Experiences · thrills and crafts
Egypt by fire, stone, water and sand
Go down inside a pyramid, dive to a wartime wreck and walk a Bedouin trail. Blow glass, carve stone and sit at a loom. Choose an element, then how much nerve you bring. Every experience is arranged around your route, and nothing is promised until it is confirmed.
1 Choose an element
- All four13 experiences
- Fire2 experiencesFurnaces and solder: glass gathered hot, and a lantern made for Ramadan.
- Stone3 experiencesDown inside a pyramid, into a tomb's evidence, and a chisel in calcite.
- Water3 experiencesA war wreck on the seabed, one breath in Dahab, and a first kite.
- Sand and thread5 experiencesDunes and mountain trails, and the looms and needles of the people who live there.
2 How much nerve do you bring?
Physically demanding or unnerving: steep, tight, deep, hot or remote.
Showing 5 of 13 · Show everything
Down inside a pyramid, into a tomb's evidence, and a chisel in calcite.
Down inside the Red Pyramid
Climb to the entrance, then descend a low passage into Sneferu's corbelled chambers.61 m of passage sloping down at 27°, about 0.9 m high
Nerve: BoldHalf day from Cairo
Open the layerswhat happens · what it asks · what we confirm
What happens
- Climb the steps on the north face to the entrance, high above the desert.
- Descend the long, low passage bent over, holding the handrail.
- Stand in the first corbelled chamber and look up at the stepped roof.
- Walk on to the burial chamber, then outside to see the Bent Pyramid, whose own passages opened to visitors in 2019.
What it asks of you
A long crouch in a hot, airless passage, down and back up. Not for anyone with claustrophobia or knee or back trouble. The descent is steady, not technical.
Before you go, we confirm
- That both pyramids' interiors are open on your date
- Current ticketing at Dahshur, which we confirm rather than quote
- A guide who can explain the building sequence at the site
A war wreck on the seabed, one breath in Dahab, and a first kite.
One breath in Dahab
A beginner freediving course in one of the world's freediving towns, down a line on a single breath.12 m the least depth of the beginner course's dive, on one breath
Nerve: Bold2–3 days
Open the layerswhat happens · what it asks · what we confirm
What happens
- Learn to breathe up, relax and equalise in theory and shallow water.
- Hold a two-minute static breath-hold with an instructor beside you.
- Dive down a line in open water, turn, and come back up on the same breath.
- Practise rescuing a buddy, because freedivers never dive alone.
What it asks of you
Water confidence more than fitness, and a medical statement. Hardest of all is learning to relax.
Before you go, we confirm
- A school teaching an internationally recognised course, with its instructor ratio
- Your medical statement, and what the school requires
- Course days that fit your route
Your first kite
A kitesurfing course chosen beach by beach: the depth, the wind and the rescue boat.5 places compared in our kitesurfing guide, from the official sources
Nerve: BoldSeveral days
Open the layerswhat happens · what it asks · what we confirm
What happens
- Choose the beach before the course, using our guide.
- Learn kite control on the beach, then body-drag in the water.
- Work towards the water start, at the pace the wind allows.
- Finish with a record of the level you reached.
What it asks of you
Balance, strength in the core and legs, and days: wind decides how quickly you progress.
Before you go, we confirm
- A licensed school at the exact beach you choose
- Lesson length, instructor ratio and the rescue arrangements
- Enough days for the wind to give you lessons
Dunes and mountain trails, and the looms and needles of the people who live there.
The edge of the Great Sand Sea
From Siwa into the dunes by four-wheel drive, a board down a slope, and dusk at a spring.72,000 km² of dunes between Egypt and Libya
Nerve: BoldHalf day to sunset
Open the layerswhat happens · what it asks · what we confirm
What happens
- Leave Siwa with a local driver who reads the dunes.
- Crest the first ridges and see the sand sea open to the horizon.
- Try sandboarding down a slope you choose.
- End at a spring or a high dune as the light goes.
What it asks of you
A strong stomach on the dunes and tolerance of heat. The ride is rough; tell us of back or neck trouble.
Before you go, we confirm
- A licensed local driver and a vehicle in sound condition
- That the route lies within the areas the UK government's travel advice excepts: Siwa and the Marsa Matruh–Siwa road are named; the open desert beyond is not
- Any desert permit needed for the route
- Water, shade and a safe return time
A Sinai Trail day
A day's walk in the high mountains with a Bedouin guide whose tribe knows the route.About 550 km of trail, run by Bedouin tribes (340 miles in the source)
Nerve: BoldFull day
Open the layerswhat happens · what it asks · what we confirm
What happens
- Set out early from St Catherine with a guide from the tribe whose land you cross.
- Walk wadis and passes, with stops at gardens and springs your guide knows.
- Eat as the guide's family eats on the trail.
- Return before dark, or arrange a night out.
What it asks of you
A full day on rough ground, climbs at altitude, and heat or cold depending on the season.
Before you go, we confirm
- A registered guide from the tribe whose section you walk
- That the section lies outside the area north of the St Catherine–Nuweiba road, where the UK government advises against all but essential travel
- The section, its length and height gain
- Season, water and a way down if the weather turns
How an experience earns a place here
- A story, a skill or accessIf a marketplace already sells it as a ticket and there is nothing more to it, it is not here.
- Licensed people, checked before you goDivers, drivers and guides are confirmed for your date. Every page lists what we confirm first.
- Makers named when they agreeNo host appears here until they have agreed to be named. Every experience is a concept until then, and the page says so.
Ask about an experience
Tell us which ones and where you will be. Concept · on request means we still confirm the host, the date and the terms with you before anything is booked.
Your Egypt, your pace
Request a quote
Tell us your dates and party size. A quote will confirm the itinerary, total price, inclusions and cancellation terms before you decide.
Sending a request does not make a booking or reserve availability.
Photography credits (13)
FischerFotos, CC BY-SA 4.0; Alaazzpov, CC BY-SA 4.0; Olaf Tausch, CC BY 3.0; Zezinho68, CC BY-SA 4.0; David Dennis from Scotts Valley, CA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0; Wikicomman, CC BY-SA 4.0; Lars Plougmann, CC BY-SA 2.0; Marc Ryckaert, CC BY 3.0; Roland Unger, CC BY-SA 3.0; Mohamed kamal 1984, CC BY-SA 4.0; Ahmed Emad H, CC BY-SA 4.0; PMATAS, CC BY-SA 4.0; Hatem Moushir, CC BY-SA 4.0
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