The Best Trips to Book This Winter Break

In the brisk air of winter, our travel daydreams often waver between two diametrically opposed ideas of the perfect vacation; snowy wonderlands or tropical beachside staycation? We get lost in the labyrinth of this constant dilemma. Some days beckon with an insistent desire to ski in a ghost white snow-covered village somewhere in Europe, other days all we need is to bask in the ample warm sun on a Moroccan beach until one turns crispy golden (or watch our will to live get restored). This is what our lives look like from December through March.

To fulfil all your wanderlust feels and adventurous travel fixation, we have meticulously compiled a list of the best 14 trips for this winter break, with equal parts sizzling warm and snowy-weather destinations (because who said you have to choose just one?).

Siwa | 4 Days, 3 Nights

Organisers: Stamps Tours

🗓️: December 31st – January 3rd 

💵: EGP 5,900 

Because time off work is meant to be a chance for some serious R&R, the serenity of Siwa Oasis, known for its lush vegetation, ethereal glimmering salt lakes and rejuvenating hot springs, is the perfect destination to cue healing girl summer amidst the winter blues.

Morocco Surf Trip | 8 Days, 7 Nights 

Organisers: Stamps Tours 

🗓️: January 22nd – January 29th 

💵: EGP 27,700 

Comparable to that airport limbo phase whereby no real boundaries, rules or caffeine-ingestion rituals exist, Egypt’s Surf Camp and local travel agency Stamps’ Morocco trip will recalibrate your burnt-out spirit with eight days of surfing and yoga sessions atop the whimsical natural landscapes of sweet Morocco.

Aswan | 3 Days, 2 Nights 

Organisers: Tegwal 

🗓️: January 12th – January 14th 

💵: EGP 4,500 

From cruising along the Nile in a private felucca with your most recent hot flame to sandboarding, kayaking and stargazing under the twinkling night sky or stealing a glimpse of the majestic Milky Way, Tegwal will take you on an intimate tour of Aswan and Nubia all within three days.

San Diego, California Women Retreat | 4 Days, 3 Nights 

Organisers: Travista

🗓️: January 12th – January 15th 

💵: EGP 59,600 

Sensual self-discovery, lots of yoga and breathwork sessions within the state’s sun-blitzed wooden walkways, lighthouses, and magnetic wildness, akin to Joni Mitchell’s breezy aura in the ’70s. This all-female four-day retreat aims to redefine your sense of community, offering a holistic, structured, and fun experience to recharge and network with like-minded Egyptian women living in Northern America.

Dahab & Ras Shitan | 4 Days, 3 Nights

Organisers: D- Trips 

🗓️: January 4th – January 8th 

💵: EGP 4,500 

Whoever said that beach destinations are only for summertime, probably hasn’t experienced the warmth of a slow-paced seaside calm in Dahab or the serene village of Ras Shitan. This meticulously curated 4-day escapade will give you the chance to lazily watch the date palms sway or fearlessly cycle along the glistening Red Sea coast.

White & Black Deserts | 3 Days, 2 Nights 

Organisers: Tegwal 

🗓️: December 31st – January 2nd 

💵: EGP 3,800 

From sandboarding every day among the golden dunes to exploring the crystal-white salt lakes scattered across the deserts, and camping the traditional Bedouin style (charcoal-grilled lamb chops included).

Bucharest | 6 Days, 5 Nights

Organisers: Travista 

🗓️: December 29th – January 3rd 

💵: EGP 29,800

Why spend New Year’s binge-watching romcoms home alone, when you can spice it up with a solo breakfast date overlooking the souring Carpathian mountains of Romania, in a vintage ultra-luxurious resort in Bucharest instead? This trip promises to give you a regal winter vacation in one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in Europe. You will go from wandering across the vast halls of the German new-Renaissance architectural masterpiece, the PelesCastle to being lost in the presence and the mysterious beauty of Dracula Castle, which is concealed in a hilly forest in the village of Bran.

Paris | 6 Days, 5 Nights

Organisers: Travista 

🗓️: December 27th – January 1st 

💵: 36,450 

A classic New Year’s destination for you and your significant other, where you two will spend the last few hours of the year clinking flutes of champagne or barefoot-dancing across the cobblestone streets, akin to ‘A Midnight in Paris’, before counting down under the Eiffel Tower, as your mistletoe. And, if you are craving some classic strawberry-covered chocolate to complement your day, you can grab a handful of rich gourmet chocolate on your stop at Bruges on Day three of the trip.

London | 6 Days, 5 Nights 

Organisers: Travista 

🗓️: December 27th – January 1st 

💵: EGP 56,300 

More than your typical London vacation, Travista is taking you on an excursion to Hogwarts School this New Year’s for some real Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo, from boarding the OG Hogwarts Express at Platform 9 ¾ to shopping in Diagon Alley and scavenging the forbidden forest for  Voldemort with your special wand.

South Africa | 10 Days, 9 Nights 

Organisers: Puzzle 

🗓️: December 23rd – January 1st 

💵: EGP 41,400

Fueling our Summer nostalgic feels in this cruel cold winter szn, this all-encompassing winter trip will take you ziplining above Mosel pay, kayaking in Storms River, and wandering among little plumpy pigeons on the whimsical shores of Cape Town.

Lebanon | 7 Days, 6 Nights 

Organisers: Puzzle 

🗓️: December 30th – January 5th 

💵: EGP 20,100

Let’s get one fact straight here, whether it is winter or summer the verdant hillscapes of Lebanon call for perpetual escapades all year round. However, this winter, Puzzle’s extensive program promises you an immersive getaway, where you get to explore the hidden charms of Lebanon in more ways than one. One moment you will be hiking in Yahchouch, and then you will be cannonballing in the natural warm spring of Kfar Helda village with your bestie.

Iceland | 9 Days, 8 Nights

Organisers: Puzzle 

🗓️: February 18th – February 26th 

💵: EGP 54,700

From witnessing the glowing azure of the clear morning sky to getting lost in the aurora borealis green with its dancing rays, arcs and curtains of red, blue and purple hues that light up the night sky, this trip is simply put, something otherworldly.

Sinai | 3 Days/ 2 Nights 

Organisers: Wild Guanabana 

🗓️: December 30th – January 1st 

💵: EGP 7,000 

Known for their adventurous wholesome trips amongst the wilderness, Wild Guanabana’s Sinai trip will take you hiking a 250-kilometre-long sea-to-summit trail, starting from the Gulf of Aqaba, and ending at the soaring peak of Mount St. Catherine. Whether you choose to go solo or bring along your besties, you are in for a wild winter vacation.

Mount Toubkal, Morocco | 6 Days, 5 Nights

Organisers: Wild Guanabana 

🗓️: December 28th – January 2nd 

💵: EGP 27,800 

For adrenaline junkies who are looking for a not-so-normal winter break. This thrilling six-day expedition amidst the snow-coated mountains of Morocco will help you live out your mountaineer fever dreams, and step up from your average baby hike with a full climb of Mount Toubkal.