Day 1
UK – Cairo

Our adventure starts at the airport in London, where we meet for the first time as a group and catch our flight to the iconic city of Cairo.

Touching down in Egypt in the late evening, we meet our fantastic local challenge leader and transfer to our hotel to rest for the night.

Day 2
Cairo – Memphis – Saqqara – Pyramids & Sphinx – Cairo | approx. 57km

Waking to breakfast at our hotel, we prepare for the ride ahead with a challenge briefing and bike fitting. Then, we hop onto our bikes and head south.

Cycling on the scenic and fairly flat terrain we can expect throughout our challenge, we cycle first to the extraordinary ruins of Memphis, the ancient capital of Inebu-hedj. Dating back to 2686—2181 BC, Memphis was the seat of power of the Old Kingdom of Egypt for eight dynasties and home to the pharaohs who raised the pyramids that Egypt is famous for.

Immediately, we see the striking, thirty-foot statue of Ramesses II overlooking the city. As the centre of worship of Ptah, the God of Creation and Artworks, Memphis also boasts the Great Temple of Ptah, which we jump on the chance to explore, along with several smaller Temples of Ptah and the Temple of Hathor.

Our journey through time continues as we ride on to Saqqara, the City of the Dead, where our challenge leader gives us a guided tour of the world-famous Step Pyramid of Djoser. Built here on the banks of the Nile in the Third Dynasty (in the 27th Century BC), the Step Pyramid is the oldest colossal stone building on the planet.

We cycle to a local restaurant for lunch and tackle our final stretch to more pyramids and the legendary Great Sphinx of Giza! With a face resembling that of the pharaoh Khafre, who lived between 2600 and 2500 BC, this magnificent, limestone statue is said to be the oldest monumental structure in Egypt.

From here, we ride back to our hotel in Cairo, where we’re treated to a trip to see Cairo’s amazing Sound and Light Show this evening, followed by a delicious welcome dinner.

Day 3
Cairo – Fayoum – Cairo | approx. 110km

After breakfast at our hotel, we cycle along the Nile to one of Egypt’s most beautiful and biodiverse destinations, Fayoum. Having conquered an amazing approx. 110km already today, we take a break from the bikes to tour the natural and man-made treasures of Fayoum.

We start by visiting the Qasr (palace) of Qarun, whose small exterior seems unremarkable, a stark contrast to the fascinating maze of chambers, stairways and tunnels hidden inside. From here, our bus takes us to Tunis Village, which enjoys an idyllic location overlooking Lake Qarun and is home to some of Egypt’s finest potters.

After browsing its array of mud-brick craft shops, we descend to the lake and look out for the amazing range of birds that enjoy its waters, including flamingos in the winter.

We then transfer to a local restaurant for lunch, before journeying on to the famous Fayoum Waterwheels. Manmade but powered solely by the river, these wheels are a prominent symbol of the town and oasis, manifesting Fayoum’s vital role in supporting human culture in Egypt for some 8,000 years!

From here, we transfer back to our hotel to relax and close the evening with a delicious group dinner.

Day 4
Cairo – Aswan – High Dam – Nile River Cruise | approx. 35km

Leaving our hotel after breakfast, we transfer to Cairo airport and catch a short flight to Aswan to discover the wonders further South.

Also known as the ancient city of Swenett, after the Egyptian Goddess of childbirth, Aswan was seen to be the city where Ancient Egypt began, sitting just below the first cataract of the Nile.

Our support crew collects our luggage on our arrival and we cycle to Aswan High Dam, the biggest embankment dam on the planet! Stretching an incredible 3,600m across the Nile, the Dam provides electricity and irrigation water for the whole of Egypt.

Our route then takes us downstream to the fascinating Temple of Isis and the Philae Temple Complex. The pharaoh Nectanebo started the complex in the 30th-dynasty (380-362 BC) on Philae Island, but the rulers of the following Greek, Roman and Byzantine periods all added to the masterpiece. The complex we see today, however, enjoys the home of Phillae’s neighbouring Agilika Island, after a flood ruined its original home in the 20th century.

Travelling back to the mainland, we cycle to Aswan Cruise Port to board an exquisite cruise ship on the river, where our luggage awaits.

We tuck into a delicious lunch on board and then you’re free to spend the afternoon as you wish, relaxing and enjoying the views from the ship and taking advantage of the optional massages. We reunite for dinner and spend the night in the brilliant rooms on board.

Day 5
Nile River Cruise – Kom Ombo Temple – Nile River Cruise | approx. 45km

Breakfast on the ship sets us up to cycle alongside the river on fairly flat terrain, becoming immersed in modern-day Egypt and admiring the lush, river-side surroundings, all the way to Kom Ombo Temple, with a picnic lunch en route.

