This very special ride takes place near Luxor, known to many as ‘the world’s largest open-air museum’. Located in the Nile Valley, Luxor is filled with history and cultural authenticity. The land is vast and varied; lush green grazing fed by moisture from the Nile, sugarcane plantations that rise high above the land and open desert space ideal for lovely trots and canters. Tall date palms line the streets providing shade, and banana plantations are plentiful, shadowed by Mount Thebes in the background. Traditional feluccas travel back and forth quietly along the Nile and life passes by in a simple and peaceful manner.
Our itinerary incorporates not only fantastic riding on beautifully kept and well-trained Arabian and Arabian cross horses but also includes the opportunity to take in the many historic sites as well. On this ride will have the opportunity of connecting with the people and learn about the culture and life in Egypt, both past and present.
Departure & Return Location
Luxor, Egypt for the ride and depart from Cairo if you add this on in the end
Date and Rates
November 12-19, 2022
(an add-on trip to Cairo and the pyramids of Giza can be arranged and is highly recommended- just let us know and we will create a program for you)
starting at $ 1,850 for 8 days/ $340 single supplement
Maximun 8 riders
Price Includes
- Accommodation
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided. Soft drinks and alcohol are payable locally. Complimentary water bottles.
- Riding and non-riding guides
- horses and tack
- All transportation in destination location
Price Excludes
- flights
- £15 each person x2 non-commissioned transfers . Solo traveller arriving or departing alone or after midnight at £ 25 per person each way
- insurance policy for the ride is mandatory
- museum and temples fees. Budget approximately $80 but depend on your interest in visiting historic sites
- Egypt has a strong tipping culture. We kindly ask that you factor this into your budget $100 or equivalent to be paid on the first day and that will go into the tip kitty for all.
- any private expenses
This is a unique ride on which you will come into close contact with the people and learn more about Egyptian life; the food, the traditions and the simple, peaceful life around Luxor.
You will be riding excellent, forward-going horses in English tack on lovely long trails through farmlands and villages, stopping for traditional lunches, along the way. A fun addition to this ride is that you can meet the neighbours and try your hand at bread-making, attend the prayer call, see weaving demonstrations and learn about the daily rhythm and workings of village life. The climate of Egypt is a subtropical arid climate and the area is officially classed as being ‘hot desert’. Temperatures generally range from averages of 18 – 23C in January to 33 – 37C in August, but it is not unheard of for it to be several degrees higher than this during the summer months. Rainfall is rare and sunshine is pretty much guaranteed all year round.
There is a maximum rider weight of 90kg/ 14st/ 198 lbs. The main pace of the trail is the walk, with good opportunities for trots and canters.
- ride well trained and magnificent Arabian and Arabian cross trecking horses
- enjoy traditional lunches and learn all about Egyptian cuisine
- learn about the culture, traditions and crafts of the local people around Luxor
- ride to Mount Thebes as well as Habu Temple and visit the many archaeological sites and museums of Luxor
Day 1 Travel day and arrival
Arrival and check in to Nile House, our authentic Egyptian guest house located close to the River Nile. This guest house offers the finest home cooked local cuisine and excellent service.
The house has been built using traditional materials in an oriental style – it has two roof terraces with views of both Luxor and Hatshepsut temple. The grounds offer great relaxation with a flower garden, ‘Bedouin corner’, swimming pool and jacuzzi. The rooms are appropriately named, with ‘Nefertiti’ and ‘Cleopatra’ just two examples. Rooms have air-conditioning, LCD TVs and Wi-Fi. They also make the best organic locally sourced food to be found in Egypt.
Day 2 Valley of the Kings - Tutankhamun - Hatshepsut Temple (Non-Riding tour) Afternoon Introductory Ride – Banana Island
We start our day by introducing you to the land of the Pharaohs. This non-riding morning gives insight as to why Luxor is so rich in history. You will have the chance to visit four amazing tombs inside Valley of the Kings, including the Tomb of Tutankhamun which was discovered in November 1922 by Howard Carter. Our morning continues onto the Temple of Hatshepsut, the most famous female in Egyptian history. Hatshepsut was a pharaoh of Egypt from roughly 1479 to 1458 BCE. She not only had the longest reign of any Egyptian female, but is also regarded as one of the most successful rulers in Egyptian history.
To complete the history circle our last stop is at Carters House – this is rarely visited in standard tourist packages and yet is one of the most interesting buildings to be found in Luxor. We will return to the hotel for lunch and to freshen up.
The afternoon sees the beginning of our first horse adventures together. You will travel by tuk-tuk to the stables where we will introduce you to our home and our horses. After a tour of the stable it’s time to saddle up for your first introductory ride with Ride Egypt in Luxor and your first taste of Luxor life. This trail is a chance for you to get to know your guides and your horse as they take you on a trip back in time as you ride through sugarcane fields and the local Bedouin villages before arriving at Banana Island. As you ride past banana plantations and wave to the local villagers and children, you’ll get a closer insight into the tranquil way of real Egyptian life and the fantastic people that the team here get to call their friends and neighbours. Our Bedouin style yard, crafted by local Egyptians, is based on the West Bank of the Nile boasting several boxes and lush plantation fields. Here you will find our carefree Arabian horses grazing happily in the glossy green fields and almost sparkling in the sunshine against the backdrop of the mountains. Our facility is home to horses, donkeys and camels and very much holds a “farm atmosphere”.
The first riding trip is relaxed and gives you a chance to get to know us and our horses in preparation for a full day trail ride the following day. We ride through the villages on horseback under the palm trees along to the River Nile. The Nile is incredibly peaceful and you can see the buffalo grazing along the banks.
