We are delighted to present our new riding holiday in Egypt after many years of searching. The horses used on this ride are owned and kept to the highest western standards and are well-loved friends of Maryanne, their ex-pat owner. The farm is based right in the middle of the line of pyramids that stretch between Giza and Dahshur and you will undertake daily exploratory rides through the farmlands of the valley and vast desert scattered with pyramids and sarcophagi. The riding is at all paces and there are plenty of horses to choose from, all forward going, smooth and sensible.
Accommodation is in the Sakkara area. As well as a visit to the Giza Pyramids we offer some interesting additional tours: Coptic Cairo, Kahn el Khalili markets, a felucca cruise on the Nile river at sunset.
Day 1 Arrive in Egypt
Upon arrival, if you have not obtained a tourist visa in your home country, you will need to go to one of the bank kiosks on the side of the arrivals hall just before the immigration desks. The bank will sell you a set of stamps for the immigration official to place in your passport. You will need USD 20 for the stamps. Take them and your passport to the immigration officials at passport control and they will issue a single entry visa. When you have collected your luggage from the carousel, go through customs and you will be met by your representative who will be waiting for you just outside the arrivals hall holding a sign. You will be transferred to your hotel near the farm to settle in and relax.
Day 2
Early breakfast at the hotel and transfer to the farm which is only 5 minutes down the road. Meet all the horses, goats, donkeys, rescued dogs and even a water buffalo who live at Al Sorat. You will be given a horse and may try out at the farm before we leave on the Sakkara Pyramids ride. (If you are happy with your horse, you will ride the same one all week so that you build a relationship with your mount. If you wish to change we will to our best to find a horse to suit you.) We head out through our local village and straight into the Sahara desert that begins abruptly just beyond the green fields. We head out and circle around the pyramids of Abu Sir and then past the main Step Pyramid – the funeral complex of King Zoser (aka Djoser). Coming out of the desert south of the Step Pyramid we see the palm groves below us and the green of the farmland beyond. We will continue home along the canals where the terrain gives us plenty of scope to ride at all paces. Late lunch at the farm before heading back to the hotel for a welcome shower. Dinner & overnight at the hotel. 2.5hrs riding
Day 3 This morning after our breakfast we head out on our next desert ride with the usual combination of walk, trot, canter and some gallops to a little visited pyramid group located in splendid isolation: the Abu Sir Pyramids. It is the necropolis of the Vth dynasty from about 2494BC – 2345BC. After admiring the pyramid and enjoying more of the local desert we make that abrupt transition to the greenery of the farmlands and back to the farm along the fields where we will see the farmers tending their fields in the same manner as they have for centuries. About 2.5hrs riding.
The afternoon is free for a tour of Coptic Cairo and Khan el Khalili: Coptic Cairo is in the old area called Fustat which was the building of the Citadel and the surrounding mosques and palaces. The Coptic Museum displays images and artifacts from the many old Coptic churches and monasteries, many of them dating back to the first few centuries of the Christian era. Nearby is the Hanging Church, an early Christian church constructed on the tops of the ancient Roman fort of Babylon which predated Fustat. In the same area also are the Ben Ezra Synagogue and the Church of Mar Guirgis. Later go to the enormous bazaar area of Khan el Khalili, a medieval caravansary and still a centre for shopping for modern Cairenes with its areas for fabrics, jewellery, herbs, and brass and copper works.
Day 4
After the usual buffet breakfast the day is dedicated to sightseeing. We begin with a visit to the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, the first purpose-built museum in the world, housing the famous collection of the pharaoh Tutankhamun, as well as less well known but equally spectacular jewlery from other sites and the famous mummy room. (Entrance to the mummy room is a separate ticket and is left up to individuals.) Then we will visit the mosque of Ibn Touloun, a Moroccan style Fatimid mosque from Cairo’s early days and the Gayer-Anderson House museum which is built against the thousand year old walls. Dr. Gayer-Anderson was a British officer who was stationed in Cairo in the early 20th century who rented to medieval Mameluke homes, opened them into each other and renovated them with wonderful Mameluke furnishings. The museum was used as a set in the James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me. Finally another visit to Khan el Khalili can be made if there is enough time.
There is no riding today.
