Egypt is a country full of mystery and magic and honestly one of the most fascinating places I have ever visited. I am sure when you think of Egypt you think of the massive ancient pyramids that are one of the 7 wanders of the world but seeing these ancient pieces of history only scratch the surface of what Egypt has to offer.

Planning a trip to Egypt can be overwhelming and for that reason many visitors may stick to seeing the pyramids and other well known spots leaving the best places yet to be explored. Well fear not, I have put together my Itinerary which took me weeks of research and planning to put together. Are you ready?

Day #1

Next I recommend grabbing lunch at 9 Pyramids lounge. Below, I am giving info on my guide I used and I booked this as a part of my private tours. Otherwise reservations may be required.

I did a lot of research on this area and I opted to hire a guide to pick us up and guide us through the pyramids. I am really glad we opted to do this as you can be harassed by vendors wanting a tip for just about anything including photo bombing your photos. I can recommend Emo Tours Egypt which I opted for a private tour, our guide was very knowledgeable and took us to some amazing photo places crowd free.

Last stop will be The Great Sphinx and what a site this made from Limestone with the head of a man and body of a lion it is the oldest sculpture in Egypt!

Day 2 – 5

The Siwa Oasis

The Siwa Oasis was the highlight of my Egypt trip and although getting here requires a very long car ride (11 hours to be exact) it was 100% worth it. The Siwa Oasis is located in the south western corner of Egypt right near the Libya border.

So why would I drive 11 hours, what does Siwa offer? First of all this little city is a true Oasis filled with lush date trees and spring pools. You will see sandy lined streets with residents with donkey carts and little Tuk Tuk’s.

Here is everything to see in Siwa:

1. Siwa Sand Dunes – You will most likely arrive in the late part of the afternoon and I highly recommend picking one night to camp in the Siwa desert. We opted for a sand dune 4×4 drive which stopped at some local springs, watched the sunset and finally ended our evening in the hotsprings base camp.
2. Shali Fortress – Begin your morning exploring the town of Siwa. The Shali fortress is a large complex of old homes built into the mountain that 100’s of people lived in from the 13th century with the last family moving out in the 1910’s
3. Mountain of Death – Explore old tombs dating back to 2500 years.
4. Temple of the Oracle -This is the oldest structure in Siwa dating back 3000 years. Alexander the great went to visit the temple to claim his legitimacy as ruler of Egypt and son of the God Amun.
5. Cleopatra Spring – Take a dip in refreshing spring water.
6. Salt Lakes – How does bright blue salt pools sound in the middle of desert.

Day 6-9

Marsa Alam & Luxor

Marsa Alam can be reached via plane direct from Cairo and while you may be tired from all that driving fear not, as Marsa Alam is located on the Red Sea and the perfect place to relax.

Marsa Alam is home to some beautiful all inclusive resorts. We chose to book our stay at this resort as it was very luxurious and only $112 per night for all inclusive! I was also eyeing this hotel and if your looking for something more luxurious check out their Junior Suite see view room.

Day 6- Enjoy your resort. The red sea has some spectacular snorkeling right off the beach of your hotel.

If you are feeling adventurous you can check out the Abu Dabbab Beach which is known to have giant turtles right off the beach.

Day 7- get ready to be up early as you are going to see dolphins! Now, I want to be honest and I am still including this part of my trip but I have a hard time as there were several boats that dock around the dolphin house which is a beautiful place to snorkel, but be wise when you choose your tour and make sure it is ethical. If I went back in time I would skip this part of my trip and opt to explore more of the surrounding beaches. However, this boat trip you will certainly see 100’s of dolphins and more than likely get to swim near them. Please dont ever touch them! Please remember we are in their home. THere are several options you can book and I used this company.

Day 8- You can take a a day trip directly from Marsa alam to Luxor. This is a very long travel day, but I promise it will be work the long car ride. I booked a day tour with this company and they were excellent! Go inside ancient tombs in Valley of the Kinds and walk along giant pillars that were once part of a giant temple. The epic thing about this tour is they organize everything!

Day 9 – Enjoy another relaxing day at your hotel before you fly back to Cairo, as day 10 will be a travel day. Depending on your flight you may have time to squeeze in more site seeing in Cairo like the Egyptian Museum or the famous Cairo Bazaar.

While you can extend more on your Egypt trip if you have time, I would suggest to do a Nile cruise to see Aswan and Abu Simbel. I was really sad we did not have time to add this part to our trip, but I guess that is all the more reason to book a second trip back!

Final thoughts, I highly recommend Egypt, as noted above I did have guide with me along all our adventures as you can see planning out the logistics can be on the challenging side.

xoxo

Jacqueline