Q.E.A. GUEST 3771

First Draft

As requested your proposed itinerary for the Cairo Adventure . Please take the time to read through the itinerary and make notes on any further adjustments or corrections. please click on the email link at the bottom of the page to send us a direct email concerning your proposed Adventure.

Day 1: 2nd. An early start as your Air con min bus and driver will be awaiting you outside the Talisman Hotel accompanied by your Egyptological Guide and Little Mo. From there you will proceed to the Temple complex of Saqqara. This archaeological site is one of the richest in Egypt, presenting us with a huge amount of reference material and artifacts. There is much to see at Saqqara , so the Adventure will take most of the morning. We suggest that if your daughter is feeling either tired or a little 'Pyramid Out' as we call it, then a break can be taken by visiting the Museum which has just be newly opened. There you can take in some light refreshments in the cafe situated next to the museum. I'm sure all will be well. So to start with , we suggest the following areas of interest to be visited at Saqqara in this sequence as to provide you and your family with an amazing insight of this wonderful site.

a) The Pyramid of Pharaoh Teti I 6th Dynasty 2345BC - 2323BC

b) The Tomb of Mereruka ( son in law to Pharaoh Teti I )

c) The Tomb of Ankh-ma-Hor (The Physicians tomb, due to the relief work carry images of routine operations)

d) The Pyramid Complex of Pharaoh Djoser 3rd Dynasty 2667BC - 2648BC

e) The Pyramid of Pharaoh Unas 5th Dynasty 2375BC - 2345BC

f) The Various Tombs that surround the Pyramid of Unas and Djoser

g) The Newly Appointed Museum of Saqqara

h) Full Scale Model of Pharaoh Djoser Pyramid Complex

Now, there's a lot there to take in, hence I suggested a possible mid way break. I have given you there a broad sweep of the Site which will make an excellent introduction to your entire Egyptian Adventure as a basis for all the other sites you will encounter during your explorations.

After Saqqara, we would suggest you take a break for lunch at one of the restaurants that sit nestled amongst the Palm trees that lead up to the whole site. If you leave Saqqara and continue there is little else to choose from other than large touristy buffet meals. A one of the local restaurants you can have a freshly prepared meal in a beautiful tranquil setting without bus loads of tourists. Most of the smaller cafes & restaurants in Egypt are frequented by the individual tourist and or small parties of tailor made tours such as ours. Only on rare occasion do we recommend that you go off the beaten track to eat, and then, only if we have personally eaten there ourselves would we even begin to recommend the food. We do not want you falling ill on your first day in Egypt.

Following on from Lunch, a short drive will transport you and your family to your next destination, the Pyramids of Dashur. This site is rarely visited by tourists, especially those in great numbers herded around in their luxury coaches. There are 2 pyramids to visit here, the Bent Pyramid & The Red Pyramid, both built by Pharaoh Sneferu 4th Dynasty 2613BC - 2589BC. Due to the isolated nature of this site and the fact that is has only been recently opened by the S.C.A. for general public, it lacks the usually amenities. This, however, only adds to its appeal in our opinion. After finishing at Dashur, we would recommend a break from sight seeing till the early evening. After a relaxing, change of clothes and a good shower to remove all the dust and sand, your air con mini bus and Little Mo await you outside the Talisman to transfer you to old part of Cairo to explore the area known as Khan el Khalili. Now, most tourists stay to the bazaars and coffee shops of the souk, but there is much much more to see and experience. Walking around the back streets will give you an opportunity to witness first hand what Cairo is really like and see for yourself why Egyptian prefer to shop and do business after the sun goes down. This is not only for the comfort of the cooler evenings, but also because more people are actually awake after sleeping during the day, which is a very common practice here in Egypt (especially during the summer months). Only mad dog's and Englishmen go out in the mid-day sun as the saying goes. After an evening meal you will be looking forward to those beds and a good nights rest.

Day 2: 3rd. An early start to the day, Little Mo and your Egyptological Guide will be waiting for as yesterday outside the Talisman hotel to transfer you all to the Egyptian Museum. The Egyptian museum, some might say, should be in a museum itself, but I personally love it. It's very rare these days for the general public to be so up front and close to truly ancient antiquity and the Egyptian Museum offers this at every step you take. The Museum is laid out in such a way that you literally do walk through time as you wander from room to room representing the various different dynasties as you go. Be sure to take you time, there is so much to see there, that it can become quite a ordeal to look through it all, but please just take your time, and enjoy. If I may suggest, it is worth its weight in gold if you purchase a guide book to the museum upon entry. The bookshop is situated directly inside the main museum's doors and the book will give you accurate detailed descriptions of the artifacts, which you will be able to refer to at a later date when viewing other sites during your other Adventures in Egypt. There will just be enough time to enjoy a cup of coffee or tea at the Museum cafe located to the left of the main doors, it is rarely used by tourists in general as many are persuaded by their guides to wait till afterwards, but I have enjoyed many a cup watching the various groups walk by and participated in some hefty discussions in there, defiantly worth stopping at , especially before heading off to the airport for your internal flight to Luxor.

Day 3: 11th. It actuallyworks quite well that your flight arrives mid morning, since this gives us an opportunity to arrive at Giza in time to arrange a private viewing of the Great Pyramid of Cheops, for just you and your family, no tourists, not one!! (This is dependant if the Pyramid has not already been booked for this day). Afterwards, I would suggest, if you still have the stamina after all your other Adventures, to take the time to walk around the pyramids on foot. You will see so much more than form a bus window or the back of horse and carriage. The floors surrounding the pyramids are littered with tell tale signs of the construction methods employed in building them with scaffolding pole holes etc, not to mention the quarry marks. If you work a figure of 8-walk, you will end up by the Boat Museum. This is actually a fantastic exhibit to view. The Solar Boat itself that was removed from the boat pit in front of Cheops Pyramid ( please let me know if you wish to view this). Directly in front of the Boat Museum lie what is called the Satellite pyramids. These are wonderful to explore, walking in between the galleries, mostly un-excavated, there is much to see and there will be some great photo opportunities. Continue in a southerly direction and you will come to the road leading down to the Sphinx herself. It is fare to say that the Sphinx has to be the most famous statue, drawing millions of tourists every year, not to mention the amount of conspiracy theories that surround her, including the famous Hall of records supposedly hidden between her paws. Anyway, the Sphinx temple is an amazing piece of architecture. Its block work is like nothing that you will have viewed anywhere else in Egypt during your Adventures. And by now you will have visited mostly all on the tourist ic trail and others that are not. The block work is very reminiscent to that of the Southern American styles with odd shaped blocks even shaped corner blocks, including the floors as well. make your way up the processional pathway to view the Sphinx from an elevated post ion for some stunning photographs. Unfortunately it will be time to leave and head to the Hotel Talisman to meet up with your luggage. I have not planned anything for this evening, but may we suggest that you just walk the streets!!!!
The streets of Cairo, especially those of Downtown, are 100% perfectly safe. Crossing the roads may be a little tricky, but all is part of the Cairo experience. There you will find many restaurants offering local dishes and numerous ( too may to mention) coffee bars where you can enjoy a Turkish coffee and a shisha. The back streets of Downtown Caior are an amazing experience in themselves enjoy these before heading back to the Talisman Hotel for the evening.

