Despite our many travels as a family, I am not an active travel blogger - save for a few where the destination has inspired me to inscribe our memories. Egypt is one such holiday. There are simply no adjectives to adequately describe Egypt. As one of our many incredible guides (professional Egyptologists largely) put it aptly “There is no history before Egypt; Egypt is where history begins”. This statement starts to sink in when you are amongst the massive edifices of ancient civilizations dating back more than 5,000 years. Another accurate way to describe our experiences was how my wife put it “It’s like being immersed into the pages of a Tin Tin comic book” - descending into ancient pharaonic tombs buried deep in the desert mountains; darting in horse drawn carriages through the dusty streets in cities along the Nile; navigating our way through armies of hawkers in a crowded bazaar – these, and many more, are the experiences that are forever etched from our magical tour of a land that has millenniums of history packed into one nation.

Starting with our itinerary, we decided to do 12-days of the historical cities along the Nile beginning with Cairo, skipping the popular Red Sea beach resorts of Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh. I’d highly recommend going through a tour company (ours was Memphis Tours) for the entire period within Egypt – including the Nile cruise and domestic travel. You need a tour company representative to navigate every step of the way – everything from airport-hotel transfers to hotel check-ins to even getting the entry visa done at the airport (yes -  they pick you up at the arrival gates).  It was a seamless experience where we were constantly being handed off from one representative/guide to the other.

Our itinerary included 4N/3D in Cairo, including a day trip to the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria, a 4N/5D cruise of the Nile (Luxor-Edfu-Kom Ombo-Aswan), a day trip to Abu Simbel (near the Sudanese border) to marvel at the god-like statues built by Ramesses II (regarded the greatest of the Egyptian pharaohs) and a couple of extra days between the beautiful cities of Luxor and Aswan in Southern Egypt (technically Upper Egypt).

Day 1 – 2: Cairo, Alexandria

Cairo is apparently the second largest city in Africa, by population, only recent surpassed by Lagos, Nigeria. This is a bustling twin-city metropolis – Cairo (east bank) and Giza (west bank) separated by the mighty Nile. Our first lesson in Egypt: there is no Egypt without the Nile. ~95% of the country’s population live in the Nile cities and its delta, evident from the view from the plane when we flew to Luxor – a thin strip of fertile green meandering along the Nile that suddenly disappears into vast stretches of desert on either side. Our hotel, the Hyatt Regency, was in Giza, somewhat secluded with a distant view of the pyramids from our hotel balcony.

Our first day in Cairo centered largely at the Egyptian Museum in central Cairo, near Tahrir Square. Our personal tour guide Hoda Kotb was an incredibly knowledgeable Egyptologist educated in Alexandra University, whose knowledge was only matched by her passion for her work. She patiently explained to us everything - the Egyptian God “family tree”; the 3 major pharaonic periods (Old, Middle, New), the science of Mummification, and vivid narrations of the most eventful stories of the many gods, kings and queens. She even taught us a few tricks in deciphering hieroglyphics, and how to read the signatures (“Kartush”) of Kings, Queens and Gods.  The highlight of the Museum was the treasures of Tutankhamen, including the famous Golden Mask and the 110 Kg inner gold coffin, and so much more of his possessions. The Museum itself has far too many exhibits to cover in a half day, so she very deftly covered the key highlights.

Egyptian Museum

Commutes in Cairo/Giza can be very protracted, so we decided to “back-load” the Giza part of the itinerary (Pyramids + Sphinx) to the latter part of the trip on our return to Cairo. The next day we made a day trip to Alexandria, once again regaled and educated by Hoda who was with us the entire journey. The drive is about 2.5 hours each way, and so we had to get an early start to beat the traffic both ways. Alexandra is surprisingly distinct to Cairo, due to in part to the Greek and Roman influence. The city itself was not of any significance to the Pharaohs and was only established by Alexander the Great in ~330 B.C. It’s hard to imagine that the city was only erected around 2,500 years after the Pyramids were built by the rulers of the Old Kingdom. We visited Pompeii’s pillar, Roman catacombs, sea forts built by the Islamic kings in more recent times, and the incredible Alexandra Bibliotheca, the largest library in the world, measured by seating capacity. Being a port city, we had a sumptuous seafood lunch, with my daughter devouring the sea-bass and shrimp. Looking back, I will say that if you are constrained for time, you might want to skip Alexandria. From the standpoint of historical monuments, the cities of Cairo, Luxor and Aswan are more grandeur.

Alexandria Bibliotheca

Day 3 – 5: Luxor

We caught an early morning flight to Luxor, the region that served as the capital of the golden era of the pharaonic rule (New Kingdom), formerly known as Thebes. In hindsight, it was a good decision to spend 3 days in Luxor, as it is just a gem of a city, much less polluted and crowded, compared to Cairo. We started in the west bank with a tour of the Valley of the Nobles (tombs of the nobles), followed by the Ramesseum, dedicated to the king of kings (Ramesses II). Our tour guide was Abdallah, who was just as passionate in explaining every detail to us. A fun-ride across Nile to the east bank in a local ferry, where my kids & I precariously climbed our way up on top of the boat. Yes, in Egypt, you get a lot of mileage with a little “baksheesh” (tip), so please always have EGP 10, 20, 50 denominations and $1 notes handy as you’ll need these very frequently. Our Nile ferry ride was followed by a Lebanese lunch at Hotel Steinberger overlooking the mighty Nile. We stayed at the Jolie Ville Resort cabins by the Nile, with my son waking up the next day to a recharging jog along the Nile.

