Disclosure: Geckos Adventures hosted my Egypt and Jordan Highlights trip, which included 9 days in Egypt. As always, all opinions are my own. This post also contains affiliate links.
Temples, pharaohs, hieroglyphics, and pyramids. Unlike many countries, Egypt doesn’t need an introduction. The stories of raided tombs and well-preserved mummies make this country the top of pretty much everyone’s bucket list. Yet, Egyptian tourism is suffering, thanks to misleading media coverage and recent political history. Despite the occasional unrest, I still maintain that now is the perfect time to visit. Low tourism means cheap prices, emptier sites, and awesome photos. Plus, a favorable exchange rate means that supporting the local economy won’t break the bank. You can live like a king pharaoh in the time you’re here.
Is it Safe?
Ah, the burning question that’s on everyone’s mind. I am no geopolitical expert, but I have traveled to Egypt enough times in my life to vouch for my experiences. I have never felt unsafe in Egypt, and this trip was no exception. Quite a few family members and friends have visited countless times over the last few years and have said the same. Plus, the Egyptian government has gone above and beyond in improving security, especially at tourist sites and high-traffic areas. The train station even assigns guards to keep a special eye on tourist groups and travelers! My advice is to be as cautious as you’d be traveling anywhere in the world, but don’t let the media scare you away from Egypt.
I spent a grand total of three weeks in Egypt, traveling independently for two weeks before joining the Geckos Adventures Egypt and Jordan Highlights tour. While independent travel in Egypt is possible, it can definitely be challenging. Instead, I recommend doing a group tour – specifically, the tour I took with Geckos Adventures. Keep reading to learn what exactly the tour entailed including what I loved (and didn’t).
The Itinerary:
Day 1: Cairo
This day doesn’t technically start until the evening check-in meeting, so arrive the day before to adjust to the time difference and have a full day exploring the city. Cairo can be overwhelming for the first time visitor, so I recommend one of the day trips with Cairo Urban Adventures – Saqqara and Memphis, Islamic Cairo or Downtown Cairo.
The Pyramid at Saqqara
That evening, you’ll meet your new Geckos family for the week! My group had a grand total of 8 people: 6 Aussies, an American girl, and me. Nothing is a better ice breaker than a yummy meal, so we all headed over to Koshary Al-Tahrir for some carby goodness.
My FAVORITE Egyptian dish, koshary!
Day 2: Cairo
You’ll wake up bright and early on the first official day of the tour and start off with a hearty Egyptian breakfast at the hotel. This is where you should try a generous helping of ful mudamas (Egyptian beans) with a side of cheese and pita. If there’s one thing Egyptians love, it’s heavy meals!
After breakfast, you’ll board a minibus that will take you to the best spot in Cairo – the Great Pyramids, of course! Our tour guide Ahmed was a major history buff, which was incredibly helpful on this trip. He also served as a bit of a bodyguard, telling us how much we should be paying for souvenirs, camel rides and more. Pro tip: Camel rides shouldn’t cost more than 100 EGP (~$6 at the time of writing). Be prepared to haggle and bring small change to tip as well! We got some pretty sweet photos, if I do say so myself.
Although there isn’t much to see, we all chose to go inside the Great Pyramid. It was stuffy and cramped despite it being February, so I don’t recommend going inside if it’s summer. Comfy and sturdy shoes are a must!
The visit to the Pyramids would be incomplete without seeing the Sphinx, where you’ll head to next. Watching people get creative with their poses is hilariously entertaining.
I crack myself up sometimes.
After a quick pit stop for lunch, you’ll go to Downtown Cairo to visit the giant Egyptian Museum. Ahmed guided us through part of it then left us to explore on our own for a couple of hours. The cool parts of the museum are King Tut’s Mask and the Mummy room (an extra 100 EGP entrance fee). It’s a bit unnerving to see mummies in real life, complete with tufts of hair. I would not want to get trapped in that room!
cool and creepy at the same time!
At that point, the tour part of the day is officially over, and you’ll head back to the hotel for a few hours before going to the train station for your overnight train to Aswan. Our group chose to wander around the neighborhood, get coffee at the local café and pick up snacks for our train ride. However, if you feel like unwinding or separating from the group for a bit, you can definitely do that as well.
That evening, the minibus will transport you to the train station for your overnight train to Aswan. The ride itself takes anywhere from 10-12 hours depending on train delays (a frequent occurrence in Egypt), but the sleeper train is really fun and pretty comfortable! Each compartment locks into a small room and is equipped with two beds, a sink, and plugs for your electronics. Both dinner and breakfast are provided on the train (a little carb-heavy but otherwise decent). A few of us ended up hanging out together for a few hours in one of the compartments after dinner, making the time on the train pass much more quickly. Bonding time, anyone? While sleeping on the train won’t be the best sleep you’ll ever get, I found it to be surprisingly comfortable. Keep your toiletries and pajamas handy!
Day 3: Aswan
There’s nothing quite like waking up to views of the Egyptian countryside from your window. You’ll be fed lots and lots of carbs for breakfast and arrive…well, when you arrive. We got to our hotel in Aswan around 11 am and had some time to freshen up before starting our day. Although this is technically a free day, there are plenty of cool optional activities you can do. Our group chose to stick together and we went to the Unfinished Obelisk, Philae Temple and the Aswan Dam. Philae Temple is a UNESCO World Heritage site that was once transferred block by block to Agilika Island. Yes, it is as cool as it looks.
Unfinished Obelisk
Enroute to Philae Temple
Couldn’t resist
The dam
For dinner, we went to a random street stall before calling it an early night. Our whole group had opted for the optional Abu Simbel trip the next day (which I highly recommend) and our pickup time was 4:30 am. SO early!
Day 4: Aswan / Abu Simbel
So…about that 4:30 AM wake up call. If you’re like the rest of the group, you’ll wake up on time and be ready downstairs when the bus arrives. If you’re me, you’ll oversleep your alarm and wake up at 4:25 AM after the reception calls you. OOPS. Luckily, I managed to get dressed and throw my life into my purse within 5 minutes. The trip to Abu Simbel takes between 3-4 hours, so you can catch up on beauty sleep (and beautify yourself hehe) on the bus ride there. Pro tip: there are flights to Abu Simbel but they don’t run daily and can be expensive. I recommend sticking to the bus option.
Abu Simbel is seriously impressive. It’s comprised of twin temples built by Ramses II for himself and his wife, Queen Nefertari. Like Philae Temple, Abu Simbel was also relocated from its original location to prevent submersion. We were so far south that we could actually SEE Sudan from the temples! Crazy. After spending a couple of hours there, we turned around and drove back to Aswan. If you look closely in the desert on the ride back, you can spot actual mirages. So cool!
Virtually empty!
I was wide awake on the way back hehe
Since our day started before dawn, literally, we still had most of the day ahead of us by the time we arrived back. The rest of the day is free to explore how you choose. We took advantage of our time by eating lunch on a boat on the Nile then haggling our way through the local bazaar. At night, we chilled at the rooftop bar of the hotel and took in the amazing views of the Nile before going to bed.
Horse and buggy!
Travis rocking his new galabeya!
Day 5: Felucca
After breakfast at the hotel, you’ll run across the street, luggage in tow, and board a traditional Egyptian sailboat called a felucca. You’ll spend all day and night on the felucca, getting your tan on, taking naps, and pretending to be the captain. Pro tip: all your luggage will go underneath the deck, so keep your essentials handy in a small bag. The amazing chefs and captains on board are Nubians, who’ll teach you about the interesting Sudanese-Egyptian cultural fusion of Southern Egypt.
Our captains and chefs!
We spent most of the day basking in the sun, taking naps, and talking. At one point, we stopped for a couple of hours for an optional swim in the Nile, but only a few people jumped in. It was still February, after all! When the sun was setting, we all clamored to the top of the boat for the beautiful sunset views. They did not disappoint! After dinner, some of us headed to shore and made a bonfire. My role was to take photos because I’m basically useless outdoors. Do all Aussies get trained in outdoor survival or something? I was really impressed by how quickly they got that fire started. Thankfully we were all friends by this point in the tour because we all slept in a row on the boat. Pro tip: pack ALL the layers – it gets frigid at night!
the Geckos crew
almost sunset views
Our epic bonfire
Day 6: Luxor
After breakfast on the felucca, you’ll pack up your stuff and get on the minivan to Luxor. It’s another free day, but we all agreed that the detour to Edfu Temple was necessary, and off we went. This temple is dedicated to Horus, son of Isis and Osirus, and is incredibly well-preserved.
Edfu Temple
After arriving at the hotel, you’ll be free to do as you please. Our group took horses and buggies over to Karnak Temple, one of the largest religious buildings ever constructed. It is beyond impressive and we spent several hours exploring the various columns, chapels and temples in this giant complex.
spotted at Karnak Temple
Our same horse and buggies took us to dinner, where some of our group tried stuffed pigeon – an Egyptian delicacy that is worth trying at least once. For all the yummy eats you should try in Egypt, check out my guide to Egyptian food here.
Sneak shot I took of Rohan eating pigeon
I opted for chicken instead.
Since we had woken up at 7 am on the felucca that morning, everyone was more than ready to call it an early night after dinner.
Day 7: Luxor
Although Geckos doesn’t have any recommended partners, a few of us were eager to do a hot air balloon ride at the Valley of the Kings. Unfortunately, we made it all the way to the ferry only to be told that it was too windy to fly. Who says Egypt doesn’t care about safety?
Before the hot air balloon ride got cancelled :(
If you don’t attempt to do a hot air balloon ride, you’ll start your day by heading directly to the Colossi of Memnon, two statues of the Pharaoh Amenhotep. Instead, Ahmed kindly brought us breakfast boxes from the hotel and picked us up from the port to take us to the statues.
From there, you’ll ride donkeys through the spectacular views of the Luxor countryside. Our group was definite #SquadGoals. Even though donkeys are really small, I still had a hard time getting onto mine because short girl problems.
At this point, it’ll be time for the highlight of Luxor: the Valley of the Kings! This is where you’ll find the tombs of many famous pharaohs including Tutankamun’s (for an extra fee). Unfortunately, photography is not allowed here, but check out this link for a rare look inside some of the tombs. Pro tip: comfy shoes and lightweight clothing are a must here. It is HOT inside those tombs.
The rest of the day is free for you to do as you please but our group opted to visit the Hatshepsut Temple, a shrine to Egypt’s only female king. Feminism in the ancient times for the win! Her temple is pretty legit too.
The Geckos Squad
Such vibrant colors at this temple!
At this point, we were all starving given that we’d been tomb raiding (ha!) all day. Although I talked some people out of going to McDonald’s, the local restaurant ended up taking forever to make our food! That was a rare time where McDonald’s would have been a better option, especially considering how hangry we all were.
We had a couple of hours to kill before our overnight bus back to Cairo so everyone did their own thing. Some of us went to a bakery then back to the hotel to shower, while others decided to test out their haggling skills at the local bazaar.
That evening, you’ll once again board the overnight sleeper train, enroute back to Cairo. I couldn’t believe that we only had one more day left in the trip at this point!
Day 8: Cairo
You’ll get breakfast on the train and if you’re lucky, you’ll arrive in Cairo mid-morning. This is the last full day of the tour, so you can do whatever you please (I’ve included a few recommendations below). Everyone chose to do their own thing during the day, but we did agree to do a goodbye dinner on a Nile Cruise that evening. I chose to do laundry and spend some time with my cousins. After all, I had a trip planned to Jordan the next day!
My cousins took me to try a “bomba”…I made them eat it with me!
That evening, we reconvened at the hotel and were picked up to for our Nile Cruise. The minibus dropped us off and we were impressed to board a somewhat luxurious ship, complete with a delicious dinner buffet, live music, a belly dancer, and some other performances. Although the group was less-than-impressed by the belly dancer, we loved the other performances and the cruise itself. It was truly the best way to end our time in Egypt together.
The last supper
Tannoura performance
Only half of our group was continuing onto Jordan the next day, so we all said our sad ma’asalamas to each other and headed off to bed.
Day 9: Cairo…and beyond
The tour will officially end on this day after breakfast so you’re free to go home, continue exploring Egypt, or head to Jordan (this was the combined tour I did). If you don’t decide to continue to Jordan, I recommend spending a few extra days (or even a week) in Egypt and checking out some of the other cool things to do (suggestions below).
