How to Plan a Trip to Egypt

Here is the ultimate guide on how to plan a trip to Egypt. I will show you the tours I took, the sights I seen, and give you tips on what to expect.

Basics:

Language: Arabic

Religion: Mostly Islam and some Coptic Christianity

Currency: Egyptian pounds

Plugs: Power plugs are types F and C. Standard voltage is 220 V and frequency is 50 Hz.

Safety: I never felt unsafe here personally as a female solo traveler, but I did take a guide everywhere. You will be hassled by people trying to sell items.

Tips to know before going:

1. Egypt has a huge tipping culture. Make sure to carry plenty of small bills with you.
2. Be prepared to pay for the restroom in public places.
3. Tourist sites will have guards inside. These guards may act like they are being nice and show you hidden places, but they will expect a tip afterwards.
4. Cairo has bad air quality, so be prepared to bring some medicine to help you breathe.
5. There is a large armed guard presence with them holding guns. This is because of the possibility of terrorist attacks.
6. Dress modest. If you are a lady, cover shoulders and knees. Hijabs are not required.

This was my itinerary in Egypt for the limited amount of time I had. However, a popular idea is to book a Nile cruise tour to see the different sites along the banks.

Day 1: Cairo Evening Cruise

@venturewithaginger

The beautiful performances of Cairo. #nile #bellydancer #egypt #cairo #dance #travel

♬ Egyptian Bellydance Music – Arabian Belly Dance

Right after getting off the plane and checking into my hostel, I booked an Airbnb experience to go on a Nile dinner cruise and to see some traditional dancing. The food was buffet style and I thought it was good. The boat sailed for around 2 hours and during that time a talented belly dancer and tanoura dancer performed for the audience. Tanoura dancing is a traditional folk dance in Egypt. The dancer spins around to a multitude of songs.

Tour:

My tour cost $50. It included transportation, the ticket, and dinner. This did not include drinks.

Nile course oriental dance with dinner – Airbnb

Day 2: Pyramids of Giza

Start your morning off right by viewing the only standing ancient wonder of the world. The pyramids of Giza are a marvel to behold, and you even have the opportunity to climb inside the Great Pyramid of Giza.

If you decide to spend the extra bucks to go inside realize that it is a tight chamber, and you will have to bend down. You will also have to be able to climb a steep slope. There is not much to see on this journey, but at the top is a room that holds a stone tomb. This experience is moreover all in good fun to say you have been inside.

You will also have the opportunity to take a camel ride and get some magnificent photos in the desert. Realize the camel ride is mainly just a photo op and the operator will make you pay a fee. On top of the fee, you are also expected to tip. It lasts about 10 minutes. At the same place where the camels are being offered is a great viewpoint to see the pyramids. The pyramids actually consist of 9. There are the 3 big ones for Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure and 6 smaller ones for the queens.

Tip: I would take a tour to these places because the guide is able to provide much information on how the pyramids were constructed and you are able to avoid more scams with a local. There will be many people trying to sell you items, but a guide will be able to talk to them and help you have a more serene experience.

The sphinx is smaller than people may think, but it’s funny to capture photos kissing it.

After Giza, a lot of tour companies may take you to a perfume store and a papyrus place. The papyrus place shows how their paper is made and how to tell the different between faux and the real deal. Note: Real papyrus paper is flexible and will roll up without worries. Also, you can hold it up to the light and see lines in it.

Saqqara

Saqqara beholds the step pyramid of Djoser, and different tombs filled with hieroglyphics that depict scenes such as ox legs being offered up to the deceased and daily life images such as catching fish.

City of Memphis

The city of Memphis is an open-air museum full of artifacts of ancient Egypt. There is a King Ramses the II statue that had once stood over 10 meters. Another great figure is the alabaster sphinx that is theorized to be the Queen Hatshepsut.

The Tour Company

The company that I used for this day is called emo tours. They offer tours all throughout Egypt and also airport transfers if needed. The cost for this tour was around $120 including lunch.

