TRAVEL TO EGYPT

Standing in front of the RED PYRAMID. This is the first example of a smooth sided pyramid ever built.

I recently took to the road, a real sandy and dusty one, to EGYPT! This destination has always been on my bucket list and it did not disappoint. I want to share a few things about my experience including covid protocols, safety, and the sites. As I always say, I know that traveling is not for everyone right now, we all have our own levels of risk aversity. But through my many travels since the pandemic started, I have felt comfortable and safe while traveling. I follow all safety protocols and recommendations and, thankfully, have not contracted Covid during any of my trips.

I left for Egypt on November 6th and departed on the 16th. My flight TO Egypt connected thru Amsterdam, and I mention this because the city you connect thru does change the timing of your Covid Testing. In order to travel to Egypt (at the time I am writing this) you must present a Negative PCR Test within 72 or 96 hours of your departure to Egypt (the timing depends which city your flight into Egypt leaves from). For example, if you fly direct from the US? You have 96 Hours. If you connect thru Paris? You have 96 hours. If you connect thru Amsterdam? You have 72 hours. I was able to locate a lab 2 hrs from my home that guaranteed the test within 48 hours. There is also a kit online that guarantees 24 hours return from the time it arrives in their lab. My results arrived 12:15 AM on the day I left, November 6th. My flight didn’t leave until 10:30 PM so this left me plenty of time to print my report to present it to the authorities.

When I travel for work, my itinerary is always jam packed! I often experience in one day what my clients will do over three days. My itinerary (you can see it HERE) was as follows: 4 Nights in Cairo, 2 Nights in Luxor, 2 Nights in Aswan. I was hosted by one of my favorite travel partners, Big Five Tours and Expeditions, who specialize in uncommon adventures in extraordinary places in Africa, Asia, Latin America and South Pacific. They are a 5 star company and offer extraordinary white glove service.

First, I want to share that this is a very unique time to visit Egypt. If you have ever dreamed of traveling here, I can’t imagine a better time to visit as you will enjoy the sites and antiquities with very little to no contact with other tourists. My travel pod enjoyed seemingly private access to the Pyramids, Valley of the Kings, Temples and more. And while in normal times, I can provide exclusive access to many sites and activities, right now you have exclusive access everywhere. Imagine entering King Tut’s Tomb, never having to wait on line, and spend as much time in the tomb as you like with no other people. Or visiting the Karnak Temple, and seeing maybe 10 other tourists at the most! This was great as a “tourist” who wants to be social distanced from others during the pandemic.

Next, I want to address safety. Many friends, family, and clients expressed a curiosity about the safety of traveling in Egypt. Since the revolution of 2013, the current President has taken great strides to ensure the safety of tourists. Their economy, after all, relies on tourism and they take safety extremely seriously there. Egypt has their own division of police called the “Tourism Police” We were assigned a police officer who was by our side from the minute I came thru customs until I left. It felt like having a secret service agent—You know he’s there but his presence is not intrusive. Sometimes we were guided by 3 or 4 tourism police, depending on the activity (like at local markets, there are local tourist police who join as our escort). You can expect to go thru metal detectors at every site, have your car stopped and checked, and all tourists and their itineraries are registered so they know who to expect at the sites and when. All this is to say, there was not a single moment where I did not feel safe in Egypt.

Walking a local market with the Tourism Police in Aswan

In Cairo, we were guided each day by the brilliant and charming Manal Helmy, one of Egypt’s top Egyptologists. We started our day with a visit the area formerly known as Memphis, which was the capital of the Northern area of Ancient Egypt. Next we visited Saqqara, which was one of the highlights of the trip for me. The very first Pyramid, known as the Step Pyramid is here, as well as hundreds of other tombs and ancient structures. I was particularly enchanted by the Pyramid of Unas, where you climb down into the tomb which reveals incredibly vibrant Hieroglyphs painted in blue, the color still remains today. Some of you may have seen the new NETFLIX film “Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb” where a recent unopened tomb was discovered. It was thrilling to see this area from afar, although tourists are not yet allowed in this site.

