With millennia of history and ancient antiquity that the British Museum curators can only dream of, Egypt is the ultimate destination for those of you that love a bit of exploration and adventure in your holidays.
Our voyage of discovery in this amazing land began and finished in Cairo, with a large loop through the deserts of the west, down to the High Dam Of Aswan and then back up via valleys, tombs, temples and obelisks.
Cairo
Start in the huge metropolis of Cairo, coptic churches, mosques, museums and a thousand traffic jams…oh and of course the Pyramids!
We stayed at the Inter Continental CityStars, on the airport side of the city, a small oasis of calm amidst the hustle and bustle of the outside world.
To get around, hop in a taxi, find a driver that you like, get their number and then stick with them for your stay in Cairo. Our driver was Kamhal, a perfect itinerary in his head, always on time and a magical ability to get around the traffic of the city.
Religious Cairo
The Coptic district for Christians the world over – St Barbara’s, a 6th century Coptic Church; the curiously named ‘Hanging Church’,
so named for being above the gatehouse of the Babylon fortress with a suspended nave (it sounds more curious than reality!).
Finishing with Christianity then head across to the Muslim sights of the city. Starting with the Citadel of Salah Al-Din, for great views;
The Mohammad Ali mosque, where Lyssa got to dress up a bit.
The Rifa ‘I Mosque that has a fascinating interior with a warren of hidden tombs of famous folks (and their parents).
The Ibn Tahin Mosque gives you the chance to head up into its minaret for some vertigo inducing views.
Night-time Cairo
Evenings in Cairo will usually mean some kind of boat trip on the Nile, be it a dinner cruise…along with a bit of a show
or a more stately sail on a feluca.
The Giza Pyramids
Probably the main reason to come to Cairo (unless you really enjoy traffic jams and crazy driving). Unfortunately we first visited the pyramids as part of a tour…so your time is spent chasing after the tour group.
Starting with a stunning panorama of the pyramids, complete with camels and sand in the eyes!
A whistle-stop tour of Chephren’s Pyramid – the second largest of the lot that sits just behind the Sphinx.
Make time to make-out with the Sphinx….
All the rushing of the tour is to make sure that you have ample time to visit the mandatory perfume and papyrus factories…after all this is the real reason we came to Egypt.
So make sure you fit in some time to visit the pyramids at your own pace (or just skip the canned tour), where you can take your own sweet time to explore the necropolis.
The oldest and largest – Great Pyramid – still one of the original seven wonders of the World and totally worth its distinction.
It’s touristy for sure, but succumb to your natural instincts and climb up on a camel for some pictures.
The highlight of the Pyramids for us was the evening sound and light show, that brings the Sphinx to life to take you through the building of the Pyramids and the lives of their creators.
Some say the storytelling is a bit dry, but all that fades with the pictures created with the light show on the pyramids.
Egyptian Museum
Like an old aged explorer that has a compulsive hoarding disorder, the Egyptian museum has piles of antiquity crammed into every single part of its dusty rooms and corridors.
There is so much laying around that it is hard to comprehend the wonders that you will see, where anyone of these items would be a tremendous find in itself, but in their multitude desensitize you to all the wonder. Do check out the bling of Tutankhamen before going on a treasure hunt through antiquity.
Saqqara
Home of the original pyramids, and in particular the pyramid of Djoser that was one of the first and biggest with its classic stepped shape.
We learned that arriving during a sandstorm means that you can easily avoid the army of Baksheesh hunters that congregate around all Egyptian tourist locations.
The museum here is also well worth a visit to learn a bit more about the pyramid, its pharaoh (Djoser) and its even more famous architect Imhotep.
Into the Desert
Leaving Cairo, we picked up a 4*4 tour to the west and south into the deserts of northern Egypt to curve our way down south.
Bahariya Oasis, not as romantic as it sounded as it was more of a large village, but it did have hot springs that were rather nice in the chilly desert evening.
There is also a mummy hall to visit, plus some roman tombs that were exceptionally colourful (in the Egyptian style).
Heading further into the Black desert, first some dune bashing that had all of the passengers of the 4*4 bouncing around the insides of the car with crazy wild grins!
Some classic sand dunes to scale-up
before moving onto the beautiful White Desert and its wind sculptured rock formations.
We were lucky to spend the night in this stunning landscape, having plenty of time to explore before a great camp bbq with some of the best grilled chicken we’ve had.
