Luxury Egypt Holidays

It's not just the Pharaonic monuments that have drawn travellers to this luxury destination since long before the birth of Christ - it's the legacy of the Greeks, Romans and early Christians, and the profusion of art and architecture accumulated from centuries of successive Islamic dynasties.

Bustling Cairo, where you can step straight into history at nearby Giza and at Memphis and Sakkara, whose ancient pyramid pre-dates even those of Giza.

In Upper Egypt, Luxor’s awesome Karnak Temple which took 1,000 years to build, is perhaps Egypt’s greatest monument of all - while across the Nile lies the Necropolis of Thebes, burial ground of the New Kingdom Pharaohs and among them the burial chamber of Tutankhamun.

Aswan is the most picturesquely situated town of Upper Egypt, its oasis-like surroundings on the banks of the Nile offers the chance of a felucca boat ride around beautiful islands. The reconstructed Temple of Ramses II and Nefertari at Abu Simbel, snatched from the rising waters of Lake Nasser, are a must, visited by air from Aswan. When travelling in Egypt, be prepared for early morning
starts (between 2am and 6am), often designed to avoid travelling or sightseeing during the hotter hours of the day and to avoid crowds. The lengths of visits to Abu
Simbel largely depends on flight punctuality as delays can curtail sightseeing. In Egypt, desert sandstorms including the Khamsin that blows from March to May
can play havoc with local air schedules and itineraries.

Alexandria
Alexandria, with a population of 4.1 million, is the second-largest city in Egypt, and is the country's largest seaport, serving about 80% of Egypt's imports and exports. Alexandria is also an important tourist resort. Alexandria extends about 32 km (20 miles) along the coast of the Mediterranean sea in north-central Egypt. It is home to the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (the new Library of Alexandria), and is an important industrial center because of its natural gas and oil pipelines from Suez, another city in Egypt. Alexandria was also an important trading post between Europe and Asia, because it profited from the easy overland connection between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.

Aswan
Aswan (Assuan) is a city on the first cataract of the Nile in Egypt. Two dams straddle the river at this point: the newer Aswan High Dam and the older Aswan Dam or Aswan Low Dam. The aim of this water project was to prevent the river's flooding, generate electricity and provide water for agriculture. Without impoundment, the River Nile would flood each year during summer, as waters from East Africa flowed down the river as they did in ancient times. These floods brought nutrients and minerals that made the soil around the Nile fertile and ideal for farming. As the population along the river grew, there came a need to control the flood waters to protect and support farmland and cotton fields. In a high-water year, the whole crop may be entirely wiped out, while in a low-water year there was widespread drought and famine.

Cairo
Cairo, Egypt, the Triumphant City is one of the world's largest urban areas and offers many sites to see. It is the administrative capital of Egypt and, close by, is almost every Egypt Pyramid, such as the Great Pyramids of Giza on the very edge of the city. But there are also ancient temples, tombs, Christian churches, magnificent Muslim monuments, and of course, the Egyptian Antiquities Museum all either within or nearby the city. Cairo, Egypt is an amazing city full of life and movement, and it is that way almost 24 hours every day, with the noisy honking of horns, children playing in the streets and merchants selling their wears and services. And here, the Egyptians are most at home in this powerful, modern and ancient city.

Dahab
Dahab, is a small town situated on the southeast coast of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. Formerly a Bedouin fishing village, located approximately 80 km (50 miles) northeast of Sharm el-Sheikh, Dahab is still considered to be one of the Sinai's most treasured diving destinations. Following the Six Day War, the town was occupied by Israel and known in Hebrew as Di-Zahav, a place mentioned in the Exodus from Egypt. The Sinai Peninsula was restored to Egyptian rule in 1982. The arrival of international hotel chains and the establishment of other ancillary facilities has now made this a popular destination with tourists. The nearest international airport is located at Sharm el-Sheikh.

El Gouna
El Gouna, the Red Sea's Premier Leisure Destination, is built on 10kms of scenic beachfront & boasts unique & diverse architecture. Spread across a myriad of islands interlinked together by beautiful turquoise lagoons, El Gouna offers a wide range of accommodation facilities, from comfortable guest houses to luxurious beach-front resorts. El Gouna is easily accessible by air, lying 22kms north of Hurghada International Airport – a short flight away from Europe's capitals. Once in El Gouna you will find a wide variety of activities to keep yourself busy. El Gouna is a diver's paradise with internationally certified diving centers. Windsurfing, kite surfing – first professional center in Egypt, waterskiing, parasailing, snorkeling & many other water sport activities are available.

