Holiday in Egypt
Since few decades Egypt is a popular holiday destination, within few hours of flight from Europe and in the hotels you can get all you need for your body and soul. Even if is not one of my favorite countries, have to admit that has some unique features.
Yes, the only still existing of the ancient world seven wonders is here, the pyramids of Giza.
If you are looking to spend all your holiday in an x star hotel, spending your days around the pool and enjoying the all-inclusive menu, I’m afraid there is nothing I can tell to you. I hope I have a lot to share with all the others, even if our concept of a holiday won’t be always the same.
I believe, the best way to know Egypt is by making a cruise holiday on the Nile. Might sound strange that Egypt is a huge country and I’m concentrating only on a river, but most of the “must see” points are among the Nile.
The best place to get on the boat is Cairo and at the end of the trip we will return to the same city, than all we have to do to take a short drive to the airport.
Only the fact itself that we are cruising on the longest river of the world is already great but has other advantages as well. If we make our hotel reservation in one of the big holiday destination of Egypt like, Hurghada, Sharm el Sheikh or Marsa Alam and we want to see something from the country as well, we need to wake up earlier than the sunrise and to drive several hours by bus. Compared to this, on the boat we can have a comfortable sleep till morning, have our breakfast and within few minutes reach our destinations. As most of the country’s surface is covered by the desert, we can witness the real life of Egypt among the river, people riding donkeys, locals in traditional clothes, unfortunately sometimes a lot of trash is floating on the surface of the water, etc. While our plane is landing in Cairo, I would suggest using the first day for accommodation and starting to discover the city next day morning. Pyramids, national museum, downtown, Al Azhar mosque. You might think are only a few places to see, but to make the whole day comfortable, to see a lot but to enjoy as well what you seeing is enough.
Cairo is the biggest city of the African continent, aprox.21 million of inhabitants, everyone who is alive is on the streets, cars honking all the time, camels, horses, pedestrians, a continue working chaos.
One of the next stops will the temple complex in Dendera. Compared to the pyramids actually was build nowadays, (50BC – 20BC) and thanks to its “freshness”, the walls, paintings, colors, all this has been preserved in a much better quality.
As usual the stronger can do what they want, so the armies when occupied this territory took what they wanted. Many of the ancient treasures are in museum and private collections in England, France or US, thanks to Napoleon a piece of the ceiling is now “property” of Louvre.
The boat will make a stop in Luxor where the Karnak temple is a must see program. To can make better pictures would recommend the late afternoon, yet, due to the heat is better to visit in the morning. If you don’t have a guide already from the beginning, from the boat, you can hire one at the entrance. I recommend spending 10 minutes before going there by reading some information’s about the temple and once you are there enjoy the whole building as long as you want, getting lost between the huge columns.
If you decided to make the shorter trip by boat, soon after Luxor the boat will turn back taking you back to Cairo. To see so much of this country within one week would not be possible if you are not staying on the boat. The longer trip takes you till the Nasser lake where the boat will turn back to Cairo.
I you want to spend your holiday on the beach, rather than on the boat, I would suggest Marsa Alam instead of Hurghada. (Due to the clashes between Bedouins and local army forces, Sharm el Sheik is not really possible to be visited now). In Marsa Alam you have as well good hotels and because the tourism started much later there, the corals and coastline is not that much damaged yet by the boats. Really makes sense to try snorkeling, even just 1-2 meters from the beach in depth of half meter you can see already several colorful corals.
„I’m sitting on the toilet, got the curse of the pharaoh’s”. The bacteria our body is used to it remained home, the ones are here are not known by our immune system so even if not all of you but some will get sick. As the medicine you can buy at home has been developed for that bacteria’s, here won’t work, so better to trust the doctor of the boat/hotel and the local medicine. If you listen to me, you will pack in your suitcase some strong alcoholic drinks and will use it to disinfect you stomach by having a pint sometimes. Of course, washing hand and a sort of other precautions is good to follow too.