18.04.2021 | Egypt, Travel

2 Unforgettable Weeks in Egypt

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You have to travel to Egypt – there is so much to see, so many different varied things to do! 4000 years ago, the Egyptian built their life along the fertile bank of the Nile. Beginning in the North with the incredible city Cairo blessed with the Great Pyramids, followed by the ancient temples and the Valley of the Kings in Luxor as well as Assuan and Abu Simbel in the South. There is so much history, so much to learn! If you need some relaxing time afterwards, you can go swimming, diving or kite surfing at the Red Sea. As a woman I felt absolutely save all the time and it was really easy to travel the whole country independently.

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1. Experience bustling Cairo – Day 1-3

Cairo absolutely blew my mind. Don’t be afraid to explore the city independently. As a woman I felt pretty save all the time. There is a lot to see: As everywhere, the keys is to arrive as early as possible to avoid crowds. Plan one morning for the Great Pyramids and the Great Sphinx of Giza, afterwards you can explore the Hanging Church and the Mosque of Mohammed Ali. Another morning would be perfect to start with the beautiful mosque of Ibn Tulun, followed by The Egyptian Museum and a walk around Gezira Island. Last but not least, you should definitely explore the famous souk Khan el-Khalili.
↠ Read about “Explore crazy Cairo – in 2 days”

Where to go?
The Great Pyramids and Sphinx in Gizeh
Mosque Ibn Tulun and the old quarter of Cairo
The souk Khan el-Khalili
The Mosque of Muhammed Ali
The Hanging Church
The Egyptian Museum
chilled Gezira Island

Where to eat?
O’s Pasta on Gezira Island (also very popular amongst locals)

Cairo to Luxor:
8 hours by car, 1 hour by plane, 10 hours by night train

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2. The incredible Luxor – Day 3-5

Luxor is such an incredible place full of history. There are two sides of the Nile you can explore. One early morning you should start on the west bank with the Valley of the Kings, Dier el Bahari the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon. Another morning you should start early at the east bank. It’s best to be at the incredible Karnak Temple at 7 am and explore Luxor Temple afterwards. You can either fly from Cairo, hire a driver or you take the night train.
↠ Read about “Where to go in Luxor – Egypt”

Where to go?
Valley of the Kings
Temple of Queen Hatsphepsut
Colossi of Memnon
Karnak Temple
Luxor Temple
city and souk
Felucca sailing

Where to eat?
Al-Shabi Lane (best view at the rooftop terrace)

Luxor to Assuan:
4,5 hours by car

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3. Edfu and Kom Ombo between Luxor and Assuan – Day 5

You will probably have a driver from Luxor to Assuan, it’s a 4,5 hour ride. In between there are two really beautiful temples to stop at and take a break. Kom Ombo and Edfu are both really incredible temple complexes with a lot of hieroglyphs to look at. In the morning there are less tourists!
↠ Read about “Where to go in Luxor – Egypt”

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4. Visit Assuan – Day 5-7

Assuan city is beautiful itself – you should definitely visit the souk there, which is mainly geared towards the locals. You can stay at an airbnb on the Nubian island in the middle of the Nile and take a little ferry to the city. In Assuan you should visit the Temple of Philae, located on an island and reachable by a motor boat.
↠ Read about “About beautiful Assuan – Egypt”

Where to go:
Assuan city and souk
Philae Temple (located on an island)
Nubian Village
Day Trip to Abu Simbel

Where to stay?
Mango Guest House with a cute dog! (located on an island at the Nile)

Where to eat?
Bob Marley Moonlight terrace restaurant (best view over the Nile)

Assuan to Marsa Alam:
5 hours by car

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5. Visit Abu Simbel – Day 7

From Assuan you can do a whole day trip to the South, more precisely to the border of Sudan, where you will find Abu Simbel. Directly located next to the Nile there are two temples with big statues. This temple complex had to be moved because of the Assuan Dam in 1968. Most day tours start in the early morning at 6am. After a 3,5-hour ride you will arrive at the temples. Don’t worry if you only manage to arrive in the afternoon, it’s pretty empty then. After your visit you have to drive the 3,5 hours back through the desert to Assuan.

↠ Read about “About beautiful Assuan – Egypt”

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5. Sailing on the Nile with a traditional Felucca in Assuan – Day 7

I highly recommend sailing on a traditional Felucca sail boat along the Nile, either in Luxor or Assuan. Back in Luxor there was no wind at all, but 2 days later in Assuan there was enough wind for a relaxed sailing trip in the sunset. I even steer the boat, the old wooden elements have more power than I thought, so I had to push all of my physical strength against the rudder. There are Feluccas everywhere along the Nile, just ask anyone for a ride. Feluccas are simple, traditional Egyptian sailboats, that have plied the mighty Nile since ancient times. It’s rig consists of one or two lateen sails. We paid around 10€ for 1,5 hours.

