In December 2024, we had two weeks in Egypt with the classic sights. We travelled independently with a start in Aswan, made a visit to Abu Simbel, before boarding a cruise to Luxor where we explored tombs and temples and saw it all from above in a hot air balloon. After some days at the read sea, we ended in Cairo with a visit to the great pyramids in Giza and the older ones in Saqqara.
We arrived at Aswan at 01:00, and took a taxi to Obelisk Nile hotel.
Day 1
After a shirt night, we had breakfast at the shore of the Nile before heading to the Nubian Museum. The exhibition was very interesting with a special exhibition of artefacts from the tombs of the Nobles on the west bank of the Nile in Aswan.
After lunch we walked the souk, which has a pleasant and friendly atmosphere, the shop owners are not too insisting. We tried a wide variety of delicious dates before deciding to buy a box of medjol dates for the next days.
At sunset we took a felucca boat trip on the Nile around Elephantine Island.
The sunset on the Nile is amazing, and the many feluccas make it a very picturesque moment. We were guided by Shaheed, and we talked about Nubian culture, and present-day politics.
Day 2
At 07:00 we met Khaled from Far and Beyond Travel, who introduced us to our guide for the day, Randa. We started a 3-hour drive to the temple of Abu Simbel close to the border with Sudan. A permit is required to drive this road, and it is closed at night.
We passed dry, barren dessert, but as we approached Abu Simbel we began too see farmed land. The water from Lake Nasser is led through a large channel to the area to grow wheat, sugar cane and palm (dates) trees .
At 10:00 we arrived at Abu Simbel, and it was an amazing sight to see the temple with the four large statues of Ramses II. The inside was beautifully decorated with carvings and in some places even the 3200 year old paint was still visible. It is truly a masterpiece that witness the high craftsmanship and enormous wealth that the rulers could mobilise.
Another incredible fact about the temple is that it is not at the original location. When the Aswan high dam was built, the temple would have been flooded. To save the temple, UNESCO led a project where many countries funded the dismantling and reconstruction of the temple, including the mountain that surrounds it.
The second temple was build for Rameses’ favorite wife Queen Nefertari in the honor of the god Hathor. It is just as fascinating as Rameses temple although smaller.
After another 3-hour drive we returned to Aswan, and strolled the souk before dinner at restaurant Saladin by the river. We explained that Tobias needed a gluten free meal with the help of an Arabic text that explains the situation. It must be unusual, the first two plates they brought for him contained pasta or cereal.
Day 3
We spend the morning seeing the impressive unfinished obelisk in the Aswan Query. It was initiated by Queen Hapshepsut around 1500 BC, but the obelisk was abandoned late in the process due to a crack. The work is estimated to have taken 7 months, before it was abandoned. The obelisk could have been the largest of all Egyptian Obelisks weighing approximately 1200 tons. All granite used for temples and tombs in ancient Egypt was quarried in Aswan and transported by boat to the destination.
From the Unfinished Obelisk we continued to the Philae Temple. We reached it with a short boat ride, as it is located at an island upstream from the old Aswan dam.
The Philae Temple was built from 370 BC and is dedicated to the god of Isis. The Roman’s vandalized the original Egyptian carvings and added Coptic crosses during Christianity. Also French inscriptions appear on the temple walls. Nevertheless it was impressive to see the large temple complex.
The Philae temple was also moved in an operation coordinated by UNESCO to save it from being flooded in Lake Nasser after the construction of the Aswan high dam.
At lunchtime we checked into the Jaz Crown Jubilee cruise ship, which would be our base for the next three nights. We were looking forward to the cruise, it was an obvious part of two weeks in Egypt with the classic sights.
In the afternoon we made a trip to the tombs of the Nobles on the west side of the Nile. We wanted to do the trip on our own as we usually do, by taking the local ferry across the Nile and walk up on our own. But we didn’t manage. A man who appeared as the ticket seller told us that the ferry would not take us to the tombs, but that we could use another boat instead. Somehow he persuaded us, so we had a private felucca boat to cross the river.
