Egypt Tours- Holidays and Vacation Packages

Egypt has long been an African vacation spot, ever since Thomas Cook escorted his first Egypt tour in 1969 thereby inventing long - haul Egypt vacation package tourism. No other country is more stuffed with monuments and antiquities, all the more astonishing when you realize that 96 percent of Egypt is desert, relieved only by the Nile valley and its delta.

Egypt as one of the world’s oldest continuous civilizations, is rich in history and presents an astonishing sweep through five millennia: Three thousand years of pharaoh rule prepared by Assyrian, Persia and Greek invasions, and followed by Roman, Byzantine and Arab conquests, and colonization by Turkey, France and Britain. The most famous pharaonic sights are the pyramids of Giza, the sphinx which are considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, valley of the kings and Kamak. But these are just a tiny fraction of what can be seen. Among the country’s later wonders are some of the world’s oldest churches, with the World’s ‘oldest university’ unearthed in Egypt CAIRO.

Egypt has a lot to offer and our list of attractions below only scratches the surface.
Antiquities aside, there are other treasures to lure travelers, too – luxurious Nile cruises, camelback desert adventures, oasis, Red Sea beaches and coral reefs, isolated monasteries. Egypt truly offers an unforgettable holiday experience.

Egypt’s Attractions And Places To Visit

The pyramids of Giza and Sphinx are just outside downtown Cairo. The Great Pyramid of khufu, the only survivor of the seven wonders of the world, flanked by two other pyramids and the sphinx. The sheer size and geometric precision of the monuments including their astronomical alignment, have long led to theories about their hidden meaning, powers and their architects with some even claiming that they must have been built by beings from outerspace.

Cairo is Africa’s biggest metropolis and even the pyramids and sphinx aside, Cairo is a place still worth spending time in. In spite of a population of over 14 million, the visitor to Cairo will find it surprisingly gentle. It can however look about chaotic at times for a foreigner but it has a great feel. Apart from Giza, the indisputable highlight is the Egyptian Antiquities Museum. Even if you’re not a fun of museum’s don’t miss this one – It has some of mankind’s most beautiful creations among its 130,000 exhibits. Most famous among these is the golden funerary mask of pharaoh Tutankhamen. Travelers are often surprised to find that the heart of the city itself is also a museum, especially of Islamic times- there are architectural masterpieces at every turn, including visitable mosques. Close at hand, too, are the ever – entertaining souks of khan el-khalili.

Dakhla oasis A custer of oasis, gardens and lakes, Dakhla is life for fourteen settlements. The oldest and most memorable, with well-preserved traditional architecture, is the village of Al-Qasr, deliciously positioned amid pink dune-draped mountains. Despite having been largely abandoned. Al-Qasr’s old town – dominate by a cylindrical twelfth – century minaret – remains intact, and conceals many a photogenic nook and cranny. Dakhla’s other attractions include romantic Qalamoun village and its improbable desert lakes, the Muzawaka Tombs dug out of a table-top mountain, and the diminutive Egyptian Roman temple or Deir el-hagar, which became a Coptic monastery.

Egypt’s Valley of the Kings Halfway down the Egyptian Nile, Luxor (meaning “the palaces:”) was ancient Thebes, capital of Egypt’s New Kingdom in the second millennium BC. An obscene profusion of pharaonic temples and tombs are found within a few kilometers of town, mostly famously at Kamak and in the valley of the kings. The latter was where generations of pharaohs excavated their tombs; the most famous is that of Tutankhamen, which was opened in 1922 after 3274 years in darkness. Most of its treasures are housed in Cairo’s national museum, though the pharaoh’s mummy and innermost gold coffin are still in situ. Dozens of other tombs can also be visited, many lavishly decorated with hieroglyphs and cosmological scenes.

Karmak While the valley of the kings is all about decoration, in kamak it was size that mattered-its temples, arranged into three precincts, were built to gargantuan scales to house the gods. The most impressive is the colossal temple of Amun, with its bulging columns and even more portly statues, but there are plenty more temples besides, less visited but no less imposing, including those of Khonsu and Ramses III, an impressive avenue or ram-headed sphinxes.

Gilf Kebir For dedicated desert rats, a day to an oasis may not be enough. For those interested, desert  excursions and expeditions are possible, both in the Sinal and west of the Nile. Kebir plateau in the Uwaynat Desert, with its evocation World War II wrecks and prehistoric rock art. The most famous painting are in the cave of the swimmers, discovered by Laszlo Ede Almassy – who became the main character in the English Patient.

