Egypt: May 2022 Trip Wrap-Up
An overview of where we stayed and what we would (or wouldn’t) do next time for our 10-day Egypt itinerary covering: Luxor, Aswan, and Cairo (including a night train, sailing the Nile in a dahabiya, and seeing Abu Simbel).
We started by flying to Luxor. It took 3 flights but was the perfect start to a trip deep into Egypt.
Andrea (left) and me (right). Highly, highly, highly recommend bringing your best friend with you, if possible! Here we’re mimicking Queen Nefertari depicted over my shoulder on the Small Temple at Abu Simbel. She was the favorite wife of Rameses III (historians guess he could be Moses’ brother in the Bible) and is depicted in the other statues.
Overall Egypt Thoughts 🇪🇬
💵 Bring paper money with you! Preorder some Egyptian Pounds from your bank. The ATMs were all out of bills (not just once, but had this problem several times). It’s a cash-based society. Bring cash. At the time of writing this, you can only bring 5,000 EGP (about $320 USD) when entering Egypt so I recommend looking up the current amount and bringing that much in small bills!!
⛵️ We booked a Nile cruise with Nour El Nil. I cannot say enough good things about the owners (who greeted us personally), the crew (oh my gosh—best ever!), and the DAHABIYAS. Prounounced dah-habee-ya, these were the luxury travel boats of the 1800’s. It's a larger and more luxurious version of the felucca, which is a smaller, single-masted traditional Egyptian sailboat. Cruising on a dahabiya is the most joyous, most relaxing, and most authentic way to see Egypt from the Nile. I guess I can’t say that definitively since I haven’t tried another way, but I feel it in my bones. Dahabiyas have been around in one form or another for thousands of years, with similar boats being depicted on the walls of the tombs of Pharaohs.✨ The name derives from the Arabic word for 'gold' and it is an absolute pleasure to sail on one. If I could give one piece of advice: don’t even look at the itinerary, Nour El Nil will take care of everything... just show up!
🍽️ The food in Egypt is good, not great. The best meals we had were the ones on the dahabiya, and we sought out a few good restaurants, but overall it’s not a foodie destination.
🥵 Don’t underestimate the heat. Bring hydration packets, sunglasses, a hat, a fan, and anything you need to keep cool!
♥ Alabaster jars purchased from a workshop just outside of the Valley of the Kings, a gold cartouche necklace customized with my name in hieroglyphics from a jewelry store in Luxor, perfume oil from a shop in Cairo, and the many photographs we took—are the most treasured souvenirs of the trip.
The Nile is often referred to as the lifeblood of Egypt. Our travels were mostly along the Nile! We flew to Luxor (about halfway down the blue line) then sailed to Aswan, from there took a van to Abu Simbel and roundtrip back to Aswan, the next day another chauffeured van back to Luxor, and finally the night train from Luxor to Cairo. Total time was 12 days. If we had longer, I would have loved to see more of Cairo and made the journey north to Alexandria.
Nile Cruise
We stayed in the Nour el Nil guesthouse the first night before boarding the dahabiya. I wish we could have stayed longer! I have no regrets about our itinerary, but if we had a redo, I think we would stay there a few nights first to explore all of Luxor.
Immediately upon arrival we visited the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut. It was breathtaking. And hot. I recommend striking out in this manner as soon as you arrive. The night ended with a rooftop dinner at the guesthouse overlooking the lit-up ruins of the Medinet Habu temple. The food was incredibly tasty: chicken tagine, pita, salata baladi, rice, white wine, and topped off with om ali which is an Egyptian bread pudding.
The next morning they shuttled us to the boat by way of the Temple of Esna. After settling into our cabins, we sailed and had dinner onboard while getting to know the other guests and the crew. To leave you surprised should you go, I’ll gloss over some things we saw:
🏛️ The Temple of Horus at Edfu was designed by architect Imhotep and was built of sandstone during the Ptolemaic period.
⛵️ A whole “sea day” set aside just to sail and relax.
