Welcome back friends, family, and all other beautiful readers. I am back with another blog series on my new and exciting travels. This time around I will be traveling to the land of the pyramids, pharaohs, and the sun god Ra. Where the dessert kisses the Red and Mediterranean Seas and wears the Nile River well. It's Egypt baby!
If you want to follow my journey, everyday of the trip (well I will try, last trip I was delayed on some post but hey we got there), I will be reviewing what happened, what I experienced, what I ate annnnnnd what I bought (cause baby if you know me, you know I love to shop!). I will do my darndest to capture as much of the beautiful views, delicious plates and stunning jewels and fabric each day. Now lets review this itinerary shall we....
So like all of my international trips thus far in my life, that includes Iceland, Greece, and Thailand (yes I know I have not blogged about Iceland and Greece, yes I plan to eventually do a review/look back of these trips since it has been two and one years respectfully since I took said trips), I will be traveling with EF Ultimate Break. I will speak about EF in a future blog post on why I continue to travel with them. Anyways, this specific trip is called the Egypt Expedition. Here are some quick bullet points on what this trip offers:
11 days in 3 cities: Cairo, Luxor, and Hurghada
Visiting Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, King Tut's Tomb, Avenue of the Sphinxes, the Nile River, and many more beautiful sights
An dessert sunrise Hot Air Balloon Ride
Beach day at Mahmya
Welcome and Farewell dinners
Like I mentioned, everyday I will go over all the day's activities and my honest feelings. I want to capture my experience as a late-20 year old black American woman traveling to these amazing places. I have included the full itinerary if you are as egger as I am for all the cool things we will be doing. I hope you join me on this amazing trip. I look forward to sharing my experiences and hearing from you all. Laters, Gators
Itinerary
Day 1: Overnight Flight Traveling to Cairo from Chicago
Day 2: Arrive in Cairo Arriving in Cario. Enjoy an included dinner upon arrival to your hotel.
Day 3: Sightseeing Tour of Cairo + Welcome Dinner
In the evening, enjoy a Welcome Dinner of local cuisine and drinks with fellow travelers at an authentic local spot.
Today's highlights: Explore Coptic Cairo, a historically Christian neighborhood, that’s home to some of the world’s oldest churches.
Float like a butterfly to the Muhammed Ali Mosque (named for the founder of modern Egypt, not the boxer) within the Salah El-Din Citadel overlooking the city.
Day 4: Pyramids of Giza + the Sphinx
It’s time. Today you get to spend time at the oldest, and only remaining Wonder of the Ancient World: the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx. Two fun facts we love about the Great Pyramid: it was the tallest structure in the world for nearly 4,000 years; and Cleopatra lived closer in time to the moon landing than the construction of the Great Pyramid. This not a drill, people, this is one of humankind’s greatest accomplishments in the flesh.
Today's highlights: Tour the grounds and take plenty of pictures at the Giza Necropolis, where you’ll learn about the construction, excavation, and the pharaohs buried here.
Experience the unrivaled majesty of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Shake paws with the Great Sphinx: part lion, part human, fully awesome.
Day 5: Travel to Luxor + Sightseeing Kiss Cairo goodbye and head south to Luxor today. Sure, Giza gets all the attention—it sits at the popular kids table—but trust us when we say that Luxor is every bit as stunning and jam-packed with ancient treasures. Once the site of the city of Thebes, now dubbed “the world’s greatest open-air museum.”
Today's highlights: Board your short morning flight from Cairo to Luxor.
Pick your jaw up off the ground as you stroll through the sprawling temple complexes of Karnak and Luxor, which includes the Great Temple of Amun-Re and the Avenue of the Sphinxes.
Admire the still intact hieroglyphics decorating the walls and pillars. That one over there looks like it says “buy a round of beers for your group.“ Weird!
Taste the local specialties with an included dinner in Luxor.
