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Between Myth and Reality
Join Aurelio Marino on a raw, authentic, and deeply immersive journey through the millennial wonders of ancient Egypt. Among the pulsing chaos of Cairo, overnight bus crossing the desert, remote temples illuminated by the moon, and living neighborhoods where life throbs amid garbage and resilience. It's a "wild" adventure for free spirits, ready for a night in a bus, authentic unexpected events, and total immersion in a different culture – with an open mind and absolute respect.
Highlights
- From the Pyramids to Hidden Cairo:
We will walk among the Pyramids of Giza at sunset and get lost in the magnetic chaos of Khan el-Khalili, but we will also enter the City of the Dead and Garbage City, where entire Coptic communities live through recycling, resilience, and urban creativity. Here, Egypt is not a postcard: it is alive, contradictory, and powerful.
- Remote Temples and the Eternal Nile:
From Luxor to the temples of Abydos and Dendera, we will cross some of the most spiritually intense places of ancient Egypt. We will sleep on a night train through the desert, glide along the Nile, and visit the Valley of the Kings and temples that still vibrate with myth, astronomy, and sacred rituals.
- A Raw, Authentic, Transformative Journey:
This is a “wild” trip: night trains, local rhythms, unpredictability, and total immersion. It is not a polished tour, but an experience that asks for presence, adaptability, and an open mind. In return, it gives you an Egypt you will hardly ever forget
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TRIP PURPOSE
This trip is born to tear you away from tourist clichés and catapult you into the real Egypt, that of contrasts: eternal pyramids against resilient marginal neighborhoods, sacred temples against urban degradation that generates life. It is an act of awareness about animal welfare (Equine Aid), community recycling (Zabbaleen), the deep spirituality of remote sites, which educates respect for a millennial culture different from ours.
Walking here means slowing down, listening to chaos like a symphony, accepting the unpredictable as a gift. For those seeking not Instagram photos, but indelible traces in the soul: a physical and spiritual journey that unites the group in solidarity, between sweat, sunsets, and silences charged with history.
This trip is for you if you want to learn more about:
- Hub of Culture
- Local Huma Fabric
- Promotion of Local Economy
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
We expect moderate walks in sand and ruins, one night on the bus 10h first class, reclining seats). This trip requires a spirit of adaptation: it's a "wild" trip with unexpected events, multiple overnight stays, and local rhythms. An open mind and absolute respect for Egyptian culture are needed: different, alive, sacred.
Meeting point: Cairo (details post-booking). Bring modest/covering clothing (local respect), sunscreen, water bottle, comfortable shoes, light backpack. Flexible program for weather or group needs.
What's included
- Food: 5 breakfast and 1 dinner
- Accommodation: 5 nights in hostel/hotel in shared rooms
- Transportation: Roundtrip by bus from Cairo to Luxor
- Tour & Activities: all workshops and guided tours as part of the itinerary.
- Other: Support from the guide throughout the entire trip.
What's not included
- Food: all the meals not specified i
- Transportation: travel to and from Cairo
- Other: Trip cancellation insurance.
- Anything not specified under "What's included".
Payment Terms
30% down payment at the time of booking and the remaining 70% due 30 days prior to departure.
If the booking is made within 30 days of departure, the full amount is due at checkout.
Bank transfers or credit cards can be used to make payments.
However, if the trip status is marked as "Confirmed" or "Last tickets", there's no need to worry - it means the minimum number of participants has already been met.
ITINERARY
Day 1 – Cairo: Baptism of chaos (May 31)
Post-lunch arrival, first breath in the pulsing heart of Cairo. Visit to the Great Bazaar of Khan el-Khalili: a maze of spices, carpets, bargaining voices, and street food that ignites the senses. First contact with the Egyptian soul: chaotic, generous, alive.
Day 2 – Deep Cairo: Garbage City and resilient souls (June 1)
Morning in the City of the Dead: a cemetery turned village, where communities live among tombs in a surreal and human urban fabric. Afternoon in Mokattam/Zabbaleen - The Garbage City: hills of waste that feed 30,000 independent Copts. Discover their world: sorting, recycling, plastic houses, artisans creating treasures from scraps. Visit church and Monastery of San Simone, carved into the rock like a biblical dream. Late afternoon: pigeon breeders on the towers, millennial tradition, sunset from above that sets the desert ablaze.
Day 3 – Epic Giza: Museums, horses, and eternal Pyramids (June 2)
Morning at the GEM, the world's largest Egyptian museum: mummies, Tutankhamun's gold, an ocean of history that overwhelms you. Afternoon: Equine Aid, free clinic for work horses/donkeys, broken by mass tourism cruelty, but hope in veterinarians teaching respect. End of day: Giza Pyramids at sunset, guardian Sphinx, camels telling abuses up close. Night: bus to Luxor (10h wild, berth under desert stars).
Day 4 – Sacred Luxor: the Nile calls us to the west (June 3)
We arrive at dawn in Luxor, ancient Thebes, and drop off our luggage to rush to the Luxor Temple: columns of Amon narrating royal rites, pharaonic elegance in the pulsing heart of the modern city. We glide across the Nile toward the west bank: Valley of the Kings with secret tombs that chill the blood, Hatshepsut carved into the mountain like a warrior goddess, silent Colossi of Memnon standing watch. In the evening, a walk among lights and Luxor souks, with the eternal river accompanying us.
Day 5 – Remote temples: Abydos and Dendera (June 4)
Day in the deep desert: Abydos, sanctuary of Osiris god of the afterlife, where sepulchral mysteries and ancient vibrations pass through us like a shiver. Then Dendera, temple of Hathor goddess of love: starry ceilings, hypnotic astronomy, art pulsing with cosmic life – far from mass tourism, in sacred silence. We return to Luxor at twilight.
Day 6 – Return to Cairo and departure (June 5)
Morning bus to Cairo, where the afternoon melts into free time: shopping, vibrant neighborhoods, or silent reflections on the Nile. With the group, we exchange raw emotions, honest evaluations, heartfelt goodbyes.
Day 7 – Departure (June 6)
The morning will be dedicated to wrapping up the journey together with the participants, with a moment for discussion, sharing feedback, and final reflections on the experience. It will be an opportunity to exchange thoughts, gather insights, and say goodbye before departure.
The rest of the day will be dedicated to participants’ return to their respective destinations.
Aurelio Marino is a tireless traveler and passionate reporter, known for his pursuit of authentic experiences far from traditional tourist routes.His travel philosophy leads him to immerse himself in the daily life of local communities, exploring hidden stories and deep-rooted traditions. From Iraq to Syria, the Balkans to Asia, Peru to Central America, Aurelio often travels by public transport or hitchhiking, building meaningful human connections wherever he goes. Through his YouTube channel, he documents every encounter with sensitivity and honesty, offering a sincere look at the world.An expert in dark tourism, he sheds light on complex, often forgotten realities - always with respect and a journalistic spirit. His journeys are an invitation to look beyond appearances, and to listen to the stories no one tells.
Booking Info
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