Day 4: 12th. Today is all about relaxing, a nice even pace, a little walking, but soaking the atmosphere is what today is all about. We will start with the drive firstly from your hotel through the City of the Dead. These are the burial area for Muslim families with their crypts and walled memorial gardens. You will be amazed at what you see driving through here, and there will be so many photo opportunity that your eyes will probably be glued to the view finder. The destination is the Citadel, and its fortifications and famous mosque. There is also a quaint museum dedicated to the police of Egypt, which has a charm of its own, worth a visit if time and energy alow. There is a very nice but expensive cafe located on the courtyard outside the museum, which again is worth sitting at and taking a break. The views form up there are breathtaking, as you can see how Cairo sprawls out with no indication of systematic control or regularity. It spreads as far as the eye can see. I hope the famous Cairo smog has cleared by now for you to enjoy this view. Your minibus and guide will then accompany you too the Coptic quarter with the Biblical church of Mary and the Coptic Museum next door. These can become crowded, at all times, but the museum is fairly new and has yet to be added to the tourist list. It houses some beautifully artifacts including one of the oldest printed Bibles. After lunch at one of the local restaurants (I'm sure by now your stomachs are cast iron and used to Egyptian cusine), its off to visit the oldest synagogue in Cairo and take in the mosque of Mohammed Ali as well. Now due to your early morning return flights, i presume you will leave checking out of the hotel till late evening possibly even later? In such case I recommend that we return to the Hotel to allow you time to carry out any last minute preparations for your luggage etc. Afterwards, at your leisure we will be waiting for you to escort you and your family tot he Whirling Dervish show. This show is only performed on Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays, so this has been the first opportunity for you to see it. T he wait has been worth it! The starting times have now changed and the show now starts at 7.30 pm sharp. Afterwards, a last minute browse through Khan el Khalili for any last minute gift shopping, and an evening dinner in one of the restaurants within the souk before returning you to the Talisman Hotel.

Just a quick note, Cairo is one of the busiest cities in the world! The travelling from site to site can take minutes, or it can take hours literaly. Please bear this in mind at all times, we cannot control Cairo's traffic system. Sometimes, Little Mo will even say 'lets walk and just leave the min bus standing'.

WE DO NOT rush around the sites like most companies and we do not use tour guides who just read from the books. We use trained Egyptologists wherever possible, and those that can think for themselves and draw sensible and sometimes out of the box theories.

You will be accompanied by our Egyptological guide at every site. After short introductions to each site, you will have plenty of time to explore the sites by yourselves without them looking over your shoulders if you so wish. However, they will be there for you if needed, and to be on hand for any of those important questions. Mohammed Elkady, one of Q.E.A .'s directors, will be with you as soon as you arrive in Egypt. He will accompany you throughout the entire journey to make sure your every wish is taken care of. He will be on hand to make sure all the transportation and hotels are in order. Basically he will be your hidden shadow. Call upon him at any time; it is his job to be there as and when for you.

Please find below a selection of the sites that will be visited by yourself and your group during the Adventure, just click on the link to view a full appraisal.


The Temple Complex of Saqqara	The Egyptian Museum	Khan el Khalili Market	The Giza Pyramids

Q.E.A. prides itself on its bespoke adventures and its commitment to its clients. We endeavor to push the boundaries of our adventures at all times to give the best possible experience to our guests without ruining your experience. Our price includes everything you require to fulfil your dream. You need not take any money with you on any of our trips as they are totally fully inclusive and if there is that odd bargain to be had at some point our responsible guides will be on hand to negotiate the best possible price for you.
All your food and refreshments (this does not cover any alcoholic beverages and we would advise against drinking alcoholic beverages while in the desert for obvious safety reasons). You’re sleeping arrangements and transportation. Tipping and site entrance fees are covered within the price as well.

We hope this meets with you approval and please do not hesitate should you require any further details or if you wish to make any further arrangements of adjustments to the itinerary.

Books

Researching the background of any place or topic you intend on visiting is essential to fully appriechiate it. At Q.E.A. we have come up with a list of titles that we believe will enhance your journey, especially during those internal flights, car journeies or those lazy days by the side of the pool, we have compilled the list below that we feel will educate, inspire and aid you in your quest for adventure.


The Illustrated Guide to Luxor Tombs, Temples, and Museums by Kent Weeks	Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs, A Practicle Guide by JaniceKamrin	The Complete Pyramids by Mark Lehner	Arabic for Dummies by Amine Bouchentouf	The Lost Oasis: The True Story Behind The English Patient By Saul Kelly	Herodotus: The Histories Penguin Classics	The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt Edited by Ian Shaw


The Western Desert of Egypt: An Explorers Handbook, Revised Edition Cassandra Vivian	Historical Dictionary of the Coptic Church Gawdat Gabra	Egypt Lonely Planet Country Guide by Scott Wayne	River God by Wilbur Smith	The Seventh Scroll by Wilbur Smith	Warlock by Wilbur Smith	The Quest by Wilbur Smith