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Valley of Whales and Wadi El Rayan Water Falls Day Tour from Cairo

Name: Valley of Whales and Wadi El Rayan Water Falls Day Tour from Cairo
Brand: EMO TOURS EGYPT
SKU: 10726P20
Price: 115.00 USD
Rating: 5.0 (35 reviews)

El Sayeda Zeinab, Egypt

From US$115.00

Price varies by group size

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Up to 24 hours in advance.

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8 to 10 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

Get off the beaten track and out into some of Egypt’s most startling natural wonders with a professional photographer on a private tour. Start with Egypt’s highest waterfalls at Wadi El-Rayan then progress to the Valley of the Whales (Wadi Al-Hitan), known for its extraordinary fossils. With door-to-door transport and lunch included, there’s no need to haggle: just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Explore the Valley of the Whales, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Capture Egypt’s highest waterfalls with a professional photographer on hand
Savor a late lunch at a local restaurant
Take it easy with door-to-door round-trip transport and a private guide

What's Included

All taxes, fees and handling charges
Lunch
Professional photographer Driver
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Bottled water

Personal Items
Tipping
Entry fees

Meeting And Pickup

You can head directly to your preferred meeting point, or request pickup.

Meeting points

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Pickup points

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End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

At 8 am our tour guide will be waiting inside the lobby of your hotel and he will be holding a sign showing our company name Emo Tours

What To Expect

Wadi El-Rayan

8 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Fayoum Oasis

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Children must be accompanied by an adult; Ages 0-5 are free of charge.
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Not recommended for travellers with back problems

Not recommended for pregnant travellers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travellers can participate
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

about cancellations.

Traveller Photos

Featured review

Vesela_P

The tour was great! I recommend it to everyone who is looking for something unique while in Egypt! The Valley of the Whales is a unique place and we had enough time to explore it. After that we had a fun time in the desert of Wadi El Rayan - our driver took us to places with amazing views. Lunch was delicious!

Reviews

5.0

35 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 35 reviews

The tour was great! I...

Vesela_P, May 2023

Such a magical place, totally recommended!

Angela_D, Apr 2023

We had such a wonderful day! The Valley of Whales is a magical place, learning about the history behind the whale skeletons and then actually seeing them in the middle of the desert was so fascinating, actually unbelievable! Beautiful views in the desert, the desert camp people were very friendly and did their best to make the 4x4 ride fun. We were picked up on time and the journey went smoothly. The place was not very touristy at all (even some Egyptian people we came across during the rest of our trip in Egypt did not know about the existence of the Valley of Whales), therefore it was quiet and peaceful. The only thing is that we would have found it helpful to know that it was a private tour (my friend and I were the only ones on the tour), which was not a problem but if I were alone I am not sure I would have felt comfortable about it; and that the lunch would have been at around 3pm (if we knew that we would have brought a snack with us). If you have an extra day in Cairo I would totally recommend taking this tour as it was one of the main highlight of our trip to Egypt!

Trip to the very distant past!

Sarah_P, Mar 2023

Hiking though Wadi El Hitan was magical. The rock formations are fascinating. The museum is well curated. The lunch at White Desert Camp was unexpected and unique.bloved the grilled meats right out of the ground. Fun dune ride too!

SCAM -EMO Tour Viator should not use

Belinda_C, Feb 2023

This was the only tour company that are scammers in Egypt. They refuse to refund my payment. I called asked to reschedule and began making up lies. So sad. I am getting a lawyer since I’m have friends over there. DONT USE! There are 3 really honest ones.

Full day adventure tour

susan_s, Feb 2023

Great full day of seeing outside of Cairo. The whale bones are amazing to see, on the seabed, where they died. The landscape is fabulous you can imagine these huge mammals swimming around you. The dunes drive was exciting and lunch was great! Our driver and guide Tony was lots of fun and full of knowledge and answered all our questions.

