Egypt’s Secrets of the Southern Temples on horseback

On arrival, your driver will meet you at the airport and transport you to your hotel. The hotel is located on the back streets of Giza, just a few hundred meters from the Great Pyramids. We recommend that you arrive in the afternoon to have dinner with your hosts and meet your fellow travellers.

After a traditional breakfast, head to the site to meet the horses and your guides, who will take you on an awe-inspiring ride to the 7th Wonder of the World – The Giza Pyramids. Your horses may be adorned with traditional protective necklaces to set the theme for your authentic Egyptian adventure.

The open desert allows fantastic riding at all paces, including exhilarating gallops! This bucket list trail ride will take you past Giza’s four most famous sights: the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the Pyramid of Khafre, the Pyramid of Menkaure, and the Sphinx. The entire area has an indescribable feeling. The horses are tuned into the excitement, too, as they race across the golden sand surrounding these ancient monuments.

Upon arrival at the Sphinx, you will dismount and explore this incredible area on foot. Carved from one solid piece of stone, this mysterious statue is one of the oldest sculptures from the Old Kingdom. Lunch today will be served at a local restaurant, an array of flatbreads, dips, koftas and salads.

After an awe-inspiring morning, lunch will be served at one of the local restaurants in town. Then it’s time to head back to the hotelto shower, relax and check out before heading to your nextdestination, the Bahariya Oasis. This is a lush paradise, filled withswaying date palms, vibrant fruit trees, and dozens of naturalsprings just waiting to be explored. You’ll be staying at Tzila, a beautiful hotel which is right next to the stables. When not riding, you can unwind in the oasis’s soothing hot springs or simply take in the peaceful beauty of your surroundings. This is a place where you’ll not only deepen your connection with your horse but also immerse yourself in the magical spirit of Bahariya.

Today, you’ll have the rare opportunity to do something very few have ever experienced: explore the breathtaking White Desert on horseback! This area is a natural wonder, a surreal world of chalk formations sculpted by centuries of wind and sandstorms. These natural masterpieces rise from the desert floor like frozen waves. Some describe it as an “outdoor museum of contemporary art”.
Along the way, stop for a delicious, freshly prepared lunch, and local Bedouins offer you an authentic taste of desert hospitality.

As the sun sets, you can choose to return to your comfortable lodge or opt for a night camping under the White Desert stars (extra charge: GBP £100 per person).

Located on the guest house’s doorsteps lies the phenomenal Black Desert. Older than the Pyramids, as sublime as any temple, Egypt’s Western Desert is a vast sweep of elemental beauty, surreal rock formations and the ripple and swell of the Great Sand Sea’s mammoth dunes are simply bewitching.

This beautiful sunrise ride covers all paces, what could be a more beautiful finish to our days here watching the sunrise with your new four legged friend and a hearty breakfast again one of mother nature’s masterpieces.

After our morning ride, we will enjoy some majestic ancient beauty from the Tomb of Bannentiu to the Museum of the Golden Mummies. We’ll then unwind with a relaxing soak in the Natural Hot Springs, renowned for their healing properties—so don’t forget to pack your swimwear!

After lunch at the lodge, you’ll check out and transfer back to Cairo by road.

Enjoy an authentic Egyptian breakfast overlooking the Pyramids from your hotel and a relaxing morning. You will visit the newly inaugurated Grand Egyptian Museum, one of the largest archaeological museums in the world, showcasing a vast collection of artifacts spanning ancient Egyptian history. Visitors can expect to see treasures such as the belongings of King Tutankhamun and other iconic artifacts that have been meticulously preserved and displayed for public viewing.

After the morning activities, you will catch a short flight to Luxor, then check into your hotel for the evening (Flight not included)

Welcome to Luxor and home of Ride Egypt! Today you have the option of a full day in the saddle or a combination of sight-seeing and riding. The team has created two different options—those for returning guests who do not wish to sightsee again but would instead dedicate their time to riding and those who are new to Luxor and wish to combine riding and sightseeing into their stay. Of course, there is also an option for a relaxing morning by the pool and an afternoon ride.

OPTION 1: Non-riding tour of the Valley of the Kings

The Valley of the Kings, located on the remote west banks of the Nile, is where some of the most important pharaohs in Egyptian history built their crypts. Some pharaohs include Tutankhamun, or “The Boy King,” and Hatshepsut, one of the most successful and well-known women pharaohs in Egyptian history. The valley contains hundreds of beautifully painted and carefully sculpted limestone tombs with chambers filled with treasures for pharaohs to take to the afterlife. Discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter, this incredible site has been named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. After a day of discovery, head out for a 2-hour desert ride in the afternoon.

