 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
| Tours
By Region |
|
|
|
EXPEDITION
TO THE GILF EL KEBIR & THROUGH THE GREAT SAND SEA TO SIWA
A cultural tour of
Egypt
An expedition
into one of the last white spots on the map – to the fossilized whales
in Wadi Heitan, through the wonderland of the White Desert and into the valleys
of Jebel Uwaynat. The Gilf el Kebir with its Neolithic rock drawings and
a breathtaking journey through the Great Sand Sea, which brings us to Siwa
oasis as a finale!
Day 01: Arrival
Arrival at Cairo Airport, assistance and transfer to ho-tel. Check in time starts
from 1500 hrs.
Over-night: Grand Pyramids Resort (D)
Day 02: Kairo - Fayum - Wadi Rayan -Wadi Heitan
Departure by jeep to Fayum, an oasis that was cultivated during the reign of
the pharaohs. Proceed to Wadi Rayan, where a branch of the Nile pours into
the Qarun lake, and then to the National Park of Wadi Heitan. The fossilized
bones
of ancient sea mammals have given the area its name of “Valley of the Whales”.
Overnight: Tent (B, L, D)
Day
03: Wadi Heitan - Baharija – White Desert
After arrival in Baharija drive through the picturesque palm groves of the oasis
and stroll through the town of Bawiti. Afterwards proceed to the White Desert.
Overnight: Tent (B, L, D)
Day 04: White desert – Farafra - Dakhla
In the morning two hours walk through the White Desert
near Wadi Mushroom and its famous mushroom-shaped rocks,
with enough opportunities to linger and take photos. Afterwards
drive to Farafra, visit to the local museum. You will have
the possibili-ties to bathe in the springs. After lunch
drive to Dakh-la and visit to the old town of El Qasr with
its covered walkways and carved doors.
Overnight: Einfacher Lodge, Dakhla (1 night) (B, L, D)
Day 05: Dakhla – Gilf el Kebir
After breakfast the adventure begins – the jeeps
leave Dakhla and go towards the Gilf el Kebir. After
hours of adventurous driving the camp is set up at the
eastern
flank of the plateau.
Overnight: Tent (B, L, D)
Day 06: Jebel Uweinat – Karkur Talh
At first the route passes an ancient volcanic area, the
Clayton craters which were formed by gas eruptions. Then
we leave the Gilf area behind and go south. In the Karkur
Talh or “Acacia Valley“ we enter the area
of the Gebel Uwainat. Exploring the wadis with 4x4 approaching
the most formidable mountain, the Uweinat is made of
some
of the oldest rock in Africa and straddles the borders
of Egypt, Libya and Sudan. In Egypt the nearest water
is a well 300 kms away!
Overnight: Tent (2 nights) (B, L, D)
Day 07: Karkur Talh
This day is dedicated to the exploration of the area
and its rock drawings. In the 1930’s Winkler recorded
the rock drawings here - the first prehistoric rock drawings
ever found in this part of the Sahara. Situated roughly
at the centre of the most arid area, its height is sufficient
to capture a little precipitation from the summer monsoon
clouds of the Sahel belt that occasionally reaches this
far north. These rains are very infrequent, the last
one was recorded in September 1998, and probably as much
as
10-15 years may pass without rain. However even this
little rain is sufficient to allow some vegetation and
wildlife
in the larger valleys. (B, L, D)
Day
08: Karkur Talh – Wadi Sura - Aqaba
Today we turn north again and pass the hills of Peter
and Paul, ancient volcanoes that are a geologist’s heaven,
and then to Wadi Sura in the western Gilf el Kebir. There
we approach one of the highlights of the tour – a
cave with Neolithic rock paintings depicting game, domestic
animals and humans, among them the famous picture showing
swimmers that was first discovered by Count Almassy.
Afterwards the tour leads up by the pass of Aqaba on
to the plateau.
Overnight: Tent (B, L, D)
Day 09: Aqaba - Wadi Abdel Malik
From the western escarpment one has a singularly beautiful view. A steep descend
through El Monod pass leads to Wadi Abdel Malik, where Almassy wanted to locate
the mythical oasis of Zarzoura. This valley also has some prehistoric rock drawings.
Night camp in the 100 km long wadi.
Overnight: Tent (B, L, D)
Day 10 -12: Great Sand Sea
Three days of adventurous driving through the Great Sand
Sea are one of the highlights of the tour. Single dunes
combine to an endless Sea of Sand.
Overnight: Tent (B, L, D)
Day 13: Siwa Oasis
The last part of the tour through the sand sea and then
entrance into Siwa oasis, the most remote oasis of the
Western Desert.
Overnight: Siwa Paradise Hotel, 1 night (B, L, D)
Day 14: Siwa
- Matruh
Sightseeing in Siwa: after a stop at the baths of Cleopatra we proceed to the
old acropolis of Shali, then to the famous temple of Amun and the temple of
pharaoh Amasis, and to Gebel Mawta with its rock tombs. Afterwards drive to
Marsa Matruh on the Mediterranean coast.
