A Magical Escape into Egypt’s Sahara Desert Details

A Magical Escape into Egypt’s

Sahara Desert

The Sahara will swallow you in its endless expanse and a great silence. The void that you experience here will show you why prophets and sages sought the desert to purge and

 

Escape into a vast, wide-open space of ergs, dunes, and nomadic encounters. Indulge those 1001-Arabian-Nights fantasies and travel deep into the Western Sahara Desert of Egypt. Camp in the middle of the sand dunes, sleep under the stars and sip mint tea on a camel-hair rug. Stay in a beautiful desert lodge and be seduced by the magic of a lush desert oasis. Explore medieval desert towns, experience Saharan culture and skirt the edges of the Great Sand Sea – the third largest dune field on the planet. Restore your mind, body, and spirit as you dip into natural hot springs and practice yoga in an infinite sea of sand. This journey is a diversion from everyday reality - for a total escape join us on this magical yoga safari.

 Sand Silence & Solitude

 The romance and lure of the desert lie in its total and inescapable and fascinating otherness. It is true wilderness, devoid of the chaos and noise of our modern cities and urban wastelands. In this silence and horizontality, your gaze is directed to the vanishing point of all true perspective. It is towards that point that all desert travelers move until the journey becomes entirely an interior one in every sense and which ultimately leads to the realization that “it is all one”.

 What Can This Yoga Safari Offer You?

A new experience that will take you out of your normal element; the terrain is different and you break out of your normal thought patterns. Because of the unique silence, the mental and physical effects of Yoga will have a deeper effect on you. Out here in the desert, the metaphors of your yoga practice come to life. When you start with Sun Salutations you are literally greeting the sun and it salutes you back by warming your muscles and softening the tensions in your body. You ground your heel into the soft sand and really feel that earth as you lift your arms to the sky and feel the wind sift through your fingers. The desert is a natural yoga sanctuary. The silent and expansive landscape will rest the mind immediately – it will draw you inward and move you to reflection.

 A Spellbinding Journey from Giza through

The Sahara Desert into the Nile Valley

 This extraordinary journey takes us from the ancient monuments of Giza into the vast and silent stretches of the Western Sahara Desert where we discover some of the most jaw-dropping scenery in all of Egypt. Like the shifting sands of the Sahara, our outdoor yoga studio changes from the dreamlike landscape of the White Desert to the golden dunes of the Dakhla Oasis. We will discover spellbinding-faraway-desert-towns draped in mystery and legend, ancient mud-brick settlements and abandoned fortresses buried in the sands of the desert. We will meet and mingle with the Bedouins and discover the unique Saharan culture. Then we leave the silence of the desert and re-enter civilization in the Nile Valley, where we discover the royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings and two of the most important temples of ancient Egypt.

 Tour Highlights

 

• Marvel at the Golden Treasures of Cairo Museum
• Explore the Pyramids and the Sphinx
• Sunset Yoga in the White Desert 
• Sleep Under the Blazing Stars of the Desert
• Dip Into Cool and Hot Natural Springs
• Yoga Classes in the Dune Fields
• Enjoy a 4 Night Retreat at Shanda Desert Lodge
• Camel Ride in the Dunes of the Dakhla Oasis
• Discover Medieval Desert Towns
• Soak in the Unique Saharan Culture
• Off Road 4WD Adventure to Umm Dabadib and El Ladakh
• Visit the Oldest Christian Cemetery in the World in Al Kharga Oasis
• Explore the Tombs and Temples of Luxor

 

Shanda Desert Lodge

 

An Oasis within an Oasis

 

During our Yoga Safari, we will spend 4 nights at Shanda Lodge, located in the Dakhla Oasis. This Nubian/Saharan style desert lodge has clusters of buildings with amazing domes and arches in desert colors. At night, Alibaba-style lamps and lanterns throughout the entire property impart an intriguing feel of mystery, adventure and legend - capturing the magic of deep desert evenings.

 

Shanda Lodge reeks of old world oriental charm – a refuge from the modern world - set in the dramatic landscape of the Sahara Desert. It will be our home away from home. Here you can count on personalized service, delicious oriental, organic, home-style meals (vegetarian and non vegetarian) and a friendly atmosphere.

 Every day during our stay here we will take a short ride to the nearby dune fields for our sunset yoga class with Mary McCarthy.

