant temperature, the African rest; this atmosphere will give you inspiration to create and develop your own style .
The painting and drawing lessons are suitable for beginners and more experienced painters. The lessons are taught by a professional artist. The surrounding nature is the painting object, with the accent on discovering and strenghtening your own style: working large or small, using heavy or light material, miss out, add, recognizability of the object etc. A process of looking, let go and painting; expressing the painted object your own personal way.
8 days painting trip with artist Joséphine Verbist
Global schedule: painting lessons in the morning on the roof terrace of Bet el Kerem, trips in the afternoon.
First day:
The program starts in Luxor.
Dependent of your arrival time possibility to visit the centre, the Luxor temple or the museum. Bed and breakfast in a hotel on the Westbank.
Second day:
Visit to the Valley of the Kings in the morning. With the late afternoon train we depart for Aswan.
Third day:
The first painting workshop in the morning. After lunch a desert trip by camel, past the Nile river, enjoying the marvellous
views. After the camel trip we take a boat to return to the village where dinner is ready.
Fourth day:
A visit to the temple of Isis on Philae island in the afternoon and to the temple van Kalabsha at the Lake Nasser.
Day off. Optional the possibility to visit he world famous temples of Ramses in Abu Simbel. But discovering the centre of Aswan is a pleasure as well.
Sixth day:
Sailing trip by felluca with visit to Elephantine Eiland, to the pittoresque museum Animalia and to the botanical gardens on Kitchener Island.
Seventh day:
After the painting workshop and lunch we go for a guided walking trip in the Nubian villages on the Westbank, drinking a cup of tea with a Nubian family and enjoying the divers colors:
the green agricultural areas near the Nile, the white-blue houses at the edge of the desert.
Eighth day:
By morning train back to Luxor for the flight back home.
Departure date
Thursday 18 November
2010
Artist
Joséphine Verbist
See the brochure of Joséphine Verbist ( pdf )
Incl. transfers, guidance, nights, full board,
excursions and dance classes.
. Excl. flight, visa, entrance fees
The teachers of the dance and music workshops are all connected to the Aswan cultural centre where they teach and perform regularly. They are well known in Upper Egypt and know diverse Arabic and African
dance and music styles.
Program:
The trip starts in Luxor, where we stay the night in a hotel on the West bank. The next morning we visit the pharaoh temples and tombs in the famous Valley of the Kings. In the afternoon we leave for Aswan by minibus, where we will stay in guesthouse Bet el Kerem.
All the dance classes are on the roof terrass of the guesthouse, with beautiful view over the desert and the Nile.
Every afternoon activities and excursions:
• a camel trip in the desert, to the Monastery of St.Simeon, to the belvedere Kubbet al Hawwa and along the Nile to the Agha Khan Mausoleum.
• a sailing trip by felucca with a visit to the botanical gardens on Kitchener Island,
• a guided bicycle trip into the Nubian villages
• to the Isis temple on Philae island
* Every
day oriental dance and music classes.
* Classes by local musicians teaching several (percussion)
instruments. The dancers teach ghawazee, saidi and nubian dance.
*
Dance party with live music the last evening.
A unique week in which you learn all about the music and dance culture of Upper Egypt!
Suitable for beginners and advanced dancers.
Departure dates in 2010: 18 February and 18 October
incl. transfers, guidance, nights,
meals as mentioned in the program.
- Arrival at Luxor airport. Transfer to a 4* hotel (b&b) in Luxor centre.
- Day trip to the world famous Valley of the Kings in Luxor-West.
- Day off, e.g. to visit the Luxor temple, the museum, the market etc. In the evening a visit to the Sound and Light show in Karnak Temple.
- After breakfast depart for the train to Aswan. Arrival in Aswan after 3,5 hours. Transfer to the Westbank and the house in the Nubian village where you will be staying untill day 14. In the evening welcome dinnner in restaurant Bet el Kerem.
- Camel trip in the desert to the centuries old Monastery of Saint Simeon and to the Mausoleum of the Agha Khan. Lunch with a Nubian family in the village Gharb-Sehel.
- Bicyle day on the Westbank, a wonderful divers trip past the green agricultural areas, the Nile river, the Nubian villages and the desert
- Day off, e.g. to visit Aswan centre, the market, the modern Nubian museum and to relax (if you like in a swimming pool of one of the hotels).
