On most Egyptian tours, the long overnight train journey from Cairo down the Nile to Luxor or Aswan is unavoidable. This journey can be taken in two ways, the first is the sitting train where the seating is arranged much like a bus, the second option is the far more comfortable sleeper train with enclosed cabins. The difference between the two is very similar to the difference between an economy or business class seat on a flight which makes the choice a no brainer.

There are many pro’s with the sleeper train which make it an easy choice over the sitting train. The main benefit is being able to get better sleep and an enjoyable evening experience on board before a busy day the next morning, the sleeper train is much quieter overnight, as there are not so many people moving about.

Other fantastic benefits to the sleeper train are listed below;

• Not too cold – the sitting train can get very cold at night with the AC on full blast
• More secure – your bags remain safely locked in your cabin away from prying eyes
• Toilets are much cleaner, and I stress MUCH!
• Train times are more reliable – the sleeper train gets precedence over the sitting train, but this is still Egypt, so on occasion  the sleeper is still subject to delays
• Meals are included – you get an airline style dinner & breakfast which is served to you in your cabin
• Cabin features are a storage cupboard, wash basin (great for brushing your teeth in the morning!) seats, and fold down beds which are prepared for you after you dinner by your room steward
• Bedding provided – fold down beds with comfortable mattresses, sheets, cozy blankets and pillows
• Restaurant/club car is available on most services
• Sitting train can often have broken seats that don’t recline, there is nothing worse than getting stuck with one of these

Now we would have put some of our photos up of the toilets on the sitting train, but to be honest, they’re not really fit for display on the web! You’ll have to use your imagination and just trust me, you really don’t want to use them after about half way through the night! The sleeper train toilets aren’t the Ritz, but at least they are presentable and you’re still happy to use them in the morning.

With most tour operators, the sleeper train is an upgrade to your tour, which can be an expensive addition to the base tour price. With Encounters Travel, the sleeper train is always included in the tour price! Overall it is a much better experience and a necessity if you want to feel your best as you explore and learn about incredible Luxor or Aswan without being exhausted.  If you check out the Encounters Travel prices, and compare with anyone you are comparing us to, make sure to take this point into account. There are lots of other included extras like the  facilities boat during our fellucca cruises. If you compare all of the extras, you will see what great value our tour prices in Egypt are, even if  they look a little more expensive to start with.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact our reservations team, they will be happy to help point out the differences between us and other tour companies so you can make the best choice for your trip, we hope to see you on one of our tours soon!

On most Egyptian tours, the long overnight train journey from Cairo down the Nile to Luxor or Aswan is unavoidable. This journey can be taken in two ways, the first is the sitting train where the seating is arranged much like a bus, the second option is the far more comfortable sleeper train with enclosed cabins. The difference between the two is very similar to the difference between an economy or business class seat on a flight which makes the choice a no brainer.

There are many pro’s with the sleeper train which make it an easy choice over the sitting train. The main benefit is being able to get better sleep and an enjoyable evening experience on board before a busy day the next morning, the sleeper train is much quieter overnight, as there are not so many people moving about.

Other fantastic benefits to the sleeper train are listed below;

-       Not too cold – the sitting train can get very cold at night with the AC on full blast
-       More secure – your bags remain safely locked in your cabin away from prying eyes
-       Toilets are much cleaner, and I stress MUCH!
-       Train times are more reliable – the sleeper train gets precedence over the sitting train, but this is still Egypt, so on occasion the sleeper is still subject to delays
-       Meals are included – you get an airline style dinner & breakfast which is served to you in your cabin
-       Cabin features are a storage cupboard, wash basin (great for brushing your teeth in the morning!) seats, and fold down beds which are prepared for you after you dinner by your room steward
-       Bedding provided – fold down beds with comfortable mattresses, sheets, cozy blankets and pillows
-       Restaurant/club car is available on most services
-       Sitting train can often have broken seats that don’t recline, there is nothing worse than getting stuck with one of these

Now we would have put some of our photos up of the toilets on the sitting train, but to be honest, they’re not really fit for display on the web! You’ll have to use your imagination and just trust me, you really don’t want to use them after about half way through the night! The sleeper train toilets aren’t the Ritz, but at least they are presentable and you’re still happy to use them in the morning.

With most tour operators, the sleeper train is an upgrade to your tour, which can be an expensive addition to the base tour price. With Encounters Travel, the sleeper train is always included in the tour price! Overall it is a much better experience and a necessity if you want to feel your best as you explore and learn about incredible Luxor or Aswan without being exhausted.  If you check out the Encounters prices, and compare with anyone you are comparing us to, make sure to take this point into account. There are lots of other included extras like the facilities boat during our fellucca cruises. If you compare all of the extras, you will see what good value our tour prices in Egypt are, even if may they look a little more expensive to start with.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact our reservations team, they will be happy to help point out the differences between us and other tour companies so you can make the best choice for your trip, we hope to see you on one of our tours soon!