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6. Diving in Marsa Alam – Day 8-12

Stay at Marsa Shagra Village near Marsa Alam away from the big hotels. It’s a camp with tents and huts focused only on diving. The best thing about this camp is, that they have a private house reef directly in front of your tent. They are a lot into saving the ocean. Either you spend your time snorkeling, free diving or scuba diving there, or you book a trip to the surrounding reefs offshore. To see dolphins you have a great chance at the regulated dolphin houses Shaab Sataya or Shaab Samadaii. Coming from Luxor or Assuan it’s the easiest to get a driver.
↠ Read about “Go diving or snorkeling in Marsa Alam”

Where to go?
House Reef
Shaab Sataya dolphin house
Shaap Samadaii dolphin house

Stay at?
Marsa Shagra Camp

Marsa Alam to El Gouna:
3,5 hours

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7. Kitesurfing in El Gouna – Day 12-14

I really have to recommend this cool and hip place El Gouna, it’s located like 20 minutes north of Hurghada. There are still no big hotel complexes like in Hurghada and it’s the best place to learn kite surfing. There is a big shallow lagoon upstream the Red Sea. Makani Beach Club is the best place for kite lessons and to chill between the sessions. The nearest airport from El Gouna is Hurghada. Please don’t join a “dolphin tour” in El Gouna/ Hurghada, they will drive you to an uncontrolled place where dolphins get chased by boats. If you want to see dolphins, go to the two regulated reefs mentioned above in Marsa Alam!!
↠ Read about “Go Kiting in El Gouna”

Where to go?
El Gouna town
Zeytuna Beach
Makani Beach Club
Quad tour in the desert

Where to stay?
Cooks Club
Casa Cook

Where to eat?
Cooks Club / Casa Cook
Malu’s Deli

El Gouna to Cairo:
5 hours by car, 1 hour by plane from Hurghada

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8. Chilled Dahab and the Blue Hole on Sinai Island

If you have a few more days, you can take the ferry from Hurghada to Sharm el-Sheikh. From there it is a 1-hour car ride to get to Dahab, a very chilled backpacker place at the coast on Sinai Island. Also, there is a deep blue hole in the ocean, especially interesting for all divers. This spot is also famous for wind surfing.

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9. Experience Sahara Desert and White Desert in Farafra

Also a nice way to extend your trip is by exploring the surrounding deserts. There are very different shapes of deserts in Egypt. From stony deserts around El Gouna and Hurghada to big smooth sand dunes in the Al Wahat al Dakhla desert, next to the White and Black Desert between Cairo and Luxor. It’s also incredible to visit an oasis. The most beautiful one might be Siwa oasis far away 8 hours west from Cairo. But there are a lot more oasis at the west bank of the Nile closer to Luxor or Assuan.

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More time? What else to do:

• Siwa Oasis, 8 hours West of Cairo
• Fayoum Oasis and the Magic Lake, near Cairo
• Hot Air Ballooning in Luxor
• The Pyramids in Saqqara, in the South of Cairo

Sinai Peninsula

• The Colored Canyon, in Nuwaiba
• Climb Mount Sinai
• Explore Sinai Desert

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About the temperatures

Egypt is a great place to travel all year long. In the summer it gets really really hot up to 40 degree in the shadow, especially in all places far away from the ocean like Luxor, Assuan and Abu Simbel. The best time to come to Egypt is spring and autumn, because it is only up to 30 degree in Luxor and Assuan and chilled 25 degree at the ocean. Only do guided tours into the desert.

About the Prices

If you have a student card definitely take it with you, at most temples you will get 50% off the price! Smartphone photography is free every where. If you want to take pictures with a camera and a stand, you have to buy an extra photography ticket for about 1 euro at every temple. Ask for it at the entrance, otherwise you have to walk back when you get out your tripod. Also it’s recommended to have cash with you, a lot of temples don’t except credit card, but there are always ATMs nearby. As you could imagine, at the souks it’s all about bargaining. If the seller tell you a price, tell him one third of the price, so you can meet in the middle.

Is it save?

Well, people told us that it is really dangerous to be in Egypt – especially when you drive in caravans to the tourist attractions. In reality it was nothing like that! We explored everything on our own, we only had drivers between the different cities. In Cairo we felt absolutely save walking around independently, never experienced any strange situation. In Luxor, Assuan, El Gouna and Marsa Alam it was completely the same. On the roads, there are a few military check points, which make it even saver for tourists. Even at the service stations in the middle of the desert I was able to walk around, without feeling strange. They told us there are unsafe roads for tourists away from the popular tourists routes without any check points, which we didn’t take.

As a woman you don’t have to cover hair or legs, but keep in mind not to wear too short clothes. Take a scarf with you for the mosques and take off your shoes to get inside. I mostly wore a long skirt or dress and had a cloth with me to cover my shoulders.

How to get around:

We wouldn’t recommend to drive on your own with a hired car. First, because the people at the military check points speak mostly Arabic and second, the traffic in the cities is absolutely crazy. We have really good experience with this driver company https://hurghadatransfer.com, who managed to implement all our crazy spontaneous travel plans. You can write them via whats app and they will respond immediately. You can also bargain the price ;).

About the meals

I absolutely love the vegan cuisine in Egypt. Where should I start: There are these Meze starters with Hummus, Falafel, Tahina ( a creme of sesame and oil), Baba Ganoush or Papganough (Tahina with aubergine) and flat bread. Also I really like tajine, a hotpot with vegetables, sometimes potatoes in a tomato brew served with rice. If you have a sensitive stomach, maybe don’t eat uncooked meals like salads.

Anzeige / ad: The hotels and companies we mentioned above didn’t sponsor us. Our recommendations are based on our own opinion.