My favorite Egyptian sights

I just came back from a two week vacation in Egypt last Saturday. And once again it was a complete success.  It was the perfect time to go weatherwise and stressfree with almost no tourists.

What an amazing time just one month after the Revolution going to Tahrir Square at night, the Egyptian museum and the turkish bazaar Khan el-Khalili.

I selected some pictures for each of the things I enjoyed the most.

If I would go back there tomorrow, here is what I would do, starting with a Nile cruise!

 

1. Nile cruise from Luxor to Assuan

 

I expected the Nile to be magical and it was.  Cruising for 4 nights was much too short. I went a distance of 111 miles (179 km) from Luxor to Assuan.

2. Climbing Mount Sinai

This year I did not go back to Mount Sinai even though I really considered it. Too much to do during this trip. Next time! Don’t miss the opportunity if you can as the beautiful scenery is well worth the climb.

3. Taking a boat on the Nile around Assuan

Taking a smaller boat to discover Assuan and its surroundings is something exceptional. Getting closer to nature and to the Nile, what an amazing thing to do for an aftertoon and sunset!  Now I know what Agatha Christie used to see from her hotel patio in the Old Cataract.

4. Cairo by night

Our visit in Egypt could have not started better with a visit of Cairo by night. Woah! No word to describe it… speechless with the thousands of lights. We started with Tahrir Square, had some tea in the famous bazaar, Khan el-Khalili, and then toured some of the mosques by foot and by car. The one above was visited by President Obama in June 2009.

5. Temples by night

Someone asked me  which temple I liked the most at the end of the Nile cruise. Difficult to answer this question, because you visit some during day time and some at sunset. Night time temples are surely amazing with the lights shining on the stones, paintings and hieroglyphics.

My favorite temple during night time is the Luxor temple.

6. Going inside Cheops pyramid

A trip to the pyramids would not have been the same without going inside of a pyramid, so we convinced our guide to stop. Yes, you have to pay extra, but going inside of Cheops pyramid was something I will not forget. Well worth the steep climb!

7.  Alabaster Mosque in Cairo

The Alabaster mosque in Cairo is the first mosque I ever visited in my life. I won’t forget that moment: just beautiful, especially the ceiling. We were lucky as there were just a few people inside.

This mosque is also magical to look at during night time.

8. Botanical Garden in Assuan

Anyone interested in nature should not miss the opportunity to visit the botanical garden of Assuan. A Peaceful stroll along the Nile with stunning views of the desert and under the pergolas is quite nice during a hot day.

9. Abu Simbel (inside of Ramses temple)

Yes, yes, I had been told Abu Simbel would be the best of my visits and in a way it was.  Funny to say I thought the outside would be the most amazing. After going there I can tell you, the inside of Ramses II’s temple was the most beautifully decorated temple I have seen on the Nile. It was so well preserved.

10. Snorkling in the Red Sea

 

fish swimming in the Red Sea

Last time I went to Egpyt, I spent a week in Sharm el Sheikh looking at the people snorkling and diving. This time I can say I tried it, but not enough.

One needs to do it once to understand how beautiful the sea is!

 

11. View of the Lake Nasser

 

This picture shows a part of the Lake Nasser, located at the border with Sudan. Viewing it from the plane was undescribable.

Only 4 boats cruise over Lake Nasser, the biggest man-made lake in the world. Apparently it is the only place in Egypt where you can still find crocodiles.

 

12. Egyptian Museum in Cairo

Going to the Egyptian museum was something we had planned to do before the Revolution. Then the museum was damaged and it was closed for a while. Luckily when I heard it had reopened, we decided to drive there and take a 2 hour tour. Finally I was able to see King Tut’s sarcophage and mask!

 

13. Pyramids of Sakkara

Even if this sight is not too visited by the tourists, I loved it.  One of the rooms had beautiful drawings.

 

14. Egyptian sunsets

I love taking pictures of sunsets. I tried to take pictures again this year, but our hotel had unfortunately no great place to view it. Here is the best I could do.

 

15. Egyptian food

Of course I love Egyptian food, spices, salad, beans, meat and its sweet desserts. And I almost forgot the bread, especially when it comes out of the oven!

 

• Agatha Christie
• Aswan
• botanical garden
• by night
• Cairo
• Cheops
• cruise
• Luxor
• mosques
• Mount Sinai
• Nile
• pyramids
• Sakkara
• temples