You can visit Egypt, stay in the finest hotels, travel by private jet, have an excellent Egyptologist guide and see all the famous sites. You can do all of that quite easily. But what if you want something more? What if you want to experience Egypt in ways most visitors never will, to go beyond the familiar itinerary and discover what might be possible when the usual rules of sightseeing no longer apply?
That’s where I come in –
I can arrange private visits to archaeological sites that are not normally open to the public as easily as I can set up experiences that cost virtually nothing, unusual encounters with Egypt’s past, journeys by land, air and river, and experiences that you might never have thought to ask for. The challenge isn’t finding things to do in Egypt. It’s discovering which of the possibilities will genuinely interest you.
To the Person Who Has “Done It All”
You have been everywhere, seen it all and had experiences I cannot even imagine. So how can I possibly sit here and dream up something, anything, that might float your boat?
I can’t. Not without getting to know you.
What I can do is have some quick chats with you, exchange emails with you, discover what interests you, get some inkling of what makes you tick, and start making suggestions that might never have occurred to you. I don’t want to offer you the usual itinerary with a few expensive extras bolted on. We’ll start with you, not with a package.
Before we begin, take a little time to explore some of the places and stories on my website. You don’t need to arrive with a plan, or even know exactly what you’re looking for. I simply want to give you a feel for the sort of Egypt I can introduce you to.
A Starting Point, Not a Set Itinerary
The places below give us a geographical framework to work with. Some may interest you; others may not. We might include them, leave them out, or discover something entirely different as we exchange ideas. This isn’t a list of everything I can arrange, and it certainly isn’t a list you have to work your way through. Think of it as a window into the possibilities.
CAIRO & GIZA
Saqqara & the Serapeum
The Egyptian Museum, Tahrir
The Giza Plateau
The Grand Egyptian Museum
LUXOR & THE WEST BANK
The West Bank
Karnak
Luxor Temple
Abydos & Dendera
THE NILE & ASWAN
Edfu & Kom Ombo
Philae, the Island of Isis
Elephantine Island
The Temples of Abu Simbel
And What Else Might Be Possible?
Perhaps you’d like to explore the sunken remains of ancient Egypt beneath the waters off Alexandria, visit the Catacombs or discover the place where the Rosetta Stone was found. Perhaps you would rather be at Abu Simbel at dawn, when the light first reaches the temples, or explore an archaeological site in circumstances very different from an ordinary visit.
There are opportunities to encounter ancient Egypt away from the crowds, including private visits to places that are normally closed to the public. You might spend time with archaeologists working on a live excavation, explore a little-known mudbrick village, or discover a side of Egypt that has nothing to do with pharaohs and temples.
And Egypt isn’t all about ancient history. You could visit the battlefields of El Alamein, explore the landscape around Fayoum and its extraordinary 40-million-year-old whale fossils, climb Mount Sinai through the night to reach the summit at dawn, or discover Cairo from a completely different perspective.
These are examples to get you thinking, not a catalogue of everything available. That catalogue is way too long to insert here! Some of the most interesting possibilities only emerge once I understand what you find fascinating, what you have already experienced and what you would most like to do.
How Would You Like to Travel?
Scheduled flights, helicopter transfers or a private jet? A few days exploring by road, or four nights aboard an ultra-luxury private dahabiya on the Nile? We can consider the practicalities once we have an idea of what you want to experience. The way you travel should suit the journey, rather than dictate it.
Where Would You Like to Stay?
A world-class luxury hotel, a remote eco-lodge, an Arabian Nights fantasy or an old palace? There is no reason to stay in the same sort of accommodation throughout your trip. Sometimes the right place to stay is the one that adds something to the experience, rather than simply offering the highest level of luxury.
And What About Food?
Is dining an important part of your travels? Would you choose exceptional fine dining, Michelin-starred restaurants where available, or family food and local places where the experience matters more than the setting? Perhaps you want a mixture of everything. Tell me what you enjoy, and we’ll take it from there.
Let’s Start With You
I could fill this page with possibilities and still leave out some of the most interesting ones. But a long list isn’t what you need. You need someone who knows Egypt, understands what can be arranged and WANTS to help you work out which experiences are worth pursuing.
You may just want a long weekend somewhere different. You may have a particular fascination with ancient Egypt. You may be curious about places that remain closed to ordinary visitors. You may have a passion for archaeology, history, adventure, food, landscapes or something I haven’t mentioned at all. You don’t need to know what’s possible before we begin. That’s part of what you’re coming to me for.
There is one important point. I need to correspond directly with you, the person taking the trip. Not your assistant, your concierge or your travel adviser. I can’t discover what interests you through a chain of messages passed between other people, and I’m not going to pretend otherwise. I work by email, very rarely a quick chat on whatsapp, exchanging ideas and asking questions until we both have a clear sense of what you want and what might make the trip exceptional.
You bring your interests, your curiosity and an idea of what you want to invest in the experience. I’ll bring my knowledge of Egypt, the places and people I can reach, and the possibilities that come from knowing where to look. Then we’ll see what we can create together.
The Planning Pass
The Planning Pass is €250. It gives us the opportunity to explore the possibilities together by email, and for me to develop a written itinerary around your interests, with clear pricing. It also tells me you are serious about this – not just passing idle time with me.
This is not a standard package with a few choices to make. It is the beginning of a conversation about the Egypt you want to experience, and what we can put together to make it happen.
Interested in going beyond the normal? Email me personally maraegypt@gmail.com – say “I’m interested in exploring beyond the usual” and I will take it from there.