Africa

Essential Egypt – 7 day itinerary

Here is our 7 day itinerary for cover essential sights in Egypt. This is at a relaxed pace so that you have enough time to see various sights in Cairo and Luxor.

Detailed itinerary for Egypt

Day 1 Land in Cairo
Most international flights fly into Cairo. Check and relax that night. We stayed at the Sheraton Cairo which was wonderful
Day 2 – Pyramids of Giza and Saqqarah
Take a guide and visit the stepped pyramids Saqqara and then move onto the pyramids of Khafre, the queen and the great pyramid.
Day 3 Cairo sights
Spend the day in Cairo. See Al Ayouby Citadel, Egyptial Museum, Khan al Khalili market
Day 4 Fly to Luxor
Fly to Luxor. See the city and shop at the local market
Day 5 Valley of the Kings
See the amazingly well preserved Egyptian tombs. These sights are right out of Indiana Jones movies.
Day 6 Luxor Temple, Karnak
See the Karnak Temple and Luxor temple.
Day 7 Head back to India
Take the flight out of Luxor to Cairo and then back to Delhi

If you only have 3 days, skip everything but Kumarakom.

If you have 5 days do Kumarakom and Thekkady

What to do in Cairo

We had a great time with our guide in Cairo. His name was Samer. You can contact him at tel:+20 122 4972209

He was very prompt in responding to our emails. We found him because he was rated as the best guide in Egypt by wanderlust magazine and was covered by the telegraph.

We used his services for two days and he made everything easy for us. He also recommended our guide in Luxor to us. More about him later.

Day 2: Giza and Saqqarah

Go to both places on the same day.

The sights require a bit of a walk to see well. We saw Cairo in January but it was still warm. So carry lots of water and be prepared to walk. Here is what to see:

Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqarah
The Great Pyramid at Giza
Pyramid of Khafre
Panorama – Giza/Camel Riding
Great Sphinx of Giza

Stick to this order.

We Came back to our hotel and saw the sunset over Cairo from the lounge at the Sheraton.

Pyramid of DjoserPyramid of DjoserSaqqarah stepped pyramid and a camelSaqqarah stepped pyramid and a camelPyramids in the distanceGreat pyramind of Giza in the SunGreat pyramind of Giza in the SunGreat pyramind of Giza close upGreat pyramind of Giza close upGreat pyramind of Giza behind a camelGreat pyramind of Giza behind a camelGiza Pyramids from a distanceGiza Pyramids from a distanceGiza – SphinxGiza – SphinxCairo – City view sunsetCairo – City view sunsetCairo – Sunset from the SheratonCairo – Sunset from the SheratonCairo – Sunset from the Sheraton 3Cairo – Sunset from the Sheraton 3Cairo – Sunset from the Sheraton 2Cairo – Sunset from the Sheraton 2

Day 3 in Cairo

Visit the following sights:

Mosque of Mohammad Ali
Sights of Coptic Cairo – St. Mariana’s church and the hanging church
The Egyptian Museum
Khan Al Khalili market

Eat at the Naguib Mahfouz restaurant at Khan al Khalili after the long walk at the Egyptian museum. This will give you the energy to explore Khan Al Khalili. It is picturesque.

We left for Luxor by a morning flight from Cairo. This saved us a lot of time and allowed us to see the town in the evening.

Mosque of Muhammad AliMosque of Muhammad AliInside the Mosque of Mohammad AliInside the Mosque of Mohammad AliSt Mariana Coptic ChurchSt Mariana Coptic ChurchSt Mariana Coptic Church CarvingsSt Mariana Coptic Church CarvingsCoptic Cross on chairsCoptic Cross on chairsHanging Coptic church CairoHanging Coptic church CairoEgyptian museum – TutankhamunEgyptian museum – TutankhamunEgyptian museumEgyptian museumNaguib Mahfouz RestaurantNaguib Mahfouz RestaurantKhan Al Khalili – Light shopKhan Al Khalili – Light shopKhan Al Khalili stray catsKhan Al Khalili stray catsKhan Al KhaliliKhan Al Khalili

What to do in Luxor

Day 1 in Luxor

Luxor or the ancient town of Thebes is a must do on your first visit to Egypt.

We landed and checked into our hotel. We stayed at the Jollieville resort. It was really nice. They had a great breakfast and had a bus into the city and out.

We went to the Sofra restaurant for lunch. It is highly regarded for good reason. Its good local food without breaking the bank.

We were followed the entire walk from the bus stop to the restaurant by a man wanting us to rent his horse carriage. Luckily we declined. They run a scam. They get tourists to climb in for a low rate but then charge a lot more to let them off! The police do not bother. These guys give Luxor a bad name.

These guys claim to be struggling because tourism is only beginning to recover in Egypt but they do not have the right attitude. Avoid at all costs.

Here is what we enjoyed in luxor on day 1

Sofra restaurant for lunch
Fresh bread shops on the street
Luxor Market at night

Fresh Bread in LuxorFresh Bread in LuxorBread shopping in luxorBread shopping in luxorSofra platterSofra platterSofra dipsSofra dipsSofra – back of the restaurantSofra – back of the restaurantOld man drinking coffeeOld man drinking coffeeLuxor market at nightLuxor market at nightLuxor market at night 2Luxor market at night 2Avoid at carriages at LuxorAvoid at carriages at Luxor

Day 2 in Luxor

We got our fantastic guide Tayeb to show us around. Tayeb was the manager of the tourist guide syndicate in Luxor. He took us to to the valley of the kings to see the tomb of Tutankhamun and other sights. Even though guides are not allowed inside the tombs, our guide’s summary of what we will see and what we should notice was very helpful.

You can reach Tayeb at: 20-111-1151765.

Here is what we enjoyed in Luxor on day 2

The valley of the kings
The tomb of Ramses IV
The tomb of Ramses IX
The tomb of Merenptah
The tomb on Tutankhamen
Hatshepsut temple
Temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu

The tomb of tutankhamun is not as impressive as the ones you will see before it. This is because all of the interesting things there have been moved to the Egyptian museum.

This trip will make you realize why people call Luxor the greatest open air museum in the world. It really us. It hard to believe how well preserved the 3000 year old tombs are!

Day 3 – See the Luxor City sights

We used day 3 for the following activities:

See the Karnak Temple
Walk over the Luxor Temple
Take an evening sail boat on the Nile

The Karnak temple is actually a vast area. It has various temples, chapels and structures with hieroglyphics everywhere. It is fascinating but this was also where were were historied out! The kids were getting tired and wanted to sit and relax rather than keep hearing stories about old kings and their processions.