 

WED 09 NOV: ARRIVE IN CAIRO

Arrive in Cairo where you will be met by a representative from our ground operator who will assist you with the airport formalities. Transfer to your hotel at Giza located in the shadow of the Great Pyramid. Welcome dinner and tour briefing in the hotel restaurant this evening. Overnight: Le Meridien Pyramids Hotel, Giza (D)

THU 10 NOV: GIZA PLATEAU

This morning we will visit the Egyptian Museum housing the world's greatest collection of Pharaonic antiquities including the amazing treasures from King Tutankhamen's tomb. We will stop for lunch (own expense) at a local restaurant, and then we explore the mysterious Giza Plateau where we come face to face with the Sphinx - the majestic guardian of Egypt whose eternal gaze faces east towards sunrise. Afterwards, we continue to the Great Pyramid - one of the most geometrically perfect structures ever built on planet Earth. There are books, careers, even entire lives devoted to theories about how it was built and what its intended purpose was. Before the sun sets in the west we will enjoy a camel ride into the desert, to a spot overlooking the three pyramids, where we will enjoy a peaceful sunset meditation before we return to our hotel at Giza. Overnight: Le Meridien Pyramids Hotel, Giza (B,D)

 FRI 11 NOV: GIZA - BAHARIYA OASIS - WHITE DESERT 

After a very early morning breakfast we board ,our mini-bus and begin our journey into the  Western Sahara Desert. Our first stop today is the Bahariya Oasis where there will be an opportunity to purchase some delicious local dates and fruit before we visit a small museum that displays numerous golden mummies. Next we contin,ue to Crystal Mountain, which is entirely composed of quartz crystal. We will have lunch here, and then we continue by 4WD to the White Desert, arriving at our camping spot late in the afternoon just in time for a sunset yoga class while our guides set up camp. The camp is a simple roofless three-sided enclosure of thick patterned Bedouin fabric (to provide protection from the desert winds) and a series of camel-hair carpets on the sand and a few large cushions. A blazing fire at the mouth of the enclosure keeps away the night time chill as our guides ritually prepares cups tea while dinner is cooking. Then, as the sky turns a deep indigo and the desert glows orange we will enjoy fire-baked bread and delicious vegetarian or nonvegetarian stews before we bed down by the fire for the night. Nights out here are magnificent with clear desert air and no light pollution which means the Milky Way is clearly visible. Overnight: Desert Camp (B,L,D)

 

SAT 12 NOV: WHITE DESERT - ABU MINQAR – DUNE CAMP

Sunrise in the White Desert is a magical time for yoga. In this silent surreal landscape, where the elements are our only companions, we will draw energy from the sun and the earth as we breathe, stretch and meditate! After our safari breakfast we will explore a series of bizarre chalk formations. During the day, this place is a blindingly white world in the middle of the ochre desert and looks like an outdoor sculpture museum, a dreamlike landscape created from the mind of someone like Salvador Dali. The imagination runs wild as the formations change shape  epending on perspective and angle of the sun. This white world is populated with strange figures like birds, mushrooms, fluffy white marshmallows and ice cream cones. Later in the morning we will arrive at Bir Sitta where we will enjoy a refreshing dip in a hot spring before we continue to the small village of Abu Minqar, located on the eastern edge of the Great Sand Sea. We will stop for lunch in Abu Minqar, and then we go off-road again, heading towards the dunes of the Great Sand Sea. Up until recently, the Great Sand Sea was labelled on most maps as “impassable dunes”, the largest area of unknown land in the world. It was into this waterless territory that the early European explorers ventured in search of the legendary city of Zerzura – the mystical Shangri-La of the Sahara Desert. While our guides set up camp in the middle of the dunes we will play in the sand climbing up to the peak of the dunes to view the stiffened waves of soft golden sand spread out before us as far as the eye can see. Later we will enjoy dinner around the campfire before nestling down for another night sleeping under the stars. Overnight: Desert Dune Camp (B,L,D)

 

 SUN 13 NOV: DUNE CAMP – DAKHLA OASIS

 

Awake to another unforgettable desert sunrise followed by yoga and meditation in this unearthly place of infinite space and silence. After breakfast, the camp is cleared and packed away - not a thing left that was not there before - the desert returned to its pristine beauty. Then we reload the vehicles and continue to the Dakhla Oasis where we will be based for the next 4 nights. This historic, far-flung, remote Saharan outpost is considered to be one of the most beautiful Oases in Egypt. The rich patchwork of shifting yellow dunes, green farmland and ancient mud-brick villages stretches out like a mirage against a background of pink and white cliffs that rise up sharply to shelter the oasis. Upon arrival, we will check in to Shanda Lodge followed by lunch in the restaurant. The afternoon is free at own leisure. In the evening we will regroup for dinner and Bedouin entertainment in the restaurant. Overnight: Shanda Lodge, Dakhla Oasis (B, L, D)

 

