Egypt should be among the top places on everyone’s travel bucket list. While it is known for its rich history and culture, what we cherish the most is the warmth and friendliness the people have for each other and for travelers like us. the people of Egypt are one of the friendliest people I’ve ever met. When you think of Egypt, you picture the great Pyramids, the sphinx and vast desert ancient Egyptian temples and monuments but there is so much more to the Egyptian culture and each and every place reminded us of the rich cultural past of this great civilization. When we were not admiring the ancient Egyptian temples and monuments we were cruising on the river Nile or hot-air ballooning over the Valley of the Kings or gobbling down Egyptian delicacies with the locals.

Planning a trip to Egypt can be a daunting task given the language barrier and difficult driving conditions. We found an amazing tour company called emo tours who booked our trip and gave us a private car with driver and guide whenever required so we could focus on enjoying our time without worrying about transport and other stuff.

Our 7-day itinerary

The Giza Plateau

The Giza plateau is home to one of the wonders of the world – the great pyramids. The Giza necropolis is spread across the plateau and consists of many tombs, most prominent among them are the pyramids of Cheops, his son Chephren and his queens.

The Pyramids

Words are not enough to describe the presence these pyramids project on their surroundings. Hardly anyone who visits the pyramids would not be left mesmerized by their grandeur as well as finesse. To understand the craze behind these monuments, you have to travel back in time to 3500BC and imagine what went into building such mammoth tombs.

You can enter the largest pyramid and make your way to the resting place of Cheops (which is now empty) provided you are not claustrophobic. Getting to the area where the tomb was placed requires climbing 120 feet on stairs that line up the wall of the pyramids from inside at a 45 degree angle and all the while being bent at waist since the “tunnel” is hardly 4 feet high.

There are huge pits in the floor next to the pyramids where ships were buried. This was consistent with other goods kept in the Pyramids for the use in the afterlife.

Sound and Light show

Various sites like the Karnak Temple and the Philae temple have sound and light shows but if you want to partake in only one then make it the show at the Pyramids and Sphinx. Not only will you learn about the history of the great Pyramids but you will see the Pyramids and Sphinx in a whole new light (literally)

Temples in Egypt

They say, no matter where you walk in Egypt, there are remnants of ancient civilization under your feet. A lot of ancient sites, tombs and temples have been discovered by archaeologists all around the country and they are still making new discoveries but a few of them stand out above the rest.

Karnak Temple

Karnak Temple complex is the biggest temple area in the country and second largest in the world. It is supposed to be the most visited ancient Egyptian monument only after the Giza pyramids. The highlight of the temple is 134 pillars symmetrically aligned in the courtyard and each pillar has hieroglyphic inscriptions depicting ancient Egyptian worship rituals. 

Luxor Temple

Luxor temple is right on the east bank of the Nile river and the location is not a coincidence. Unlike other temples in Egypt, Luxor temple is not dedicated to any deity. It was used as a port by kings to embark on a journey via the river. The boats were brought from Karnak temple using a pathway that connected both temples and stored at Luxor temple. This temple was also considered to be used for coronation.

Temple of Hatshepsut

On the west bank of the Nile, with the valley of the kings in the background stands the temple of Hatshepsut. It is the only temple from ancient Egyptian era that has multiple levels each serving its own purpose. Hatshepsut was the first female Monarch of Egypt and unlike any other temple in Egypt which are generally dedicated to some deity, this is the only temple built by a Pharoah to showcase their own might. The multiple levels of the temple are accessible by a long ramp or stairs leading up to the top. The entrance of the top level is lined with osiris statues of Hatshepsut.

Temple of Edfu

Horus, the falcon god is one of the most important deities from the ancient Egyptian era. Each temple in Egypt from the ptolemic period has some form of depiction of Horus but the temple at Edfu on the west bank of the Nile is the largest temple dedicated to Horus.