🌊 During breakfast one day we sailed to Seheil Island, a former stone quarry with countless inscriptions carved into its rocks and a small temple frequently visited by Ramses Il and other Pharaohs. We sailed all afternoon, had the most amazing lunch, and swam in the Nile. It was one of those magical days where we wish life had a 'pause' button.
✨ At night, we could see the stars.
🗿 Kom Ombo means 'heap of gold' and in ancient Egypt, this city was important because it controlled the routes of caravans that went to Nubia through the valley of the Nile.
⚓️ The dahabiyas are smaller and can dock where the large cruise ships simply can’t.
We have loose plans to return and take this exact journey again one day with Dantan’s sister and her family. I can’t wait!
Aswan, Egypt 🇪🇬
🏛️ The cruise ended is Aswan and the crew arranged for a van to pick us up early in the AM to make the 4 hour drive to Abu Simbel. Discovered in 1813 buried in the sand, the temples at Abu Simbel are among the most famous of all ancient Egyptian monuments. They are carved directly into the rock near Egypt's southern border (only 35 miles from Sudan!). Another couple from the boat came with us and we had the best time. 7/10 only because of the long ride.
🏨 The van returned us to our hotel back in Aswan: The Old Cataract. Old Cataract Hotel. Built in 1899. Winston Churchill frequently vacationed here throughout his life (we got to visit his regular suite-just to see it!) and Agatha Christie stayed here while writing Death on the Nile. It's also a Sofitel Legend (for any travel nerds like us) and our rooms are huge. Truly a stunning 123 year old hotel. It boats classic architecture and stunning views overlooking the Nile River. The spa was amazing as was the pool. 10/10 hope to stay here again!
🚐 We opted for a relaxing day at the hotel before hitting the road again. Got some snacks at a local market in Aswan for the 4.5 hour drive to Luxor (was supposed to be 3 but apparently we took the scenic route). Funny how it took 5 days to sail the same distance against the current and stopping to see everything. It's fun to keep an eye on Apple Maps en route!
Luxor, Egypt 🇪🇬
🍽️ Sofra Restaurant & Café was on our radar as the best restaurant in Luxor, so we had to try it. Our hotel made reservations for us and we walked there. A fair amount of horse excrement on the streets, but overall it was a nice experience once we got there. The food was good, but all tasted similar and we were hot and tired from a long travel day. 6/10
We stayed at the Winter Palace, another historic hotel. With its elegant architecture, lush gardens, and proximity to ancient landmarks such as the Luxor Temple (walkable) and Karnak Temple (short taxi), the Winter Palace provides an exceptional experience for travelers seeking both modern comfort and a connection to the region's past. We enjoyed the pool daily and the rooms were enormous. 8/10 would stay again.
Yesterday we were 'Tomb Raiders' (West Bank) and today is 'Temple Madness' (East Bank).
Night train
The night train from Luxor to Cairo has to have its own post. I loved it so much. Best part of the trip. Stay tuned! 🚂
The purple circle shows the hotel where we stayed in Cairo: Mena House.
Cairo, Egypt 🇪🇬
Pyramids
Cold Hard Facts
The best parts of the trip are worth sharing, but I think the worsts are worth sharing too! There are so many beautiful Egyptian things above, here are some of the less-than-perfect parts.
Mosquito bites
Cancelled flights
Paying E£5 per person, about 27¢, to use the bathroom every time and rarely any toilet paper (we brought compressed water-activated towels for this purpose)
Extreme tipping culture
Animals looking hungry or dirty
Hot weather—like 110° in the shade hot
No common language situations (but thank you Google Translate app!)
ATMs hard to find and/or out of banknotes
Struggling tourism workers hounding people (us!) to purchase something, ride their animals, or claiming to be government officials and demanding tips/bribes
Rest assured, the troubles could be twofold and it would still be completely worth it to travel so don’t let this stop you, but be prepared for anything! All these situations and more are manageable with a little preparation and the right attitude.