::: Casual Cairo detours ::::

Tour 1 - A full day at the pyramids. This can be done with me or with an Egyptologist depending on your interest in the details that an Egyptologist can offer you about the history. This is a full day starting with Sakkara. Sakkara is the home of the oldest pyramid in Egypt, the Step Pyramid. The complex is filled with tombs and remains of temples to be explored. After visiting Sakkara we will move down the road a few kilometers to Dashure. Dashure is the home to 2 more important pyramids, and several others that are near rubble now. The two that remain are the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid. The Bent Pyramid shows an example of another trial and error period in pyramid building. They were experimenting with angles at the time and this was the one where they learned what they should be doing to get it right. The Red Pyramid is like the ones in Giza. In fact, it is the 2nd largest pyramid in Egypt (2nd only to Cheops in Giza) and it is open for you to go inside. It is as good as the ones in Giza and the best part is that few tourists bother to travel out to Dashure so it is nearly empty when you go in. In Giza there is usually a long line to get inside when/if the pyramids are open. Finally we will come back up to Giza to see the 3 most famous pyramids and of course the Sphinx and the Valley Temple. If time permits and you are interested we can also go inside the museum housing the Solar Boat. This is the oldest boat on earth that has been put back together. It is an amazing piece of work. Functual art, at it's best.

Tour 2 - The Egyptian Museum of Antiquities. This is best done with an Egyptologist. Depending on your interest in the museum and what is inside. S/He will bring the museum to life for you. This museum is a bit difficult to follow on your own and while looking at the items s/he can tell you what everything means, rather than for you to just look at it all and imagine how old it is and how difficult it was to make it. There are a million stories inside this museum and our 2 to 3 hour tour will bring it to life for you This would be well piggy-backed with anything else you would like to have an Egyptologist show you so you can hire him for the whole day, but otherwise I can set you up for a 1/2 day tour for only the Museum if that works best.

Tour 3 - Coptic Cairo. This can be done with me or with an Egyptologist. Coptic Cairo is the Oldest part of Cairo and the Christian center. Coptic Christians were the first Christian religion in Egypt, and the word Coptic means Egyptian. This is the home of the famous Hanging church built over the Roman Babylon of Egypt, the crypt where legend tells us the Holy Family took refuge when fleeing Herod, and the oldest synagogue in Cairo. (2-3 hours)

Tour 4 - City of the Dead, Citadel, and Islamic Cairo. This tour is best done with Debbie. This tours starts out with a driver to chauffeur us into, and safely through, the City of the Dead. The City of the Dead is not dangerous, as you might think, but it is a neighborhood that is poor, and therefore can become annoying with beggars very quickly if we aren't careful and take a driver with us. Inside the City of the Dead we will see how a cemetery catering to the masses of Cairo became a working city with the living, living among the tombs and dead. You'll understand at the end of this tour that even a tomb caretaker needs to be able to buy groceries, and get a haircut in his own neighborhood, therefore the infrastructure that supports the caretakers was established. Also some of the best mosques and Islamic buildings are within. After visiting the City of the Dead, we will head up to the Citadel. This is the fortress that Salah el Din built to fight off the Crusaders in the 12th Century. Inside the Citadel we'll visit 3 mosques, several museums of your choice, and see the site of Mohamed Ali's bloody massacre. From the Citadel we will head down hill into Islamic Cairo to walk through some markets rarely seen by foreigners. These markets sell every day goods to the low to middle income Egyptian. Everything from food to bedding will be available. We will visit the Bab Zuweila, home of the last remaining ancient covered market, home to the famous Tent Makers bazaar. Tent making is an ancient craft of appliqué stitchery (like quilting) done by men. After another short walk through more of the market we will reach the Khan el Khalili. The Khan is he 14th century market for souvenirs. This is the 2nd largest market in the Middle East and the biggest in Egypt. Shopping for gold, silver, papyrus, leather, perfumes and whatever else is best done here where quality and prices are best and competitive. This is a full day tour.

Tour 5 - Camel riding or horseback riding. This can be piggy-backed onto the day at the pyramids if energy levels allow, or it can be done on a separate morning or afternoon before/after a lazy pool time. This is a fun 2 hour trip around in the dunes south of the pyramids either on horseback or camels. This is done with Debbie.

Ask us about our Picnics at the Pyramids. We can start your day by setting off on our camels at dawn, to find the perfect setting to watch the pyramids come into view out of the morning haze. A catered breakfast of fruit, cheese and croissants, with coffee, tea and/or champagne can start your day in a way that few have ever experienced. If you are not a morning person, lunch or dinner picnics are available too.

Tour 6 - Falouka sailing on the Nile. A late afternoon sunset tour of the banks of the Nile river can be arranged with a falouka. A falouka is a sailboat. Therefore there is no set destination, just a lazy afternoon of sailing up river and floating back to our start with the current. It's a beautiful way to see the flora and fauna along the Nile banks and catch a few pictures of the beautiful sunsets we get in Egypt. This is done with Debbie.