Reservations can be contacted on 0800 088 6002 or tours@encounterstravel.com

I reach Dahab in the early afternoon after an eight-hour road journey from Cairo. Although the route goes through bumpy terrain and involves a lot of winding roads, it’s a surprisingly pleasant experience. Soaking in the views from the minibus windows provides a unique insight into this fascinating Egyptian region.

Dahab has much to offer visitors, and its expatriate community makes for a unique experience compared with Egypt’s main tourist cities such as Cairo, Luxor and Aswan. This seafront town is recognisably Egyptian, but with a quintessentially European twist. This is demonstrated well by the shopping culture of the town, striking a distinctive balance between the in-your-face chaos present in most of Egypt and the Western tendency towards helpfulness with no pressure. With a population of just 14,000, the community consists of 6,000 Bedouin people, 4,000 Egyptians and 4,000 European expatriates.

Located in the picturesque Sinai region of Egypt, Dahab is well positioned to allow a full exploration of sights and history both within Egypt and its neighbouring countries. The Sinai region mainly consists of desert and sandy cliffs; this combined with the bluest of skies and a colourful, mesmerising coral beneath its waters creates an atmosphere of serenity in the area.

Sinai is of great historical significance, playing host to the infamous Mount Sinai where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God – a scene prominently depicted in the books of Jewish, Christian and Islamic religious traditions. It’s possible to arrange an overnight visit to Mount Sinai, which entails watching the sun rise from near the top, and exploring Saint Catherine’s Monastery on your way up or down the mountain. Guides are available to accompany your climb up Mount Sinai, or an alternative option is to take a camel ride for most of the journey upwards.

Daytrips are also available to visit Jordan’s capital of Petra, various parts of Saudi Arabia and nearby Israel during your stay in Dahab, though there’s little chance of not being able to occupy yourself by staying local either.

During my stay, the Dahab International Festival of Watersports, Culture and Desert Adventure is in mid-swing. Organised by members of the local community and, in particular, expatriates living in the area, the festival happens in April of each year and includes activities for children, teenagers and adults throughout the day and night. Every event involves a local organisation, business or individual, and activities focus on celebrating and sharing culture, skills and talents from anybody who wants to take part. Cooking classes, camel races, meditation and yoga, poetry readings and live music are just some of the events of this annual gathering, and almost all of the festival’s activities are offered free of charge.

The locals are laid-back and friendly, many of them working as artists and writers, while others are involved full-time in the local scene through community work. Dahab is incredibly bohemian, but without any of the pretention of London’s hipster suburbs. Our tour guide, the kind and knowledgeable Ahmed, beguiles us with tales of Egyptian culture and stories from his own life, at least half of which might be true.

Dahab has a fantastic food culture, particularly as a result of its prominent fishing location on the Red Sea. Most of the restaurants along the seafront offer a ‘catch of the day’ dish, including a scrumptious sea bass mixed grill at El Fannar during my stay. Other recommended restaurants include the Ali Baba restaurant offering traditional Egyptian and Bedouin food, and The Kitchen Restaurant which offers Chinese, Indian and Thai food. Every café, bar and restaurant I visit in Dahab is elaborately decorated and boasts a fantastic welcoming atmosphere.

Each night, freshly baked flat breads and an array of dips grace our table before we’ve even ordered – hummus, beans, aubergine, yoghurt and cucumber, and a strange orange dish that is supposedly (doubtfully) cheese. At the end of the meal, fresh sliced fruit or a traditional pastry dish is offered, such as a cake garnished with desiccated coconut. There doesn’t appear to be a charge for these bookends of our meal, because we’re with tour guide Ahmed who is known well at all of the local haunts.

As you enjoy a meal at one of Dahab’s many restaurants, almost all of which look out over the town’s stretch of the Red Sea, you’ll be greeted by a series of faint glimmering lights from the other side: Saudi Arabia. This part of Egypt is so close to other Middle Eastern countries, that Saudi Arabia is visible just a short distance across the water, and the sight of it is wonderful.

Kite-surfing and windsurfing is popular along the Sinai coast, as well as diving, snorkelling, sailing and quad-biking. After a few jokes about taking a swim across the water to visit Saudi, Ahmed tells us about a tourist who took a windsurf all the way across the Red Sea, and reached the shore over in Saudi Arabia. Without a passport and visa, he was arrested and then deported back to Egypt by bus. This story serves as a jovial warning to us, and the idea of travelling over to Saudi Arabia unannounced is quickly abandoned in favour of a cup of a Bedouin tea.

