White and Black Desert Tour From Cairo

Itinerary

• Day 1: Cairo, Arrival

  Arrive in Cairo. Your driver will be waiting to take you straight to your hotel. The rest of the day is for you. Take it easy, or maybe head out for a short walk nearby to get your first taste of Egypt's local life.

  • Cairo

• Day 2: Pyramids of Giza, Egyptian Museum, Khan El Khalili Bazaar

  Kick off your trip in Egypt with its most iconic landmarks! You will explore the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx this morning. Then, back to downtown Cairo to visit the Egyptian Museum, where you can see diverse antiquities. End the day with a stroll at the vibrant Khan el-Khalili market.

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  • Cairo

• Day 3: Cairo - Bahariya Oasis, Black Desert

  Depart for Bahariya Oasis in Egypt's western desert. Arrive after about four hours, you'll visit local villages and hot spring waters for refreshment. Then, explore the Mummies Hall exhibiting golden mummies dating back to the Greco-Roman period, and the Bannentiu Tombs with vibrantly colored wall paintings.

  The highlight of the day is the Black Desert. Take in its rugged terrain blanketed in a layer of black powder formed by erosion, and admire the Crystal Mountain's dazzling quartz crystals.

  Tonight, you'll stay in a comfortable desert camp, with the rhythm of music and the crackling of campfires creating an atmospheric evening.

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  • Bahariya Oasis

• Day 4: White Desert Discovery

  Dedicate this day to admiring the White Desert's otherworldly beauty. With white limestone rocks in various grotesque shapes and sizes, often reminiscent of camels, chickens, tents, and mushrooms, the White Desert is one of nature's greatest masterpieces.

  Take your time to wander around the rock images and capture stunning photos with the beautiful white limestone as a backdrop, before returning to the camp for an evening at leisure.

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  • Bahariya Oasis

• Day 5: Dakhla Oasis, Ancient Temples & Tombs

  This morning, take a short drive to Farafra Oasis, where swaying date palms and earthen Bedouin houses evoke images of a serene haven in the desert.

  Move on to Dakhla Oasis. En route, visit the Deir El-Hagar Temple, mainly dedicated to the Theban triad Amun, Mut, and Khonsu, and the Al-Muzawaka Tombs depicting ancient Egyptian social and religious life through colorful frescos. Later, ramble around the picturesque El Qasr village to gain insight into the local lifestyle.

  This evening, soak up Dakhla Oasis's unique ambiance from the hotel's terrace, with a canopy of stars twinkling overhead.

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  • Dakhla Oasis

• Day 6: Kharga Oasis Exploration

  Your desert adventure continues as you head further east to Kharga Oasis, visiting two small towns, Balat and Bashandi, on the way for a taste of local life.

  Arriving in Kharga Oasis after around four hours, visit the El Zayyan village, and the Christian necropolis of El Bagawat, where you'll find mud-brick funerary chapels with more than a millennium of history.

  Afterward, visit the Temple of Hibis dedicated to a local form of the god Amun, and the ruins of Temple of Nadura offering a stunning sunset panorama from its hilltop location.

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  • Kharga Oasis

• Day 7: Kharga Oasis - Luxor, Temple of Luxor, Karnak Temple

  After breakfast, you will be driven to Luxor, one of the world's greatest open-air museums. Today, you will visit two of the most impressive temples in Egypt. The first is the Temple of Luxor, adorned with colossal statues and intricate hieroglyphs. Then, you will be awestruck by the Karnak Temple. It is the largest temple complex in Egypt, where the Avenue of Sphinxes leads to the heart of this sacred site.

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  • Luxor

• Day 8: Valley of the Kings, Queen Hatshepsut, Colossi of Memnon

  The highlight of this day is the famous Valley of the Kings, where Egypt's most powerful pharaohs were buried. Inside the tombs, you can marvel at the vivid frescoes and learn the stories they keep from your experienced guide.

  Next, you will step into the beautiful Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut. Before today's exploration comes to an end, capture some pictures of the imposing Colossi of Memnon, the enigmatic sentinels of Amenhotep III's temple.

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  • Luxor

• Day 9: Luxor - Cairo, Departure

  This morning, enjoy some leisure time in Luxor before flying back to Cairo for the connection to your home or the next stop on your journey.

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