I have always believed that the Middle East is one of the most mysterious, unexplored areas in the world. Not to mention the fact that most media like to paint the area negatively because of all the turmoil in the region. Granted, some areas are dangerous, but that does not mean that the whole of the Middle East is dangerous. To prove this, I decided to go on a "Pilgrimage" journey through the Middle East, starting from Egypt.
Repeated terrorist activities in Egypt are a problem that has gravely affected the once-popular destination. This can be seen throughout the country, from the sight of the crumbling Cairo to the people desperately trying to make a living out of the collapsing tourism industry.
Egypt needs us more than ever before, and I hope this post will inspire the adventurous hearts in all of us to travel there and pull the country out into the light, after all, it is the only Egypt we have.
Cairo
The first thing people do when they arrive in Cairo is to visit the Great Pyramids of Giza, and because of this, the pyramid is where people get scammed the most. That was the case for me as well.
The scam started right from the entrance. I was dropped off by a taxi at the wrong entrance, and a guy approached to help me out. Due to my desperation and the fact that he looked like an authority, I followed him. It was only when we arrived at the entrance that he showed his true self. He wouldn't stop following me. He asked me to pay a whopping 300 EGP for the service of bringing me there. It was an expensive lesson for my stupidity, and from that point on, I made a pact with myself not to get scammed by them again.
Despite the bad experience, looking up at the pyramid from the bottom left me speechless.
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I was there when the gate opened, so I basically had a whole pyramid to myself. It was magical!
Here is me for scale. I was not even that close to the pyramid, yet I was still dwarfed by its majesty.
Another important sight at Giza is the Sphinx. It is much smaller than I had thought, and you can no longer get close to the statue as it has been fenced off to prevent people from damaging the popular figure.
After a day at the Giza Pyramids, I decided to explore Cairo a little bit more. The places I visited were Coptic Cairo, Islamic Cairo, the Mosque of Muhammad (as shown here), and the Khan-El Khalili Bazaar.
The Mosque of Muhammad was my favorite place in Cairo for a reason. There were no scammers, and you could really see how genuinely nice the locals are here.
From the Mosque, you can also see Cairo from the top. It's quite a sight to behold.
Aswan & Abu Simbel
After Cairo, I hopped on a train to Aswan and headed straight to Abu Simbel, a remote temple near the border of Sudan. We were accompanied by a military convoy, causing a bit of a fuss among us travelers. It was a little strange, but we all felt pretty safe throughout the journey... which was a good thing.
The great temples of Abu Simbel made it all worthwhile to travel 9 hours from Cairo to Aswan. Definitely, they are my favorite Egyptian temples of all.
Luxor
From Aswan, I took a train to Luxor, which has been dubbed the land of palaces, and I can see why. Most of the impressive ancient temples are located in this region.
One of those temples is the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, which resembles a certain stage of a popular computer game called Serious Sam.
Excuse my language, but "motherfucking huge" is the only phrase I can use to describe the scale of these Egyptian ruins. This was the gigantic gate of Medinet Habu.
Next up was the Karnak Temple, which was only a few kilometers away from the city center.
Epicly walking through the gate of the Karnak Temple.
How the heck did they build this?
These gigantic pillars are part of the structure that supports the Great Hypostyle Hall of the God Amun-Re.
Can you feel any smaller?
Many obelisks were constructed in the Karnak temple. One still stands as the tallest surviving ancient obelisk on Earth.
Another popular temple in the area was the Luxor Temple, one of the very few temples that are accessible at night.
With beautiful light illuminating the ruins, walking through this once-populated temple at night was eerily satisfying. It was a good closure for my two-week trip in Egypt.
That is it for the 22 Beautiful Travel Photos from Egypt. Have we missed anything? Have you found the guide useful? Let us know in the comments below!
Now that we have all the information we need, it's time to plan your trip to Egypt! Here are some resources to help you get your trip going:
Are you planning to travel to Egypt independently? Be sure to check out my guide on How To Plan A Backpacking Trip here.
Want to take your photography game to the next level? Here are some resources to help you upgrade your work and photography gear:
Further Reading for Egypt
I have plenty of articles to help you with your trip planning in Egypt. Here is a selection of articles about Egypt that you might like:
- Looking for a complete itinerary and travel guide for Egypt? 2-week itinerary for Egypt.
- There's art in scamming people, and there's also art in avoiding them. Here is how to avoid getting scammed in Egypt.
- Home to the Giza Pyramids, Cairo is probably the first place you will be in Egypt. Other than the pyramids, there are also other things you can do too. Here are the 10 Best Things To Do in Cairo, Egypt.
- Aswan, home to the famous Abu Simbel and Philae temples, is a must-visit when you are in Egypt. Here are the 8 Best Things to Do in Aswan, Egypt.
- They don't call Luxor the land of palaces for nothing. Here are the 10 Best Things to Do in Luxor, Egypt, including all the temples and tourist attractions you shouldn't miss.
- You can also watch my travel video here: The Only Egypt We Have.
- To see all articles about Egypt, visit the Egypt Travel Guide page.
- Looking for more travel guides for the Middle East? You can find more on my Middle East Travel Guide page.
- For more of my travel guides, visit my Destinations page.
11 Comments
This is awesome bro! Keep up the good works.
Thank you! Glad you like it. :)
Great article and video
Great video and article! It makes me miss Egypt more and more!
Thank you! I miss the country too!
Great photos, really adding to my wanderlust! I want to desperately visit these parts in Egypt. One thing I want to know, is that did you feel safe in Cairo?
Thank you Alex! I'm not gonna lie, Egypt is definitely on my list as a place with more aggressive touters, BUT if you know how to avoid getting scam, the country is a wonderful place to visit full of history and good travel infrastructure. Safetiness is quite good except for the getting scam part. Here are a few things to look out for:
- Everyone get scammed at the pyramid in some form or another so be extra careful. Don't accept help from strangers around the Pyramid area.
- Taxi meter (same goes for any big cities) in Cairo is never broken so when they say that, don't get on the taxi.
- When someone throws you a scalf or trinket over you, put it down the floor and walk away. Don't give them back, as that is where they will ask for money.
- Don't trust people even if they are standing around police station. I learned this the hard way and they asked me for money saying he guided me.
These are just a few things to avoid. I have written an entire article about it so feel free to search for "How Not To Get Scammed In Egypt" on this blog and you will find more tips. :)
I hope these help!
Hello there! Great report!
I will be visiting Egypt in March and part of my itinerary are the sites that you visited. I was wondering if i could ask you for some help and advice about the trains and tickets? Maybe if you have got some spare time, please drop me a message on the email i provided here. Thank you and God bless!
Hey Geoffrey,
Thank you for the comments. Of course, feel free to shoot me an email or you can also visit my Egypt itinerary guide which should have all the travel information you need to backpack through Egypt. Here is my 2-weeks itinerary for Egypt: https://www.bucketlistly.blog/posts/two-weeks-egypt-itinerary-backpackers
I hope this helps!
I liked your presentation of the subject, it made me eager to go there. I would've enjoyed it more though if no foul language is used. English language still have some descent words, and I sincerely don't mean any disrespect by that. It would've made it easier for me to share the blog with my wife and daughter.