MON 14 NOV: DAKHLA OASIS

This morning, after breakfast, we step back centuries as we explore the spellbinding town of Al-Qasr. This fortified medieval Islamic town, located beneath high-limestone cliffs, was built to keep sandstorms and invaders out. The streets were divided into quarters which could be closed off at night by barred gates. We will lose ourselves in an endless labyrinth of alleyways and secret passages just wide enough to fit a donkey cart. As a respite from the scorching heat of the sun, the cool, dark twisting streets lead us past mud-brick houses with wooden grill windows and lintels carved with verses from the Koran. We will also discover a 12th century mosque, a blacksmith’s forge, an antique waterwheel and a donkey-powered grain mill. Before we leave Al-Qasr we will visit local craftsmen where we will have an opportunity to purchase traditional earthenware pots and palm-leaf basketry. We then head back to Shanda Lodge for lunch  followed by an afternoon visit to Deir Al-Hagar, a tiny but perfect Egyptian temple nestled between undulating dunes in the desert. The temple was originally dedicated to the Egyptian gods Amun, Mut and Khonsu but was later converted into a Coptic monastery. Deir al-Hagar can be translated as "Monastery of Stone", and in ancient times this lone temple in the desert was called Setweh, “Place of Coming Home”. After we have explored the temple we will proceed with a sunset yoga class in the nearby dune fields. Overnight: Shanda Lodge, Dakhla Oasis (B,L,D)

 TUE 15 NOV: DAKHLA OASIS

Peppermint tea will be served in our rooms before breakfast while the smell of freshly made bread wafts from the Tabun near the main building at Shanda Lodge. A Tabun is a traditional clay oven shaped like a truncated cone with an opening at the bottom from which to stoke the fire. It was used as far back as pre-biblical times as the family, neighbourhood or village oven. The Tabuns are still built and used in these parts of Africa even to this day. After breakfast we will relax at Shanda Lodge. Those who wish can go for walks up to the nearby hills or explore the surrounding farmland. After lunch, we will drive to the edge of the nearby dune fields for a memorable camel ride into the soft dunes. As with yoga, camel riding requires perfect posture. Instead of clutching the saddle two-fisted, elbows locked and spine straight, a position that provides discomfort with every galumph, we will let our body sway in natural rhythm with the camel, one hand loosely holding the saddle as we ride into the massive dunes feeling the warm breeze while we are swallowed in a sea of sand and sky. As the sun lowers on the horizon it will cast long shadows of our little caravan riding over the tops of the dunes and down to our “Yoga Dune Studio” which is located on a flat desert floor area sheltered by massive sand dunes. Here we will stretch, breathe and explore the innermost territories of our being before we head back to Shanda Lodge for dinner and rest. Overnight: Shanda Lodge Dakhla Oasis (B,L,D)

 

WED 16 NOV: DAKHLA OASIS

This morning after breakfast we will meet a Bedouin family and enjoy some local hospitality while we gain understanding and appreciation for their age-old culture. Later we continue to the small town of Balat. This fortified medieval town is magnificent and displays typical features of a desert town with its mud-brick homes and narrow twisting lanes roofed with palm fronds. As with Al-Qasr, little has changed here since medieval times, giving us an idea of how they used to live in these desert towns more than a thousand years ago. After we have explored the old town of Balat we continue to the nearby Al-Adaba tombs and ain Asil. Most notable are the five mastabas, which were discovered during a sandstorm. We return to Shanda Lodge for lunch. In the afternoon we will take a short ride to the dune fields for our sunset yoga class with Mary. Overnight: Shanda Lodge, Dakhla Oasis (B, L, D)

 

THU 17 NOV: DAKHLA OASIS – KHARGA OASIS

After an early breakfast, we say farewell to our friends at Shanda Lodge and journey onwards to Kharga Oasis. Here we will board our 4WD vehicles and journey off-road deep into the desert to explore two fabled and secluded Roman fortresses. Both of these fortresses are dramatically embedded in the sands of the desert and only accessible by 4WD. They once protected an ancient caravan trade route and served as resting places for the merchants. First, we will explore Qasr el-Labeka. With its twelve-metre walls and four round towers rising majestically out of the desert, Qasr el- Labeka looks more like a castle than a fortress. Here we will discover sand-filled chambers, ruined mud-brick temples and a subterranean aqueduct (now silted up), then we will have a picnic lunch before we cross the dunes to Ain Umm Dabadib – one of the most impressive sites in the entire oasis. The former town here owed its wealth to being one of the last staging posts before the caravans headed north. The large settlement included a small fort surrounded by a fortified village packed with rather luxurious houses, a Christian church, an Egyptian-style temple located next to a spring, a slightly earlier northern settlement, a vast underground water system, extensive cultivations and several necropoli of various sizes. This site, more than the others, provides evidence dating to the transitional period between Paganism and Christianity. After we have explored the site we head back to the Kharga Oasis for dinner and rest. Overnight: Sol Y Mar Pioneer Hotel, Kharga Oasis (B, L, D)