Day 5
After breakfast we start your excursion to visit the famous Giza Plateau, visiting the immense pyramids of Giza, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world including the Great Pyramid of Cheops, middle pyramid of Chephren and the little one of Mykerinos and The Sphinx. The visit includes an optional visit inside one of the smaller pyramids and a short camel ride. Then we go back for a closer look at Sakkara with a lunch stop at one of the restaurants in the area. (Lunch is not included) At Sakkara visit the first stone structure built, the Step pyramid of Djoser, some of the Old Kingdom tombs with exquisite carvings, and the Imhotep museum before heading to the farm nearby for an afternoon/evening ride in the desert and countryside to see the sun set and watch the farmers move their buffaloes and donkeys home through the countryside at the end of the day. As the sun goes down over the desert, the canals change from blue to quicksilver and the birds that have been foraging in the fields come home to roost in the trees. The sounds of farmers working their fields fade as they reach their village homes where the family will sit around a low table to enjoy their evening meal. With nightfall come the bats, owls, Senegal Thick knee, and other night birds. On moonlit nights the shadows of the riders can be clearly seen on the desert sand. On return from this special ride we enjoy a BBQ & beer at the farm. 2.5hrs riding
Day 6
Today we head south to the village of Dahshur on the longest ride of the week. En route we explore the entire row of southern pyramids from Abu Sir to the Dahshur grouping where we will encounter the Bent Pyramid; the beautifully symmetrical and imposing Red Pyramid and the Black Pyramid. Riding along the desert we can view the occasional sarcophagus just lying abandoned in the desert. The views are incredible with pyramids wherever you look. In the middle of the day we find a complete surprise – Dashur Lake, a winter wetland retreat for migrating waterfowl. Riding around the lake to observe the varied wildlife it attracts, we enter the welcome shade and cool and enjoy a lunch stop at the home of one of our friends, an American academic who has lived in Egypt for many years. Here both horses and riders can cool down, relax and enjoy lunch. The return journey is undertaken in the relative cool of the farming areas and palm groves of the Sakkara village area, a village that stretches along the desert and is devoted to the date palm industry. There are many opportunities for long canters and trots along the dirt roads and trails.
Return in time for dinner & overnight at the hotel. 6hrs riding.
Day 7
This morning we head off on our last ride into the desert, heading southwest past ancient ruins and mounds of pottery to the red sarcophagus overlooking the Dahshur area with the occasional gallop if wished. On the way back we ride by the Pharoah’s Mastaba and the pyramid of Pepi II. After a rest, we go to Maadi, a southern suburb of Cairo, where we set off on a 2 hr Nile River cruise in a traditional sailing vessel - a felucca. We'll have the boat to ourselves and watch the sun set and night lights of Cairo come on while enjoying dinner on board. Return to the hotel & overnight. 2.5hrs riding
Day 8 Final Day - leave Egypt
After breakfast the day at leisure until your flight departure. On time transfer to Cairo International Airport for flight home.
Please note: All itineraries are for guidance only and are subject to change by the local team depending on local conditions.
The weight limit for this ride is 15 st/209 lb/95 kg, please enquire if you are an experienced rider exceeding this weight.
FURTHER DETAILS
As we are specialists in our field we have extensive knowledge of all our products from details of accommodation and meals to number/size/type of horses to pace of riding ... and much more.
Should you wish to receive further details of this ride please click here.
WHAT IS INCLUDED
Transfer from airport and daily transfer from hotel, half board accommodation, lunch on day 2 and 6, bottled water on ride and with included lunches, riding and guide, use of driver and car on non-riding days.
WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED
Flights, entry visa for Egypt, entrance to the "mummies room" at the Egyptian museum, lunches on days 3, 4, 5 and 7, drinks at hotels, gratuities (none compulsory), items of a personal nature. The lunches that are not included will cost 100 LE (around £10) per person payable to your tour leader.
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Reading List We're avid readers here at Unicorn Trails and have selected several books connected to this ride. If you're interested in reading more about the area before you travel, or want to get into the cultural background, here are some suggestions that may inspire you. Click on the links for more information.
What you see on our web site is exactly how much your invoice will come to and this will not change once booked. Unlike some other companies the prices on our web site are fully inclusive of often hidden extras such as: VAT, Sales Tax, state taxes, city taxes, service charges, non-optional tips, fuel surcharges which can add 20% or more to the advertised cost. Prices are available in £ sterling, Euros and US$. Once invoiced, prices are guaranteed against adverse currency fluctuations. Contact us for package prices which include flights from the UK and see each ride for exact details of all items in individual itineraries.
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- Elizabeth Peters. This is a series of murder mysteries set in the 1880 - 1920s in Egypt.
- Dr Mark Lehner
- Barbara Mertz
