TRAVEL ITINERARY TO EGYPT ONE WEEK (AND TWO)

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Maybe a week trip to Egypt I ended up being short. But to be honest, we never had a week so full of activities, so wonderfully busy and so interesting (yes, what a beating!) The days in Egypt are days squared and time seems to assume another value. Is one week enough to get to know Egypt? No, of course, but 7 days are enough to get to know the main places, to fall in love with this exotic land and wish to return more calmly. In this post we tell you our One-week trip to Egypt (day by day) that we did with a tour, and we give you some tips if you are lucky enough to have two weeks of time.

Day 1Flight and contact


We leave from Madrid and, after a flight of about 4 hours with the company Egypt Air, we landed in Cairo around 20. At the same airport, Hache, the local company coordinator with whom we would make the trip, picked us up: Dunas Travel, with our visas. We got into the minubus and had the first contact with the crazy traffic and the incessant horns of Cairo. Part of the group had a dinner included in the program, although we went directly to the hotel Oasis Pyramids, and seen the hours, it was what we most wanted the truth. We were so tired that we went to bed directly! Tomorrow was going to be a very interesting day.

Day 2Pyramids and Memphis


Buffet breakfast at the hotel and first visit: nothing more and nothing less thanthe pyramids of Giza. You cannot explain in words what one feels when touching the oldest buildings in the world ... The visit lasts about 3-4 hours and has several stops: the Cheops Pyramid, the Kefren Pyramid, the smallest but no less interesting Pyramid of Micerino, a very cool viewpoint and finally the Sphinx. This guided tour is usually included in all organized trips, what you have to pay separately is the tickets inside the pyramids (in case you want to go). You can buy them separately at the ticket office (beware, you can only pay there, there is no ticket office in the pyramids): the entrance to the Cheops costs 300 EGP and the Kephren 100 EGP. Inside they are the same and they told us that it is not a suitable visit to claustrophobic 😉

The afternoon can be used to get to know the Step Pyramid of Zoser in Saqqara and the Memphis city, the one they say is the oldest in the world. If you do not have the hired tour you can book it online before you go, it includes a guided tour in Spanish to the pyramids of Giza, Saqqara and Memphis.

At night we decided to go see the sunset and show of light and sound of the pyramids from the roof of the Al Hadaba restaurant. We did not get to see the sun set (our Uber was lost there :-p) but it was wonderful to be able to smoke shisha with the silhouette of the pyramids as a backdrop. In addition, the homemade dishes they prepare are delicious, and at good prices. As for the show ... for us it is NOT worth paying the expensive ticket to see it, better take something from some rooftop.

Day 3Cairo tour


The second day in Cairo we dedicate to know the most interesting points of the city with a tour. This time we didn't include it, so we decided to hire this full Cairo tour online. Very early we went out to discover the impressiveSaladin Citadel and the Mosque of Muhammad Ali. From there they took us to eat a boat and then directly to the Egyptian Museum, where we spend about three hours, and they are almost short! The general entrance (with the treasure room of Tutankhamen) is included in the tour, but not the mummy exhibition, which costs 80 EGP. If you want to take pictures inside the museum you will have to pay 50 EGP at the box office (be careful because you won't be able to take photos of the treasures or mummies).

The afternoon is dedicated to walking the Coptic neighborhood, where we visited the Ben Ezra Synagogue in which the Holy Family took refuge for 3 months in their escape from Bethlehem for the persecution of Herod. And we end up in the Jan el-Jalil Market, a maze of streets full of bazaars and coffee shops and tea shops. If you don't know where to stop, we recommend The Fishawi, the so-called "Cafeteria of mirrors". The tour lasted about 8 hours and includes food, tickets and Spanish-speaking guide.

We arrived at the hotel quite tired and decided to have dinner there. Someone from the group signed up for the Cairo night tour, we found it quite expensive for what it offers, especially considering that food in Egypt is very cheap, but it is a good option if you want to know more about the chaotic and dusty capital of the country.