Hurghada
Hurghada, is a city in the Port Said Governorate of Egypt. It is a tourist center located on the Red Sea coast. The city was founded in the early 20th century, and since the 1980s has been continually enlarged by Egyptian and foreign investors to become the leading seashore resort on the Red Sea. Holiday villages and hotels provide aquatic sport facilities for sailboarders, yachtsmen, scuba divers and snorkelers. Hurghada stretches for about 36 kilometres (22 mi) along the seashore, and it does not reach far into the surrounding desert. The resort is a destination for Egyptian tourists from Cairo, the Delta and Upper Egypt, as well as package holiday tourists from Europe, notably Italians, Russians, Czechs and Germans. Until a few years ago it was a small fishing village. Today Hurghada counts 248,000 inhabitants and is divided into three parts: Downtown (El Dahar) is the old part; Sekalla is the modern part, and El Korra Road is the most modern part. Sakkala is the relatively modest hotel quarter. Dahar is where the town's largest bazaar, the post office and the long-distance bus station are situated.

Luxor
Luxor, is a city in Upper (southern) Egypt and the capital of Luxor Governorate. Its population numbers 376,022 (1999 survey), and its area is about 416 square kilometres (161 sq mi) [1]. As the site of the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes, Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open air museum", the ruins of the temple complexes at Karnak and Luxor standing within the modern city. Immediately opposite, across the Nile River, lie the monuments, temples and tombs on the West Bank Necropolis, which include the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens. Thousands of international tourists arrive annually to visit these monuments, contributing a large part towards the economy for the modern city.

Makadi Bay

Marsa Alam
Until very recently, Marsa Alam was a small fishing village in Egypt, on the west coast of the Red Sea. However, it has rapidly increased in popularity, and since the opening of its International Airport in 2001, it has started to become yet another favourite holiday destination on the Red Sea Riviera. In fact, most informed observers believe that it is destined to become as popular a resort as Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada, within the next few years. However, its airport is still small and, as of May 2007, had only one departure gate.

Port Ghalib

Sahl Hasheesh
On an area of 32 million sq. meters, and along the lovely Red Sea coast abounding in invaluable coral reefs, the Egyptian Company for Tourist Communities has launched implementing its gigantic project in Sahl Hasheesh, as complete tourist resort will be established along with its accessories, representing irreplaceable spot in terms of charm and beauty. Within the framework of the national scheme to activate the Red Sea coast away from the already-established communities in both Hurghada and Safaga, Ministry of Tourism put forward its plan to develop Merse Alam and Sahl Hasheesh, the two areas located far south of the Red Sea.

Sharm El Sheikh
Sharm el Sheikh, is a city situated on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, in Janub Sina', Egypt, on the coastal strip between the Red Sea and Mount Sinai. Sharm el-Sheikh is the administrative hub of Egypt's Southern Sinai province which includes the smaller coastal towns of Dahab and Nuweiba as well as the mountainous interior, Saint Catherine's Monastery and Mount Sinai. Sharm el-Sheikh is known as The City of Peace referring to the large number of international peace conferences that have been held there.

Siwa
The Siwa Oasis, is an oasis in Egypt, located between the Qattara Depression and the Egyptian Sand Sea in the Libyan Desert, nearly 50 km (30 mi) east of the Libyan border, and 560 km (348 mil) from Cairo. About 80 km (50 miles) in length and 20 km (12 mi) wide, Siwa Oasis is one of Egypt's isolated settlements, with 23,000 people, mostly ethnic Berbers who speak a distinct language of the Berber family known as taSiwit. Its fame lies primarily in its ancient role as the home to an oracle of Amon, the ruins of which are a popular tourist attraction and gave the oasis its name.

Soma Bay
Soma Bay is an exclusive resort destination on Egypt’s Red Sea Riviera. Just a short 4 hour flight from Central Europe, with year round sunshine and mild temperatures, Soma Bay offers vacationers an ideal Red Sea holiday. The resort location boasts some of the most beautiful sandy beaches of the Red Sea and panoramic views of desert mountains and blue skies.

Taba
Taba, is a small Egyptian town near the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba. Taba is the location of Egypt's busiest border crossing with neighboring Israel. Little more than a bus depot and a luxury hotel (complete with casino), Taba is a frequent vacation spot for Egyptians and tourists, especially those from Israel on their way to others destinations in Egypt or as a weekend getaway. It is the northernmost resort of Egypt's Red Sea Riviera.