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Southern Soul Trek

12 Day Adventure Aswan & Luxor

Southern Soul trek will take you into the heart and soul of Upper Egypt, where you will immerse yourself in the culture of local villagers, who live within the beautiful countryside along the banks of the River Nile.

Visit Luxor and its fascinating ancient temples and tombs, by donkey and horse and carriage. Experience

TOUR SCHEDULE

€900.00

HIGHLIGHTS

Tour Fact File

ACCOMODATION

Homestay | We have hand picked various hosts in various locations in Egypt to offer homestays and home visit for lunch or dinner. An ideal way to meet the locals and to get the real experience of the communities we visit. Homestays can be staying within a locals home in private rooms or can be staying with a tribal family within their camp, either way standards are high and your are welcomed with the highest form of local hospitality. Meals are prepared with local flavor and allow for you to indulge in traditional dishes cooked by the woman of the house. Guaranteed to be fresh, tasty and abundant.

Multiple Comfort | Our recommend choice for all tours is the Comfort Style, which is generally in a 3* category. This style choice gives you comfortable hotels with good service and facilities, whilst keeping a local appeal. Our aim to to use only locally owned hotels whenever possible on this tour.

TOUR IMPACT ON LOCAL COMMUNITY

Nubian Local Impact | Embah is committed to the elements of responsible & sustainable tourism, working with locally owned Hotels & service providers, employing local drivers & encouraging trips hosted by the locals, all allow for revenue to be distributed directly within the community. Booking this tours or services with Embah you are guaranteed that it has been designed with a sustainable objective.

· Nubian Culture & Traditions | With bordering neighbors Sudan, the Nubia region is abundant in historical reference and also one of the richest Cultures in Egypt. When visiting this region our tours focus on the Local people, their hospitality, their Unique habitats and also their warmth. Choosing a Homestay in Nubia is the ultimate way to see first hand the lifestyle, taste the hearty homemade food and to witness that less means more when it comes to contentment and happiness.
Egypt Local Impact | Embah is committed to the elements of responsible & sustainable tourism, working with locally owned Hotels & service providers, employing local drivers & encouraging trips hosted by the locals, all allow for revenue to be distributed directly within the community. Booking this tours or services with Embah you are guaranteed that it has been designed with a sustainable objective.

· Local Tour Leader Training| Most Egyptian Tour Leaders hold certification from the Syndicate of Tour Guides Egypt, which covers many aspects of the job as a classic tour guide. At Embah we take this training a step further with our In house training course that gives a more in depth and varied teaching, to enable our guides to work & deal in a multitude of regions & tour themes. These include the Eco Desert Guide course, established and funded by The Travel Foundation UK, International Tour Operator Tour Leading Courses, First Aid for both on land and water activities, PADI Snorkel Guide Certification and Healthy & Safety with Tour Risk Assessments.

TITLE

Southern Soul Trek
THEME

Adventure,Culture
STYLE

Comfort
EMBAH CODE

ADV.EG.SST.12
DURATION

4 days, 3 nights
START & END

Aswan
TRANSFERS

All transfers outlined in itinerary.
LODGINGS

3 nights - desert camp
MEALS

3 x Breakfast
4 x Lunch
4 x Dinner
GROUP SIZE

Average of 8 persons

(Min:4Max:12)
PEOPLE

TBC
ACTIVITIES INCLUDED

TBC
PHYSICAL RATING
Easy. May include some short walks or activities.
Easy, with walks or short treks. Activities with full day trips.
Meduim level of fitness required. Treks over 3hrs, climbs. Could involve rustic camping/sailing. Sport (dive, run, bike, yoga) beginner level.
Meduim level of fitness required. treks/activities up to 6hrs. climbs, could involve rustic camping/sailing. Could involve steady moving itinerary. Sport (dive, run, bike, yoga) advance level.
High level of fitness required. Long treks, climbs, rustic camping.
CULTURE SHOCK
Little culture within comfort zone, comfort accommodation throughout.
Some culture just reaching out of your comfort zone. May involve rustic camping or homestay.
Varying cultures. May involve living with local tribes in local villages. Rustic camping and/or homestay
Extreme contrasting cultures living in local communities, rustic camping and homestays.
WHAT TO PACK
- loose cotton/linen clothing
- good walking shoes for trekking
- warm fleece for desert evenings
- sun protection (hat / scarf / sunblock)
- mosquito repellent
- day pack for personal items
- water bottle carrier
- torch / flash light
- modest clothing for homes stays religious areas

Click to Expand

DAY
1Arrive in Cairo

noneComfort Hotel

Welcome to Egypt. Our Embah Tour Leader will be waiting inside the airport on your arrival in Cairo. You will be transferred to the centre of Cairo via private transfer and check in to your hotel. Overnight in Cairo.

DAY
2Giza & Bahariya Oasis

Breakfast, DinnerDesert Camp Western Desert

With a population estimated at eighteen million people, Cairo is by far Africa’s largest city, yet, despite its size, it still manages to retain a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. This morning you check out of your hotel and make your way to Giza, to the west of the city, where the enigmatic Sphinx and great pyramids still stand on the edge of the empty desert overlooking the city. More than 4000 years old, the pyramids are the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that remain intact – a testimony to the ingenuity and skill of their builders. After lunch you start the long drive out into the Western Desert (approx. 5 hours); although it appears bleak and barren at first, it gradually reveals its secrets and wonders as you pass through the wilderness. Arriving in the late evening you head to a fixed camp on the edge of the northern oasis of Bahariya.

