Idler Egyptian Retreat, November
£500
3 in stock
16 — 23 November 2026
Join us for the Idler Egyptian Retreat as we discover the philosophy, art and culture of the ancient Egyptians, and their influence on later thinkers from the ancient Greeks to the present day.
We’ll visit the Great Pyramids, the Sphinx and the newly opened Grand Egypt Museum before driving to little travelled Middle Egypt where we’ll see the ruins of the city of the first ever monotheistic religion.
Our Egyptian Retreat home will be the oasis of New Hermopolis next to the site of ancient Hermopolis, city of Hermes, god of writing. Here Egyptian, Greek and Persian cultures co-existed harmoniously. We’ll walk into tombs with miraculously preserved artworks and wall paintings of life in the desert beside the Nile.
Reserve your place by paying a deposit of £500 above.
New Hermopolis was founded by Dr Mervat Nasser. Mervat is dedicated to providing an intellectual retreat in sustainable collaboration with the local community. She is especially interested in the hermetic philosophy of the ancient people of Hermopolis, with their belief in harmonious living and the regenerative power of human creativity.
In the company of Idler editor Tom Hodgkinson, Mervat Nasser, yoga instructor Tessa Mair, and Idler Academy director Victoria Hull, we’ll be talking about the Egyptian philosophies that can still help us make sense of the world.
You’ll go home inspired by the ideas and philosophy of the ancient Egyptians and with an understanding of their influence on the whole of Western philosophy. You’ll have tasted traditional Egyptian food and culture, and you’ll have had a lot of fun to boot.
About the Idler Egyptian Retreat
The Idler Egyptian Retreat will begin in Giza with a morning visit to the pyramids and the Sphinx. After lunch with a stunning view of the pyramids, we’ll spend the rest of the day in the newly opened Grand Egyptian Museum.
We’ll stay at Jaz Pyramids Resort, which has a pool and gardens close to the pyramids.
Dinner will be in Cairo with a traditional Egyptian menu.
In Giza we’ll stay at Jaz Pyramids
With its pool and lush gardens, Jaz Pyramids is a tranquil retreat from the main sites at Giza. Each room has an en-suite bathroom, tea, coffee and minibar.
In Middle Egypt we’ll be based at New Hermopolis Eco Retreat
New Hermopolis eco retreat is situated on the west of the Nile near the remains of the ancient city of Hermopolis in Middle Egypt. It is an oasis in the desert with an organic farm supplied with water from its own well. New Hermopolis has individual stone domed “studios” set in landscaped gardens around a rare blue lotus pond. The rooms are furnished and decorated in authentic Egyptian style using local materials and handicrafts. Each room has an en-suite bathroom, fridge and kettle.
New Hermopolis has a small swimming pool, seminar and library rooms.
Wi-Fi is available but please note it is not strong. It will be OK for WhatsApp messages but not Zoom calls.
More about the Idler Egyptian Retreat programme
The Idler Egyptian Retreat is designed to provide a rare insight into the art and philosophy of Middle Egypt. You’ll get great ideas for living, authentic Egyptian food, lots of fun, and plenty of time for idling. As much as possible we keep afternoons free for reading and writing. All activities, talks, walks and days out are optional.
Please note the itinerary below is subject to change but gives you a good idea of what we’ll be doing.
Monday 16 November 2026
Arrivals in Cairo. Our flight transfer to Jaz Pyramids Resort will be late. No events or meals today.
Tuesday 17 November
Morning guided tour of the pyramids and the Sphinx. We’ll also see the Valley Temple and Noble’s Tomb.
Lunch with a view of the pyramids at 9 Pyramids Lounge.
In the afternoon we visit the Grand Egyptian Museum. Amongst the staggering collection of antiquities we’ll see colossal statues of Rameses II, the unusual art of monotheistic pharaoh Akhenaten, and the treasures of Tutankhamun.
Dinner: Traditional Egyptian menu at Zeeyara.
Wednesday 18 November
Drive through desert to New Hermopolis (4 hours)
Restorative yoga with Tessa beside the blue lotus pool
Sundowner lecture: Mervat on The Significance of Akhenaten. Ackenaten relocated the Egyptian capital from Thebes, now Luxor, to Amarna near us in Hermopolis. He has become one of the most famous of Ancient Egypt’s rulers for founding the first monotheistic religion and spawning some of it’s most beautiful art. But why was he so controversial and what fantasies have been used to portray him to this day?
After dinner camp fire in the desert.
Thursday 19 November
Morning yoga with Tessa
Trip to Beni Hasan: driving through rural villages we cross the Nile and visit the tombs of ancient nomarchs, the district leaders. The tombs are cut into a desert hill and their walls painted with vivid scenes of life beside the Nile: hunting, fishing, wrestling moves, and tahtib dances from 2300BC.
Sundowner lecture: Tom on The Logos. What does logos mean? Where did it come from? Where did it go? Why is it so important to philosophy and to Christianity? Tom looks at the history of this strange and important word, from its Egyptian roots to its place in Ancient Greek philosophy and the Bible.
Friday 20 November
Morning yoga with Tessa
Sermon on the Mount: Tom on The Life and Death of Socrates. Philosophy as we know it began with Socrates. Who was he, how did he live, why did he inspire so many others? Tom looks at the colourful life and cheerful death of a man who didn’t write anything down, was extremely annoying, and lived in near poverty.
Sundowner lecture: Mervat Nasser on Hermetic Philosophy. Find out which thinkers have been influenced by the text of the Hermetica, from Ficino in the Renaissance to Dr Dee and William Blake. What does this ancient philosophy tell us?