When we arrived at the tombs of the Nobles, the guard claimed it was closed for the day. It was 16:00, and he could possibly have been correct. He very quickly suggested that instead we could go to the top of the hill (Qubbat al-Hawa) on camels or horses. It was presumably not possible to go on foot. So we ended up with a camel ride to the top. Peter rode a camel called Rambo.
The sun set as we reached Qubbat al-Hawa, and we had good views of Aswan and the Nile. It was no problem to walk down on foot. We laughed at the scam, and were happy with the small adventure.
We spend the night at the cruise ship.
Day 4 – December 24
In Denmark we celebrate Christmas in the evening of December 24, so this was a special day for us.
We followed the rhythm of the cruise ship, which moored at the Kom Ombo temple in the morning. Kom Ombo is a fascinating temple dedicated to both the crocodile god, Sobek, and the elder Horus (Horoeris). Even though we have already seen many temples, it was fascinating to also see this. Kom Ombo is 2500 years old. We decided to visit the temple without a guide, and were happy to take it at our own pace. Kom Ombo was very busy with visitors. Most cruise ships follow the same itinerary, so a small number of sights receive most of the tourists.
At 8.30 we were back on the ship for relaxation until lunch at 12.30. It was quite cold a the deck due to the wind, so we spent the time in our cabins reading. Helle had time for yoga .
In the afternoon the ship moored in Edfu. The temple of Edfu is a km from the river, so we decided to walk through the city to the temple. Most people seemed to prefer riding a horse carriage. We enjoyed the walk, and met lots of helpful local people offering greetings and helped us find the right directions. There were no pushy sales people in the town, only by the dock and the temple.
We went without a guide to the temple. Edfu temple is from 240 BC. The temple is dedicated to the god Horus.
On the ship we had afternoon tea, and enjoyed another amazing sunset on the Nile.
On the occasion of December 24, the ship invited for delicious pre-dinner snacks and a cocktail party in the bar.
The restaurant was beautifully decorated with flowers and fruits and decorations cut out of pumpkins and watermelons. Each table was decorated as a gift. Even the food was arranged like decorations. A true treat for both the eyes and stomach.
When we got back to our rooms we had an elephant and swan made of towels decorating the beds.
Day 5 – December 25
We started the day at 05:00 for a hot air balloon ride over the West Bank of Luxor. It was an amazing sight to see 80 balloons taking of for sunrise. We saw all the sights on the West Bank from above. An amazing start of the day, which also was the birthday of N. We had booked the flight with Far and beyond travel, and they used Hodhod Soliman. We were 16 people in the balloon basket.
We meet our fantastic guide Hamdy from Far and beyond Travel and went to Malkata House for a delicious breakfast.
First we went to the Valley of the Kings, where many royal tombs are found. We saw four tombs: Ramesses III, Ramesses V/VI, Merenptah and Ramesses IX with each of their special decorations, sizes and layout. Many of the tombs still have brilliant colors and some are incredible long, meaning that the owner were ruling for a long time. The tombs are more than 3000 years old and still very well preserved. It is amazing to imagine the society with such a wealth and refined craftsmanship capable of making these structures and decorations.
Next was the temple of Hatshepsut, the first Queen to rule Egypt and maybe the first Queen to rule in the entire world. An amazing woman who showed that it is possible to rule without war, but with diplomacy. The wealth of ancient Egypt increased during her reign. Again an amazing temple with reliefs, carvings and decoration everywhere.
The temple of Habu was the cult temple of Ramesses III. He is depicted as a King of war who led campaigns into modern-day Libya. Military scenes decorated the first courtyard and the entrance. He made deep carvings compared to other temples, which both preserved the carvings, but also the paint.
We had a delicious lunch at Malkata House, the best so far at the trip.
At the last excursions of the of the day we visited the tombs of the nobles and Deir al Medina (tombs of the workers). The two sites give a remarkable insight into daily life in ancient Egypt and have the most well preserved paintings. Unbelievable that the colors still shine after more than 3000 years.
We were filled with extraordinary sights and gratitude for the people who lived here thousands of years ago, and for the people who later rediscovered it to show it to us ordinary people.
