CultureHalf day
Climb to the parapets of Bab Zuweila
Ascend the medieval gate of Fatimid Cairo for a private view across the minarets of the old city, with a historian as your only company.
Beyond by Magic Travels
Where the magichappens
Beyond the marked trails — closed doors that open, workshops, families, deserts. A curated programme of immersive experiences to extend your journey on the Gaïa, in Cairo, Luxor, Aswan and the Siwa oasis.
Our concept
Adventure, encounters,
the soul of the country
Each experience has been designed by Magic Travels to take you under the skin of the destination — dining with locals, learning a craft, walking with a Bedouin guide, hearing the true history of Egypt from those who carry it. A return to essentials, in a responsible tourism approach that respects the people and the places.
Before the Sphinx
A traveller's pause, then and now.
Region 01
Cairo —
the old quarters
Above the rooftops of Islamic Cairo, behind workshop doors in Kerdassa, in the kitchen of an Egyptian home: a city revealed through the people who live it.
GastronomyHalf day
Bread-making at Andrea
An immersion in the open kitchens of Andrea — flatbread shaped by hand, baked in the wood oven, then a long lunch under the orchard pergolas.
SpiritualEvening
Whirling Dervishes at Wekalet El-Ghouri
A private evening of Tannoura — Sufi whirling beneath the vaulted ceilings of a 16th-century caravanserai.
CraftHalf day
The handicrafts of Kerdassa
Step into the workshops of weavers, lamp-makers and tailors in the village of Kerdassa, on the threshold of the desert.
CraftHalf day
Make your own pottery
A private session at the wheel with a Cairene ceramicist — clay drawn from the Nile valley, pieces fired and shipped on.
GastronomyEvening
Dinner at an Egyptian home
A family table opens its doors: home-cooking, conversation, and the Cairo most travellers never see.
GastronomyEvening
Dinner aboard a traditional felucca
A lantern-lit table set on the deck of a sailing felucca, drifting between the bridges of Cairo at dusk.
NatureLate afternoon
Sunset camel ride beside the Pyramids
The Giza plateau in the gold of last light — on camel-back, with no crowds, only the silhouette of the great tombs.
SportHalf day
Kayak on the Nile
An unexpected angle on the city: paddling between Zamalek and the river islands, with returning transfers laid on.
NatureHalf day
Hiking & meditation at Wadi Degla
A guided morning in the protected canyon of Wadi Degla, ending in a moment of silence amid the limestone walls.
NatureFull day
Valleys of the Western Desert
A day in the Fayoum: Wadi El-Hitan and its fossil whales, then a Bedouin barbecue and, if you wish, the dunes by sandboard.
GastronomyHalf day
Cooking class at MonAppetit
Egyptian cuisine taught by Mona El Banna's professional team — bakery, pastry, the savoury kitchen — in a working culinary academy.
Region 02
Luxor —
the West Bank
Beyond the temples and the Valley of the Kings, the West Bank lives quietly: alabaster workshops, sugar-cane fields, and the great hot-air balloons rising at first light.
NatureSunrise
Hot-air balloon over the Theban necropolis
Lift off before dawn from the West Bank, drifting over the Valley of the Kings and the temple of Hatshepsut as the desert turns rose-gold.
NatureHalf day
Bicycle through the West Bank villages
A slow morning between sugar-cane fields and mud-brick hamlets, with stops at the Colossi of Memnon and a tea with a local family.
CraftShort visit
Visit an alabaster workshop
Watch the artisans of Gourna carve translucent stone by hand, in techniques unchanged since the time of the pharaohs.
NatureLate afternoon
Felucca sail at sunset
Drift across the Nile under traditional sail as the sun falls behind the Theban hills — tea, dates, no engine, no hurry.
CultureEvening
Private evening at Karnak
After the sound-and-light show ends, walk the avenue of rams and the great hypostyle hall almost alone — a privileged after-hours opening.
Region 03
Aswan —
the Nubian South
Where the river meets the desert. Granite islands, Nubian villages painted in indigo and ochre, and the silence of the great dam at dusk.
GastronomyHalf day
Lunch in a Nubian home on Elephantine
Cross to the island of Elephantine, walk through the painted alleys, and share a slow meal with a Nubian family in their courtyard.
NatureHalf day
Sail to the Botanical Garden
A felucca crossing to Lord Kitchener's island and its rare flora, the granite cataracts visible just upstream.
CultureEvening
Philae temple by night
Reach the island temple of Isis after dusk, when the great hall is lit only by torches and the river is black around it.
NatureHalf day
Camel ride to Saint Simeon's Monastery
Cross the western dunes to the ruined Coptic monastery of Saint Simeon, with the Nile and the desert at your back.
CultureHalf day
Abu Simbel at sunrise
A small-aircraft transfer south to the colossi of Ramses II at first light, before the temples open to the day.
Region 04
On board —
the river as a balm
Wellness on the Gaïa is not a programme — it is the rhythm of the boat itself. Slow mornings, warm water, the breath of the river through linen curtains.
WellnessSunrise
Morning yoga at sunrise
Quiet sessions at sunrise on the upper deck, by the call of the herons, before any temple is visited.
WellnessAll day
Plunge pool, green mosaic
A hand-laid mosaic pool on the upper deck, open to the river breeze and the colour of Nubian dusk — a quiet refuge between two temples.
WellnessOn request
On-board massage
Discreet treatments in the privacy of your suite or on the deck, by a therapist trained in Egyptian aromatic oils.
WellnessAll day
Outdoor shower in green marble
Each suite opens onto a private outdoor shower in green marble, water warmed by the sun.
Region 05
Siwa —
the western oasis
A day's drive from the Mediterranean, lost between salt lakes and palm groves: Siwa is Egypt at its most singular.
NatureHalf day
Salt-lake bathing & desert spring
Float in the mineral lakes of Siwa, then bathe in the warm spring of Cleopatra at the foot of the old fortress of Shali.
SportFull day
Sandboarding in the Great Sand Sea
Drive deep into the dunes by 4×4 with a Bedouin guide, board the great slopes, and end the day around a fire under the stars.
Compose your journey
Pair the Gaïa with the city,
the desert, the oasis.
Our travel desk will weave any of these experiences before, between, or after your time aboard the Gaïa. Tell us how long you have, and what stirs you.