- Visit to the Nubian temples: the Isis temple on Philae island and the Kalabsha temple. On the way back we pass the "Unfinished Obelisk" and the High Dam of Lake Nasser (the biggest reservoir of Africa).
- 2 days trip by felucca meals and night in the boat. To Daraw, where we visit the camel market and to the double temple in Kom Ombo.
- Second day of the felucca trip. At the end of the day we return to the Nubian village.
- Day off.
- 1 day sightseeing Aswan by motorboat (Kitchener Island, Elephantine Island, Gharb-Sehel) with picknick lunch.
- Daytrip by airconditioned minibus to the famous temples of Abu Simbel, 300 km. south of Aswan.
- With the afternoon train we return to Luxor. One night stay in a hotel.
- Transfer to the airport for the flight back home.
You'll feel like being back in the times of the black pharaoh's! Far away from the rest of the world, sailing from temple to temple.
Climax: the spectaculair complex of Ramses in Abu Simbel. You even have a chance to see
- within a save distance - wild animals like crocodiles and jackals.
After the construction of the Aswan dam in the sixties, the Nubian temples menaced to disappear under the water of the arising reservoir. With international help the temples were replaced to higher parts around the Lake. During this trip you will visit all the temples around the lake, accompanied by a professional guide.
You will stay 6 days (5 nights) on a small safari boat (max. 12 people) on the Lake Nasser.
Program 8 days safari Lake Nasser
Alone with the breathtaking beauty of
Lake Nasser (500 km)and with the rests|
of a centuries-old
rich civilization.
- 1. Arrival at Luxor (or Aswan) airport. After arrival in Luxor: transfer to the train station for journey to Aswan. One night hotel (b&b) in Aswan.
- 2. Boarding and first day on the Lake Nasser. Welcomed by the Nubian boat staff and boarded. Departure and navigation towards Fennec Island. Light lunch during navigation. First stop in the early afternoon in a beautiful creek for a first contact with the desert. Opportunity to swim and discover the island. Later in the afternoon we will continue navigating to the Strait of Abu Stetta. Evening walk at sunset for crocodile spotting. Dinner prepared by our cook and first night under the amazing desert sky.
- 3. On the way to Madiq Breakfast early in the morning on the way to the peninsula of Abu Stetta. Upon arrival, morning trek of around 2 hours into the desert. We will join a beautiful laguna with a large variety of birds. On our track we might also see crocodiles or a monitor lizard. Once back on the boat, navigation towards Madiq, a little stop over on the way in the bay of Sukaar for lunch and a refreshing swim, and a sandy beach. Beautiful evening walk on Madiq for around 2 hours. Dinner and night in Madiq.
- 4. Wadi es Seboua Breakfast and visit of one of our discoveries. Navigation to Wadi es Seboua, the first temple site on the way to Abu Simbel. Visit of the beautiful temples of Wadi es Seboua, Dakka and Maharraqa, which have been saved from the flooding of the lake construction. The Alee of the Sphinx is magical in this desert landscape. After the visit, lunch and further navigation towards Wadi el Arab. Swimming and relaxing, before the evening walk through beautiful sand dune valleys and a splendid end in Wadi el Temsah, in Arabic: the Crocodile bay. Aperitif on the sun deck. Dinner and night in Wadi el Temsah..
- 5. The big dune of Wadi el Arab and Korosko Wake up early in the morning for breakfast and then a desert walk at sun rise. The trek will bring you to the big dune of Wadi el Arab, a magnificent pure sand dune that plunges into the Lake Nasser. At the end of the dune you will find beautiful sandy beaches and your home base, the boat. Continuation in the direction of Korosko for lunch, swimming, fishing and relaxing. Light afternoon trek in Korosko. Then, navigation towards the Amada region, stop over in El Marsan. Dinner and night in a creek near to the temples of Amada.
- 6. Amada and Kasr Ibrim Early wake up. Light breakfast (coffee, tea and cake) and then walk at sunrise to the temple site of Amada. Visit of the 2 temples and 1 tomb: Amada, Derr and the tomb of Pennout. The paintings of these temples are in a very good condition. The boat will meet you after the visit. Breakfast while navigating across the lake to Kasr Ibrim, the fortress and the only cultural site that has not been displaced from its original site. Visit of Kasr Ibrim before swimming in front of the fortress. Lunch and relaxation. Navigation to Toshqa East in the Nubian Desert. On the way there are thousand of islands and a new landscape appears. Evening walk in Toshqa. Once we meet our boat again, we will navigate across the lake to Besharia Island for the last night. Aperitif and dinner in a lovely creek.
