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Visual Diary: a journey around Egypt

Egypt has been a childhood dream of mine. The archaeological sites lived up to its name and wonder. When I was young, I remember my parents buying me all the books on Ancient Egypt. I would read and sit in wonder how magnificent it would be to experience all this in person. I’ve asked my parents to take me there countless times. Last year, this dream finally came true as we spent our Christmas and New Years there as a family.

There’s been a lot of coverage about how Egypt is not safe to visit or that you should only go as part of a tour. I beg to differ. We didn’t have any issues navigating our way around the country. Allow me to take you on a visual journey of my experiences around the country. Maybe it might change your mind and persuade you to see Egypt for yourself!

Breakfast served at our Nubian B&B

Food

Food, food, glorious food! This is by no means a representation of Egyptian food. This was our breakfasts served at our Nubian bed & breakfast and I had no complaints. I did find myself being very well fed in Egypt. From the food being cooked up during my dives to local dinners to brekkies, it was all delicious. I did find that the produce was fresh and they aren’t shy with the portions. If you’re not very adventurous with food (either by choice or otherwise), there are always options available.

Airplane view over Sinai

Sinai

Geographically, the Sinai Peninsula is located on the Asian continent. During the rule of Ancient Egyptians, it was known as Mafkat aka “country of turquoise” as the gem was mined here. This peninsula has great historic significance if you follow the Abhramic religions. Mount Sinai, located in the south-central part, is where Moses famously obtained the Ten Commandments from God.

Bedouin man making traditional bread

Bedouin Nomads

Interestingly, Egypt comprises of four main cultural groups: Nubian, Copts, Bedouin and Fellahin. The people local to the Sinai Peninsula are the Bedouins, nomadic Arab people that inhabit the deserts. Bedouin loosely translates to desert dwellers. They are a fascinating group of people. While most of their people are settled down, there are tribes that wonder. This does mean a lot of their traditions disappear as well. However, you can still find tours in Sharm El Sheikh which briefly introduces how the nomadic lifestyle of Bedouins once was: making traditional bread, drinking tea surrounded by vibrant red formations.

Nubian man showing the Hunger Rock

Nubians

The Nubians are indigenous to Southern Egypt and Sudan. They are extremely proud of their heritage, as they should be! Really down to earth people. They are considered one of the oldest civilisations in the world. The gentleman who showed me Hunger Rock told me that there is no written form of today’s Nubian language. West Bank (Luxor) would be the place to stay if you’re interested in staying in a traditional Nubian styled home.

Pyramids from the viewpoint

The Pyramids of Giza

This ancient wonder sits on the outskirts of Giza, a town an hour away from Cairo. It’s quite surreal seeing such a marvel on one side and a really developed city on the other. Contrary to popular beliefs, there are nine pyramids. Of course, there’s the iconic three that towers over the others!

Tip: There are a lot of camels and horses that will take you to the viewpoint. But remember, these animals are working all day and after you’ve ridden them, there will be someone else. Alternatively, you can walk to the viewpoint. It’s not too bad! You will be stopped and told you’re not allowed to go (I’ve yet to find out if this is true). I didn’t have any issues or run-in with the law so I assume it’s okay!

Feluccas sailing on the Nile at sunset

Riding the Felucca

Feluccas are a traditional type of sailboat found along the Nile in Southern Egypt and Sudan. It harnesses the power from the wind and makes for a relaxing on the Nile. Most of the skippers are local Nubian men with a younger boy as an apprentice. It’s quite relaxing spending the day watching the skipper manoeuvre the boat through the waters of the Nile. It takes you back in time to how travel would have been done centuries ago. I know with some feluccas, you have the opportunity to spend the night onboard. The skipper will transform the deck into living quarters and cook some dinner on board (freshly caught fish).

Tip: Simply head down to the Nile and you will be swarmed with different vendors with different options. We randomly found our skipper and he offered to take us to his Nubian village to see how the locals lived and brought us to see Hunger Rock.

Hieroglyphs on one of the walls of a tomb

Valley of the kings

Known as the resting place for the kings in the afterlife. It can get quite crowded so best to get in there early. You’re not allowed to take photos while you’re there unless you purchase a photography ticket. If caught without one, the guards will stop you and force your footage to be deleted. Tomb walls covered in amazing and colourful hieroglyphics blew me away but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. It really depends whether you’re interested in this part of history because the photography ticket might not be worth getting if you’re not.

Unfortunately, you won’t be seeing any mummy’s or decorated tombs. A lot of the artefacts have been removed for preservation purposes and placed in museums. The famed King Tut’s tomb can also be visited with an additional ticket. Unfortunately, it is a separate ticket to your day tickets. However, inside you will see the mummified King encased in a glass container with a cloth covering his abdomen. No photos are allowed here, even with your photo ticket. On that note: the guard did offer to accept a bride if I did want to take a photo. I do not condone this behaviour.

