Egypt is the world’s oldest famous destination. The trend was established by ancient Greeks and Romans who came to marvel at the cyclopean scale of the Pyramids of Giza and the Colossi of Thebes in ancient Egypt. While Egypt was still a colony, Napoleon and the British stole the country for their national museums, which resulted in a trickle of Grand Tourists who turned into a flood of visitors when Thomas Cook began offering Nile cruises and Egyptological lectures.

While the Nile Valley and the souks, mosques, and madrasahs of Islamic Cairo remain top attractions, tourists are increasingly flocking to nearby coral reefs, tropical fish, dunes, old fortifications, and monasteries as well as prehistoric rock art.

The country is a quirk of nature in terms of geology, and the River Nile is its lifeblood. Barren wastelands surround the Nile Valley and its Delta from the Sudanese border to the Mediterranean coast, the latter as lonely as the former are bustling with people. The extreme contrast between Egypt’s abundance and desolation has molded the country’s history since prehistoric times, providing continuity to a wide range of civilizations and peoples for more than seven centuries. Religion, which permeates every area of life, strengthens this sense of permanence and timelessness. Although ancient Egypt’s pagan cults are as deadly as its legacy of mummies and temples, its ancient fertility rites and boat procession still exist in Islamic and Christian festivals.

As a result, we have a culture that is both old and modern at the same time. Bedouin and Nile peasants continue to lead parallel lives now as they did a thousand years ago. Others include the far-south Nubians and the Coptic Christians, whose lineage may be traced back to ancient Egypt’s pharaonic period. What binds them together is a devotion to their nation, strong links to extended family, and a sense of dignity and compassion toward others. While Egypt’s antiquities are a big lure, for most visitors, it’s the people and their way of life that stick with them.

Cairo, Egypt’s capital, is a raging megalopolis whose main tourist attractions are its bazaars and medieval mosques. However, there is no less fascination in its comparison of medieval and modern life. The city’s fortified gates, villas, and skyscrapers are interwoven by flyovers whose traffic may be halted by donkey carts. The enormity and diversity of this “Mother of Cities” are as mind-boggling as anything else in Egypt. The first pyramids that stretch over the desert to the edge of the Fayoum, just outside Cairo, are the unrivaled trio at Giza, the enormous necropolis of Saqqara, and the pyramids at Dahshur. Aside from that, there are excellent museums dedicated to Ancient, Coptic, and Islamic Egypt, as well as enough entertainment to keep you entertained for weeks.

With its historical monuments and timeless river panoramas, the Nile Valley remains the major traveler draw, as it always has – Nile cruises on a luxury vessel or a felucca sailboat are a fantastic way to combine the two. Luxor is connected to the magnificent Karnak temples and the Theban Necropolis, including the Valley of the Kings, where Tutankhamun and other pharaohs were interred. Aswan, Egypt’s southernmost city, boasts the most beautiful location on the Nile and a relaxing atmosphere. From here, you may visit other temples on Lake Nasser or the island Philae temple of Isis and the rock-hewn colossi at Abu Simbel. Other highlights are Edfu and Kom Ombo, located between Luxor and Aswan, and Abydos and Dendara, located north of Luxor.

Egypt is rich in natural marvels in addition to monuments. The Sinai Peninsula, surrounded by coral reefs teeming with tropical fish, provides excellent diving and snorkeling, as well as palm-fringed beaches where women can swim unmolested. The resorts surrounding the Gulf of Aqaba are diverse enough to appeal to everyone, whether you like the opulent hotels of Sharm el-Sheikh, adjacent Na’ama Bay, or Taba farther north, or the inexpensive, basic life of Dahab and Nuweiba. St Catherine’s Monastery and Mount Sinai (where Moses received the Ten Commandments) are both easily accessible from there. You may even go on car safaris or camel treks to a distant oasis and beautiful wadis if you have more time.

Egypt’s Red Sea Coast features other reefs further offshore, with snorkeling and diving historically centered around Hurghada, while untouched island reefs from Port Safaga down to Marsa Alam entice professional divers. Inland, the rugged Eastern Desert is home to Coptic monasteries dedicated to St. Paul and St. Anthony, Roman quarries, and a plethora of pharaonic and ancient rock art, which few people see save nomadic Bedouin.

While the Eastern Desert is still untouched by tourism, the Western Desert Oases have been on the tourist route for forty years and now host wilderness safaris. On the Libyan border, Siwa has a distinct culture and history, as well as clear lakes and plenty of beauty. Travelers can also take the “Great Desert Circuit” (starting in Cairo, Luxor, or Assyut) through the four “inner” oases – through Bahariya and Farafra have the most appeal. With the lovely White Desert between them, the larger oases of Dakhla and Kharga also have their rewards once you escape their modernized “capitals.” There’s also the difficulty of discovering the Great Sand Sea or the remote wadis of the Gilf Kebir, whose prehistoric rock art was featured in the film The English Patient. The quasi-oases of Fayoum and Wadi Natrun, with the fossil-strewn Valley of the Whales, various ancient monuments, and Coptic monasteries, stand in stark contrast to these deep-desert locales.

Alexandria, Egypt’s second city on the Mediterranean, has a stretch of beaches that Cairenes go to in the summer and great seafood eateries. Despite being founded by Alexander the Great and lost to the Romans by Cleopatra, today’s city bears little resemblance to its ancient glory. However, its magnificent new library, which features statues raised from the sunken remains of Cleopatra’s Palace, and the Lighthouse of Pharos (which divers can explore), are restoring a sense of majesty. Alexandria, famed for its opulence during colonial times, still offers romantics a nostalgic tour of the city memorialized in Durrell’s Alexandria Quartet, while El-Alamein, a World War II battlefield, is located farther down the Mediterranean coast. Divers can explore buried civilizations and military wreckage in the seas near Alexandria.

The Nile Delta, east of Alexandria, has few archeological sites despite its importance in Egyptian history, and tourists usually ignore it. However, Tanta, Zagazig, and other cities hold colorful religious festivals for those interested in Egyptian culture. The Canal Zone, located further east, is dominated by the Suez Canal and its three towns: Suez is desolate, but it serves as a crucial transportation hub between Cairo, Sinai, and the Red Sea Coast; Port Said and Ismailiya are lovely if sleepy, towns where you can get a sense of “real Egypt” without stumbling over other visitors.

EGYPT HIGHLIGHTS

• Pyramids of Giza
• Luxor’s Karnak Temple and Valley of the Kings
• Nile Cruises
• Aswan
• Abu Simbel
• Diving the Red Sea
• Islamic Cairo
• Saqqara
• Cairo’s Egyptian Museum

• Great Sphinx
• South Sinai
• White Desert
• Alexandria
• Abydos Temple
• Siwa Oasis
• St. Catherine’s Monastery

Our Egypt Expeditions