Sensational Balanced Horse Riding Holiday in Egypt

You made it to the home of the pyramids! Pickup is at Cairo International Airport. When you arrive at your hotel in Giza, take some time to get settled in, soak in the lively atmosphere, or relax with a drink. We’ll meet you for a rooftop dinner with phenomenal views of the pyramids. Watch the Sound & Light Show as you enjoy your meal. It’ll be a relaxed night so you’re well-rested for the first day of riding!

Kick off your adventures with an exciting ride at the Pyramids of Giza! Your spirited Arabian will amaze you with their elegance, power, and speed. The desert around the pyramids is perfect for long gallops and exhilarating races across the sand. Dismount at the Giza complex to explore the pyramids and the sphinx up close. Try the national dish koshary for lunch (our personal favorite) before heading to Saqqara by car. Just south of Giza, Saqqara is a vast necropolis and the largest archeological site in Egypt, containing pyramids and tombs for the pharaohs and noblemen of the Old Kingdom. Most notably, Saqqara is home to the oldest pyramid in the world: the Step Pyramid of Djoser, built about 4,700 years ago. This was the first successful pyramid ever built. and it paved the way for the later construction of the Pyramids of Giza. The next stop is Dahshur, where you will explore the inside of the Red Pyramid and visit the nearby “Bent” Pyramid. Back at the hotel, watch a once-in-a-lifetime sunset at the Pyramids of Giza from the rooftop before dinner.

This morning you’ll visit the Egyptian Museum, where you can explore the world’s largest collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts. The Egyptian Museum is one of the most important museums of ancient history and the oldest archeological museum in the Middle East. You’ll get to see incredible works of pharaonic art, mummies, sarcophagi, papyrus, and loads of ancient treasures. A special highlight is the collection of objects recovered from King Tutankhamun’s tomb, including his iconic burial mask weighing about 10 kg of solid gold. After exploring the museum, we head to the stable for lunch and our afternoon ride. An array of classic home-cooked Cairo dishes is served before we meet the horses and begin the ride. We ride to Abusir, the main burial site for the pharaohs and elites of the Old Kingdom 5th Dynasty. The royal necropolis contains numerous tombs and fourteen pyramids, but most are largely destroyed. In the surrounding desert, we ride at all paces including a lively gallop. After the ride, we return to Giza and have dinner at a restaurant near our hotel.

This morning, we head to the airport for our next destination: Luxor! Just a short one-hour flight away, Luxor feels like a world apart from busy Cairo. You will be staying at a guest house in the peaceful village of Ramlah near the Nile River. After lunch at your accommodation, we go to the stable to meet the horses and saddle up for an afternoon ride. We explore the lush farmland and quaint villages of Luxor’s agricultural west bank, showing you what daily life is like in rural Egypt. You’ll be transported back in time as we trot and canter past farmers working their fields in galabayas with traditional tools, donkeys pulling carts stacked high with wheat and clover, and water buffalo cooling off in the Nile. Further outside the village, we ride through sprawling fields of sugar cane, cantering and galloping on the narrow dirt trails before returning to the stable. Dinner is at one of our favorite local restaurants.

Visit ancient temples on Luxor’s west bank by horseback before riding to the desert and camping overnight with the horses! After breakfast, we saddle up to begin the full-day journey. We ride out through the village and head towards the Theban Mountain to our first destination: Ramesseum, a memorial temple for the great warrior Pharaoh Ramesses II. You’ll get to explore the temple on a guided tour while the horses rest nearby. We then have another short ride to our next stop: Medinet Habu Temple. You’ll learn about this impressive temple built by Ramesses III on another guided tour before lunch at a nearby restaurant. After lunch we get back in the saddle and make our way to the desert, stopping along the way to see one of Luxor’s most iconic sights – the Colossi of Memnon. Standing regally against the backdrop of the mountain, these two massive ancient statues are mostly all that remains of what used to be the largest temple on the west bank. We then explore the desert hills around the Valley of the Kings. As evening approaches, we venture further into the desert where our campsite awaits for the night. When we arrive, we watch the sunset and relax with a drink while our dinner is cooked over an open fire. After a delicious meal, we relax around the campfire under the stars with a cup of Egyptian tea, the horses resting around us.

Wake up in the peaceful silence of the desert, and open your tent to be greeted by a beautiful view of the desert hills and the nearby horses. If you get up for sunrise, you may even be able to see hot air balloons floating on the distant horizon. After a quiet morning enjoying nature and having breakfast with the horses, we leave camp to return to the stable. We traverse a range of landscapes, riding from the desert and mountain until we reach villages, farms, and the Nile River. Lunch is served at your accommodation upon your return. In the afternoon, you will visit one of the most famous sites in Luxor: The Valley of the Kings! You’ll explore some of the spectacular tombs hidden in this desert valley, which was the burial ground for the New Kingdom pharaohs. You’ll then visit the Temple of Hatshepsut, a stunning temple built into the foothills of the mountain for Egypt’s most powerful female pharaoh. Dinner is an authentic home-cooked meal served by the Nile.

Today you’ll have an early start, but this morning’s ride is worth it! We ride to see the hot air balloons take off at sunrise, watching from the horses as they float above us and over the Valley of the Kings. As the sun continues to rise, we ride to the outskirts of the desert. The terrain is perfect for galloping and we have fun racing each other across the sand. On our ride back to the stable, we stop at a local restaurant for a traditional Egyptian breakfast: falafel and ful medames. After the ride, you’ll take a water taxi to Luxor’s east bank to see the spectacular Karnak and Luxor Temples. These temples are some of Luxor’s finest and cannot be missed! Then visit the Luxor market, where you can browse colorful shops brimming with all kinds of souvenirs, from clothing, jewelry, papyrus, spices, and more. Back at your accommodation, you’ll have some downtime to relax before dinner. For your last night, we have a homecooked dinner at the stable with a fire, drinks, and music.

This morning you’ll ride to Deir el-Medina, an ancient village that was home to the artisans and craftsmen who constructed the tombs in the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens. You’ll dismount and let the horses rest nearby as you explore this fascinating archeological site. In addition to the ruins of the village where the workmen lived, the site also contains their tombs, which they carved into the slopes of the surrounding mountainside. Though much smaller than the tombs of the kings, these tombs are impressive in their own right, covered with vibrant paintings depicting scenes of daily life in ancient Egypt. After going inside a few of the tombs, you’ll meet back up with the horses to finish your ride. In the afternoon, you’ll continue your sightseeing by car. You’ll visit the Tombs of the Nobles, not often frequented by tourists but boasting some remarkable tombs for the governors, advisors, and officials from the Old and Middle Kingdoms. There are over 400 tombs in total, but you will only go inside a few of the most impressive. After the sightseeing, you’ll have some downtime to relax at the hotel before setting sail on the Nile in a traditional felucca boat. Sail until sunset and then have dinner at a restaurant.

This morning we ride to new farms and villages on the west bank. The highlight is our ride through the lush banana plantations, where we enjoy long canters on winding paths through the banana trees. In the winter months, we end the ride by cantering and galloping in the fields along the Nile River near the stable. In the warmer months, we cool off with a swim in the Nile – on horseback! After the ride, enjoy an authentic home-cooked lunch served by the Nile. You’ll have a little downtime at your accommodation before we ride again in the afternoon. The ride begins through the villages and farms until we reach the outskirts of the desert, where we get to test the speed of our horses and race each other across the sand. We ride up the sandy hills for an incredible view of the mountain and the vast desert beyond, and from here we watch as the sun sets on the horizon. When we return, you’ll unwind over dinner at your accommodation.

Optional Extra: Begin your day with a spectacular sunrise hot air balloon ride over the temples and monuments on Luxor’s west bank. After breakfast, take a trip to Dendera Temple, a beautiful temple dedicated to the goddess Hathor about an hour away from Luxor by car in the city of Qena. This temple sees fewer tourists because of its location, but it is one of the best-preserved temple complexes of ancient Egypt and well worth the visit. When you return, you’ll have lunch and downtime to relax at your accommodation. Spend the late afternoon cruising on the Nile by motorboat until sunset. For dinner, we park the boat and barbecue our own meal of chicken and vegetables on the banks of the Nile under the stars.

If you have the time, tack up for an extra morning ride. Otherwise, relax at the stable with the horses, take a dip in the pool, or pick up some last-minute souvenirs to bring home. Our driver will take you to the Luxor Airport to catch your flight. Until next time!