Alternative Egypt Tour

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With our Socotra tours starting and finishing in Cairo, and our newly added tours of Sudan and South Sudan, we have been getting a lot of requests for an alternative tour of Egypt, and we couldn’t leave you disappointed. Sure, you could go and get swarmed by the hordes of tourists and sellers in Giza or in Luxor, we like to do things differently however, and as such here is our foray into the lesser-seen side of Egypt.

We’ll be exploring the City of the Dead – an impressive neighbourhood composed of old buildings which have been now occupied by the poorer classes of the country. A frenetic hustle and bustle amongst ruins. You’ll also have the opportunity to visit the Garbage City – a slum neighbourhood of the capital literally overrun by trash, an easily overlooked side of our urban, globalised planet.

Obviously a trip to Egypt cannot be complete without visiting any pyramids, so allow us to take you way off the tourist path and explore the rarely seen Bent Pyramid, Red Pyramid and the Pyramid of Djoser. Each with their own unique history and designs.

We’ll spend overnight at a Bedouin camp to give you enough time to explore the White Desert of Egypt. An incredible scenery with a landscape made of white chalk rock formations. If you are going to Socotra or coming from it, this a whole different kind of alien scenery, like nowhere else in the world.

This tour can be booked as a standalone tour or in combined with our Sudan Combo tour.

ITINERARY

Thursday 11th November – Cairo

Arrive at your convenience into Cairo – the capital city of Egypt which is well connected from many countries within Africa, Europe and the rest of the world. If you are coming from our Socotra tour, you can use this day to rest at our centrally located hotel.
If you arrive early and have plenty of energy saved up, you are free to explore Cairo, we’ll definitely head out for some optional exploring of Giza or the National Museum.
Pre-tour meeting will be held at the lobby of our hotel at 8:00pm to discuss tour itinerary and to meet your fellow travellers and YPT guide.
Head out for dinner, drinks and explore the nightlife of Cairo
Overnight in Cairo

Friday 12th November – Cairo Suburbs Morning

After a hearty breakfast, we depart our hotel to spend our day exploring the lesser seen suburbs of Cairo.
Our first stop is the City of the Dead, an ancient necropolis made up of an Arabic cemetery where the less-fortunate of Egypt have settled. Tens of thousands of people live here within mausoleums and tombs. It creates a mixture of bustling living amongst monuments of death. We’ll walk through the neighbourhood as our guide introduce us to the settlers and shares more about the history.
We then head to our next neighbourhood of Cairo, the Garbage city, or Manshiyat Nasser. With the City of the Dead, locals live amongst tombstones, inefficient rubbish collection in Manshiyat Nasser forces people to live amongst the waste. This creates a post-apocalyptic atmosphere and is truly an eye-opener into a different side of our planet.

Afternoon

As we head out of the Garbage city we’ll have a lunch break and sample a traditional Egyptian meal
You’ll then explore the lesser-known pyramids. Our first being the Bent Pyramid – which almost collapsed due to a mistake in its design.
The second pyramid you’ll visit is the Red Pyramid – here we can expect zero tourists, in stark contrast to the most famous of the pyramids.
Finally you’ll explore the Pyramid of Djoser – considered to be the world’s oldest intact pyramid.
Head back into town to visit the citadel of Cairo which is also the location of the Egyptian Military Museum – the official museum of the Egyptian Army.
Return to our hotel for dinner and well earnt rest.
Overnight in Cairo

Saturday 13th November – Cairo – Black Desert – White Desert Morning

Begin our desert expedition and make our way to the White Desert in our 4X4s – the White Desert is located not too far from Cairo and is one of Egypt’s best kept secrets. The scenery here is like nowhere else with white chalk rock formations rising out from the sand formed through erosion by wind and sand.
Stopping on the way at the Oasis of Bahariya – here you can stretch your legs and take in the scenery

Afternoon

We’ll have a local lunch in a small village nearby Bahariya
For us to arrive at the White Desert we must first make our way through the Black Desert – a region of volcano-shaped and widely spaced mounds reaching a height of 100 meters darkened by volcanic action during the Jurassic period 180 million years ago.
Stop and explore Crystal Mountain – a uniquely shaped ridge standing alone in the middle of the desert made entirely of calcite crystal. A bizarre yet beautiful natural formation to gaze upon.
Arrive at the White Desert – just in time for the stunning sunset.
As the evening darkens you will then pick your own Bedouin encampment. The locals here are traditional goat and camel herders. We will feast under the starry sky of Egypt followed by a Bedouin music party.
Overnight in the Bedouin camp

Sunday 14th November – White Desert –Bahariya – Cairo Morning

Wake up in the middle of the desert, and enjoy breakfast as you take in the scenery surrounding you.
Begin exploring the impressive chalk formations of the White Desert with plenty of opportunities for walking and taking photos. There area covers over 300 km2 in total.

Afternoon

Begin making our return to Cairo and stop for lunch at the Oasis of Bahariya.
On arrival we’ll prepare for our farewell feast and enjoy the nightlife.
Overnight in Cairo

Monday 15th November – Cairo

Breakfast at hotel
For those with time to spare it’s possible to explore the Street of Tentmakers.
Tour concludes – airport drop-offs can be arranged according to your flight details – YPT is also able to arrange post-tour accommodation or advice for flights. For members of our Sudan Combo tour you’ll begin making your way to Khartoum, Sudan by flight.

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