- 7. Last day on the lake and visit of Abu Simbel, UNESCO World Heritage Breakfast and then last morning trek across the Besharia Island surrounded by a moon like landscape. Many beautiful black Milan and other hawks will follow us on the way. The trek will end on top of a dune overlooking a stretched sandy beach with crystal clear water. There will be time for a last swim, enjoying the beach, fishing or just relaxing. After lunch we will depart towards the famous temple of Abu Simbel. After disembarking, visit of Abu Simbel and the temple of Nefertari, Ramses II preferred wife. In the afternoon transfer by private bus in a convoy from Abu Simbel back to Aswan, around 21/2 h drive. Check-in at your hotel. End of the cruise.
- 8.
By morning train back to Luxor for your flight back home.
Price € 699,- p.p. Included : all related transfers from/to boat and convoi back/to Abu Simbel, full pension incl. bottled water coffee tea, lake licence & taxes
Not included: flights, entrees to temples on lake & Abu Simbel, tips for the boat crew approx. LE 100.- / passenger, hotel and flight, alcoholic beverages on board.
Do you like to stay in Aswan for a while? We organize with pleasure your accommodation and trips.
Price € 399,-
p.p (excl. flight).
incl. transfers, assistance, nights,
meals as mentioned in the program.
Start: daily (at least 2 participants)
- Arrival at Luxor airport; transfer to the railway station for the train to Aswan, where you will arrive 3,5 hours later. By taxi to the Nubian house on the Westbank where you will stay the night.
- Camel trip in the desert to the centuries-old monastery of Saint Simeon and to the Mausoleum of the Agha Khan. Lunch with a Nubian family in the village Gharb-Sehel.
- Start of the 3 days bicycle trip, through the villages and past the green agricultural areas along the Nile.
It look likes time stood still after the pharaonic period, looking at the farming methods. We stay the night in a private house near Daraw.
- In the morning we visit the famous camel market. In the afternoon we continue our bicycle trip in the direction of Kom Ombo, where we will visit the unique double temple.
- The bicyle trips ends in Edfu, where we visit the Horus temple.
- We take a minibus for the last part of the route to Luxor. On the way we visit moreover we visit the temple in Esna. We stay the night in a 3* hotel in Luxor. In the evening we visit the sound and light show in the temple Karnak.
- Opportunity to visit the famous temples on the Westbank (Valley of the Kings), the Luxor museum or the temple in Luxor centre.
- Transfer to Luxor airport for the flight back home.
A varied active program, with a 3 days cycle trip
to Daraw, Kom Ombo and Edfu among other things.
The are several pharaoh temples along the route
which we all visit during this trip, as well as one of the
largest camel markets in Africa (near Daraw).
Moreover we'll put you in contact with the
several music styles of the Nubian and Saidi population in the area
During the flexible 3 days bicycle trip you will stay the night alternately in a house along the route and in a felucca on the Nile.
All meals are arranged during the trip. We cycle about 30 km a day.
(excl. flight, incl. nights, transfers, assistence)
First day:
Arrival in Aswan; sightseeing trip in Aswan centre and over the new, modern bridge that contacts the Westbank with the Eastbank, to the Nubian village.
Second day:
Excursion to the Isis temple on Philae Island, to the High Dam of Lake Nasser and to the Unfinished Obelisk
Third day:
Cycling-tour on the Westbank: the villages, the desert roads and the agricultural areas along the Nile
Fourth day:
Day off, e.g. to take the ferry to Aswan centre: a visiting the market, the Nubian museum, the floating restaurants etc.
Optional: a day trip to the world famous temples of Ramses in Abu Simbel
Fifth day:
A very relaxed sailing day on a felucca, with visits to the botanical gardens on Kitchener Island and to Elephantine Island
Sixth day:
A camel trip in the desert to the centuries old Monastery of Saint Simeon. en to the Mausoleum of the Agha Khan.
Lunch on "Nubian beach" Barber,and visit to the Nubian village Gharb-Sehel.
Seventh day:
Last day; no program, time to do some shopping etc.
Participants for the 10 days program go on board the felucca for a 3 days sailing trip.
Seventh day:
We sail to Daraw and visit to the camel market
Eighth day:
Sailing to Kom Ombo, and visit the unique double temple
Ninth day:
Slowly we sail back to Aswan
Tenth day:
Last day; no program, time to do some shopping etc.