In the evening there was an oriental show with a belly dancer and dervish.
Day 6
We checked out from the ship at 08:00, and checked in at Jolie ville Resort on Kings Island in the Nile near Luxor. It is a large resort hotel with a beautiful garden and several pools, so we spent the day relaxing and digesting the impressions from yesterday. T went to the gym while Peter and Helle went for a run in the cool afternoon air just before sunset.
Day 7
We started with a morning run and a swim in the pool. The morning temperature is around 10 degrees and the water was cold – but not as cold as Furesøen back in Denmark.
We had decided to see the East Bank of Luxor in our own pace without a guide. All the main sites are in walking distance. We started with a visit to Luxor Temple, built 3400 years ago. It is an impressive temple. Following the arab invasion, a mosque had been built inside. The mosques is still in use today, so it is estimated that the site has been used for worship for more than 2000 years in a row.
We walked the 3 km Sphinx Avenue to Karnak temple complex. Karnak is the second largest temple complex in the world after Ankor Wat in Cambodia.
Karnak was built over thousands of years, each pharaoh adding to the temple. We visited the main temple of Amun and the smaller temple of Khonom. Especially the great hypostyle hall with 134 columns and the largest obelisk by Hatshepsut was impressive. Overall the size of the temple was overwhelming.
The two temples called for lunch and after lunch we headed back to the hotel to relax and digest for a while.
Late afternoon we headed back to town to see the Luxor Museum, which was closed between 1-5 pm. We especially wanted to see the two mummies of pharaohs at display. It was fascinating to see the 3500 years old mummies.
We had dinner at Al Sahaby in town, where Tobias tried camel meat. It was extremely tender. We had a great meal with Egyptian food, much better than what we had at the resorts.
Afterwards we went into the souk and accidentally ended up in the shop “Aladdins Hule”. Apparently a famous shop in Jutland with articles in the Danish newspaper “Jyllandsposten” as well as mentioning in the Danish guidebook “Turen går til Egypten”. Even Queen Margrethe II and our prime minister Mette Frederiksen have been to the shop. The owner spoke some Danish with a thick Jutlandic accent and we had a blast in the shop.
Day 8
Today we drove from Luxor to El Quseir through the desert. We had arranged a transport with Marsa Alam Tours. The trip took almost 5 hours.
Arriving at the Red Sea we checked in at the Radisson Blue Quseir resort and went straight to the Egypt Sea Explorer dive center. In 1997, Helle took a diving certificate, but she had lost the documentation. To our surprise, the dive center staff found the certificate in the PADI system. Peter and the boys don’t have certificates, so we booked an introduction dive for all of us for the following day.
We spent the day at the beach, and headed to El Quseir for dinner. It was more difficult to get out of the hotel at a reasonable price than we had imagined. Taxis to town cost a lot more than we had paid in Luxor. Special tourist price.
We asked the taxi to drop us off at Al Fardoush restaurant, which had the best reviews. It looked dodgy, and we were absolutely sure this was not a place for us. There were no other guests and the kitchen didn’t look good.
We walked along the promenade, but saw no other restaurants. We ended up taking another taxi (without being overcharged) to restaurant Madeira recommended by the hotel. We had an excellent dinner with delicious fresh fish and side dishes. N was not too happy with his pizza as it was spiced with cumin.
We asked if the restaurant could call a taxi for us, which resulted in the waiter jumping into his car and driving us back to the hotel. He knew the tourist price, but we negotiated it down.
Back at the hotel, the guard at the entrance looked like we had dropped from the sky as we just came walking from the road. We got a great laugh. Apparently we were very unusual guests, who leave the resort to go into town for dinner.
Two out of three restaurants at the resort was closed, the only one left was the all-inclusive buffet. Since there really wasn’t alternatives nearby, we had to make peace with the situation.
Day 9
The weather in El Quseir at the Red Sea was colder than what we had in Aswan and Luxor.
The crew at Egypt Sea Explorer equipped us with full wetsuits, masks, snorkels and diving equipment. We were ready to explore the coral reef and colorful fish of the Red Sea.