Red Sea holidays Hot and dry all year round, the Sinai Penisula has Egypt’s best beaches and superlative snorkeling and diving. Sharm El-Sheikh and adjacent Na’ama Bay are brashest and plushest. Dahab is gradually moving upscale, but for now remains the backpackers’ destination. Viable targets for day-trips include ancient Christian churches and Mount Sinai.\r\n\r\nOther Places To visit

Alexandria This venerable Mediterranean port has long been crossroads of civilizations, and it was only natural that its library – long since destroyed – was the classical world’s greatest. Until the 1952 Revolution, Alexandria was a cosmopolitan town, with sizeable communities from all around the Mediterranean. While it has lots glitter and sparkle, its still charming in the way that dignified old ladies can be, and many ways it is easy – going nature makes it a mirror for Egyptian society in general. Attractions include an excellent Greco-Roman museum, the ruins of cleopatra’s palace, nice beaches, and an architecturally dazzling new library, which contains several more museums and a planetarium.

Awan and Abu Simbel Egypt’s “Gateway to Nubia”, Aswan has laid-back and distinctly African feeling, and its beautiful river islands, classic sailing excursions by felucca, attractive bazaars and good restaurants may entice you to stay longer than you intended. Though its monuments may pale in comparison to say, Luxor’s they’re still worth visiting – and it would be a shame to miss out on Ramses II’s spectacular Sun Temples at Abu Simbel, which were shifted to higher ground in the 1960s to avoid inundation after the construction of the Awan High Dam.

Dahshur pyramids Less famous than Giza’s but no less fascinating, and far less crowded, are the pyramids of Pharaoh Snefru. The Bent pyramid, in which the pharaoh lies, has a distinctive angled top, a last-minute change after the pyramids sides proved top steep to hold their weight.

Nile Cruises -Nile Cruise are a great way to see many of the Nile valley’s most famous sights.

Fayoum oasis Supporting over two million inhabitants, this impressively green expanse is Egypt’s largest oasis and would be recommended unreservedly were it not for the lack of desert to cross to get there, as access is via the Nile. In addition to fabulous oasis gardens and surreal lakes, attractions include pharaonic temples and monuments galore..

Siwa oasis A series of gardens, lakes and settlements, each with its individual charm, Siwa has a history dating back to palaeolithic times. Its oracle was consulted by Alexander the Great, and there are plenty of ruins from pharaonic times. More recent remains include the mud-brick town of Shali, destroyed by rain 1926. Also worth seeing soft rock is punctured by hundreds of tombs many richly painted.

Egyptian Festivals

Egypt’s has a rich Christian heritage and dozens of localized and Coptic Christian religious dates are celebrated in addition to the standard Islamic festivals. Many are moulid pilgrimages, associated with particular saints and places. They’re good times to hear traditional music, sample culinary delicacies, and simply blend in with the crowds. The Nile Delta town of Tanta is the scene for Egypt’s biggest pilgrimage, the festival of Sayid Ahmed al-Badawl in October. The event is an eight day affair around the tomb of a thirteen centuryfounder of the Sufi Bdadwiyya order, attracting a huge crowd each year.

Flights, And Ways in and out of Egypt.

The main international airports are Cairo and Alexandria; there are also charter flights from Europe to the Sinai Penisula, Overland transport connects with Israel and Libya, Sudan is linked with Egypt by Nile steamer.

Egypt Tour And Vacation packages

Cairo Express Tour - 4days/3nights Egypt tour Starting cairo, visits to the pyramids, sphinx including a nile cruise. US$ 379/person.

Egypt Nile Cruise Tour - 8days/7nights Egypt tour Starts from Cairo you visit the Egyptian museum go for a nile cruise, pyramids, valley of the kings, sphinx, finally you are transfered by sleeper train back to Cairo. US$ 897/person.

Abu Simbel Trip - 9days/8nights Egypt tour Pick up Cairo. US$1125/person.

Highlights Of Egypt - 9days/8nights Egypt vacation tour. US$1055/person.

Mystries Of Egypt - 9days/8nights Egypt Vacation tour US$ 1295/person.

Egypt Safari with Petra Extension - 12days/11nights Egypt Jordan tour. US$ 2020/person.