 FRI 18 NOV: KHARGA OASIS – LUXOR

After breakfast, we will visit El-Bagawat, one of the earliest and best preserved Christian cemeteries in the world. The cemetery consists of a vast expanse of domed mud-brick mausoleums and underground galleries dating back to the 4^th century AD, which were built over the site of an earlier Egyptian necropolis of pit-graves. Here we will explore several chapels with Coptic murals, including the “Chapel of Peace” with images of Adam and Eve and the Ark on its dome, and the “Chapel of the Exodus” with frescoes of Pharonic troops pursuing the Jews led by Moses out of Egypt. Later in the morning we will check out of our hotel and continue our journey to Luxor, leaving the desert and entering into the lush and fertile Nile Valley. Upon arrival in Luxor, we will check into our hotel. The remainder of the day is free at own leisure. Overnight: Sofitel Karnak Resort (B, D)

 SAT 19 NOV: LUXOR – CAIRO

Early morning breakfast in the hotel restaurant followed by transfer to Karnak Temple the most important place of worship in ancient Egypt. Here we will walk among papyrus and lotus columns, obelisks and shrines and observe the play of sun and shadow dance across ancient wisdom carved into stone. Then we visit the sanctuary of Sekhmet, a small chapel that symbolises all that is mysterious and intangible in Egypt. Afterwards, we will explore the Sacred Lake and the Sanctuary of Amon-Ra before we transfer to Luxor Temple for a guided tour of one of the grandest constructions of Ancient Egypt. Later in the afternoon, we will drive to the Valley of the Kings to visit the royal tombs. Overnight: Sofitel Karnak Resort (B, D)

 SUN 20 NOV: LUXOR - CAIRO

After breakfast, we transfer to Luxor airport for a short flight to Cairo. Upon arrival in Cairo, we transfer to our hotel. The remainder of the day is free at own leisure. In the evening we will regroup in the hotel restaurant for our farewell dinner. Overnight: Five Star Cairo Airport Hotel (B, D)

 MON 21 NOV: CAIRO – HOME

After breakfast transfer to Cairo Airport for your flight home.

 End of our services

 B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner

  TRIP NOTES:

 

1. Tour Itinerary is subject to change at any time without prior notice. Bookings are accepted only upon the acceptance of tour Terms and Conditions.
2. Apart from Shanda Lodge, the other hotels may change within the same category/rating.
3. This journey is best suited for adventurous, flexible and enthusiastic travellers with an interest in yoga.
4. Trip Grading: Moderate and suitable for travellers with an average level of fitness and independent mobility. Expect a fair amount of walking and some long road journeys.

 

TOUR COST:

Land Only - US$ per person in twin share accommodation

Yoga & Meditation Classes with ()US

Single Room Supplement: US$

Please Note: Tour costs are subject to change at any time and without prior notice.

TOUR COST INCLUDES:

 

• All accommodation as per itinerary in twin share
• One way economy airfare Luxor – Cairo
• Meals as per itinerary (11 Breakfasts, 7 Lunches, 12 Dinners)
• All airport/hotel/airport transfers
• All ground transportation as per itinerary
• English speaking Egyptologist guide Giza/Cairo
• English speaking desert guide from 16 – 22 Nov
• English speaking Egyptologist guide in Luxor
• All fees to attractions and activities mentioned in the tour program
• Off-road 4WD Excursions as per itinerary including all camping equipment

 

TOUR COST DOES NOT INCLUDE:

 

• International Airfares & Taxes
• Travel Insurance
• Passport/Visa Fees
• Any pre-departure expenses such as inoculations, travel gear, travel to departure point etc.
• Drinks apart from tea, coffee and juices with daily breakfast
• Five lunches, snacks and other meals not mentioned in the itinerary
• Any other services, items, arrangements not mentioned in the tour itinerary

 

YOGA & MEDITATION CLASSES INCLUDE:

 

 – 1 Hour Meditation overlooking the pyramids at Giza

 – 90 Minutes Yoga, Pranayama, Meditation White Desert  (sunset)

 – 90 Minutes Yoga, Pranayama, Meditation White Desert (sunrise)

 – 90 Minutes Yoga, Pranayama, Meditation Dune Camp (Sunrise)

 – 90 Minutes Yoga, Pranayama, Meditation Dune Fields Dakhla (Sunset)

 – 90 Minutes Yoga, Pranayama, Meditation Dune Fields Dakhla (Sunset)

 – 90 Minutes Yoga, Pranayama, Meditation Dune Fields Dakhla (Sunset)