Morning: Take your time this morning. We aren’t getting started until around 2 pm for a culinary walking tour, so save your appetite! In the meantime, chill at the pool, shop, or head out for some more exploring. If you like, your host can help you to organize a visit to Khan el-Khalili market or to the Egyptian Museum. The EMC is the oldest archaeological museum in the Middle East, housing over 170,000 artifacts, including the solid gold mask of King Tut, the Menkaure Triad, and countless other historically-rich treasures.

Afternoon: Grab those walking shoes again to visit the best of the typical Egyptian street food spots that locals adore, and remain largely unknown to outsiders. Typical dishes like Koshary, Egypt’s “unofficial-official” dish might make an appearance. While Koshary is true, savory goodness, what Egyptians really like is their sweets. We'll sample Basbousa and Egyptian Goulash (not to be confused with Goulash from Eastern Europe) and many other delicious wonders that will add another layer of understanding to local traditions.

Evening: Use this time however you see fit. Whatever you’re into—exploring more markets, or checking out Egypt’s fashion scene—we’ve got you covered with our favorite recs. Cairo is home to some heavy hitters like Aya and Monaz of Okhtein who have become handbag favorites for Beyonce. Farida Temraz has been labeled the best female designer in both Fashion Week Paris and New York in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Mohammed Kojak was one of the youngest contestants ever in Project Runway history and is still renowned for drama and the utilization of interesting textiles. And those designers are just the tip of the iceberg in Cairo. Our Eat, Play, Shop guide will point you in the right direction for the established and the up-and-comers to check out.

Meals included: Breakfast and Culinary Walk

Morning: This morning we're heading to Ibn Tulun Mosque, one of the oldest standing mosques in Egypt, where you will learn more about Islam before proceeding to a museum next door, a 17th-century house known for its labyrinth of rooms filled with objet d'art and inspiration for your next interior design project.

Afternoon: Prior to our flight to Aswan, enjoy a packed lunch prepared by a local organization that provides migrant, refugee, and Egyptian women vocational training through sustainable food production, cooking, and catering. Their cuisine routinely ends up on the tables of Ambassadors and embassies and has become popular with the general public, so dig in.

Then we’re off to Aswan! Laying on the eastern riverbank of the Nile, Aswan is an ancient trading city built on the southern frontier of the Arab and Mediterranean-influenced northern Egypt, and the Nubian, southern Egypt. With sand dunes tiptoeing from the banks into the Nile river waters and ancient temples sprawled across a network of granite islands, this “frontier” town is known by Egyptians as the most beautiful city in the south and is labeled by UNESCO as a Creative City for crafts and folk art.

Evening: Check into our accommodations for the next two nights. Built along the Nile, the location allows us to take in the natural beauty, riverfront breezes, and sunsets of Aswan, named after the Egyptian Goddess, Taweret/Swenett, the great guardian of fertility, or “Mistress of the Horizon”. (She’s the Hippopotamus deity figure you might see on temple walls).

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Morning: After breakfast, we explore the Valley of the Kings. Tucked away and hidden within the hillsides, 63 tombs (that we know of) were sealed away to protect the Pharaohs within as they slumbered, including the tomb of the legendary King Tutankhamen. The hidden tunnels of tombs are impressive enough, but the original painted hieroglyphics are the true marvel. The paint, while thousands of years old, looks fresh still, as though it were painted yesterday. From the tunnels of King Tut’s tomb, we venture to the Temple of Hatshepsut, one of two known female Pharaohs. An internationally recognized architectural marvel, her temple rises in three great terraces over the desert floor and into the cliffs of Deir al-Bahari. If you’d like to continue your exploration, a visit to Nefertari's tomb can be added on for an additional cost.

Afternoon: We’ll kick back and relax at a local guesthouse where you may just find an archaeologist or two dusting off their clothes. We'll enjoy a lunch of local green or red curry with lentils, alongside other local favorites, on arrival.

Evening: Hop on your bike, and cruise down the west bank of the Nile as the late afternoon golden hour light begins to sweep across the desert. From there, we continue to our final dinner, an intimate and communal gathering overlooking the Nile as the sun dips below the horizon. We'll reminisce while breaking Sun Bread—bread baked from the direct sunlight of the desert and then browned in the oven—and all the dips to go with it.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner