From Kenya, we flew straight into Egypt—trading equatorial heat for North African winter and instantly relearning how to layer. Heat instead of air conditioning. Scarves back in rotation. Adaptation mode: fully engaged.
I’d been to Egypt once before, 35 years ago, and was utterly enchanted then. This time, I couldn’t wait for Mike to experience it—and to see how Egypt would feel to me now, with a few more decades (and a lot more travel) under my belt.
South to North, the Nile Way
We began in the south—Upper Egypt (the Nile flows south to north, after all)—starting at Abu Simbel, then Aswan, before boarding a small cruise ship and drifting north to Luxor, stopping at temples along the way. From Luxor, we continued on to Cairo, and finally Alexandria on the Mediterranean.
Having already seen the Nile in Uganda and Ethiopia, it was striking to experience just how utterly essential it is here. Ninety‑five percent of Egypt’s population lives along its banks. Walk a few miles in either direction and you’re in pure desert. After four months in sub‑Saharan Africa, Egypt felt cooler, more austere, more monumental—and just like before, it pulled me in completely.
Why Egypt Gets Under Your Skin
Egypt is singular. The pharaohs. The pantheon of gods and goddesses intertwined with human royalty. The colossal temples and tombs that still loom across the landscape. The mummies, astonishingly preserved after more than 3,000 years. And because Egypt sat at the crossroads of ancient civilizations, the layers of Greek, Roman, and later influences are everywhere.
As kids, many of us were fascinated by Egypt without ever considering ourselves history geeks. Hieroglyphics. Pyramids. Animal‑headed gods. The Sahara. The Nile. Familiar and wildly exotic at the same time. I even knew how to write my name in hieroglyphics. And the historical figure I most wanted to meet? Cleopatra—a powerful woman ruling in a world dominated by men.
During the trip, Mike and I leaned fully into the Egypt movie canon: a Cleopatra series, The Ten Commandments (which—spoiler alert—is as preachy as you’d expect), Lawrence of Arabia for desert vibes (yes, Arabia, not Egypt), and clips from The Spy Who Loved Me, watching James Bond square off with Jaws against the very temples and pyramids we’d just seen in real life. Pure escapism—and surprisingly fun context.
Crowds? Surprisingly Manageable
We spent 18 days in Egypt during the so‑called high season, and to my pleasant surprise, the tourist crush I’d feared never really materialized.
The busiest site was the Valley of the Kings, but even there we managed to visit six popular tombs in about two hours—without a Fast Pass (LOL). The longest wait to enter any tomb was roughly ten minutes. The passageways are narrow, so you move at the pace of the group ahead of you, but that just means more time to gape at the reliefs, statues, and vividly painted sarcophagi.
Temples, Crocodile and Falcon‑Faced Gods
Abu Simbel and Aswan were spectacular. These southern temples—dedicated to Isis, Hathor, Nefertari, and Ramses II—sit serenely along the Nile and feel almost mythic in their isolation.
One of the joys of the Nile cruise (beyond the sublime scenery) was being with the same small group and guide for three consecutive days. By the end, we were surprisingly fluent in pharaohs, gods and goddesses, Egyptian versus Arabic names, and the intricate social pecking order of ancient civilization. It set us up perfectly for the rest of the trip.
Along the way we stopped at the Temple of Sobek (crocodile‑faced god) and the Temple of Horus (falcon‑faced god). We saw numerous mummified crocodiles—uniformly torpedo‑shaped, which somehow made them both fascinating and faintly ridiculous.
Luxor: Maximum Star Power
Then came Luxor, where the density of world‑class sites is almost absurd. We visited:
- Valley of the Kings
- Valley of the Queens
- Karnak Temple
- Luxor Temple
- Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut
- Colossi of Memnon
So much star power in one area—each pharaoh determined to outdo predecessors with bigger temples, taller columns, and grander offerings to the gods. It’s competitive architecture on a divine scale.
Camels, Pyramids and a Vanishing Act
From Luxor we headed north to Cairo and Giza, which are essentially adjacent. We visited the three great pyramids externally (no climbing allowed!) and opted to enter one of the smaller pyramids, which actually has a more manageable interior passageway than the Great Pyramid.
We also did the classic camel‑ride photo op with the pyramids—and honestly, it was worth every penny. It was our first time riding a camel, and we’re now officially hooked. More camel adventures await us in Morocco, where we’ll spend a night at a desert camp.
We saw the Sphinx and the nearby tomb of Queen Meresankh III, which felt like a quieter, more human counterpoint to the monumental scale of the pyramids.
The weather in Giza was…odd. Mornings were hazy, and the haze thickened as the day went on until the pyramids nearly vanished, reduced to faint outlines by afternoon. We’d been warned about Cairo’s pollution, but not Giza’s. Locals explained that not all of it is pollution—climate and geography play a role—and the shifting visibility throughout the day made that explanation ring true.
Hotels: From Rooftop Breakfasts to Presidential Suites
Our accommodations ranged from mid‑level to downright sumptuous.
On the luxe end: a free upgrade to a Presidential Suite on the cruise ship, plus points stays at Marriott, Four Seasons, and Hilton properties. We happily took advantage of gyms, saunas, pools, and executive lounges with free food and drinks.
On the simpler end: a hotel with breakfast served only on a windy rooftop overlooking the Nile (beautiful view, cold fingers), food that was…uninspired, and a clean but basic room down a dirt road with no nearby shops. Fortunately, we like to walk—a lot!
Egypt, Revisited—and Re‑Understood
Egypt captivated me all over again. This time, though, it felt more intentional. I understood the layers better—the dynastic periods, the Ptolemaic era, the Greco‑Roman influences—and how they all fit together.
Ancient, monumental, cool in every sense of the word. Egypt still has its spell. And somehow, after all these years, it cast it even deeper.