Day 3 Full Day Trail Ride - Mount Thebes - Medinet Habu - Colossi of Memnon
Prepare to fall in love with both Arabian and Balady (local breed) horses who are famed for their beauty and endurance. These wonderful mounts are chosen for their ability to form cooperative relationships with humans and they are good-natured, quick to learn and willing to please. 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 will take you behind the Valley of the Kings and guide you to the top of Mount Thebes so that you can see panoramic views of Luxor.
Lunch will be served at a local restaurant next to Habu Temple, here you can relax and the horses, have lunch and a cold beer. After lunch you will have a chance to visit The Temple of Ramesses III at Medinet Habu, Habu was an important New Kingdom period temple structure in the West Bank of Luxor in Egypt. Aside from its size and architectural and artistic importance, the mortuary temple is probably best known as the source of inscribed reliefs depicting the advent and defeat of the Sea Peoples during the reign of Ramesses III its décor is jaw dropping. After your visit we will begin our trail home past the Colossi of Memnon, two massive stone statues of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III who reigned in Egypt during the Dynasty XVIII. They have stood in the Theban Necropolis for nearly 3400 years (since 1350 BC)! This is a wonderful opportunity for photos together with your horses. This ride is approximately 6 hours from end to end.
Day 4 Prayer Call - Breakfast with bread making lessons – Mounted Games and a Traditional Horse Party.
Luxor is home to Ride Egypt HQ, the home of many of our staff, their families and our horses. In Luxor we want to show how we live, farm, grow our own food for our horses, and be part of that is to learn to eat like an Egyptian!
Today you will attend ‘Eid el Fitr’ prayer and come back to our stable to meet the horses, the team, and have breakfast with us at home. Whether you’re Muslim or not, it’s an amazing atmosphere.
You’ll learn to make bread and share local dishes with our Ride Egypt family. Some of the most famous dishes are vegetarian: Foul Medames, Ta’amiyah, Koshari (a mix of rice, pasta, chickpeas, lentils, fried onions, tomato and garlic sauce), Fatta (rice with moistened bread, garlic and tomato sauce) and Molokheyah (you have to try it to know what it’s like), stuffed vine leaves, zucchini (courgette), eggplants (aubergine) and bell peppers. For the sweet toothed, Halawa is the treat.
Day 5 Full Day Workers Ride and Nobles Trail - Sheikh Abd el-Qurna
Today is dedicated to the Workers; the families behind the Pharaohs and their rarely visited tombs. You’ll set off bright and early on this full-day ride to Roy Dra’ Abu al-We and it’s breakfast ‘in the saddle’ this morning as you grab freshly made falafel and sugarcane juice from one of Ride Egypt’s favourite street food cafés. Today is a huge adventure so you’ll need a powerful breakfast like this to keep up with the workers of ancient times.
You are riding to Naja at the northern end of the Theban necropolis, home to the tombs of the workers. It’s a scenic ride so be sure to have your cameras at the ready to get that ‘through the ears’ shot of some of the historical sites and unforgettable landscape. Upon arrival, you’ll tether the horses and head off on foot to explore.
Your first stop is Workers Village, Deir el-Medina, an ancient Egyptian village, which was home to the artisans who worked on the tombs in the Valley of the Kings during the 18th to 20th dynasties of the New Kingdom of Egypt (ca. 1550–1080 BCE). You’ll visit a small but charming Ptolemaic temple dedicated to the goddesses Hathor and Maat.
Next, it’s time to get fit as you hike up the side of the mountain to reach the Tombs of the Workers – the walk takes perhaps ten minutes and the tombs are staggered on the way down so there is time to catch your breath. At the time of writing this there are currently four tombs available – you’ll visit the Tomb of Roy and the Tomb of Shuroy as well as Pashedu Tomb before climbing the steps to the Deir El Medina tombs of Sennedjem and Inherkha. You’ll continue along the steep path up the hillside where a guardian will unlock another tomb which is rarely visited by tourists, making it even more of an adventure. After a non-stop morning, you’ll stop for a filling lunch to refuel for the afternoon’s ride.
Once your lunch has settled, you’ll meet up with the team and sure-footed horses again to ride to the southern hillside of Sheikh Abd el-Qurna, the resting place of the high-ranking officials for the Pharaohs known as nobles. This trip and these tombs are amongst the team’s favourites but are never really visited by tourists. The Tomb Complex of Sennefer is quite a walk up but 10000% worth the effort – his role was Mayor of the “Southern City”, Thebes. Discovered around 1830, this incredible tomb is also known as “the Tomb of Vines”. After a short downhill walk, you will arrive at the tomb of Rekhmire. Rekhmire served as “Governor of the Town” (Thebes) and is noted for constructing a lavishly decorated tomb for himself that contains beautiful, lively and well-preserved scenes of daily life during the Egyptian New Kingdom
Day 8 You choose !
AM: What do you want to do? This is your chance to choose your last epic adventure and finale to your trip with us. You have a free morning before check out midday, so tell us what you want to do! Ride a camel, go on a sunrise quad safari, ride horses, site see? The choice is up to you! Tell us your wish list and like a genie in a bottle, we will make your dreams come true.
PM : OPTIONAL EXTENSION TO CAIRO :
Ride Egypt offers the best of Cairo both in and out the saddle! We offer trips to some of the most popular tourist sites in the area, plus a chance to experience Egypt off the beaten track. Cairo and the Great Pyramids of Giza are just a 1 hour flight away from Luxor.
You will be picked up at Cairo airport on arrival and transfer to our guest house in Giza with stunning views of the Pyramids from your bedroom window!
You first evening you’ll have a chance to relax and unwind whilst enjoying dinner watching the epic Light and Sound Show. Our hotel is perfectly located!