To extend your trip:
While this itinerary certainly covers the highlights of Egypt, there are tons of other cool places to see! Here are my recommendations if you want to spend some extra time there:
An overnight camping trip in the Black and White Deserts
3-4 days relaxing by the Red Sea in Hurghada
3-4 days relaxing, hiking, and diving at either Sharm-el-Sheikh or Dahab
2 days exploring Alexandria
2 additional days in Cairo:
Khan el Khalili Bazaar
The Citadel and Coptic Cairo
Saqqara and Memphis
Downtown and Islamic Cairo
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (ha):
Okay, there wasn’t any ugly, but I just really wanted to reference that movie title. I loved the tour. It was incredibly organized, fun, and covered the highlights of Egypt. A lot of the temples are optional, which is nice if you get a bit templed out. Although our group chose to do most of the optional activities, you always have the option to opt out if you’d rather have a free day or do something else. I recommend doing a bit of research on the different temples you’d like to visit before you go. Another thing to note: tipping is a huge part of the culture in Egypt. Our entire group pitched in to a tipping kitty (500 EGP or ~ $30 at the time of writing, per person) and let our guide handle all the tips.
There were a couple of things I’d say need improvement on the tour. I was a little disappointed by the food recommendations made by our tour guide. Having been to Egypt before, I know that the food is incredible, but a lot of the places we ate at weren’t as amazing. Knowing this, I recommend doing some restaurant research beforehand, especially for Luxor and Aswan. Additionally, it’s worth noting that a lot of the hotels only had WiFi in the lobby and it wasn’t always very good. This made it a bit challenging to work, but I understand that most people aren’t working on the road. I worked around this by buying a local sim card with data as well as renting a TEP portable WiFi hotspot.
Final thoughts:
Although I don’t take group tours that often, this was my second trip with Geckos Adventures. You can read my review about why I like the company so much here. I don’t think group tours are necessary for every country, but I highly recommend doing one (specifically, this one) in Egypt.
Although I felt safe the entire time I was there (both with and without the group), there’s something to be said about having all the details of your trip already planned and having an awesome guide that is knowledgeable both about the history and the customs. English is not widely spoken (especially outside of Cairo), making it difficult to get around for non-Arabic speakers. Additionally, there is an issue with catcalling in Egypt, which can be uncomfortable and angering for many women. I found that the catcalling problem virtually disappeared when I traveled in a group, compared to my experiences traveling alone or with other women.
The Tours:
As many of you know, Geckos Adventures offers budget tours for 18-29 year olds. I know that some of my readers are 30+, so I’m including links to similar tours hosted by Geckos’ sister company, Intrepid Travel. Intrepid does not have any age restrictions and has more activity and meal inclusions than Geckos.
Geckos Adventures Egypt Unearthed Tour
Intrepid Travel Egypt Adventure Tour
Geckos Adventures Egypt and Jordan Highlights Tour
Intrepid Travel Discover Egypt and Jordan Tour
What to pack for Egypt:
While Egypt isn’t super conservative, I’d avoid tank tops and shorts out of respect (and so you don’t stand out). Lightweight and loose clothing are key to keeping cool and comfortable. During winter, it’s warm during the day and chilly at night, so bring layers! I’ve listed some sample items to bring along in your suitcase below.
Leggings
Blouses
Loose pants
Cardigan
Long skirt
Scarf
Large hat
Sunblock
Water bottle
Waterproof phone pouch
Bug repellant
Travel adapter
Water resistant backpack
Comfy walking sandals
GoPro Hero5 + accessories OR FauxPro
Sony Digital Camera
Sunglasses
Swimsuit (in case you want to take a dip in the Nile)
Hand sanitzer and / or baby wipes
After spending three weeks in Egypt (one of which was spent on the Egypt and Jordan Highlights Tour), my resounding conclusion is this: it’s time for you to get to Egypt. With inexpensive prices, high security and a welcoming and fascinating culture, Egypt will surely shatter any misconceptions you have about visiting.
Tell me: Is Egypt on YOUR bucket list? Which of these places do you most want to visit? Share in the comments below!
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Pharaohs and Feluccas: Exploring Egypt with Geckos Adventures Disclosure: Geckos Adventures hosted my Egypt and Jordan Highlights trip, which included 9 days in Egypt.