OPTION 2: Full-day ride

This is a full day of riding from 9 AM to 3 PM. If you haven’t already, prepare to fall in love with Arabian and Baladi (local breed) horses famed for their beauty and endurance. These longer trails allow you to experience the horses and country life here deeply. You will see the farmers working the fields on horseback like their ancestors did. Mid-morning, prepare to be amazed as these sure-footed horses take you behind the Valley of the Kings and to the top of Mount Thebes so that you can see panoramic views of Luxor. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant before your trail home takes you past the Colossi of Memnon, two massive Pharaoh Amenhotep III stone statues. This is a brilliant opportunity to take photos with the horses! After an inspiring day of riding, it’s time to freshen up at the hotel before dinner.

Today is all about authentic Egypt. You can choose to have just a scenic 3 hour ride, or a full day in the saddle. These longer trails allow you to experience the horses and country life here in more depth. From horseback, you will see the farmers working the fields just as their ancestors did. Mid-morning, prepare to be amazed as these sure-footed horses take you behind the Valley of the Kings and to the top of Mount Thebes so that you can see panoramic views of Luxor.

Lunch will be served at a local restaurant before your trail home takes you past the Colossi of Memnon, two massive stone statues of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III. This is a brilliant opportunity for photos with the horses!

After an inspiring day of riding, it’s time to freshen up at the hotel before a boat cruise on the River Nile. Take in the delights of historic Karnak at night with its light and sound show, followed by dinner on the boat.

A trip to Luxor would not be complete without watching the hot air balloons take off at sunrise! Wake before dawn to the sound of the prayer call and saddle up to watch the sun and balloons rise, casting spectacular rainbow shadows over this exquisite piece of history. Booking a hot air balloon flight is also possible – let us know if this is on your bucket list (extra cost). Return to the hotel for breakfast and some time to relax at the pool.

For those leaving today, you’ll have a farewell lunch and then head off to the airport.

For those doing the optional Aswan & Abu Simbel extension, you’ll hop into your transfer car to Aswan after lunch. Along the way, you may have time to visit the Horus Temple in Edfu and the Temple of Sobek Kim Ombo. These temples are dedicated to the Crocodile-headed god Sobek and the Falcon-headed god Horus the Elder.

Arriving in Aswan, the landscape changes, the Nile widens, framed by golden granite boulders and lush islands. This has long been the gateway to Nubia, a land of warmth, colour, and living traditions.

That evening, step aboard a traditional felucca sailing boat. With its billowing white sail and timeless wooden frame, the felucca has glided across the Nile since Pharaonic times. As the sun sinks low, casting golden light across the river, you’ll drift into tranquillity, dining under the stars and sleeping to the gentle lap of water against the hull. Overnight onboard the Felucca.

This morning begins with an extraordinary journey further south, across desert landscapes that lead to the mighty temples of Abu Simbel. Hewn from solid rock over 3,000 years ago, these colossal monuments to Pharaoh Ramses II and his beloved queen Nefertari are among Egypt’s greatest treasures. The sheer scale of the seated statues, their gaze fixed eternally across the sands, is humbling, and the story of their rescue and relocation during the building of the Aswan High Dam is a marvel of modern archaeology.

After the visit, you will return to Aswan for a local lunch, savouring the flavours of Upper Egypt. As the day cools, the Nile calls once more. This time, we sail to a Nubian village, a place alive with colour and tradition. Houses are painted in bright blues and ochres, children’s laughter fills the alleys, and warm smiles welcome you into homes that pulse with music, spices, and stories. The Nubians are Egypt’s oldest civilisation, guardians of a culture shaped by the river, and sharing an evening with them offers a connection far beyond sightseeing.

The night closes back on the felucca, rocked gently to sleep by the Nile’s timeless current.

It’s an early morning start on your last day as you head to the UNESCO Abu Simbel World Heritage Site. It’s about a 3-hour drive from Aswan but a bucket list experience for anyone interested in Egyptian and Nubian history.

Abu Simbel is a historic site comprising two massive temples carved directly into the mountainside. They are situated about 3 hours South of Aswan along Lake Nasser’s shore and are considered the most famous temples in Egypt after the Giza Pyramids. Built Ramesses II, these monolithic rock-cut temples marked the southern boundary between the Egyptian Empire and Nubia at the peak of its power. The four statues guarding the doorway of the larger temple are the biggest sculptures from the ancient Pharaonic era. Another rock-cut temple to the north, known as the Small Temple, is dedicated to the goddess Hathor and Ramesses II’s Wife, Queen Nefertari. It might be hard to imagine, but the two temples were moved from their original location in 1968 after the Aswan High Dam was built.

After an awe-inspiring morning, you’ll have lunch at one of the local seafood restaurants along the river. Then, you’ll drive back to Aswan for your flight to Cairo and your onward journey home.