The Pyramids of Giza and The Sphinx
Is Egypt a safe place to visit? Events of recent years ensured the country was not high on our list of countries to visit independently. A chance sighting of a newspaper advertisement spiked our interest and ultimately gave us an opportunity we had not previously considered.
We jumped at the chance and booked “The Sights of Egypt”: A 12 day Tour with a Nile River Cruise and International flights, a small group tour offered by Luxury Escapes.
The booking experience
Luxury Escapes teams with other travel brands and partners to negotiate and provide value-driven holiday packages. The online booking process was simple and easy to navigate providing comprehensive detail about the tour, availability, pricing, and information on inclusions and exclusions. However, this particular package not a last-minute special. To ensure our spaces were reserved, we booked and paid nine months in advance. Note: There is a “Book Now, Pay Later” option available for some packages.
A confirmation email was received with a follow-up email requesting passenger information from the booking agent. All further dealings related to our travel arrangements were conducted with Destination International Holidays, the booking agent responsible for our tour. We were provided with an opportunity to specify our preferred airline or a partner airline for flights and to upgrade our hotel accommodation at additional rates.
There was little interaction with Destination International Holidays. Having received no further communication after our initial booking correspondence, we phoned them a couple of months prior to make sure our travel was scheduled. They confirmed and assured us that we would receive travel information closer to our travel time.
Destination International forwarded travel documentation, a detailed itinerary with supporting information and an opportunity to add and pay for additional visits/tours (prices were cheaper than paying on site a few weeks prior to our departure.
The tour experience
Our small group tour catered for up to 16 people. We were very lucky to have only 8 people in our group. And, within a couple of days, we discovered that we were among like-minded people which added, for us, a new dimension to travelling on a tour.
We enjoy researching our destinations when travelling independently, educating ourselves on the local history and culture. On this tour, we were assigned not just a tour guide but a historian. Amir, who provided in-depth historical background behind all the sights, towns and cities we visited. In fact, he was a little annoyed whenever we got caught up with taking photos instead of listening to his commentary.
Instead of finding our own way from the airport to our accommodation, we were treated to exemplary service by being greeted at the airport, guided through the visa procedure and taken to our transport to our hotel and checked in.
Of course, we did not have to queue for admittance to the major sights and attractions.
Armed with advice from Amir, there was ample free time throughout the tour to explore cities independently and to join up for visits to the main sights. We were grateful to have the benefit of Amir’s expertise as he provided historical commentary and background throughout our visits to major sites. If we had been travelling independently, we would not have appreciated the historical significance behind so many of the places we visited.
The accommodation
We decided to take the premium accommodation option and were glad we did. Our accommodation in Cairo at the five-star Ramses Hilton right in the centre of Cairo. It provided us with an opportunity to explore life in central Cairo on our own, taste local cuisine and wander the back streets to see the real Cairo and its inhabitants.
Our accommodation in Alexandria was the historic Steigenberger Cecil Hotel. Situated on the scenic waterfront, we were treated with beautiful views of the Mediterranean, a walkway along the waterfront and markets and shops right outside the hotel door.
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The ornate staircase and cage lift at the Steigenberger Cecil Hotel
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The foyer of the Steigenberger Cecil Hotel
Our home for seven nights’ cruise was Princess Sarah II. While not as elegant as a few of the other upmarket riverboats we came across cruising the Nile, it was typical of many others plying up and down the River Nile. Our room was large and comfortable with a seating area allowing us to relax and watch life on the River. The top deck was well equipped with a swimming pool (although it was a little cool to swim in March), plenty of sunbeds and undercover seating to sit and watch the captivating scenery pass by. It was also the best place to watch the riverboat manoeuvre through the lock system and the daring hawkers attach their small sailing crafts to our riverboat to barter their wares to us.
