Wednesday 4th January – 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 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

Thursday 5th January – 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

Friday 6th January – 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

Saturday 7th January  – 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

Sunday 8th January – 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.

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