Egypt and the Nile 2019
Egypt for me was another once in a lifetime trip. It was an Abercrombie & Kent tour, there were 13 of us. Our main tour guide was Wael Ali El Sweify he was a walking encyclopedia pretty incredible. We were lucky to have him. Would I go back, the answer is no. Not because I didn’t love it or not feel safe it was another difficult trip. We moved constantly from place to place and it was HOT. Pretty amazing how much I saw in the span of 11 days. I have to be honest I got tired of the food, if I saw another bowl of hummus I thought I was going to scream. It is a very different culture. Men and women separate in different ways. For instance in the hotels there were always two spas, one for men and one for women. We traveled with an armed guard the entire trip. The Egyptians kept asking me, “Do you feel safe?” I truly did. I am always cautious being a female traveling by myself, especially in Egypt I would never go outside of the hotel alone.
There were so many highlights to this trip, but I was amazed seeing the pyramids and spinx in Giza, To me having read about them in school to have it come to life was incredible! You just can’t believe this was done 2550 to 2490 B.C.
My favorite place was the Valley of the Kings I couldn’t believe how preserved the tombs were. The hieroglyphics you can’t believe they are still there and so vivid with color. Seeing Tutankhamen tomb and he was preserved a little creepy but amazing. This BTW is an extra ticket but worth it. Also see tomb of Seti I, son of Ramses II one of the most well preserved tombs.
See, Colossi of Memnon, two enormous statues. Temple of Hatshepsut, first female pharaoh. Temple of Karnak, Temple of Horus, Philae Temple on the island of Agilika. This temple was dismantled and reassembled. Temple of Horus, built in 230 B.C.
Abu Simbel, is a must The Great Temple of Ra-Harakhte and Temple of Hathor, they are remarkable because they were cut to pieces and raised up the hillside because they were threatened by high waters of the Lake Nasser and the High Dam project.
Egypt Travel tips and Things to see
- Best things to do in Cairo
- See the pyramids and Spine
- to to the Egyptian Museum of of Antiquities, visit the mummy room
- Explore the interior of one of the pyramids
- Best things to do in Luxor
- Temple of Luxor
- Temple of Karnak
- Colossi of Memnon, two enormous seated statues of Amehotep III
- Best things to do in Edfu/ Mom Ombo/Aswan
- Temple of Horus
- Visit the Unfinished Obelisk
- The temple of of Philae, dismantled and reassembled pretty amazing
- The Great Temple of Ra-Harakhte, very impressive
Luxor
Luxor Temple
Luxor, kings would ride down the road that was lined with these statues.
Valley of the Kings
Valley of the Kings hieroglyphics
Accommodation
In Cairo I stayed at the Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at the First Residence. It is a contemporary luxury hotel. It has a spa, outdoor swimming pool, fitness center, tea lounge. The restaurants serve Lebanese cuisine. We then had a Nile cruise on board the Sanctuary Nile Adventurer. Small cruise boat, beautiful deck, swimming pool, spa. Very comfortable. We cruised on the Nile for four nights. The last hotel was the Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza. The hotel has a shopping mall attached The First Mall Giza. Convenient shopping and very safe. This was my favorite place we stayed, my room had a balcony overlooking the Nile it was beautiful to sit out there especially at night and watch the boats, hot air balloon's and just to see the Nile. Pretty special.
1. Tip
Do exchange some money while in Egypt. I exchanged money at my hotel.
Do not wander around Egypt by yourself it is safe to a certain degree but don’t take the chance. At the hotels I stayed at it was like being at an airport all your luggage, bags, personal belongings went on a converyor belt to make sure you weren’t carrying anything harmful.
2. Packing Tips
It was extremely hot when I went to Egypt but I had friends that went months later and they were cold . I would say bring a few nice items, Egyptians do dress up at night. I always bring two dresses that I can literally put into a ball and they don’t wrinkle.
Currency: The official currency of Egypt is the Egyptian pound (EGP). 1 EGP is equivalent to 0.040 USD
I flew on Egyptair directly to Cairo from JFK. Egyptair serves no liquor due to it being an Islamic airline even though it is served throughout Egypt.
Credit Cards & ATMs: Many Egyptian shops, restaurants, and hotels accept credit cards, especially in bigger cities that are often visited by tourists.
Final thoughts
I really loved Egypt it is where history began. It was an amazing trip we covered so much ground in a short time. Traveling along the Nile was special you just get a different perspective. We saw children swimming next to the boats they are always so happy to see foreigners. I enjoyed seeing how rugs are made and they are teaching very young children so the tradition is carried on.
Walking down and up a pyramid pretty amazing, I’m not exactly a giant but I had to walk down backwards, the ceilings are very low. Funny story I’d say 10 of us started down, one by one I heard “going back Trish”, “going back Trish”. I am proud to say I was the only one to go all the way down and up again. My legs were shot and going downstairs the next day was brutal.
Seeing St Sergius and Bacchus church in Cairo gave me chills. It is where the holy family, Mary, Joseph and infant Jesus hid to save the divine baby from the massacre of Herod. The church is well protected and you need a chaperone, guide to enter.
They are still discovering things in Egypt, while I was there I went to a site where they had just discovered the graves of the workers that had taken care of the royalty. There is so much to see in Egypt get a reputable our operator is a must.
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