The Red Sea is the long and relatively narrow body of water that lies between the northeast coast of Africa and the Arabian peninsula that is bordered by Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Djbouti, Eritrea, and Sudan. Despite some of those countries being red flags for war and conflict, the Red Sea is a remarkably peaceful and conflict-free body of water. Here, … [Read more...] about Where to Go on the Red Sea in Egypt
Travel Advice
Exploring Aswan and Abu Simbel
Southern Egypt, also known as Upper Egypt, is most famous for the scores of majestic ancient temples that still line the shores of the Nile River for hundreds of miles. Of all the towns and villages in this region, Aswan is the largest in the far south of Egypt and a favorite base from which travelers have set out to visit and explore these ruins for thousands of years. And of … [Read more...] about Exploring Aswan and Abu Simbel
What to See and Do in Luxor
Luxor is Egypt’s number two destination for visitors after the greater Cairo/Giza area further north. Luxor is the area I call the land of tombs and temples because, while there are certainly tombs and temples all over Egypt, Luxor is where the most magnificent ones are located. Most notably in Luxor we have the Valley of the Kings with the splendid underground tombs of … [Read more...] about What to See and Do in Luxor
All About Visiting the Egyptian Museum
There are lots of museums in Egypt and in Cairo and lots of museums around world with Egyptian artifacts, but no other museum in the world contains such an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts as does this one in Cairo, Egypt. And perhaps more remarkably, nowhere else in the world can you get so close and intimate with Egyptian history as you can in this … [Read more...] about All About Visiting the Egyptian Museum
All About Visiting the Pyramids
The Pyramids of Giza in Egypt are the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World to survive into the modern era. Everything else has vanished or crumbled or been destroyed by man or nature, yet these massive monuments have stood the test of time and are still standing today. And take my word on this - these structures are truly awe-inspiring when you’re actually there … [Read more...] about All About Visiting the Pyramids
Getting from the Airport to Your Hotel in Cairo
Hopefully you’ve pre-arranged your transportation from the airport with your fabulous Western-run tour company and someone will be there at arrivals waiting to greet you and get you on your way. If you’re taking responsibility for your own transit from the airport to your hotel, then you’re going to have to gird your loins and be prepared to get ripped off a little in a … [Read more...] about Getting from the Airport to Your Hotel in Cairo
Arriving in Egypt and Getting Through the Airport
We’ve covered quite exhaustively the best ways to get to Egypt in this previous blog post, so now let’s talk a little bit about what to expect on arrival at Cairo International Airport, or CAI as it’s known. First, you can get a tourist visa in advance if you want to, but it’s totally not necessary because you can get a “visa” on arrival at the airport. I put visa in quotes … [Read more...] about Arriving in Egypt and Getting Through the Airport
Getting to Egypt
One of the biggest and most common logistical questions that future visitors to Egypt have is how to get there. For nearly all travelers, you'll almost certainly fly into the country, although very few do cross the land border from Israel into Taba, Egypt. But compared to the total number of international visitors to Egypt, those who come in by land are very far and few … [Read more...] about Getting to Egypt
Why Egypt? And Why Now?
So why Egypt? Why Egypt for me, and why Egypt for so many people all over the world who want to travel there? Well, I’ll tell you that for me it was the sheer volume of sites to see and unique and distinct places to visit within this one country that drew me there originally. When I first moved to Egypt back in 2003, I was there on a language scholarship that required me to … [Read more...] about Why Egypt? And Why Now?
What’s Egypt Like?
You know, I’m sure everyone knows this but it bears repeating because it can be a little shocking at first if you’re not ready for it when you get there, but here goes - Egypt is still a legit developing country. There are some very nice, very luxurious, very modern parts to Egypt, but the overwhelming majority of the country is still developing. Some say Third World, some say … [Read more...] about What’s Egypt Like?
When Is the Best Time to Visit Egypt?
A trip to Egypt is truly a bucket list trip of a lifetime, so planning the right time to go can ensure that your trip maximized to be as amazing as it can possibly be. That's why planning for and around weather can be critical to making sure you have a great experience when you finally arrive. Egypt is obviously a hot country because, well, it’s Egypt. But the summers can … [Read more...] about When Is the Best Time to Visit Egypt?
How Long Should You Stay In Egypt?
Another topic that I'm often asked about is how long one should plan to stay in Egypt when you visit, and part of that depends on how you get there. If you’re tacking a visit to Egypt on to a trip to somewhere else in the region, you can get away with a shorter stay and be ok. If you’re flying all the way from North America just to go to Egypt, then you won’t want to fly all … [Read more...] about How Long Should You Stay In Egypt?