We drove 20 minutes south to the dice site at El Qaf and started with a snorkeling trip. While snorkeling we already saw beautiful corals with anemones and all kind of structures and colors. There were many different colorful fish as well.
As we started our introduction dive it got even better. Huge walls with corals and fish. We saw several trumpet fish, clown fish, rays and many, many more. Absolutely beautiful. It is impressive how a new world opens up when you get below the water.
The introduction dive was 40 minutes, and took us down to 6 meters.
We were back at the hotel in the early afternoon and spent the rest of the day relaxing by the pool and walking by the beach.
Day 10
Peter started the day with a run at the beach while Helle did yoga.
Unfortunately it was a very day, and the beach guard raised the red flag at the house reef, so it was not possible to go snorkeling. We spend the day at the beach. In the afternoon we all went to the gym, and Peter and Helle went for a run. After dinner we had a family pool tournament.
Day 11 – New year’s eve
We wanted to get out of the resort, and booked a quad bike tour in the dessert inland from the Red Sea. We drove through arid desert landscapes with only a few acacia trees.
Our guide Ahmed explained how the Bedouins used camel dung as fire bricks and that camels can drink sea water if they have to, due their strong kidneys.
In the evening we celebrated New Year’s Eve at the hotel with a delicious buffet. The hotel charged 100 € per person for the dinner and entertainment. It was very over-priced but we had not known in advance, and found no better alternatives.
We had a good evening, and had pleasant dinner conversations with a Lithuanian and a German family´.
After dinner we were entertained with an oriental show with dervish dance, belly dance and much more.
Day 12
We spent the day travelling from El Quseir to Cairo. It was a two-hour taxi ride from El Quseir to Hurghada, where we flew Air Cairo to Cairo. We were pivked up by a pre-booked taxi and checked in at Jaz Pyramids Resort Giza.
Day 13
We had booked a full day tour to the pyramids in Giza and Saqqara. We were picked up in the morning by our guide Gad Eways and drove to the nearby great pyramids in Giza. The pyramids were incredible too see and it is really hard to grasp how they managed to build such huge and complex structures more than 4500 years ago.
We decided to pay extra and wait an hour in line to enter the Khufu pyramid. The inside is not decorated, but the level of engineering and craftmanship was impressive. Tourists can walk the main shaft to the burial chamber. There were many people inside, and the shafts are very small. It is not recommended for those with claustrophobia.
The three great pyramids in Giza are burial chambers for the pharaohs Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure. The pyramids in Giza are older than the tombs in the valley of the kings in Luxor.
From the pyramids we headed to the great sphinx. The construction of the sphinx was ordered by Khafre, the son of Khufu. A causeway connects the sphinx to Khafre’s pyramid.
South of Giza is Saqqara. Saqqara is famous for the step pyramid, the first pyramid to be build around 2665 BC as a tomb for Djozer. It preceeds the pyramids in Giza. Also Djozer’s funeral temple at the site was impressive.
In Saqqara we saw the mastaba (burial house) of the royal scribe, Mereruka. It displayed daily life scenes and there were still colors on some of the scenes. Impressive after all these years.
On our way back to the hotel we stopped at Golden Eagle papyrus shop and had a demonstration of the papyrus paper making process. The papyrus paper was invented even before the pyramids were build, so more than 5000 years old.
It was our last day with a tour arranged by Far and Beyond Travel, and we had been very happy with them all.
Day 14
We decided to visit the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, and booked an Uber to get there. The museum was new and not fully opened. Only the main hall with staircase and the 12 galleries ordered in time periods were accessible. They were still working on the exhibition of Tutankhamons burial treasures, so unfortunately we didn’t get to see his famous golden mask. There was a lot to see and we spend 4 hours in the exhibitions.
After lunch T and N wanted to relax at the hotel, while Peter and Helle headed into downtown Cairo to get a glimpse of the city. We walked around the Islamic quarters including the souk. The noise and traffic was very intense, so we were happy to stay at the much more calm Giza.
This was the end of our two weeks in Egypt with the classic sights. It had been amazing to have a glimpse of ancient Egyptian history.