A visit to Egypt, particularly the pyramids, has always been popular among world travelers. We are no exception; Egypt has been on our bucket list for as long as we can remember. The history is incredibly rich and spans many centuries resulting in one of the most influential empires in the ancient world. Not only is the Egyptian culture fascinating, including their mummification process, but the art and architecture are mind-blowing.
When looking into how to fulfill our dreams of visiting Egypt, we found a tour through my alma mater that had the perfect itinerary that worked with our schedules. The main tour consisted of ten days, starting in Cairo and making its way south to Aswan. As we got more information on this tour, we decided to do the pre-tour to Jordan and the post-tour to Abu Simbel, making the total trip about three weeks (definitely a once-in-a-lifetime adventure!). Check out our top highlights of Jordan, here!
Although the Pyramids of Giza are the most prominent attractions in Egypt, there are many more historical places and architectural marvels to check out. We were able to explore and experience the highlights, but as our tour guide kept emphasizing, there are so many archaeological sites to see, some of which are still being excavated and studied by experts. If we ever get the chance, we’d love to visit again.
What we Saw
From Jordan, we took a short flight over to our first stop in Egypt – Cairo. We stayed at the Marriott Mena House, located right next to the Giza Pyramid complex. We got our first sight of the pyramids with breakfast and I must say, I don’t think we can ever top this breakfast view.
On our first day, we went to the Pyramids of Giza, starting with the largest one – Khufu’s pyramid. The other two pyramids in the complex are his son’s and his grandson’s. Standing beside the Great Pyramid, I felt very humbled by its immense stature. Each block was taller than me and much wider than my arm span. It’s incredible how they built it with such precision without modern technology in ancient times. A fun fact we learned was that the Great Pyramid is eight-sided and was discovered to be such by accident. We also were able to climb up and inside the pyramid. There wasn’t anything to see inside, but it was pretty cool to crawl and climb inside the pyramid.
After exploring the pyramid complex and taking pictures to my heart’s content, we made our way to the Sphinx.
After lunch, we went to the famous Cairo museum, where they had King Tutankhamun’s three sarcophagi with the inner one being made of solid gold. This artifact has never left Egypt because no bank is willing to insure it since it’s made of 110 kg of pure gold!
The next day, we took an early flight to Luxor and visited the Karnak Temple complex. I think I was most impressed by this architecture. Each column was a couple of meters wide and intricately carved with hieroglyphs.
After a pit stop at our hotel for a quick lunch, we went to the Luxor Temple. Though smaller than the Karnak Temple, the complex was equally impressive. It’s located in the middle of the city of Luxor and it’s definitely a dichotomy to see these ancient ruins with the hustle and bustle of a modern city around it.
At the last minute, we decided to go to the nighttime light show at the Karnak Temple. It was cool to see the temple lit up at night – all the carvings looked even more dramatic with the lights strewn on them, but the light show was a little underwhelming.
The next day we were chauffeured off to the Valley of the Kings. This is a collection of tombs of various pharaohs, strategically hidden in the desert mountains to protect the treasures within from tomb raiders. These tombs were stumbled upon by accident and more are still being discovered.
The artwork and intricate hieroglyphs on the walls of these tombs was absolutely breathtaking. I was especially impressed with how well everything was preserved, especially with so many people visiting yearly. King Tutankhamun’s tomb is also here, but we didn’t visit as our tour guide said that it’s overrated and other tombs have better artwork.
The Valley of the Kings is next to the Valley of the Queens, but unfortunately, we couldn’t visit. I think to explore this area properly, you probably need a couple of days, or even better, a week.
We then visited Hatshepsut’s Mortuary Temple, an impressive structure built by one of the most prominent pharaohs of Egypt – Queen Hatshepsut. The staircase to this temple is grand and the sheer size of the temple is breathtaking.
After a long day exploring these beautiful sites in the sun, we finally boarded our dahabiya in the evening. This was a private, small sail boat that would cruise on the Nile all the way to Aswan – our home for the next three days. Cruising the Nile was perhaps the best part of our trip (yes, even better than visiting all these famous places). Watching the sunrise and sunset over the Nile from the deck was surreal. It was so peaceful on the river that I took several naps on the numerous couches on board; the perfect chance to slow down after the continuous sightseeing.