Abu Simbel Temple

Abu Simbel

This was the first ancient wonder I ever visited in Egypt. It was breathtaking. It is quite a drive away from Aswan (approximately 4hrs). If you visit in the morning with a tour group, you’ll be surrounded by people and personally, it’s not as enjoyable. My parents and I arranged a personal tour so we ended up spending ages there and almost had the entire place to ourselves by mid-afternoon. Alternatively, you can fly to Abu Simbel airport and do a day trip to temples.

Please don’t touch the hieroglyphs or the walls/statues. I know how tempting it is but refrain yourself! Imagine if EVERYONE did, we wouldn’t have much history left to preserve.

SS Thistlegorm

SS Thistlegorm

The SS Thistlegorm is an amazing wreck to dive. It is like diving in a time capsule. A British merchant ship bombed in 1941, the Thistlegorm has been left relatively untouched with motorbikes and trucks still left onboard. It is located on the south-western tip of the Sinai Peninsula and is accessible for PADI AOW (or equivalent) divers to explore the wreck.

I’ve written an entire blog post about diving the Thistlegorm, click here to read about it.

Cruising down the Nile

The Nile

This spectacular river flows through Egypt and Sudan. It is the backdrop to several ancient wonders and feluccas sailing through. It is heavily debated whether the Nile (or the Amazon?) is the longest river in the world. Regardless, it is a beautiful river to cruise along. The scenery along the banks of the Nile is so varied to its surroundings. Cities are backed up to the Nile and lush greenery everywhere. Don’t worry, crocodiles are rarely found north of Aswan’s high dam! Although, they do heavily populate Lake Nasser (south of Aswan) and down into Sudan.

Couldn’t wrap up this post without a photo of my lovely parents

Temple hopping

Unfortunately, how the nation has been portrayed in recent years, tourism is down… by a lot. I had a chat with a couple of locals and everyone is falling on hard times because of the lack of tourism. It is a stunning part of the world, especially if you’re a lover of Ancient Egypt or rich history in general. It should be visited at least once in your lives.

However, this does mean a little bit of good news for us travellers. It means we can appreciate these magnificent monuments without the crowds. Apart from the occasional busloads of tourists, my parents and I had the majority of temples and tombs to ourselves.

Like this post? What to inspire others to visit? Why not share it?

We didn’t have any safety issues while travelling around Egypt. Like everywhere, practising a degree of caution is always advised. If you’re anything like me, you’ll absolutely enjoy the country. It’s rich with history and most of the locals we crossed paths with were really nice and welcoming. They were more than happy to share their heritage and culture with you. Give it a go! Hopefully this has given you the nudge to possibly explore this North African nation!

This Post Has 8 Comments

  1. Constance

    As always I LOVE your photos! And apparently I need to get my butt over to Egypt too! I learned a lot about ancient Egyptian architecture when I was in school so I’ve been dying to see it in real life. I totally want to try that Nubian bread, it looks like it’d be so amazing! Thanks for making me feel more safe about visiting Egypt.

  2. Aurelia Teslaru

    Your photos are amazing! I have been wanting to go to Egypt since forever and your article made me want to go even more! Thanks for sharing!

  3. Josy A

    Wowza.
    Like you, I have wanted to visit Egypt ever since I was little. I would still love to, so your photos are giving me serious wanderlust!

    I have some good friends that went to Egypt for their honeymoon, and they did get stuck in a war zone. The US embassy said they would evacuate him, but not his wife (as she is Japanese…) It sounded like a total nightmare, but also helped cement their marriage getting through the adversary. I have to admit, after hearing about their trip, it did move Egypt waaay down my list of places to visit soon. It is really good to hear that things have calmed.

  4. So glad that you were able to see so many wonderful sites in Egypt! My family headed over there a couple times when I was younger to see some extended family (I fall under that Copt group lol), but I haven’t been back since. Maybe sometime soon :).

  5. Emma Walmsley

    It’s always been a dream of mine too!! Love your post, and good on you for doing it.

  6. Madhu

    I have been so fascinated with Egypt and the pyramids all my life. Hvnt got an opportunity to visit yet. Hope to visit soon. Lovely pics.

  7. Zoe

    Lovely to read. I’m so excited as I will be going with my partner in October, travelling around Egypt which will also include a Nile Cruise. Great tips thanks!

  8. Cat

    Beautiful photos. I’ve been to Egypt a couple of times and have been thinking about returning. I think this blog has sealed the deal 🙂

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