And a VERY good lunch too, in Bedouin style

Sarah_H, Jan 2023

Adiat is knowledgeable and engaging, prepared to give us all the time we needed to talk about the history and about Egypt. He is one of those people who is interested in many things, multi lingual and good to talk to. The desert was wonderful and Wadi el Hitan with it's excellent museum just perfect. Don't miss the shining surface of the sand from the millions of fossil fish scales to add to the awe of this amazing glimpse into the Eocene seas and mangrove swamps.

Must visit when is Egypt

Devdatta_B, Nov 2022

Mohammed from Emo Tours helped us have a very nice day in the Valley of the Whales. Lunch was very nice as well. Service was awesome. Its a big valley probably not possible for everyone to see around, so ask to see only the highlights when you go.

Awesome bonus day outside of Cairo!

Taylor_G, May 2022

This trip was such a bonus! We were looking for another trip to take on one of our days in Cairo and we are so glad we picked this one. One of our best days! During this tour we were able to get out of Cairo and see the non-city side and had so much fun doing it. Our driver and guide Mahmoud made sure we were always staying hydrated and that we had a good time. Our guide Mahmoud also took some amazing photos of us and made sure to tailor the experience more to our interests and made it really fun. First we stopped at the White Desert Camp where we were able to enjoy some tea and coffee and some sand boarding. We then took a land cruiser with an amazing driver through the desert which was a really cool and fun experience driving across the dunes. We had some time to explore the museum there and check out some giant skeletons both in the museum and on a track around it. Following this we were able to cool off by wading into one of the local salt lakes - we didn't personally choose to swim but did see others doing so! It was very refreshing to be there! We then headed to the water falls where we saw many local to the area taking a swim and enjoying the waterfall. Rounding out our day we returned to the desert camp and had a delicious lunch before returning to Cairo. If you have a day and want a change of pace this is perfect!

The highlight of my 4-week trip to Egypt

Jeffrey_R, Apr 2022

This had to the best excursion I did on a 4-week trip to Egypt. I had a private tour and from beginning to end, I was given the royal treatment. The guide, drivers, and whole experience was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If you appreciate natural history like me, this tour is for you!

Most memorable for us was...

Linda_H, Jan 2022

Most memorable for us was seeing the whale skeletons, that there was so much water in the desert, loved loved the quiet of the desert. 4wdriving was great. Definately recommend.

Perfect adventure for those who want something a bit different

Wendy_G, Jan 2022

My mother and I are on a 3 week tour of Egypt and had a couple of days on our own before the main tour started, so we decided to try this one out. It was really truly great, we highly recommend it for those who want something a bit different and off the beaten path. We started the day with Mohamed (our guide) and Mohamed (our driver) picking us up at the hotel. We drove to Wadi el Hitan and then changed to a 4 wheel drive with a new driver named Cousa. From there, it was about a 45 minute drive off of the main road and through the sand and hills to reach the Valley of the Whales. We loved the drive, miles and miles of sand and it really felt like you were away from the world. A stop and the museum and then we enjoyed a leisurely walk through the paths of the Valley of the Whales -- the path is easy to walk and has many many skeletons to see. From there, Cousa took us on a fun and adventurous drive through the sand dunes, leaning on the 4 wheel drive to get through some spots to get up to a viewing area over the magic lake. We hit up the waterfall next -- it was nice, but not the focus of the tour. And after that we stopped at a Bedouin camp and sat on pillows on the ground around a table inside their tent and had the most fabulous homemade meal of kofta, chicken, vegetables, rice, etc. We were there on a quiet day and had the tent to ourselves so it was quite the treat!! After the late lunch we got back in the car and returned to our hotel in Cairo. Mohamed was an excellent guide and took great care of us. We loved the whole day.

Incredible and unforgettable!