Philae Temple

This was the last temple we visited in Egypt and also the last stop on our cruise on the Nile river. The temple complex consists of temples of Isis the goddess of health and wisdom and mother of Horus. Unlike other temples in Egypt where Horus is depicted as the almighty deity, at this temple he is depicted as an infant always accompanying his mother, Isis. The complex also has a temple of Hathor who in some traditions is considered Horus’ mother.

The Nile River

Cruise from Luxor to Aswan

The descriptions and pictures don’t do justice to the immensity of the longest river in the world. We took a cruise on the Nile from Luxor to Aswan and got to experience the vastness of the river as well as the richness of the Nile valley. Along the banks of the river are miles and miles long stretches of lush green farms with a few farm houses sprinkled among them. We noticed kids as well as adults along with their pets taking dips in the river as a respite from the mid-summer heat. The whole experience was a dictionary definition of tranquil with cool breeze, green scenery and the sound of waves being crushed by our ship. We sat for hours in our balcony and on the top deck taking it all in and getting lost in the surroundings. But if you want take your Nile experience to a whole new level there is an even better way.

 

Hot Air Balloon Ride Over The Nile Valley

One of the unique highlights of our trip to Egypt was taking a hot air balloon ride over the Nile Valley. We were picked up from our cruise at Luxor in the wee hours of morning, at least a couple hours before sunrise and we took a boat to cross over to the west bank. We reached our take-off location where a dozen giant balloons were waiting for us to embark on. It is an incredible sight to see the morning sky fill up with colorful balloons among the backdrop of gorgeous landscapes. We got to see the panoramic vistas of the Valley of the Kings and Queens and also flew over the Nile river as the first rays of the sun hit the water. It was a sight to behold.

Esna Lock

In order to prevent flooding in the more populous regions of the Nile Valley and provide irrigation to the farmlands along the river there is a need to maintain and regulate separate water levels. This can be made possible by using dams on the rivers but dams hamper transport routes. An ingenious solution to this problem is using water locks that are setup at Esna near Edfu. There are huge locks that can accommodate giant cruise ships. Once the ship enters one of these locks, both ends are blocked and the water level inside the lock is raised/lowered to match the level on the other side of the lock and then the ship is allowed to proceed. The whole process takes about 2 hours. They plan the cruise such that this happens somewhere around 3am when most of the people are asleep but we managed to wake up and see how the locks work. It was incredible.

High Dam

Aswan is the southernmost point on the Nile in Egypt and home to the High Dam. This dam was built to create the Nasser lake which is over 500 miles in length spread across two countries, Egypt and Sudan and it provides water to seven countries via a network of canals. The high dam construction wasn’t without controversies. Due to the large amount of water being blocked by the dam, the regions south of the dam were flooded and had to be evacuated leading to people losing their ancestral homes and lands.

Alexandria

Alexandria is a metropolitan city on the coast of Mediterranean sea in the Nile river delta. It was established by Alexander  around 331 BC when he ruled over the region.

Roman Amphitheatre

The roman theatre was discovered during excavation for another site in the middle of the city. At the site, the excavators discovered two semi-circular auditoriums and what appear to be classrooms so it is considered to be a section of an ancient roman university. Behind the amphitheatre area, there were roman bathhouses and in another layer a muslim mosque was discovered. Some polish researchers are still excavating at the site because given the location of the site and mock maps of the area it is guaranteed that the site extends further under the modern city.

Pompey’s Pillar

Pompey’s Pillar is the largest Roman triumphal column outside of Rome. The name comes from erroneously attributing the pillar to Pompey’s rule over Alexandria but the pillar was built in 3rd century AD to commemorate Roman victory over the followers of Alexander.

Some of the other sites discovered around Pompey’s Pillar highlight the difference between ancient era street level at which the construction was made and the current street level.

Qaitbay Citadel

The citadel of Quaitbay was built in 15th century AD and acted as a major defensive structure along the Mediterranean coast. It was used by governments as late as late 1800s and the last use of the citadel was made as in early 20th century as a royal rest house. After the revolution of 1952 it was turned into a museum.