In 2008, I visited Egypt, joining a Contiki tour for my travels. At that time, I was completing a work/study in Sweden and it was perfect timing to travel and explore Egypt, which was on my bucket list. The tour consists of 8 days which included Cairo, Giza, Aswan, Edfu and Luxor. Throughout the 8 days, the tour crammed in as much history and landmarks a tourist can take. It was great for a young adventurer like myself. There was also great food and entertainment such as belly dancing.
The trip started off rough. Upon arrival, my luggage was lost at the Cairo Airport. I ended up sitting at the customs and baggage area for over an hour while they called the airline looking for my baggage. During this time, the officials had also taken my passport for some sort of verification. I had received my luggage a few days later and had to make due with wearing souvenir clothes etc.
There were many highlights for the trip:
- Haggling with merchants in the streets and bazaars. I am not use to these customs and it took me some time to get in the groove for bargaining for a fair price. What is interesting is the merchants will chase you down the street if they see that you are interested. I had probably gotten ripped off several times but it was fun.
- Abu Simbel- If you have a chance to go to these temples, it is definitely worthwhile. According to internet historical sources, the twin temples were originally carved in 13th century BC during the reign of Pharaoh Ramessess II serving as a monument to the king and his queen Nefertari. We had to take an extra flight to get to Abu Simbel.
- Nile River Cruise- it is fascinating seeing it first hand, having read about the Nile river in the Bible and its significance. It was a hot day and I had jumped into the river for a quick swim, which may not have been the wisest choice as there may be danger.
- Camel Rides- We had camel rides at the Pyramids of Giza and around the sugar cane plantations in Luxor. I enjoyed these rides as it was quite relaxing and I am able to sit and enjoy the wonderful scenery.
- Valley of the Kings were hidden underground mausoleums (tombs) of the great Pharaohs which were located on the Nile’s west bank near Luxor. Amazing experience as we were able to view the mummy of King Tutankhamun (Tut) and other Pharaohs’ tombs.
- The Temple of Edfu is an ancient Egyptian temple located on the west bank of the Nile. The hieroglyphic there were very well kept as it is one of the best preserved temples in Egypt.
Overall, I had a wonderful experience in Egypt. Contiki had done a great job in arranging the tour and travel. There were no dull moments and I did not feel compelled or harassed to buy things. Feel free to comment. If you’ve been to Egypt, what are your favorites?
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