Part of the steep climb to the top of the Great Pyramid

Our next stop was the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx. Having dreamed of visiting this site my entire life, I assure you that it did not disappoint in person! My colleagues and I climbed to the top of the Great Pyramid, 455’ tall, where you visit the sarcophagus of Khufu (Cheops). This climb is narrow and steep, and is INSIDE the pyramid- definitely not for the feint of heart. After this visit we had lunch at the newly opened 9 Pyramids, which has the most spectacular views of an restaurant I have ever visited! We also enjoyed an exclusive tour of the new visitor’s center, which will open next year.

The view at the newly opened 9 Pyramids. The food was as great as the scenery!

Other highlights in Cairo included: The Egyptian Museum, The Citadel, a visit to the Medieval area, Dashur and more. Cairo is so much more than Giza and the Pyramids. Two new Museums are to open very soon (delayed because of covid): The Grand Museum of Egypt and the Museum of Civilization. Clearly I will need to return to see these wonderful museums. Manal also took us shopping in local markets and recommended some incredible local restaurants.

Medieval Cairo has some wonderful shops within the labyrinth of winding streets.

There are many excellent hotels in Cairo, but all are located in different areas of the city so it’s important that you work with a travel advisor who understands your schedule and priorities. We stayed at the Four Seasons First Residence and did site inspections at the Four Seasons Nile Plaza and the Ritz Carlton Nile. All hotels were beautiful and luxurious in their own ways.

A short one hour flight on day 5 brought us to Luxor where we stayed at the Sofitel Winter Palace Luxor. Luxor is a must visit when you go to Egypt. Here we were met by Wafika, another top Egyptologist with a PhD in her field. Here you will see the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens, the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut (my personal favorite Pharaoh), Deir EL Medina, The Karnak Temple, The Luxor Temple, and so much more. The Valley of the Kings is normally bustling with tourists and you can expect to wait on lines to get into the most famous tombs here, including the Tomb of King Tut. But given the pandemic, we had the Valley entirely to ourselves (again, this was so sad for me as a travel advisor, but so incredible as a tourist). The highlight for me in Luxor was the Luxor Temple at night. It was beautifully lit up on a warm and breezy night, and a perfect way to see this awe inspiring temple. It is simply breathtaking. Again, what I did in one day would probably occur over 3 days for my clients.

The Famous Hypostyle at the Karnak Temple. Normally there would be 100s of people here.

The Luxor Temple at night, built by Ramses the Great.

Enjoying a visit to King Tut’s tomb, without any other tourists to rush us!

Queen Hatshepsut’s Temple in The Valley of the Kings

After Luxor, we drove to Aswan, stopping at some must-see temples along the way including Edfu Tell and Kom Ombo. Aswan is the most beautiful of the cities we visited. The Nile river is quite narrow here as it is located along one of the Cataracts. Because of this, there is spectacular scenery everywhere. Our hotel, The Sofitel Legend Old Cataract, was built in 1901 and perfectly marries the charming days of the early 1900s with modern amenities. Two suites of note here are the Winston Churchill Suite and the Agatha Christie Suite, where she wrote her famous novel “Death on the Nile”. In Aswan, we visited the Aswan Dam, Lake Nasser, the Temple of Philae, the Unfinished Obelisk, and so much more! We learned to make ancient papyrus and had a wonderful sail on the Nile River.

Enjoying a sunset sail on the Nile River in Aswan

After Aswan, we returned to Cairo for one last night and a fun farewell dinner. I have so many take-aways from this trip, too many to write about here. But aside from the wonderful sites and antiquities, I am left with a lasting impression of the kind Egyptian people. Egypt relies on tourism for their income, and so many families are suffering from the lack of tourism. I always felt safe, and we were warmly welcomed everywhere we went, from the people working in the hotels, to the spice vendors in the local markets. I can tell that seeing Americans touring Egypt gives the people there much needed hope.

While most people are not ready to travel yet, I encourage you to start travel dreaming! With a vaccine on the near horizon, there is a pent up demand for travel, and people are booking (and re-booking) their trips for 2021. Companies have generous cancel policies and it is my hope you will reach out soon for your next trip, perhaps to beautiful Egypt!

A visit with a Nubian Family in their outdoor home.

My just being silly! This photo is taken in Edfu Tell.