Overnight: San Giovanni Hotel, 1 night (B, L, D)
Day 15: Matruh - Alamein – Alexandria - Cairo
Early morning departure on the coastal road, passing el Alamein. In Alexandria
short city tour, then proceed to Cairo.
Overnight: Grand Pyramids Resort, 1 night (B, L, D)
Day 16: Departure
Transfer to Cairo airport and final departure. Check out time is by 1100 hrs.
(B)
Departure
Dates
|
2008
English Speaking Departures
May 03 & 17, Sep 13 & 27,
Oct 11 & 25, Nov
08 & 22,
Dec 06 & 20
2009
English
Speaking Departures
Jan 03 & 17, Feb 07 & 21, Mar 07 & 21,
Apr 04 & 18, May 02 & 16
|
Inclusions
|
| Tour
Price Includes |
Tour
Price Does Not Include |
| Hotel
Accommodation as mentioned or similar including hotel taxes |
Any
Airfares |
| Meal
Plan as mentioned (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner) |
Departure
Taxes |
| All sightseeing and transfers |
Travel
Insurances & Visa Fees |
| Services of local English speaking guide |
Beverages
/ Tips |
| Entrance fees |
|
| Necessary permits |
|
|
Tour
Price
|
|
We accept
payment in US $ (US Dollars), CA $ (Canadian Dollars) or
equivalent EURO (for clients outside North America).
Bestway
Tours & Safaris offers conversion rate protection. Once full
payment has been received, and no modification has been made to the
tour itinerary, we will honour that rate.
For complete
payment procedures, please download Bestway_Payment_Info.pdf
Note: to read this file you must have Adobe
Acrobat.
|
| Departure |
Double
Occupancy |
Single
Room Supplement |
| 2008
- 2009 |
US
$ 2980 CA $ 2980 |
US
$ 250 CA $ 250 |
|
Estimated
International Airfare - International
airfare is NOT included in this tour
|
| Canada
- West Coast |
CA
$ 1600 |
USA
- West Coast |
US
$ 1400 |
| Canada
- East Coast |
CA
$ 1400 |
USA
- East Coast |
US
$ 1200 |
|
Participants
|
| This tour
operates on a minimum of 06 and a maximum of 12 participants. |
Notes
|
Customised
Itinerary
If you would like to have a tour on dates other than the above ones
or with a customised itinerary, please contact us and we will be happy
to work out an exclusive program for you.
Foreign Language Departures
Please contact us for information on French, German, Italian and Spanish speaking
departures.
You may e-mail us at bestway@bestway.com or
call us at 604.264.7378. Residents of U.S.A./Canada may call us
toll free at 1.800.663.0844. |
 |
|
|
| © Copyright 1999-2008 Bestway
Tours & Safaris |
Site last updated May 02,
2008 |
| Photographs by Peter
Langer & Mahmood
Poonja |
Site by antoinette |
tours
in Afghanistan, tours
in Algeria, tours
in Antarctica, tours
in Argentina, tours
in Austria, tours
in Bahrain, tours
in Balkans, tours
in Bangladesh, tours
in Belize, tours
in Bhutan, tours
in Bolivia, tours
in Borneo, tours
in Botswana, tours
in Brazil, tours
in Brunei, tours
in Bulgaria, tours
in Burkina Faso, tours
in Cambodia, tours
in Canada, tours
in Caucasus, tours
in Chile, tours
in China, tours
in Colombia, tours
in Cuba, tours
in Cyprus, tours
in Czech Republic , tours
in Ecuador, tours
in Egypt, tours
in England, tours
in Eritrea, tours
in Estonia, tours
in Ethiopia, tours
in Ghana, tours
in Greece, tours
in Guatemala, tours
in Honduras, tours
in Hungary, tours
in India, tours
in Indonesia, tours
in Iran, tours
in Iraq, tours
in Israel, tours
in Jordan, tours
in Kazakstan, tours
in Kenya, tours
in Kuwait, tours
in Kyrgyzstan, tours
in Laos, tours
in Latvia, tours
in Lebanon, tours
in Libya, tours
in Lithuania, tours
in Madagascar, tours
in Malaysia,
tours in Mali, tours
in Mauritius, tours
in Maldives, tours
in Moldova, tours
in Mongolia, tours
in Morocco, tours
in Myanmar, tours
in Namibia, tours
in Nepal, tours
in North Korea, tours
in Oman, tours
in Pakistan, tours
in Papua New Guinea, tours
in Peru, tours
in Philippines, tours
in Poland, tours
in Qatar, tours
in Romania, tours
in Russia, tours
in Saudi Arabia, tours
in Sikkim, tours
in Singapore, tours
in Slovakia, tours
in Southern Africa, tours
in Sri Lanka, tours
in Sudan, tours
in Syria, tours
in Tajikistan, tours
in Tanzania, tours
in Thailand, tours
in Tibet, tours
in Togo, tours
in Tunisia, tours
in Turkey, tours
in Turkmenistan, tours
in the UAE, tours
in Uganda, tours
in Uzbekistan, tours
in Vietnam, tours
in Yemen, tours
in Zambia and tours
in Zimbabwe |
|
|