During our time on the cruise, we made several stops along the way. We saw the Horus Temple, the temple dedicated to crocodiles, and toured a local village and met local villagers.
When we got to Aswan, we reluctantly disembarked our dahabiya for the last time after three relaxing nights on the Nile. But we were whisked off to explore a temple on Philae Island which is located in the reservoir of the Aswan Dam. Fun fact: this area was filled with crocodiles in ancient times, but not a single one calls this home in modern times. In the evening, we were able to stroll the streets of the Aswan market and put our bargaining skills to the test with the local vendors.
Our hotel in Aswan deserves a special shout-out: the Old Cataract Aswan. This hotel is perched on the banks of the Nile, overlooking the cataracts of Aswan and Elephantine Island (which we explored during our stay). The location itself is beautiful, but the interiors of the resort are not to be overlooked. I must say, this is the fanciest hotel room I’ve ever stayed in – the bathroom was larger than my apartment in San Diego! Check out more details about this beautiful hotel below.
As part of the post-tour that we opted to do, we took an early morning flight to Abu Simbel for a day trip. We got the first look of this famous landmark from the plane. Abu Simbel is made up of two temples: the Temple of Ramses II and the Temple of Nefartari. This site is an engineering feat since the original location of these temples was about 200 meters into the river and was moved since the temples were at risk of being submerged in water due to the construction of the Aswan dam. The temples were cut into large blocks and then moved and reconstructed.
Our last day of our tour was spent at the hotel and my mom and I took advantage of the hotel’s many amenities, particularly the luxurious spa. The full body massage was just the treat after such a long trip, preparing us to return to reality.
Overall, this was a once-in-a-lifetime trip and I couldn’t recommend Egypt as a travel destination more. If you haven’t already, you may want to add Egypt to your travel bucket list.
Our tour guides deserve a special mention as their knowledge and passion about Egypt’s history and sites was incredible. I’ve never had guides with such in-depth knowledge of Egyptian history. Both our guides were Egyptologists and accompanied us to all the sites, including shopping in markets. Without our tour guides, I would have been lost looking at all the hieroglyphs, artwork, and carvings. They walked us through all the stories and myths, captivating us with their amazing storytelling skills.
Where we Stayed
Marriott Mena House, Cairo
Aside from the long list of celebrities and prominent figures that have stayed at this hotel, the location of this property is the true show stealer. Located right next to the pyramid complex, you get sweeping views of the monuments from almost every area of the hotel. The best part of this hotel was breakfast – we enjoyed the peaceful morning looking up at the pyramids with a hot cup of coffee in our hands. Talk about being spoiled!
Sofitel Winter Palace, Luxor
In Luxor, we enjoyed the vast gardens of this old palace that sits right on the bank of the Nile. The rooms of this renovated palace are spacious and have all the amenities of a modern hotel.
Dahabiya
While cruising the Nile, our home was a 14-person sail boat with plenty of lounge areas spanning the entire sun deck. Each stateroom was modern, equipped with air conditioning and had a completely renovated bathroom. The gracious staff of the boat was incredibly attentive and made our stay on the Nile amazing. We were graced with tea time every afternoon and munching on the cookies while sailing the Nile was like a dream.
Sofitel Legend Cataract, Aswan
We were lucky to spend several nights at this hotel, which, in my opinion, is one of the best hotels we’ve ever stayed at. The amenities of each room were over the top – I kept joking that the bathroom was larger than my apartment in San Diego. This hotel is perched on the banks of the Nile cataracts and each balcony has a beautiful view of the Nile where you can watch the sunset as sail boats drift along the river.
Every day, a lavish breakfast spread was served in their main dining room, which transported you back in time with the opulent décor. During the day and in the evenings, we enjoyed cocktails on the deck overlooking the infinity pool while people watching and observing any activity going on at the active archaeology sites located just a couple hundred feet away.
Since we had a couple of days at this hotel, we got to experience the spa. We enjoyed a full-body Egyptian massage and spent some time at the hammam (Turkish bath) and indoor pool. It was the perfect indulgence after a long trip full of sightseeing.
Since this is a historic property, quite a few famous people frequented the hotel – the most famous being Agatha Christie and Winston Churchill. They came to the hotel so often that their suites were preserved. You can tour these rooms and stay in them (for a hefty price, of course).
If you’d like any more information or have questions about our time in Egypt, feel free to drop a comment or reach out to us on Instagram!