RECOMMENDED

Lauren visited Dahab with Encounters Travel as part of their 14-day Nubians and Beaches tour in April 2012. Encounters Travel have been operating tours in Egypt for more than 15 years and offer a range of different trips, varying in length, activities and Prices start from just £339. More information on everything Encounters Travel offer is available from their website: www.encounterstravel.com.

Egypt Air offer direct flights from London Heathrow to Cairo eleven times per week as well as flight options to Luxor and Sharm El Sheikh. To book flights or find out more, please visit www.egyptair.com.

If the thought of discovering the mysteries of Egypt’s ancient kings and queens sounds more appealing than eating cucumber sandwiches in front of the TV this Jubilee bank holiday, then Encounters Travel (www.encounterstravel.com / 0800 088 6002) has just the ticket, offering an escorted, six-day group tour of Egypt with a 15 per cent discount, for just £288 per person (saving £51). Available for departure on 5 June, the price includes airport transfers from/to Cairo, varied accommodation in four-star hotels and on board a sleeper train on a mixed board basis, and the services of a fully qualified Egyptologist throughout. Flights excluded. The perfect introduction to Egypt, the Pharaonic Encounters tour visits all the main sites including the Pyramids, the Sphinx, Luxor Temple, Karnak, the ancient city of Thebes and the Valley of the Kings.

Egypt Tours with Encounters Travel

Cairo is Africa’s city of 15 million — they don’t come with more residents on the entire continent. It is hot, hot-headed and frenetic with bustle, bazaars and traffic chaos. Our trip itinerary includes the experience of Coptic Cairo. You will visit The Hanging Church — built into the masonry of the Roman water-gate, before moving on to Saints Sergius-the Bacchus Church. Also known as Abu Serga, this 4th century-AD Coptic Church is believed to stand on the spot where Joseph, Mary and the infant Jesus rested after their journey into Egypt.

Cairo’s Egyptian Museum exhibits King Tutankhamun’s fabulously famous Gold Mask. Moulded to hide his facial bandaging, it is 11kg of solid-gold and clearly represents dynasties that buried their treasure and artefacts with their corpses. A reminder that to ancient Egyptians, ‘you can’t take it with you’ was pleasantly unthinkable!

The world’s largest pyramids rise from the lands of Egypt, China and Mexico. Unknown to most until the 1940s, China’s great pyramids are about 91.44 metres high; as for Mexico, its Teotihuacán falls short of 58 metres. Famous for millennia, Egypt’s Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest of the three in the Giza Necropolis, and is 146.5 metres tall. Usefully, ancient Egyptians were also ambitious enough to invent the first calendar, making it easier to estimate when Giza’s pyramids were constructed. We know that The Great Pyramid took approximately 20 years to build, was completed in about 2560 BC, and that it stood, the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years — the longest period ever held for such a record.

The pyramids at Giza blot out so much sky and are so wonderfully ancient, that it is difficult to think of the land on which their foundations were dug before the first pyramid stood finished. 100 years before Giza’s pyramid shapes were first drawn up; this desert plateau lay flat and featureless, waiting for its townspeople’s grandchildren to think of how great all this would look with pyramids!

Early inspiration for Giza’s pyramids came from ancient prehistoric graves and tombs, and crucially, from Egypt’s very first pyramid at Saqqara. Completed in 2648 BC, it was ‘stepped’ at an angle and honoured King Netjerikhet Djoser. Egypt’s first two ‘true’ non-‘stepped’ pyramids appeared in Meidum, both enormous, and built by order of King Sneferu between 2589 and 2566 BC. Sneferu’s son and heir, Khufu, became a well-known constructor of pyramids. So much so that on completion, The Great Pyramid of Giza was chosen to be his funeral monument.

But why did ancient Egyptians need to build monuments to their dead on such a huge scale? How much of all this was showing off with stonework — an over-confident desire to construct something highly intimidating? Intimidation frightens and suppresses both the enemy and the local populous. Barbaric ways of achieving this included displaying severed heads or hung corpses. Everyone could smell and witness them grimly rotting over the months.

Pyramids could frighten and deter too, exclude the masses with their in-built dynastic, religious or astronomical association — many believe they were associated to all three. What’s certain is that during the construction of the pyramids at Giza, and over the years until their completion, they transfixed; they were built to transfix with unworldly mystery and ‘impossible’ architectural and engineering accomplishment.

Look at our early booking offer for our Nubian Adventure Tour here:

http://www.encounterstravel.com/specialoffers.php

Prices from £360 per person.

Email tours@encounterstravel.com.