Fayoum Oasis
A full day in the green oasis southwest of Cairo — lakes, desert waterfalls, fossil whales and a pottery village.
What does Fayoum Oasis include, and what does it cost?
Fayoum Oasis is a private full-day tour of Fayoum, from €139 per person for a party of 6 or more. It includes a private Egyptologist guide throughout, 4x4 desert transfer where required, lakeside fish lunch and lunch on each touring day. Entrance tickets are paid at the gate.
Overview
An hour and a half southwest of Cairo, the Fayoum depression trades monuments for landscape: a great salt lake, freshwater waterfalls in the desert, a UNESCO valley of fossilised whales, and a hillside village of potters. This full day is a complete change of register from the temples — wide horizons, birdlife, dunes and a lakeside fish lunch. Travel is private, with your guide and driver for the whole day.
Itinerary
Lake Qarun
Begin on the shore of Lake Qarun, the ancient Lake Moeris, where migratory birds gather and old fishing boats line the water. A first feel for the oasis before heading deeper into the desert.
Wadi El Rayan waterfalls
Egypt's largest waterfalls, where the two Rayan lakes spill between dunes. Time to walk the shoreline and take in a landscape that feels nothing like the Nile valley.
Valley of the Whales (Wadi Al-Hitan)
A UNESCO World Heritage site holding 40-million-year-old skeletons of early whales, preserved where an ancient sea once lay. An open-air museum of deep time among the sands.
Magic Lake & Mudawara Mountain
The so-called Magic Lake, fed by mineral springs and changing colour with the light, beneath the dunes of Mudawara — a favourite spot for sandboarding and a moment of stillness.
Tunis pottery village & lakeside lunch
Finish in Tunis, the hillside village famous for its potters and studios, then a relaxed fish lunch by the lake before the drive back to Cairo.
Included & not included
Included
- Private Egyptologist guide throughout
- 4x4 desert transfer where required
- Lakeside fish lunch
- Lunch on each touring day
- Private air-conditioned transfers
- Hotel pickup & drop-off
- Bottled water every day
Not included
- Entrance tickets to sites and monuments — paid at the published gate rate, with nothing added
- International flights to and from Egypt
- Egypt entry visa
- Tipping (gratuities)
- Personal expenses
- Optional extras — Abu Simbel, camel rides, dinner cruise, drinks
Good to know
Is Fayoum suitable for families?
Yes — the mix of lakes, dunes and fossils appeals across ages. The terrain is easy, with short walks rather than long hikes.
What should I wear and bring?
Comfortable shoes, sun protection and a light layer for the breeze off the lake. The desert sections can be dusty, so sunglasses help.
How far is it from Cairo?
Around 90 minutes to two hours each way by private vehicle, depending on your hotel and traffic leaving the city.
Is this journey right for you?
- Travellers who would rather see four things properly than twelve badly
- Anyone who wants a licensed Egyptologist beside them, not a headset and a flag
- Couples and families for whom pace, comfort and privacy decide whether a trip works
- Visitors marking something — a honeymoon, an anniversary, a milestone birthday
- Anyone looking for the lowest price on Egypt — we are not the cheapest and do not try to be
- Coach tours, shared group departures and itineraries sold by the seat
- Hostels, dormitories and hop-on backpacking routes
- Travellers who would rather organise the logistics themselves
What this journey is, without exception
Every operator in Egypt uses the word luxury. These are the specifics behind ours — checkable before you pay for anything.
A licensed Egyptologist, not a guide
Every journey is led by a guide licensed by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism with a degree in Egyptology. They are with you at the monuments, not waiting in the car park — and they are yours for the day, answering your questions rather than reciting to forty people.
Your party only
No shared coaches. No fixed departure dates. No strangers on your itinerary. If you are two people, the vehicle, the guide and the pace belong to two people.
Built around you, then written down
We design the itinerary from your interests and your dates — not from a catalogue page. You receive it in writing before anything is paid, and it changes as often as you want it to until it is right.
One price, itemised
The quote lists what is included and what is not, line by line, before you commit. Your Egyptologist, private air-conditioned transfers and lunch on touring days are inside the price on every journey, and entrance fees are inside it on every multi-day one. Where something sits outside — monument tickets on a day tour, for instance — it is named on the page you are reading, at the rate the ticket office charges, not discovered at the end.
Reachable while you travel
You have a direct line to the people who planned your journey for the whole time you are in Egypt — not a call centre, and not a number that stops answering after the deposit clears.
Time protected, not filled
A day with four sites crammed into it is a cheaper day to sell and a worse day to live. We plan around light, heat and crowds — the Valley of the Kings at opening, the Egyptian Museum when the coaches have gone — and we leave the afternoon alone.
On price, plainly
Kemet sits at the upper end of the Egyptian market and we are comfortable saying so. A private Egyptologist for a week costs what it costs; so does a car that is yours alone and a room that faces the river rather than the car park. What we will not do is quote low, then recover the difference through optional extras, shopping stops and an itinerary that quietly turns into a group. Every price on this site is a per-person starting point for a private journey, and the written quote that follows is the price you pay.
Moments from this journey
Preparation reading
Guides to help you prepare for this journey.
Egypt Travel Guide
Everything you need to plan a trip to Egypt — visa requirements, the best time to go, getting around, top destinations, culture and practical essentials.
Best Time to Visit Egypt
Egypt's best travel season is October to April, when Nile Valley temperatures are mild and monuments are comfortable to explore. Here is what to expect season by season and destination by destination.
Getting Around Egypt
How to travel between Egypt's cities and sites — domestic flights, the sleeper train, Nile cruises, the Cairo Metro, taxis and private transfers explained.
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Talk to a local expert
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