Once again, we’re transported back in time as we tour this extraordinary Ptolemaic dynasty (180 - 47 BC) double temple. Impeccably symmetrical, the temple boasts duplicate courts, halls, sanctuaries and rooms for two sets of gods.

Several crocodile mummies have been discovered in Its southern half, dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek, god of fertility and creator of the world, along with Hathor and Khonsu. The northern part was built to worship the falcon god Haroeris, Tasenetnofret (the Good Sister) and Panebtawy (Lord of the Two Lands).

By the time our ship picks us up at the temple, we have explored the monument to our heart’s content and we spend another night dining and relaxing on board.

Day 6
Nile River Cruise – Edfu Temple – Esna – Luxor Temple – Nile River Cruise | approx. 82km

We wake up in Edfu to visit the enthralling Edfu Temple of Horus, said to be the most impressive of all the Nile-side temples between Luxor and Aswan.

Although the temple was dedicated to the Ancient Egyptian god Horus and matches the Egyptian style perfectly, it was built during the Greco-Roman period, two millennia after the Ancient Egyptians, so it gives us an awesome example of how the ruins of the original Egyptian monuments would have looked, before 2,000 years’ worth of erosion weathered their full splendour.

Returning to the ship, we cruise to Esna with breakfast and lunch on board. Then, we mount our bikes and cycle to the next ancient landmark, the “Southern Sanctuary” of Luxor Temple. It’s a longer day in the saddle, but with a fairly flat route along the Nile and another captivating temple complex to look forward to, we tackle it with joy.

Overlooking the Nile from its east bank, the 1400 BCE temple wasn’t dedicated to a god or a pharaoh, but to the rejuvenation of kingship and is likely to have been where many of the pharaohs were crowned.

Like many of the monuments in Egypt, the complex was built by a multitude of rulers, including Tutankhamun, Alexander the Great and Amenhotep III. What’s more, it played an important role in the Roman era as a legionary fortress and the home of the local Roman government.

We can stretch our legs as we tour its chapels, before cycling our final stretch to our ship at the Luxor Cruise Port. Here, we enjoy another delicious dinner with a view.

Day 7
Nile Cruise Ship – Valley of Kings – Hatshepsut Temple – Colossi of Memnon – Karnak Temple – Luxor – Cairo | approx. 80km

We bid the cruise ship farewell after breakfast and head to the spectacular Valley of Kings. Sprawling across 1,000 feet, this burial site is home to over sixty underground mausoleums, including those of Tutankhamun, Seti I and Ramses II. The rock-cut tombs were looted, but we can still see the original hieroglyphs and carvings their worshippers made all those millennia ago.

We then cycle a short way to Deir el Bahri (aka. Djeser-Djeseru, meaning "the Holy of Holies”). Here lies the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, honouring one of Ancient Egypt’s first female pharaohs, who held one of the most extraordinary reigns in history. She became queen regent after her husband died, but instead of giving up her reign when her stepson came of age, she adopted the title of pharaoh and ruled for over two decades. Her temple is one of the world’s most striking architectural masterpieces, with beautiful Egyptian statues, set against a mountain backdrop.

We hop back on our bikes for another short stetch to the twin giant statues of the Colossi of Memnon, which resemble the 14th century BCE pharaoh, Amenhotep III. The Egyptians had to transport the quartzite sandstone the statue is made from a phenomenal 675km overland from el-Gabal el-Ahmar, near modern-day Cairo.

We have a final approx. 40km to our finishing point at the incredible Karnak Temple, the biggest religious building ever constructed. The complex was built over two millennia (approx. 2055 BCE to around 100 AD) by the Ancient Egyptians, Ptolemies, Romans and early Christians and takes up the area of an entire city! It is dedicated to the gods Amun (Egyptian god of the sun and air), Mut (the mother goddess) and her son, Khonsu (Egyptian god of the Moon).

We’re greeted at the entrance by a line of sphinxes and beyond that, we have a whole city’s worth of temples, sanctuaries, pylons, and other decorations to explore – what a way to end our adventure!

It's now time to transfer to Luxor Airport for our flight back to Cairo. Touching down in the evening, we transfer to our nearby hotel, before we close the day with a fantastic celebration dinner at a hilltop restaurant overlooking the city.

Day 8
Cairo – UK

Waking up to a final breakfast in Egypt, we transfer to Cairo Airport and fly back to the UK. Touching down in London later in the day, you make your own way home, no doubt buzzing to book your next Dream Challenge!