Day 4Flight to Luxor


This was a "lost" day of relaxation and transfer. We woke up calmly, had breakfast, worked a little and at 13 we were transferred to the airport: the time to go to Luxor and start the Nile cruise. Other people from the same group had different flight schedules, if you have the possibility to choose, it is best to leave as soon as possible to have time in Luxor and thus take advantage of this day with a visit. Here you can see the guided excursions from Luxor.

Some who traveled to Luxor first visited the Karnak temple on this day and the next day took a balloon ride over the city at the time we visited the temple. They told us that the experience was great!

After dinner on the cruise we were offered a night tour of Luxor, although it was done in a horse-drawn buggy, so we preferred to go out on our own. And without knowing how (ahem…) we saw ourselves inside the Luxor temple in the middle of the dance and light show that some Japanese had reserved! Of course, it lasted a minute until they caught us and threw us XD. There is also a nightly show at the Karnak complex.

This itinerary is usually for those who have the trip with 4 nights of cruise, but on the websites of the agencies you will see that there is option of 3 days of cruise, in this case the flight would be to Aswan, and the visits of the temples and others They invest.

Day 5Temples of Luxor and Valley of the Kings


This was probably the day of travel itinerary to Egypt most interesting of all. We get up very early, around 5 in the morning, to start all the scheduled visits. We headed towards one of the most impressive temples we saw in Egypt, the Karnak Temple. From here we saw dawn with the explanations of our guide, we got lost among the impressive columns of his hypostyle hall and we freaked out with how big it is (it is the largest temple in the whole country and apparently the second in the world, after Angkor's, in Cambodia).

From there we went to the other great protagonist: the Luxor Temple. Both were formerly connected by a 3 km avenue bordered by statues of 300 sphinxes. We spent another hour discovering the halls and corners of this impressive enclosure, learning some curiosities about life in ancient Egypt and almost with the jaw disenchanted with amazement. Here we tell you what are the 7 best temples in Egypt.

It was time to cross the Nile River and visit the other side. The next stop was, neither more nor less than the King's Valley. It is a kind of open throat in the rock, in the middle of the desert, where the pharaohs found the perfect place to build their graves and, in theory, rest all eternity. They were many centuries, but not eternity ... the site was not hidden enough for the looters, which razed almost all the treasures with which the pharaohs were buried. They desecrated all the graves less than one, guess? Correct, that of Tutankhamen, which went down in history for its treasures and far from its transcendence in the history of Ancient Egypt (reigned only for 9 years).

With the entrance you can only visit 3 graves, although there are currently about 5 open. We, on the advice of the guide, enter the Ramses IV (KV2), Meremptah (KV8) and Ramses IX (KV6). Others also entered the Ramses III (KV11) and apparently she's cool too. If you want to visit the one of Tutankhamen You will have to pay 100 EGP extra, although they say it is not worth it, because there is practically almost nothing (although we say that because we were not hehe). Here you can see the map of all the graves.

What you will find in these tombs is a gallery full of hieroglyphs and polychromatic decorative elements, which are incredibly well preserved, which go down to the room where the sarcophagus was placed with the mummified body of the pharaoh, and the treasures with which it would pass To the next life. Crossing its entrance is like entering a time warp, and while you go down to the mortuary chambers, it is inevitable to feel a slight chill ... and that inside is quite hot hehe. It is certainly another experience that you have to live in Egypt!

Photos inside the graves are prohibited, unless you take a permit for 300 EGP. Be careful because the guards are quite parrot and if they catch you they will make you delete the photos after a reprimand. There are those who bribe them by giving them a tip although we prefer to follow the rules (we are that good or crappy, depending on how you look at it).

The morning was not over: after going through a craft factory (you know, tourist) we visited the Hatshepsut Funeral Temple, one of the most peculiar pharaohs in the history of the country, was a woman! This place is also sadly known as the site where the Luxor massacre occurred, when in 1997 terrorists surrounded the complex and killed more than 60 people who were visiting the complex.