Tour 7 - A day in Alexandria. This is one can be guided by a knowledgeable Egyptologist that will meet up with you in Alexandria, or with a Casual Guide that can travel with you from Cairo. You will take the morning non-stop train to Alexandria, arriving about 11 a.m. First you'll will visit 3 of the best historical sights, two from the Roman period in Egypt, one Islamic. You'll be seeing the Roman Amphitheater, the Catacombs, and the Qait Bey Citadel fortress. After these sights we will stop along the Mediterranean sea for a fresh fish lunch and a rest. After we are revived, we'll have our driver take us on out along the cornishe for a drive finishing at Montaza Gardens. Beaches and the Presidential palace wait for us here. We'll take a little walk around the park and then finish our day at the new Alexandria Library. (Note: The Library is closed on Tuesdays) After a short tour of the library we'll head back to the train station for our return trip to Cairo.

Tour 8 - Egyptian Cooking Lessons. This is a hands-on experience. Spend an afternoon in the kitchen with an Egyptian cook to learn the methods and spices that make the food of the Middle East so special. When the cooking is done there's time to ask your hostess questions while you enjoy the dishes just prepared followed by a cup of sweet mint tea. There's even time to relax in the soft afternoon breeze in a typical Egyptian home. You'll leave with practical experience and recipes to take home to amaze your friends during those "Come see my Egypt Photo Parties" you'll be throwing when you get home. Not available during the month of Ramadan.

Tour 9 - A lazy afternoon visiting farms and floating on the Nile while enjoying a fish lunch with all the trimmings. First stop--the village of Qannater, 25 kilometers north of Cairo, to choose fresh fish and decide how is should be cooked. Next, a quick taxi ride to the Nile river bank to meet Mr. Ali, our host for the afternoon. Our first stop on the river will take us near the locks built alongside the barrages that helped to control the river's flooding until the Aswan High Dam was completed--and our lunch will be delivered hot and fresh. When we've finished, Mr. Ali will show us where the great river splits into the Damietta and Rosetta branches before making their way through the Delta to the Mediterranean Sea. Mr. Ali's comfortable boat takes us to riverside sites never seen by conventional tourists: a farm where you can photograph water buffalo and goats as well as see the Egyptian version of beehives; subsistence fishermen with their day's catch; and the expensive summer villas where wealthy Egyptians live beside squatters making the most of a few feddan of farm land. As the sun sets, silhouetting the minarets and domes of local mosques, we'll finish the day with tea, Turkish coffee, and sheesha.

Tour 10 - The Suez Canal. Ever wanted to see the Suez Canal the way it was depicted on Lawrence of Arabia? Our one day excursion with a private driver may prove to be just that. Your private air conditioned transport with English speaking driver will take you out to Suez. Here you will be able to see the staging lot for the ships as they wait in the Gulf of Suez before making their journey through the canal. From Suez you will travel under the canal through the tunnel to the Sinai side. At this point you will head north along the canal for about 80 km. Along the way you’ll see desert and canal views, terrain common to the Sinai. Finally, you will cross over the new Mubarak bridge, a high rise bridge offering fantastic views of the canal. There are plenty of rest stops offering clean accommodations and food for your lunch along the way or take along a picnic. Make this a full day outing to remember.

Tour 11 - Belly Dancing Lessons. Our graceful Madam Mona will teach you the steps and how to swing those hips to the exotic tunes of the Middle East. This is an introductory class that requires no prior experience with belly dancing. Classes are private and open for both men and women, boys and girls. A trip to the Khan el Khalili can follow, to shop for authentic belly dancing costumes and accessories.

Tour 12 - Walking Tour of Gold Island. ‘Gezirit el-Dahab’ or Gold Island is a slice of heaven in the middle of Cairo. Legend has it that Moses was raised here by his father because it was an easy lookout point for enemies. Today, Gold Island is an agricultural haven in the middle of Cairo. We’ll begin by taking a felucca ferry across the Nile to the island and from the island dock are free to wander and explore the island for as long as we like. We will visit villages, farms, and fields as we wander. There are no automobiles or tractors on the island, so at any corner we might come upon donkeys laden with corn stalks, manure, or passengers. Baby donkeys, goats, geese, and ducks abound. Cattle and water buffalo plow fields in the absence of tractors. Visiting Gold Island is like taking a trip back in time, and gives you a bit of the flavor of the longer tour to the Delta. If you don’t have time to leave Cairo, let us show you the pastoral side of Egypt right in the middle of the city. This is a great one for photographers—frame a farmer plowing his field as it was done in Christ’s time against a backdrop of skyscrapers.

Additional Tours - Cairo is full of museums, art galleries or out of the way places we could visit. When I say out of the way places, I mean villages, farms, amusement parks, and more. If you think we will have additional time to fill and you can give me some idea of fun things your family enjoys doing together, I am happy to come up with more ideas.