Piotr_B, Apr 2021

This trip with guide Ahmed Hassan was amazing. Just driving through Egyptian province outside of Cairo was so informing in itself in terms of people's lives there. Then we arrived at a village in the desert where a local guy took us to a 4x4 car, and we drove literally through the desert, which was amazing. The Valley of the Whales is incredible, like a planet from Star Wars. Then a stop at a viewpoint over a lake - just splendid. The waterfall was maybe a little less impressive than I had expected, but also nice, and the Valley of the Whales was definitely much more impressive than what I had imagined 😊 The lunch was homemade back in the desert village and it was delicious. So all in all, if you want to experience the desert this is a trip for you and I recommend it. It left me filled with joy, peace and awe. It was all so beautiful in its extraordinary way!

1 traveler found this review helpful

Off the beaten path

Krystal_S, Jan 2021

This was a great tour and Mohammed was great. We enjoyed the non-tourist aspect and had a blast off-roading through the desert and the wonderful meal afterwards. Couldn’t have asked for a better first day in Cairo.

1 traveler found this review helpful

A must see in Egypt

Bostjan_G, Feb 2020

It's great to visit also lesser-known areas of Egypt. If Whales Valley would be in the USA, it would probably be among the most visited national parks. Seeing that skeletons in the desert was very unique and overwhelming experience. In Wadi El Rayan area the highlight for me was not the waterfall, but many beautiful lakes surrounded by sand (nice contrast) and Mudawara mountain (great viewpoint). The tour includes very tasty home-made lunch, sand-boarding (If you want to do it) and adrenaline 4x4 drive with breathtaking landscape. Beside obvious top attractions like Abu Simbel, Giza, Luxor etc. I also visited White Desert, Black Desert and other parts of Western Desert, but this trip was definitely the highlight of my vacation in Egypt - not just because of sights themself, but also because of highly professional, inteligent, informative, pleasant and interesting guide, Mr. Amr Samir, who made this tour more than amazing. It was really a perfect day. Thank you, Emo Tours.

Valley of the Whales

Michelle_S, Jan 2019

Fascinating place for those individuals who are into prehistoric fossils, excellent museum, excellent guides, lunch was excellent.

Forget about the waterfall. It was more...

Felix T, Sept 2018

Forget about the waterfall. It was more like a weak stream perhaps less than 1 storey high. It was interesting to see locals swimming fully dressed instead of wearing bathing suits. The Valley of the Whales is more interesting. Apart from some bones in a small museum, the nearby barren landscape has more skeletons of whales displayed on the ground clearly marked. I'm surprised no idiots had vandalized them. The rock formations shaped by wind and stuff present a stunning picture. I did not want the tour guide and my friend waiting for me for too long as they stayed behind at the restaurant so I went as far as 11 display. There were apparently 24 altogether. The sun was relentless so a hat is a must. So is sunscreen. On our way back to Cairo we asked our guide about a trip to Alexandria but he was getting impatient with us and at one point asked Yes or no? so I declined his service. A bit pushy I find.

By far the highlight of my trip to...

Gregg B, Jul 2018

By far the highlight of my trip to Egypt. Not only did I get to walk out into the desert to look at 40 million year old whale skeletons, which is amazing in its own right, I also got to experience riding in a vehicle up dunes to the top of a mesa that overlooked the entire area, sandboarding down the dune and had one of the best lunches I can remember in an amazing camp! While all this is more than enough reason to take this tour, the best memories are the ones I made speaking with my tour guide Walid. Walid is not only extremely knowledgeable in the history of Egypt, he is also someone who brings life to the telling of the regions history, and this is only one of the areas of knowledge that he has extensive knowledge of! One of the best conversations I have had in a long time. Just speaking with him broadened my mind and expanded my appreciation of the world around me. I highly recommend this tour. I give this tour 6 stars out of 5.

Eins-A-Ausflug

Christof_L, Apr 2023

Die Tour zu den versteinerten Walen in der Wüste war klasse. Fahrt: Zuverlässig, komfortabel und sicher. Bisserl Dünencruisen mit Allradjeep war auch dabei - hat riesig Spaß gemacht.

Bella esperienza....

CAMILLA_V, Apr 2023

Bella esperienza. Cibo buonissimo! La Nostra guida era veramente carina e gentile. Da saltare le cascate