Fly me to... Egypte
Egypt is more than pyramids. A land of golden dust and living relics, it takes hold of you, turns you inside out, like a mineral poem written between two shores. Between the sacred and the intimate, the journey begins in the shadow of Giza’s giants, drifts down the Nile, lingers in Luxor’s markets, sails between temples aboard a dahabieh, then disappears into the pale dunes of Siwa. Powerful places chosen for what they whisper, not what they show. Discreet patios, hibiscus scents, silver clinking on terraces. A raw, refined Egypt, untamed and eternal, the kind you carry within you long after the return.
Ancient land and starlit nights, A journey through Egypt’s living mirages
Begin the day in Cairo’s pulse, a steaming Turkish coffee in hand, the call to prayer rising over the traffic. Follow the Nile’s curve to Luxor, where temples open like open-air scriptures. At dawn, watch the sun rise from a hot-air balloon over the Valley of the Kings, then lose yourself in the spice market, between papyrus, laughter and clouds of saffron. Aboard a dahabieh, drift past Esna and Edfu, tasting warm bread baked with herbs from the deck garden. Further on, the road to Siwa cuts through golden silence, dotted with palms and mirages.
At night, the desert glows under a thousand stars, and Egypt exhales, suspended somewhere between myth and reality.
We love the Egypte for…
Khufu, Khafre, Menkaure, standing before them, you feel small. The desert hums, the wind stirs memory. Beyond, Hatshepsut’s temple carved from the mountain itself, suspended between sky and stone. Egypt’s divine order still endures.
Ten hours into the horizon. Silence. Light. Wind shaping the dunes. At Adrere Amellal, luxury is a candle and the sky for a roof.
At first light, the earth still holds the coolness of night. Within a circle of stones, an elder teaches movements from another age. The breath follows the wind, birds mark the silence. It feels less like a class than a ritual, a return to body, to nature, to the quiet before words.
At dawn in Luxor, the world feels weightless. From the basket, the Valley of the Kings unfolds like a scroll of gold and sand. Temples awaken, palms stretch, the Nile shimmers. A breathless moment between sky and earth, where time stands still.
Aboard a dahabieh, the wind fills the sails and centuries glide past. You pass Esna, Edfu, Kom Ombo, quiet halts away from the crowds. The river tells its stories softly, in the rhythm of the waves.
At dawn, the chef gathers herbs from the deck garden. Lunch simmers with cumin, coriander, and pomegranate. Beneath the lanterns, bread is shared, stories flow, and the table becomes a memory.
Weisse’s selection
To sleep at the foot of the pyramids, that’s the promise. Once a royal hunting lodge, now a cosmopolitan palace that has lost nothing of its grandeur. Lush gardens, an improbable view of Khufu from the pool. Churchill, Agatha Christie, Frank Sinatra have all stayed here. You’ll sip Turkish coffee at dawn before exploring Cairo’s wonders: the new Egyptian Museum, the Citadel of Salah El-Din, or Al-Muʿizz Street in the old city. Dinner at the 9 Pyramids Lounge, as the last rays dance across the desert. And the next morning, an early rise, the light is golden, almost unreal.
On Luxor’s quieter west bank lies Al Moudira, a labyrinthine estate surrounded by palms, imagined as a family home for aesthetes. Hand-painted frescoes, Damascene furniture, fountains, ochre corridors. Suites named after oriental heroines. Mornings exploring the Valley of the Kings or the Temple of Hatshepsut on donkey or by jeep. Evenings wrapped in a shawl, reading Mahfouz by the pool, listening to the crickets. No ostentation here, only soul. A place where time slows, and the pharaohs still breathe.
Here, life slows down. Aboard this elegant dahabieh with cream and crimson sails, you drift between Esna and Aswan, carried by wind and myth. The boat feels like a film set, simple yet warm, with colorful cushions, woven textiles, and pale wood. A handful of guests, a chef crafting delicate Egyptian dishes, a discreet crew. Stops at El Kab, Edfu, Kom Ombo, no buses, no crowds. Morning yoga on deck, afternoon swims, reading under stretched canvas. And by night, the Nile becomes a cradle of stories and warm breeze.
This legendary palace overlooks the Nile from its granite promontory. Caramel façades, mashrabiya, Moorish arches, Victorian chairs, where the Orient once flirted with the British Empire. Suite 1101 remains the most sought after. Come here to feel the weight of history, to watch feluccas drift between Elephantine’s islands. Afternoon tea in the historic lounge, dinner beneath the 1902 dome, white linens, a soft piano. Egyptian grace at its finest.
Ten hours through the desert, and the world dissolves. Silence. Light. Essence. No electricity, no wifi, only the luxury of essentials. Karshif walls of clay and salt, beeswax candles, palm furniture, benches carved in salt. Each room unique, open to the sky. Dinners in caves, swims in spring-fed pools, bread baked in ancestral ovens. Morning walks or cycling through the oasis to meet Amazigh culture. Evenings by the fire, karkadé in hand, under a cathedral of stars. A raw, grounding refuge for those who wish to disappear, if only for a while.
The story
“We landed in Cairo and soon set off for Luxor, where the light feels thicker, almost golden. First morning, a hot-air balloon over the Valley of the Kings, temples glowing, palms stretching, the Nile shimmering far below. The kids fall silent, eyes wide, as if history had suddenly come alive.
A few hours later, we board a dahabieh bound for Esna and Edfu. Life falls into the rhythm of the river: reading under the sail, a swim in the warm current, lunch laced with coriander and freshly baked bread. Evenings unfold softly on deck, between the laughter of the crew and the whisper of the wind.
After a few days, we reach Aswan, its golden islands and white feluccas tracing the horizon. Then comes the long drive west, ten hours through the desert toward Siwa, across endless dunes and hidden oases. No noise, no screens, only candlelight, salt bread, and a sky ablaze with stars.
When the fire fades, silence takes over. And in that stillness, Egypt feels exactly as it should, eternal.”
— Olivier Weisse
Localisation
Dreaming of a tailor-made journey through Egypt? With Weisse at the helm, all you need is to breathe, look up, and let the Nile guide you. From temples to oases, sails to silence, every moment draws you closer to the essence of Egypt. Ready to be moved by the light?