Film Night: Screening of Agora: The story of the greatest remembered female philosopher in antiquity, Hypatia.
Saturday 21 November
Trip to Tell-Amarna and Tuna El Gebel. Tell-Amarna is the city built by the heretic pharaoh Akhenaten father of Tutankhamon. Akhenaten dedicated his city to the sun god Aten, founding the first ever monotheistic religion. Tuna El Gebel is the site of ancient Hermopolis dedicated to the god Thoth, who became the Greek god Hermes, god of wisdom, knowledge and writing. We’ll explore the catacombs of the cult of Thoth where thousands of baboons and ibises, believed to be sacred, were mummified.
Restorative yoga with Tessa
Sunday 22 November
Morning yoga with Tessa
Morning lecture: Tom on the Seven Stoics. Of all the philosophies that were inspired by the example of Socrates, Stoicism has remained the most enduring. But what does it mean, and who were its principal promoters? Tom takes us through seven key Stoic thinkers, from Zeno to Seneca to Marcus Aurelius, and in so doing, hopes to show the key tenets of this misunderstood school.
Folk Music Night. We’ll watch a group of young local dancers who are being fostered Dr Mervat and we’ll learn the basics of stick dancing or tahtib, engravings of which we’ll have seen in the tombs at Beni Hasan.
Monday 23 November
Departures
Meet the Tutors
Dr Mervat Nasser took an early retirement from her job as consultant psychiatrist and senior lecturer, King’s College London in 2007 and returned to Egypt to establish New Hermopolis. Her academic publications were focused on the interface between mind and culture. She has written several books on Egyptology in Arabic addressed to the young reader, including an illustrated series that won an award for best children’s writing in 1998. Mervat’s latest book is The Path to the New Hermopolis – The History, Philosophy and Future of the City of Hermes. She has a master’s in philosophy and a doctorate in psychiatry from London University and she is a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
Tom Hodgkinson is editor of the Idler and author of several books including How to Be Idle, How to Be Free and An Idler’s Manual. His new book How to Live Like A Stoic: A Handbook for Happiness will be published by Bloomsbury in February 2026.
Tessa Mair is a 500 hour certified yoga teacher and journal editor. She explores yoga’s deeper dimensions with a particular interest in breathwork (pranayama) and its capacity to control the nervous system. Tessa believes in hatha yoga’s power to transform not just the body and mind but also the way we connect – to ourselves, to others, and to the communities around us. Fascinated by how yoga weaves into everyday life, she hopes to guide others toward a practice that extends far beyond asana.
Prices
£2,150 per person, twin or double with en-suite bathroom.
£2,450 per person, single occupancy with en-suite bathroom.
All New Hermopolis rooms feature bedroom, lounge area and bathroom, plus kettle and mini fridge.
Pay a deposit of £500 now, the remainder being due on 16 August 2026, three months before the retreat.
Please email mail@idler.co.uk to confirm number of travellers.
Please note the deposit is non-refundable.
What’s included
All talks and trips.
Museum tickets.
Airport transfers for the recommended flights.
All breakfasts, dinners and lunches except in the Grand Egypt Museum on the first day as we’ll be going around this in our own time.
Egypt is a Muslim country and alcohol is not readily available. However, we’ll have some Egyptian beer at New Hermopolis at an honesty bar and you are welcome to bring your own alcohol in your luggage.
Help yourself to tea and coffee at New Hermopolis.
What’s not included
Flights.
Alcohol.
Please note that at New Hermopolis Wi-Fi is available but not strong. There is no printer. You will need to print out return boarding passes and anything else you need before you leave home.
Afternoons are for napping or reading by the blue lotus pond or swimming pool.
Testimonials from previous Idler Egypt Retreats
“the past week has been an inspiration, pleasure and joy”
“It was lovingly organised, seemed effortlessly orchestrated. I think only fantastic people get drawn to the Idler. How else could every member of the group be so fantastic, and of course the organisers.”
“…inspirational talks and discussions which opened one’s mind to new perspectives.”
“it’s been a wonderful week, many marvellous memories made“
“The retreat was a much needed reset for me… It reminded me that I am a curious person, explorer, observer, learner and a decent dancer!”
“While being lots of fun, I enjoyed the lectures and all the conversations to consider and think about.”
“Fabulous! I got more than I ever anticipated.”
Travel information
We recommend flying to Cairo on the following flights for which we will organise a transfer bus.
Monday 16 November 2026
EgyptAir Flight number MS778. Departing London Heathrow, 14:00. Arriving at Cairo, 20:40. Direct flight, duration: 4 hours 40 minutes.
Monday 23 November 2026
EgyptAir Flight number MS779. Departing Cairo, 17:40. Arriving at London Heathrow, 21:00. Direct flight, duration: 5 hours 20 minutes.
Fitness
You should be able to walk two miles in weather of around 27 degrees centigrade. Be prepared to stand and walk slowly at sites for two hours at a time.
Please note many travellers to Egypt suffer from stomach upsets. New Hermopolis has its own water supply that should be drinkable but nonetheless we supply bottled water and we recommend you stick to this for drinking and teeth cleaning etc. If you are worried you may also prefer to avoid fresh salads and fruit.
Terms and Conditions
Travel Insurance: It is a condition of your booking the Idler Retreat that you have personal travel insurance, including cancellation insurance for medical reasons, redundancy, jury service etc. for all members of your party. Read more about travel insurance here.
Please note that the use of New Hermopolis, its facilities, grounds, and swimming pool are entirely at the user’s risk.
For more information about any part of the holiday please email us on georgia@idler.co.uk