The grand staircase of the Princess Sarah II
Hawkers touting their wares on the River Nile
The highlights
The Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, Cairo – The last remaining of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Pyramids are much bigger than we imagined and the Sphinx was much smaller than we had envisaged. We were grateful for having access to an Egyptologist who provided us with historical background about the Pyramids and how they were built; and guidance about which underground burial chambers we should climb down into.
The Karnak Temple of Amun, Luxor – This impressive temple complex was our introduction to the many temples in Egypt and one of the largest religious complexes in the world. Entering through the Avenue of Rams is spectacular as we catch sight of the huge pillars and obelisks. Walking among the magnificent columns of the Hypostyle Hall and learning about the meanings behind the hieroglyphics on each pillar was a highlight.
The Avenue of the Rams
The Valley of the Kings, Luxor – Our visit commences early so we are treated to visiting the Valley when it is relatively empty. The three tombs we visit are well preserved and the inscriptions and vivid drawings on the walls take the breath away. Words cannot describe thousands of years of history and culture hidden in these underground treasures. Reliefs, frescoes and hieroglyphics line the walls into the main tomb areas and antechambers.
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The well preserved ceiling fresco inside one of the tombs we visited
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Inside the tombs in the Valley of the Kings
Sobek Temple, Kom Ombo – Our twilight visit to the Sobek Temple commenced with docking in Kom Ombo with a view of this beautiful hilltop temple. The temple precinct was teaming with both local and foreign tourists but a pleasant stop nonetheless. We enjoyed a little spare time following the temple visit wandering through the market stalls which lined the riverside dock.
The Great Temple of Ramses, Abu Simbel – Definitely worth rising at 3:30am for the 230km early morning drive on the desert sand road to the temple site on the banks of Lake Nasser. We are distracted by the beauty of the Lake as we walk toward the temple from the behind, totally oblivious of the enormity of what we are about to see. Turning the corner, four enormous statues of Ramses II appear before us sitting majestically at the entrance. Carved out of a mountain in 1264 BC, the whole complex was covered by shifting desert sands and its magnificence lost to the world until a Swiss explorer discovered it by chance in 1813 when he noticed the heads of the statues showing above the sand. Slowly uncovered, the temple complex was shifted 200 metres from its original position to higher ground under a large rescue mission involving more than 30 countries when the area was flooded to create the High Dam.
The verdict
The small group tour was a good way to undertake our first visit to Egypt. The country has undergone much upheaval since 2011 and this has affected tourism in the country. This is especially noticeable along the River Nile with many riverboats still lying idle along the banks. For us, this was an advantage. There were still many tourists about, mostly undertaking organised tours, although not as many as in the past or as is now expected as confidence in safety grows and travellers return to see the magnificence of Egypt’s ancient history.
As is usual on a bus tour, we were obliged to visit local craft and art stores in nearly every city we visited. There was no coercion by the store owners or tour directors to purchase.
For independent travellers such as ourselves used to straying away from the main tourist sights to explore, we found there was sufficient time available for us to go off and explore. The tour operators provided advice on how to conduct ourselves in this predominantly Muslim country, prepared us for the onslaught of hawkers whenever we stepped out on our own and gave general advice on staying safe. As in any country we visit, we were sensible about our safety and felt comfortable to move about on our own. However, for comfort and to enjoy the experience, we would advise female travellers to be accompanied or go out in a group.
Our conclusion: One of our fellow travellers when we asked him about what he thought about our “Luxury Escape” replied that “It was certainly a cheap escape”. We agree. The quality of accommodation, tour operators and our fellow travellers ensured we had an informative and enjoyable experience.
It was an economical introduction to a country with such a rich ancient history and feel that we have only just dipped our feet in the sand! We hope to visit again on another Luxury Escape.
And, if you are contemplating a visit to Egypt and would like to read more about our experiences and hints, you may find the following of interest:
Chaos in Cairo
Running the gauntlet in Edfu
12 things to know before visiting Egypt
The Temple of Ramses II at Abu Simbel
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