Book Online Tours and activities around the world – Emo Tours

Day 3: Luxor

I booked this tour through a local guide, and I absolutely enjoyed it. I had to catch a 1-hour flight from Cairo to Luxor and the guide booked all of my transportation and gave me a guide hassle free. Once I got to Luxor, I was picked up and we headed to the Temple of Hatshepsut.

Colossi of Memnon

We did a quick photo stop to see these two large stone statues that depict the Pharoah Amenhotep III. There is a myth that surrounds these figures as well.

The myth is about Agamemnon. He is the hero in Homer’s Iliad. The statues would make a strange whistling sound so many believed that this was Eos(his mother) mourning for her son that died in the battle between Troy and Greece.

Temple of Hatshepsut

She was the longest reigning queen in Egypt and her temple is a marvel to behold. Sadly, the heir after her went and marked out references such as her depiction in hieroglyphics.

Alabaster Workshop

This is a stop most tours will do so you will have the opportunity to see locals working on different designs and shaping alabaster that they get from the mountains.

Valley of the Kings

My favorite thing I saw in Egypt! Set in a mountain are 63 tombs of Kings. Even though only 11 are available to the public. The main ticket costs around 200 Egyptian pounds and lets you see 3 different tombs. It cost extra to see King Tuts, Seti I, and the tomb or Ramses V and Ramses VI.

Tomb of Ramses the III

The hieroglyphics are beautiful, abundant, and well maintained in this tomb. The colors are vibrant on the walls and many symbols are depicted. The king would select what scenes in their life they wanted to be seen.

My guide told me to search for this hieroglyphic when I entered the tomb alone. The 3 headed snake was believed to be in the afterlife when one dies. If you were a good person, the gods would help you defeat the snake. If you were bad you had to face it alone.

King Tuts Tomb

This tomb is the most famous because of the treasure that was found here untouched by the tomb robbers. All the treasure is now at different museums around the world, but there is still a few colorful hieroglyphics and King Tuts mummy to be seen.

A cool fact about the hieroglyphics is that the colors remain so bright to this day because the Egyptians would use pigments that were already oxidized such as red ochre and malachite.

Merenptah Tomb

This tomb has a long decline to the burial chamber and the hieroglyohics are no where near as impressive as the ones in Ramses the III. On the other hand, it was cool to see the details on the sarcophagi.

Ramses the IX Tomb

Another beautiful corridor full of colorful images. This was the last tomb I had seen here.

Tips for Valley of the Kings:

1. You have to buy a photo pass if you want to take pictures with your camera. They have guards in the tombs so they will confiscate your device if they catch you. Photos with your phone is free.
2. The guards may try to trick you into giving them tips. They can do this by taking pictures for you or showing you around the chambers.
3. You will probably want to buy the tram pass at the counter. It is a long walk to the tombs from the entrance in the heat.
4. You have to pass through a market with many vendors trying to sell you stuff. Be prepared.
5. If you have a guide, they will not be able to enter the tomb with you.

Karnak Temple

The largest ancient temple complex in the world, this is a must see. The temple was dedicated to the gods of Amun, Mut, and Khonsu.

An important ceremony had taken place here in ancient times named the Opet festival. The festival happened yearly and lasted 27 days. It started at Karnak temple and would finish at Luxor temple which is 1.5 miles away. The priests would carry the statue of Amun, his wife, and child that whole length. It was believed that this celebration was to strengthen the link between Amun- Re and the Pharaoh.

The Great Hypostyle Hall is where you will see 134 sandstone columns with the largest reaching 70 ft in height.

The obelisk in my third picture is an architecture marvel. There is an obelisk here that is built out of a single block of granite!

Make sure to circle the scarab statue here seven times to bring you good luck.

Luxor Temple

King Ramses the II and Amenhotep III constructed a large part of this temple. Queen Hatshepsut and King Tut also had a hand here. After them came Alexander the Great. You will see that the further you go back into the temple the more influences there are.

The first picture above shows Ramses II’s statue with his feet on top of his enemies. The second picture is a statue of King Ramses II and his favorite wife Queen Nefertari.