Day 4 started with transfer to the cruise, and visits to the temples of Karnak and Luxor. Karnak is one of the largest temples by acreage, build for the Gods over hundreds of years by the many rulers of the New Kingdom, each adding his own flavor to the temple. Hundreds of pillars, obelisks, courtyards all connected to form one massive “temple city”, is perhaps one way to describe Karnak. We then visited the Luxor temple at Sunset, which houses opulent courtyards built by Ramesses II, who lived 97 years and ruled over Egypt for the most time of any pharaoh. Incredibly impressive are the 1400+ Sphinxs that line the passageway between the temples of Luxor and Karnak. Sunset at the Luxor temple is a sight to behold, as the sun’s golden rays shine on these magnificent stone structures. It never rains in this part of Egypt, and barely are there days that you even spot a cloud. Every drop of water comes from the Nile.

Karnak Temple Complex

Sunset at Luxor Temple

Well preserved statue of Ramesses II in Luxor Temple

Pharaoh's Courtyard in Luxor Temple

The next day in Luxor involved the trip to the “Valley of the Kings”, an entire valley dedicated to the many tombs for pharaohs over many dynasties. The Egyptians believed in the afterlife, and everything from the pyramids to these intricate tombs in the mountains were built to help these kings navigate with all of their possessions to the afterlife. The Valley of the Kings houses ~64 tombs that are built deep into the desert mountains. We visited the most famous and decorated tombs of Ramesses I, V, VI and of course the much celebrated tomb of King Tutankhamen, and again with some “baksheesh” to the tomb guard, we got a creepy picture of the 4 of us right next the Mummy of King Tut. The tomb of Ramesses V, was by far the most impressive – long and steep tunnel deep into the ground carved with intricate paintings and hieroglyphic narratives. This was followed by the magnificent temple of Hatshepsut, a 3 stories colossus of a structure built by the only Egyptian Pharaoh Queen Hatshepsut (pronounced Hat-Ship-Suit), who ruled Egypt for 20 years. This was more magnificent than any of the tombs we saw, conveying the power that a female ruler at the time had to ordain in order to be accepted as the supreme leader.

Mummy of Tutankhamen in Valley of the Kings 

Tomb of Ramesses V in Valley of the Kings

Queen Hatshepsut Temple in the West Bank

Day 5 – 8: Cruise on the Nile from Luxor to Aswan

Cruising on the Nile is unlike any other cruise you can imagine. These are much smaller and intimate (perhaps only 50 PAX), and it’s just so hard not to be glued to the upper deck and watch the sights of the green palm trees fade into the desert mountains on both sides. We went on board the Movenpick Royal Lilly, where every evening was eventful – from cocktail receptions to belly dancing. We started socializing with 3 other families that formed our “Nile Cruise Group of 13”, and as the hours and days passed, we and our kids all felt like one big happy bunch of family friends. Much credit to my very gregarious wife, whose social networking prowess is bar none.

Our fun filled "cruise family of 13" + Eid

            

Chilling on the Sun Deck

Our first port of call after departing Luxor was the town Edfu to visit the temple dedicated to the (Falcon) God Horus, and his revenge against the evil God, Seth for killing his father, God Osiris. We had to be ready 5.45am to be picked up by horse drawn carriages, which trotted their way bumpily at sunrise through the dusty streets of Edfu. It was just unreal to see hundreds of carriages carrying tourists like us, to & from these ferries to the temple, almost like an orchestrated procession, with the locals waving to us as we darted past, the tourism police tightly overseeing to make sure everything went without an incident. The temple of Edfu is one of the most well preserved of the temples relative to those in Luxor or Cairo. Many pillars still bear the original colors and all of the hieroglyphic narratives intact.

5.45am in the dusty streets of Edfu

Back to the ferry starving for a wholesome breakfast, and soaking in the sun on the deck, as we set sail to Kom Ombu. It’s just so relaxing to bask in the sun, stealing glimpses of locals going about their daily lives – fishermen in their feluccas, farmers bathing their buffaloes, workers in stone quarries – all waving to us as we sail past. Later in the afternoon we docked at the temple of Kom Ombu, dedicated entirely to Sobek, the Crocodile God. Built in the post-Alexander era of King Ptolemy, Kom Ombu offers an intact, comprehensive lens into the ancient Egyptian calendar, as well as their medical and surgical procedures. In the case of the latter, it was like flipping the “pages” (stone slab carvings) of ancient medical encyclopedia, complete with depictions of everything from surgical scalpels to suction instruments, and even vivid illustrations of best fetal positions at the time of birthing. Enroute to Edfu, we encountered persuasive, enterprising hawkers on small row boats, who would throw their merchandise in plastic bags to us on the ship deck and ask for money to be placed inside. Only in Egypt!

