Starts at 07:00 am with Pickup from your hotel in either Cairo or Giza By Emo Tours guide and transfer by Private A/C Vehicle to Shakhloba island in Burullus
A one-day escape from Cairo to Lake Burullus where heavenly green fields and blue waters meet
Shakhloba is one of over a dozen small, mostly uninhabited islands in Lake Burullus. The magnificent lake, the largest in Egypt’s Delta, is located in Kafr El-Sheikh governorate. Lake Burullus has a very rich landscape. It is nestled in the green fields of the Delta, bordering it from the south, with Nile's Rosetta branch towards the east and the Mediterranean to the north.
It seems this is also a meeting point for fishermen. Here, they take the fish from Lake Burullus and distribute it throughout Egypt.
Fishing is very important for the local people here. The traditional boats—markebs and faloukas—are still used. Fishermen use traditional techniques (various kinds of nets) and take advantage of the reeds. Unfortunately, many illegal fishing methods are also currently practiced. In the past, local fishermen would make their own fishing nets as well as ropes out of their old nets.
The lake includes a noteworthy number of environments, with swamps and sand plains prevailing, and constitutes an ideal habitat for 135 land and water plant species as well as an important stop-over point for migrating birds.
The lake is considered a wetland of international importance for birds.
then got on a boat heading to the beautiful islands in the middle of nowhere. This was the most peaceful and serene moment in the whole trip. It was certainly worth all the hassle. The lake is big, scenic and so diverse. On one side it is a river lined with small fishermen's houses and small motor and row boats on the banks, and on the other it is open to the fierce sea water and the mighty Mediterranean waves.
Burulus village is where an international arts symposium is held every year. This gathers artists from all over the world to paint houses in the village for two weeks every October.
The houses are beautifully painted. Here is where the lake meets the Mediterranean, so it is more breezy and raw and beautiful.
Burullus occupies the northern part of Kafr El-Sheikh, which was the centre of worship for the god Amun-Re. The ancient city of Xois, which stood on the site of what is now the village of Sakha, was capital of the 6th Lower Egyptian nome (an administrative area).
The Sanctuary of the Church of the Virgin Mary is also located there. It is alleged that the child Jesus left his footprint as a bas-relief in a rock during a journey through the Delta with the Holy Family. The rock was kept hidden for many centuries to protect it from theft and was unearthed around the end of the 20th century.
At the end of the Tour, you will be transferred back to your Hotel in Cairo.