The first picture depicts Alexander the Great befriending the Egyptians. He convinced them that their gods selected him to be ruler.

The second picture shows the avenue of the sphinxes. There are 1059 statues of the sphinxes here.

Lunch

If you do this tour that I recommend to Luxor you will have the chance to buy lunch if you would like. The cafe had nice view of the Luxor temple across the street. I had to wait for my driver for 2 hours because of the plane I was taking left later that day. I had plenty of time to people watch and see all the horse carts carrying passengers down below my window.

Tour

The tour I took for this day is called Hesham Egypt Tour Guide. I paid $400 USD for this experience but that included all of my transportation including planes and my local guide named Remon. I did have to pay entrance fees and lunch.

Tripadvisor | Full-Day Luxor private Tour from Cairo by Plane with Lunch provided by Hesham Egypt Tour Guide | Egypt

Day 4: Coptic and Islamic Cairo

Mosque of Muhammad Ali

This structure’s completion date was 1857 in classical Ottoman style. It is a sight to behold. It also offers amazing views of the cityscape. You can even spot the pyramids from here if the air is not too smoggy. If you come here, you will have to take your shoes off entering the building or you will need to bring shoe coverings. Women do not have to wear a hijab in this mosque.

Hanging Church

A prominent church for Coptic Christians to come and pray, this church was built on top of the southern gate of the Roman fortress. There are parts of this church where you can see the original flooring from B.C. era. There are also many gorgeous mosaics to be spotted here as well.

Greek Church of St. George

Another beautiful church, I learned at this one that worshippers will come here and write on a piece of paper their wishes/prayers and stick it into the wall in hopes of it coming true.

Abu Serga Church

This church is built on top of the cave that Jesus and his family hid in from King Herod’s reign. You can walk down a narrow set of stairs and see where he had once laid as a baby. This is my personal favorite.

Tour:

I used the same company for this tour as I did for the Luxor one. My guide’s name was Abla. It cost me $60 USD.

Food Tour & Khan el- Khalili Market

I had an amazing night out . My tour guide took me to eat at a popular restaurant that serves the national food Koshary and many different food and drink stands. I tried 7 different items and will be explaining more in depth in a future blog post.

As I was stuffing food down my throat we walked around old Cairo and Khan el- Khalili market dodging bikes that sped through the narrow alleys. The smell of incense wafted through the air and people came up trying to sell items in their tight knit shops. There are dancers on the streets performing tricks and people enjoying their time out together. I saw this beautiful mosque lit up which is a nice place to take photographs.

Tour:

I booked my tour through Airbnb experiences. It cost me $50 USD, but everything was included. The tour guide I had is named Mohamed and he was super friendly and informative. He bought me the best food and this experience lasted for 4-5 hours.

Mohamed has his own company as well. He offers many informative tours. Link down below:

HOME | Narmer Tours

Other sites to see if you have more time:

1. Abu Simbel:

Created by King Ramses II this is one of the most impressive temples to visit by the Nile.

2. Siwa Oasis: Filled with hot springs and palm trees this is a spectacular place to visit in the desert. It is located near the Libya border and the salt lakes are not to be missed.

3. White & Black Desert: If I would have had more time in Egypt this would have been my next stop. I recommend staying a night in this tranquil desert camping alongside the Bedouins. The white desert was created by the ocean that existed here many of years ago. Many tours offer activities such as seeing the volcanic mounds and the white mushroom rock structures, sand boarding, and star gazing.

4.Red Sea: One of the best reefs exist here for snorkeling and scuba diving fans. If you are more into a luxurious vacation, there are also many resorts offered by the sea.

If you are interested in learning what you should eat in Egypt, I have created a post just for that.

Top 9 Foods to Eat in Egypt – Venture with a Ginger

I hope this blog post has inspired you to book a trip to this history packed country and if you are interested in the middle east, I have also written 2 posts about Jordan.

What to do in Jordan: A Guide for 1st Timers – Venture with a Ginger

Top 7 Must Eats in Jordan – Venture with a Ginger