Egypt

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With one of the world’s oldest civilizations Egypt has over 4000 years of history. With a unique style that you only find there you’ll be impressed at how the temples and frescoes were preserved for so many years. The country is mostly a desert but still offers some different landscapes, the Nile River, the green oasis and the beautiful blue waters of the Red Sea in the Sinai region.

A civilization with strong power in history that failed to maintain its glory and has been in decline over the past 2000 years. But this underdeveloped country has just gone through a civil revolution that can change the course of its history.

We arrived in Egypt right in Ramadan and it was an interesting experience. A moment of strong expression of faith in the Muslim culture where everything is calmer during the day and the night turns into energy and hustle. It was good to be there at this time of year.
 

What was worth it: The paradisiac crystal blue waters of Dahab, the amazing ancient world of Luxor, the magnificent temple of Abu Simbel and the unique beauty of the White Desert.
What was not so paid off: Alexandria (without anything special you will be disappointed).
What we wanted to do but we didn’t: The dunes and its water sources of Siwa Oasis.

A few tips:

• TRANSPORTATION: Traveling through Egypt is super easy. Whenever possible choose the train and preferably in first class, is not expensive and is much more comfortable. But for many regions the only option is the bus and they are not very comfortable. Especially the night buses, that offer only reclining seats and are noisy throughout the night. There is a sleeping train from Cairo to Luxor which is extremely expensive (60 USD per person) and it is not worth it. Take an overnight train in first class, you will already be able to sleep well and is much cheaper (only 15 USD per person), the only difference is that it has no bed.
• CLIMATE: The best option is to go in fall or spring, when temperatures are mild. Going during the summer is simply unbearable when temperatures in the south reach 50 º C and sightseeing between 11 am and 5 pm becomes almost impossible.
• SECURITY: After the revolution the tourism was highly impacted and many people are afraid to visit the country. We felt very safe and never had any problems. But the country is aware of this and for some path by bus or private car the government puts escort without any cost. Just stay tuned to warnings to see if there is any specific region that should be avoided.

Our itinerary (20 days)

We left Aqaba, Jordan, and crossed southern Israel to reach Taba, the border with Egypt. From there we went straight to the paradisiac Dahab to relax for five days. After we took a 14 hours night bus to Luxor and after 2 days we went by train to Aswan, where we visited the beautiful Abu Simbel on a day trip. From Aswan we cruise the Nile to Luxor for 3 days, where we caught a 13 hours train to Alexandria. Then we went by train to Cairo and after 3 days we took a bus to the Bahariya Oasis, where we did a jeep safari through the Black and White deserts. We returned to Cairo by bus and took another night bus on the same day to Taba border to visit Israel.

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