The visit ended with a quick visit to the Colossi of Memnon, where you basically get off the bus to take a picture, and follow the route. Around 13-14 we returned to the ship and began sailing towards Edfu, where we would spend the night. It was, without a doubt, the most tired day of the trip (but also one of the most beautiful).

Day 6Edfu and Kom Ombo


Luckily this day was not as tired as the previous one! In the morning we visit the edfu temple, dedicated to God Horus and with some of the best preserved hieroglyphs in Egypt. In the afternoon, after a few hours of navigation, we arrived Kom Ombo temple To watch the sunset from there. That was the visit we least enjoyed: between the fact that our stomachs were beginning to suffer the curse of the pharaohs and that the temple was crowded with tourists, the truth is that we were a little disappointed.

However you have to be honest and objectively the temple of Kom Ombo is super interesting. The complex is divided into two twin temples, each dedicated to a different god: God Horus and God Sobek, represented with the body of a man and the head of a crocodile! Come on, we were disappointed in quotes since it is one of the 7 best temples in Egypt.

After sunset we sail, return to the cruise and head towards our last stop: Aswan, yes, do not miss the spectacle of crossing a sluice from the deck of the ship.

Day 7Abu Simbel, Philae and Aswan


The alarm sounds at 1.30 in the morning! The reason deserves it: we go to the Abu Simbel temples. 250 km south of Aswan, and bordering on the border of Sudan, these two temples are located, dedicated to Ramses II and his wife Nefertari. We have to give thanks for being able to visit them today, because they almost disappeared under the waters of Lake Nasser. When the Aswan Dam was raised, these temples that were 200 meters below were almost submerged. But the Egyptian government asked for help from UNESCO and, with the support of 54 countries, they were able to move to a place beyond danger, in a historical feat. Is it worth hitting the early morning of life? Absolutely: we visit them alone! In fact I was the second to enter ... only Daniela, an Argentine girl who won the gold medal for the fastest haha, won me.

If your facades are already impressive, wait to see the interior! In our case, this visit was included in the package, but if you don't have one, we recommend you book it online on this website. As always, in the most important places, you can not take photos (or yes, upon payment of the permit).

Back, we stopped at Philae temple, very curious about its location, in the middle of a small island of the Nile. To get there it is only possible to do it by boat, and the visit is quite interesting.

This day there were those who, on the way back, paid a visit to the Nubian settlement. We decided to pass (there were animals involved and we were also very tired). What we did was a promenade in faluca through the calm waters of the Nile, and we really enjoyed it. Although it may seem very touristy, but since you're there ...

At night they offered us a Aswan night walk by bus, with which we visited a mosque, a Coptic church, a market (which turned out to be a spice shop), we smoked a shisha and had tea in the main square of the city. Aswan is a much quieter place than Cairo or Luxor. Famous for its spices, we recommend you go out to discover it, either with the tour or on your own. You will see that the distances between the cruise port and the city is very small!

We returned and after dinner we went straight to bed ... the next day we would expect another great early morning. Ains, with what we like to sleep ...

Day 8Return flight


We won an hour: we just have to wake up at 2.30 am, haha. And we thought it was going to be a little trip for jubilees! Tired? A lot! But it is a journey that everyone, sooner or later, should take. Egypt is such a special destination, so unique, that it is impossible not to want it. It is exhausting. And loud. And dusty. But it is wonderfully beautiful. We hope to return to continue meeting you.

Lucky one! To the previous itinerary we recommend adding 2 stops:

- A excursion to get to know Alexandria (1-2 days time). You can easily go by free by bus from Cairo, or by signing up for this tour.

- Fly towards Sharm El Sheikh (3-4 days), on the Red Sea coast. It is a famous destination for its good seabed where to dive or snorkel. There is also a very beautiful mosque, that of Al Sahaba.

This is the itinerary of a trip to Egypt of a week that we propose. And two, if you have more time. Do you have any essential proposals in Egypt? Tell us!

Save on your trip

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Books and travel guides: amzn.to/2SBJ5U8

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