(excl. flight, incl. assistence, transfers, nights)
Day to day program 8 days walking trip:
- Arrival in Luxor (or Aswan). After arrival in Luxor, we arrange your train ticket and transfer to the railway station.
The train to Aswan takes 3,5 hours. On the way you'll get a first impression of the beauty of the country.
Transfer from the train station to a private house in a Nubian village, where we stay the night.
- In the morning we leave by motor boat for the Nubian village Gharb-Sehel.
From here the walking trip starts: we follow the riverbank, pass by the Mausoleum of the Agha Khan and continu to walk in the desert.
There we find (behind the Tombs of the Nobles) remainders of an obelisk.
And we visit the Monastery of Saint Simeon from the 6th century. In the tent of Mohamed the camel man we have a lunch.
- Visit (by taxi and motor boat) to the cultural highlights around Aswan: the Nubian pharaonic temples: the Isis temple
on Philae island
and the Kalabsha tempel at the Lake Nasser. On the way back we will see the High Dam, that created the largest reservoir in Africa,
and the "Unfinished Obelisk".
Later in the afternoon there is time to visit the Nubian museum, from which you'll get a good impression of thousands of years of Nubian history. The market in Aswan centre is nice to visit as well, and probably have dinner in one of the floating restaurants on the Nile.
- We continue the walking trip from the tent of Mohamed. We walk northward to Bet el Nubie, a large traditional Nubian house with court,
The trip goes in the desert, near the Nile and through the Nubian villages. In Bet el Nubie we will dinner and stay the night.
- From Bet el Nubie we walk to the village Kubaniya; the same walking pattern as the day before: partly in the desert,
near the Nile and through the villages. In Kubaniya we'll stay the night.
- By bicycle we return in Nagh el Quba in half a day. In the afternoon there is enough time left to go to Aswan if you like and do some last shoppings. Or it's a nice opportunity to do a felucca trip on the Nile (by sunset). We stay the night in a house in the village Nagh el Quba
- No program. Optioneel is a day trip to the world famous temples of Ramses in Abu Simbel. Or a relaxed day in one of the hotel swimming pools in Aswan.
- By morning train back to Luxor (or continue your stay in Aswan) for the flight back home.
Price €
519,-
per person, excl. flight,assistence, nights, transfers and
meals as mentioned in the program.
Excl. entrance fees.
Departure date 2009: 12 November
Discover Egypt with your soul and become closer to yourself!
We will meditate in the
Isis temple on Philae island, like the priests and pharaoh’s did centuries ago, to become clean with theirselves again and regain new spirit.
- Arrival in Luxor. Staying the night in a hotel in Luxor.
- Excursion with a guide to the world-famous temples in the Valley of the Kings, where we will meditate as well.
- We leave for Aswan by morning train, where we will arrive 3,5 hours later. Welcome dinner in restaurant Bet el Kerem. We will stay the night in a private house in a Nubian village on the Westbank untill the sixth day of the trip.
- Today we will make a special camel trip along the Nile and in the desert,
with visit to the 6th century Monastery of Saint Simeon.
Lunch in a Nubian restaurant in the area. Back to the village a by boat langs de eilanden in de Nijl.
- A very relaxed day sailing on a felucca. On the way we visit Elephantine Island, the botanical gardens on Kitchener Island and the Nubian village Gharb Sehel. Lunch on "Nubian beach" Barber.
- Excursion to the temple of Isis on Philae island, where we take time for a meditation. On the way back we visit the High Dam and the Unfinished Obelisk
- Today we return to Luxor by train. In Luxor we have time to visit sights like the Luxor temple, the Karnak temple, the Luxor museum, the market etc. We stay the night in a hotel in Luxor
-
Time in the morning to do a boat trip, visit some sights or do some last shoppings. In the afternoon transfer to the airport for the flight back home.
The god Isis,
with in her hand the Ankh;
symbool of life.
De god Isis is one of the most important goddess in the Egyptian mythology, a typical Mother goddess and symbol of fertility.
At first Isis was worshipped in the Nile Delta;
later she got her own temple on Philae island
This trip is being organized in cooperation with the organisation KEY OF LIFE;
specialized in spiritual Egypt travel. Annemarie Hoogenboom guides the spiritual workshops. In the Netherlands she
gives courses intuitive development and has her own natural healing practice since more than 15 years:
the Ankher.