Camping out in the desert in a tent in the middle of winter can be a bit tough however, with freezing cold temperatures that we were unprepared for with our blankets, socks and hats made from camel hair that meant a cold and itchy night!
The morning ablutions at the Bahariya oasis hot spring soon washed away the night’s insomnia…
South to the Dakhla Oasis where you will encounter the Romans at the Deir El Hagar temple
and the Mozawaka tombs, where amongst the 300+ tombs you will come across mummies, skeletons and vivid tomb decorations.
Kharga Oasis, the furthest south of the oases in this part of Egypt, where you’ll find petrified camels
and one of Christianity’s oldest cemeteries at Al Bagawat from the 3rd century AD.
Enjoy an evening out on the town with a pint of sugar cane and a puff on a hookah!
Aswan and Philae
Emerging out of the desert you will go from dry lands to very wetlands and take the obligatory trip to the Aswan high dam. A very impressive feat of engineering at 4km long and 1km wide but it will remind you that the best sites of Egypt are its ancient ones.
So get the real ancient deal at Philae and its Temple of Isis. Set on an island in the middle of the Nile, the journey to it is an adventure in itself.
Originally situated 500 metres away this temple was picked up and moved piece by piece (all 40,000) in the 20th century in order to prevent it being submerged by water.
Get back to dry land and take a visit to the unfinished obelisk, an obelisk…that is unfinished! Super large, but with a crack that made it unusable…but at 1200 tons, potentially good for a fair few kitchen tops!
Finish your visit to this stretch of the Nile with a felucca ride to the botanical gardens
Kom Ombo & Edfu
Kom Ombo – dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek
where you’ll get an opportunity to walk like and Egyptian
Edfu – one of the most impressive temples you’ll find in Egypt, dedicated to Horus, God of the sky. Fronted by massive pylons
that lead into expansive courtyards and narrow corridors where you expect the guards of Horus to come round the corner and carry you up to the mother ship.
To get here you’ll have the choice to take a hair raising caleche ride through the narrow streets to the temple…be careful on the driver you select, as it could get even more scary!
Luxor – East Bank
Luxor is the modern name for Thebes, the capital of Egypt over 3000 years ago. Today it is a sprawling city that mingles with the World’s greatest open air museum.
The East bank is where you’ll find the temples where life was and still is lived, and the West bank the resting place of the Pharaohs with the necropoli of the Kings and Queens.
In the middle of downtown you’ll find Luxor temple, allegedly where the Pharaohs were crowned. Try to visit at night, as the lights make for a magical experience.
In particular make sure you start walking the avenue of the Sphinxes that run the three km from Luxor temple to Karnak temple.
Karnak temple is huge, for sure it needs at least a day to explore (including the night for the fantastic sound and light show).
Everything in Karnak is of a gigantic size, the columns of the main courtyard, the obelisks and ubiquitous status of Ramesees II
Luxor – West Bank
Wake early to head across to the West Bank of Luxor…it’ll be a hugely touristic affair, but if you are lucky in timing then you’ll get some mystical moments.
The Colossi of Memnon, so named for a hero of the Trojan wars, but built centuries earlier in the reign of Imhotep – are all that remain of a temple, and now guard the entrance to the way to the Valley of the Kings.
The Valley of the Kings, is a dusty valley from the outside, but it’s true treasures are all underground with the various tombs of the many Pharaoh.
Of the 60 tombs that have been found, typically around 10 of them will be open at any one time, with tombs opening and closing per season depending on which need a break from the respiration humidity of the millions of visitors.
We managed to visit a Ramesses trilogy of IV, VII and IX, the former two had relatively short, tumultuos reigns, whereas Ramesses IX lived to a ripe old age of 50 and made sure he appeared on the facades of a number of temples across the Luxor area.
Our tip would be to try and come here under your own steam and not on an organised tour that will end up rushing you. Pick up a taxi, a guide from the front gate and yes you’ll pay a bit more, but it is well worth it.
Al-Deir Al-Bahari Temple – built up by several Pharoah as a mortuary temple, culminating with the very successful Queen Hatshepsut who was not only a Pharaoah herself but also daughter, sister and wife to a king (though not the same one!).
Finish you day with the valley of the Queens, resting place for the wives of the Paharoahs.
Filipinos should not miss the tomb of Titi, wife of Ramesses III and great for a nice picture to take home to the family!
So with this visual finale we come to the end of our trip to the millennia of Egypt, hopefully this gives you some inspiration for your own trip there…enjoy!