DAY
3Black Desert & Pyramid Mountain

Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerDesert Camp Western Desert

Waking in Bahariya you are immediately struck by just how fertile the oasis is, even though you are several hundred kilometres into the Western Desert. It is home to more than 30,000 people who earn a livelihood through the cultivation of dates, olives and by rearing turkeys. You spend the morning exploring the oasis and its environs, including the Black Desert, where, from the top of its dunes, you get a fantastic view of the whole area. You will also enjoy a jeep safari to Pyramid Mountain and the spring of Bir al-Ghaba. Perhaps the best way to discover the quiet little corners of the town is to wander independently - so the afternoon is left free for you to wander and make your own discoveries. This evening you travel into the desert to spend a night camping under the stars. Music plays an important part of the lives of the Egyptian people, and in the evening it is likely you will be able to enjoy the sound of local music after dinner.

DAY
4White Desert Camel Safari

Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerDesert Camp Western Desert

Today you travel deeper into the desert, which, to most people is a harsh wilderness, but the untrained eye is unable to see the clues that its residents leave behind. This is the home of the fennec fox and jerboa, whilst in the sky both vultures and eagles can be seen. You will ride camels in the area known as the White Desert. Here, the forces of sand and wind have sculpted the desert’s limestone outcrops into strange shapes, giving a lunar feel to this hostile environment.

DAY
5Farafra Oasis

Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerDesert Camp Western Desert

Today you will reach the isolated oasis of Farafra, whose inhabitants (population just 2300) are mostly of Sedarin descent. Most earn a living by cultivating apricots, dates and watermelons from the desert soil, as well as, amazingly, figs, mangoes and oranges! The women are well known for the high quality of their embroidery work. On arrival in Farafra, the smallest and most isolated of the oases in the Western Desert, you visit Badr’s Museum; its eccentric displays must not be missed!

DAY
6Al Qasr & Dakhla Oasis

Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerDesert Camp Western Desert

Today you wind your way through unoccupied oases, skirting desert dunes to finally reach the lively oasis town of Dakhla – after approximately 310km (5 hours). En-route you’ll pause to visit the beautiful abandoned town of al-Qasr whose houses are made from sun-dried mud bricks. Streets are narrow, essential in these desert parts, to keep out the sun and sand, blown by the khamsin wind. This was once a Roman settlement and later became the medieval capital of the region.

DAY
7Dakhla Oasis Safari

Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerDesert Camp Western Desert

Once in Dakhla you head out on a 4WD Desert Adventure! Naturally you camp whilst in the desert, which has to be one of the highlights of the trip. As the sun dips below the horizon, and the campfire crackles into life, tea is brewed in the traditional way of the nomadic desert dweller. The crew manages to cook surprisingly tasty meals given the simple and rustic conditions, and it’s wonderful to laze in camp after supper as the sun gives way to the moon and stars.

DAY
8Barris Town & Luxor

BreakfastComfort Hotel

Today, you transfer by 4WD to Baris before driving to Luxor. In the afternoon, it is possible to take an optional sunset felucca cruise on the Nile (additional charge).

DAY
9Luxor Sightseeing

BreakfastComfort Hotel

Your day starts early as you cross the Nile and take to donkeys for an exciting and fun-filled journey to the Valley of the Kings. Following the route of the builders and artisans who built the tombs, you’ll stop to witness sunrise over the Nile, before moving to the valley itself. On reaching the valley you learn from your local guide about the unique treasures that have lain hidden here for centuries. After your visit, and on your way back to the river, you stop at the imposing structure of the funerary temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Egypt’s first woman ruler.In the afternoon you travel by calesh (horse-drawn carriage) to the magnificent Karnak temple, which stands as a testimony to the power, wealth and skill of the ancient Egyptians. Built over a period of 1500 years, the temples here are breathtaking both in size and complexity. Accompanied by your local guide, who helps to explain the intricacies of Karnak, you experience the majesty of the great Hypostyle Hall with its 134 columns, and the beauty of the pink granite obelisk of Queen Hatshepsut. In the evening, board a sleeper train to travel back to Cairo.

DAY
10Karnak Temple

BreakfastOvernight Sleeper Train

In the afternoon you travel by calesh (horse-drawn carriage) to the magnificent Karnak temple. Built over a period of 1500 years, the temples here are breathtaking both in size and complexity. Experience the majesty of the great Hypostyle Hall with its 134 columns and the beauty of the pink granite obelisk of Queen Hatshepsut. In the evening board a sleeper train to travel back to Cairo.

DAY
11Cairo Museum & Khan El Khalili Market

BreakfastComfort Hotel

Arrival in Ramsis station and transer to your Hotel in Cairo. Afternoon, we will visit the famed Egyptian Museum which holds many thousands of exhibits; your local guide will focus on the Tutankhamun collection – probably the world’s greatest archaeological find. You’ll see the treasure found in the tomb of the boy-king: the jewel-encrusted golden mask, the golden sarcophagus and throne, plus many everyday articles, which were entombed with him to be used in the afterlife. In the evening your Group Leader will organise a walk around the Khan al Khalili Bazaar. This is one of the largest bazaars in the Middle East; hundreds of artisans, traders and shopkeepers sell their wares here. It is a great place to soak up the atmosphere of this bustling capital city.

DAY
12Departure

BreakfastComfort Hotel

Transfer from your Hotel in Cairo to CAI international airport for your departure flight.

OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES

SIMILAR TOURS & EXTENSIONS