Because we had arranged a special Egyptologist guide, we were granted access to nearby tombs of important officials to see their well-preserved hieroglyphics. In Old Town Cairo, sitting at a street café is a great way to feel like a local. Sip on mint tea and enjoy some shisha as you watch the organized chaos of traffic flow by.
Further up the Nile are two other incredible destinations—Aswan and Luxor. In Aswan, be sure to wander around the bazaar in search of one of its authentic spice shops, which are a sensory experience of sights and smells.
A friendly shop owner will probably offer you tea as you browse the bounty of colorful options. At Karnak Temple in Luxor, we can get you special access with an Egyptologist guide to a guarded room containing a striking black basalt statue of Sekhmet, the goddess of war and magic. She was called “The Powerful One” and was said to breathe fire at the pharaoh’s enemies. The staff she holds is the symbol of the lotus.
WHAT SURPRISED YOU ABOUT EGYPT?
He city sprawl is overwhelming and accounts for the largest urban area in Africa. Speaking of overwhelming, that’s a good word for the number of artifacts in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. You could spend a week wandering the halls and rooms and still not see all the treasures contained in the building.
I learned a lot about Egypt’s history and culture that surprised me too. No one knows what the ancient Egyptians called the Sphinx. “Sphinx” isn’t an Egyptian name but actually the name for the human-headed lion in Greek mythology. Also, camels are so much better adapted for desert life than I realized. It’s a myth that camels store water in their humps. The hump is a fatty deposit and when the camel’s energy reserves get low, the hump shrinks and flops over to one side. After a few days of good grazing, the hump returns to its normal upright position. Camels also have a third eyelid and two rows of long lashes to protect their eyes from sand, as well as the ability to close their nostrils during sandstorms. This is just a small sampling of some of the things we can arrange for you in this fascinating country. We can design the perfect Egypt trip for you, based on your interests and time constraints. Just give us a call or click on the “contact a consultant” button below to get started.