Day 6: Explore the Valley of the Kings + Desert Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Ride
Here be mummies. Cross the Nile today and behold the sacred sights of the West Bank of Luxor. For 500 years, this is where ancient Egyptians built tons of tombs and shrines to royalty including Queen Hatshepsut and King Tut. Explore the thusly-named Valley of the Kings today, and do your best not to disturb any sleeping pharaohs.
Today's highlights: Listen closely as your guide teaches you about the Valley of the King’s many limestone tombs and their ancient inhabitants.
Look straight up at the Colossi of Memnon—two 60-foot statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III that you would not want to play basketball against.
Climb the stairs of the reconstructed Temple of Queen Hatshepsut built into the cliffs.
Visit the tomb of King Tut, the valley’s most famous resident, where for an extra cost, you may enter the burial chamber to see his mummy where it still lays at rest.
Cruise down the Nile on a felucca—a traditional Egyptian sailboat, the likes of which have been in use since ancient times—for a magical sunset.
Desert Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Ride - Hop in a hot air balloon before dawn and get a new perspective on Egypt as you witness a glorious sunrise from all the way up. See firsthand from the fertile Nile to the endless desert as far as the eye can see.
Day 7: Travel to Hurghada via Dendera
After a full day of mummy hunting, be sure to check yourself for any supernatural curses. Be a good pal and check your neighbor, too. None? Great! Today you’re headed up the Nile to Dendera, home to one of the best-preserved temple complexes remaining from Ancient Egypt.
Today's highlights: Take a private morning bus to Dendera—just long enough to edit all your pics thus far.
Enjoy the immaculately preserved Dendera Temple Complex and be sure to look up at the ceiling, recently cleaned of centuries of soot to reveal the original paint.
Take a peek at the Dendera Light Relief—a wall carving that some say depicts modern usage of electricity in ancient times.
Continue on to the Red Sea coastal resort city of Hurghada, and enjoy an included dinner upon arrival.
Day 8: Mahmya Beach Day
After a week in the desert, you may be shocked by how happy you are to see sand. Specifically, the pristine white sand beaches of Mahmya where the perfectly turquoise water of the Red Sea meets Giftun Island. Trade in your archaeologist trowel for a beach towel, and make a splash in paradise.
Today's highlights: Soak up some sun on the world class beaches of Mahmya.
Cool off in the water with swimming and some of the best snorkeling found anywhere.
Indulge in island life with an included Egyptian lunch & dinner.
Day 9: Free Day in Hurghada
Good news! Your prayers to the sun god, Ra, have been answered. Today you get a full day in Hurghada to do as you please, and plenty of food included for lunch and dinner. Enjoy the amenities of the resort town, lay back, catch some rays, and try and remember to also pray to the god of sunscreen.
Free time suggestions Kushari: If you haven’t by now, be sure to try the mouthwatering ubiquitous hodgepodge: kushari. Rice + pasta + lentils, mixed together and smothered in a spiced tomato sauce = drool. Beach Time: If you didn’t get enough sun yesterday, hit the beach today for a little R&R. When in paradise, do as the Egyptians do.
Day 10: Return to Cairo + Farewell Dinner It’s your last day in Egypt. You’ve almost climbed the metaphorical pyramid that is this trip. As you head back to Cairo for one last day of fun, sun, and sailing, be sure to think back on all the exploring you did: pyramids, temples, vibrant marketplaces, a rich culture not so different from your own, and heck, maybe even a little self-discovery out there on the road. Today's highlights: Return to Cairo via private bus, and start planning your reunion trip somewhere new with this group of people who have gone from strangers to family in a mere 10 days.
Bargain your way through a souk—a traditional Egyptian open-air market perfect for people-watching, and picking up those last-minute souvenirs.
Farewell Dinner - Share some last laughs and revisit the best moments of the trip at this included farewell dinner with the group.
Day 11: Fly Home Wadaeaan ya aisdiqa'! Leaving Cairo
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