Aswan is where the Nile displays its majestic glory. The city is situated in the area of the lower and upper dams that created the largest man-made lake in Africa - Lake Nasser. We started our day with a quick trip to the “Unfinished Obelisk”, where we marveled at the engineering prowess required to build these massive monuments. We then were ferried to the beautiful island temple of Philae. Dedicated to the goddess Isis, the temple and the Nile around it was one of the most picturesque monuments we visited, providing ample Instagram opportunities. Post lunch, we had a relaxed felucca (a boat powered by wind only) ride, where we danced to some Nubian music. Transferring from felucca to ferry, we visited a Nubian village. Nubians are native to southern Egypt and the Sudan, and they live in colorful mud houses, where we were treated to some hibiscus tea. We got to do cool stuff like holding a baby crocodile and sift through the many markets while understanding the Nubian way of life before a pleasant sunset ferry back to Aswan.

The picturesque island temple of Philae in Aswan

Jiving to Nubian tune in the Felucca

View of colorful Nubian Village

I’d be remiss if I did not offer sincere thanks and effusive praise to our guide / chaperone / guardian / entertainer for the entire cruise. Shukran Gazelan, Eid! My wife even created a WhatsApp group to connect and crowdsource pics aptly names “Yalla Yalla Meshi Meshi” (C’mon, Let’s go, folks!), which was a constant mention from Eid, considering how difficult it was for us to peel our eyes off of the views. Thanks to him and his gentle but steady reminders, we didn’t miss a beat in our packed itinerary.

 Day 9: The Temple of Abu Simbel

Absolutely nothing in the world can prepare you for the magnificence of Abu Simbel. A 3.5-hour drive from Aswan through the desert, we opted to take a 30min flight to save a couple of hours. Only the Pyramids can “shock and awe” you anywhere close to this magnum opus built by Ramesses II to ordain himself as “equal” to the Gods themselves. The first jaw dropping glimpse of it reminds you of that same feeling of seeing the Taj Mahal for the very first time through those unassuming wooden doors. The inner sanctum of the temple has sculptures of Ramesses II at the same “level” as the Gods, something no other pharaoh ever dreamed or dared. Ramesses II’s love for Nefertari was so deep that he even built temple for her adjacent to his, with an incredibly large hieroglyphic inscription that reads “for whom the sun rises”. We literally had just over an hour at the site as we had to catch our plane back to Aswan, but it was a visit that I would look back and cherish forever. Anyone visiting Egypt MUST visit Abu Simbel (and try and spend more time there than we were able to). 

The magnificent temple of Abu Simbel

Lucky to get an aerial glimpse at landing

Day 10: Cairo

We flew back to Cairo the next morning, and spent a half day visiting couple of the city sights – Muhammad Ali Mosque; Coptic Cairo. Muhammad Ali mosque is an absolute spectacle and draws comparisons with the Hagia Sophia of Istanbul. Egyptian guides make it a point to call out to us Americans that the mosque is unrelated to the boxer who goes by the same namesake. The mosque interiors are exquisite, with a decadent chandelier gifted from France adorning the emerald walls. Egypt is the primary nation inhabited by Coptic Christians, and we visited the Hanging Church. It was New Year Eve, and we wrapped up the day with a visit atop the Cairo Tower, with beautiful panoramic evening views of Cairo, which was especially lit up to ring in the New Year, followed by a dinner at a swanky Zamalek neighborhood restaurant on the Nile and a New Years party back at our hotel.

Muhammad Ali Mosque

View from Cairo Tower on New Year Eve 

Day 11: The Pyramids of Sakkara, Giza and the Sphinx

Saving the best for last on a trip means you are always looking forward to something. It was the day planned for one of the foremost wonders of the world – The Pyramids of Giza. Lucky for us, once again, Hoda Kotb was our guide for the day. We started with a visit to the “Step Pyramid” in Sakkara, the site of the oldest stone monument in the history of mankind. Yes, 2700 B.C. (over 4,700 years ago) was when one of the earliest pharaohs of the Old Kingdom, Djoser commissioned Imhotep, perhaps the wisest person of his time, to build his tomb. Think about this – for Ramesses II, Kong Djoser was ancient history. Over 1,500 years separated this monument and the marvels erected by Ramesses II in Southern Egypt. Finally, we rode back to the Pyramids of Giza, where we were educated by Hoda on history of this wonder, dating back to the Pharaohs Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure. There are no words to describe these engineering marvels. As Hoda put it, these monuments are so defying of any human feat that, over the years and to this day, many believed that they could have only been built by aliens. After hundreds of Instagram moments, we did the quintessential camel ride to the location of panoramic views, ending the visit to the archeological site with the “kiss to the Sphinx”.

Pyramid of Pharaoh Khufu

Panoramic Camel Ride

As I write this on the flight back, I am reminded of the saying “spend your life collecting as many memories as possible, as opposed to collecting as many things as possible”. The past dozen days has banked-in more cherished memories than in many months. If you are one bitten by the travel bug, then Egypt must be on the top of the bucket list. The land where history began beckons you!