Meet and greet at the airport and transfer to your hotel.
The rest of the day is free for you to settle into the hotel and relax after your journey.
Cairo Alexandria Bahariya
- Day 2:
- Drive to Alexandria. City tour
We leave Cairo this morning for a full day tour of the Mediterranean city of Alexandria. The city still has some classic colonial architecture and Roman remains. Pompey’s pillar, and the Catacombs of Kom al-Shoqafa, Fort Qaitbey (built on the site of the ancient Pharos lighthouse) and the impressive new library.
You have a free evening in Alexandria to sample one of the cities many excellent restaurants.
- Day 3: Drive to Siwa via El Alamein & Marsa Matrouh
We leave Alexandria after breakfast and follow the coastal road to El Alamein.
The battle of El Alamein is often described as the most decisive victory of WWII.
Whilst here you will have time to visit one of the commonwealth cemeteries.
Continuing along the coastal road we pass through Marsa Matrouh where we have time for lunch before heading into the Egyptian deserts to Siwa Oasis.
You have the remainder of the evening free to begin exploring intriguing Siwa.
- Day 4: Bicycle tour of Siwa Oasis
Today we take a bicycle tour of Siwa.
The tour is flexible but one of the main highlights is a visit to the Temple of Oracle, where Alexander the Great is said to have once visited.
The afternoon is free for you to continue exploring on your own.
Cairo Alexandria Bahariya
- Day 5: Visit Old Shali, Hill of the Dead & jeep safari
One of the most iconic images of Siwa is the almost otherworldly ‘Hill of the Dead’, which looms over Siwa. Today we visit the Hill of the Dead aswell as Old Shali with its labyrinthine streets. In the afternoon we take a jeep safari out into the Great Sand Sea.
- Day 6: Drive to Bahariya Oasis
We leave Siwa Oasis behind today and drive for around 6 hours to Bahariya, along the way we will make stops to view the desert landscapes. Once in Bahariya you have the remainder of the day free to relax or maybe sample one of the Oasis’s famous hot springs.
- Day 7:
- Oasis Tour. Black and White desert safari
This morning we tour the oasis, visiting several interesting sites including a pyramid shaped mountain.
We then leave Bahariya by 4×4 jeep and start our main desert safari.
This takes us through the Black Desert and past some huge sand dunes and spectacular cliff and sand scenery to the flat expanses of the White Desert, filled with strange rock formations that have been eroded by years of wind and sand.
We make a basic but comfortable camp here and sleep under the stars.
Day 8: Drive through the desert back to Cairo
After breakfast we head back to Cairo.
You should arrive in the afternoon and your have the remainder of the day free.
In the evening we have options to take a dinner cruise on the Nile or view the Pyramids Sound and Light show.
- Day 9:
- Tour ends in Cairo.
- Transfer to the airport
Your time is free today until we transfer you to the airport in time for your flight home.
Tour description
Siwa Oasis has drawn adventurous travelers from around the world for many years, yet it still manages to retain its unique atmosphere and culture.
Our Alexandria and Siwa
is ideal for those who love the desert, or are considering a second visit to Egypt – this tour combines time in Siwa with sightseeing tours in Cairo and Alexandria and an overnight safari in the White Desert between the Bahariya and Farafra Oases.
The tour begins with one night in Cairo, but we can easily add more time here if you’d like to visit the pyramids, sphinx and museum during your trip.
After driving north towards the Mediterranean, your first stop will be at Alexandria.
Named after Alexander the Great,
you will visit the Roman ruins, Catacombs, the modern Library and the
Qaitbay Citadel
Cairo Alexandria Bahariya
which is perched on the site of the ancient Pharos Lighthouse.
Leaving Alexandria behind our journey takes along the coast via El Alamein and Marsa Matrouh and into the desert to the Siwa Oasis itself.
Siwa
remains one of Egypt’s more remote and least accessible Oasis towns and it wasn’t even governed by Egypt until the middle of the 20th century.
The people of Siwa still speak their own language Siwi and their unique culture continues to flourish, despite the influx of tourists passing through.
The town has a rich history which includes a visit from Alexander the Great who came to the oasis in 331 to consult with the Oracle of Amun.
This visit has led many archaeologists to believe that Siwa may be the final resting place of Alexander the Great, though there is no solid proof to support this theory.
Whilst in Siwa
you will explore the ancient and mysterious centre – Shali, visit the Hill of the Dead and enjoy an exciting jeep safari out into the Great Sand Sea.
After plenty of time to explore Siwa we head out into the desert and drive on decent tracks and roads to the
Bahariya Oasis.
Bahariya is famous today for its wine, dates and hot springs.
The oasis also acts as an excellent gateway to the truly unique White and Black deserts.
We take a 4×4 jeep out towards these, and spend a night camping beneath the stars and the unusual rock formations.
Your journey ends with a drive back to Cairo where you will spend your final evening.
Extensions can be added to this tour to explore more of the Egyptian deserts, the Red Sea or to tour the iconic Pharaonic sites along the Nile Valley.