EGYPT
3-18 December 2018
- LAST ANCIENT 7 WONDERS, THE GREAT PYRAMIDS
- ANCIENT CITY, ALEXANDRIA
- EGYPT MUSEUM
- KARNAK TEMPLE
- VALLEY OF THE KINGS
- ABU SIMBEL
- ANCIENT CITY, ALEXANDRIA
- EGYPT MUSEUM
- KARNAK TEMPLE
- VALLEY OF THE KINGS
- ABU SIMBEL
Map of our roadtrip: Giza, Alexandria, Cairo, Hurghada, Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel, Cairo
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Day 1
We arrived Cairo from Amman at around 610pm and flew Royal Jordanian (S$310 each), which allows economy passengers to have two 23-kg check in luggages. We booked the whole 16D15N private tour in Egypt with Happy Egypt Travel Services for USD1985 each. Upon arrival, we were greeted by Happy Egypt staff and after clearing the custom and collected our luggages, we were driven (about 45-50 mins) to our accommodation in Giza. Accommodation, Le Meridian Giza. |
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Day 2
Our guide pick us up at 7am at our request (normally starts at 9am) as we wanted to avoid the crowds. First stop was the Great Pyramids, the only surviving ancient 7 wonders of the world. An amazing site indeed. We spend around 2 hours here, including a 15-20 mins Camel ride. Our next stop was the step pyramid in Saqqara, the first pyramid in Egypt. This place is less crowded as its away from Giza. Here, we also visited some amazing tombs for the high priests in ancient time. The interior paintings on the wall are amazing, and not to be missed. We finished all the tour and was back in hotel by around 3-4pm. After resting for a while in the hotel, we walked about 25 mins from the hotel to the Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet near the Sphinx to enjoy nice sunset and the light show, free from the terrace. |
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Day 3
Pick up in the morning and drove about 2.5 hours to Alexandria to visit Catacombs of el Shoqafa (not to be missed while in Alexandria), followed by Pompey pillar, and the palace in the evening before we were dropped off at our hotel @ Tolip Hotel Alexandria. |
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Day 4
After breakfast and checking out from the hotel, we visited the Library of Alexandria, followed by a church, and the Citadel before having our lunch at a seafood restaurant. After lunch, we headed back to Cairo and stayed in Conrad Cairo. |
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Day 5
After breakfast (good spread in Conrad), we visited the impressive Egyptian Museum, where there's more than 2,000 pieces of ancient sculptures, paintings, etc inside the museum. We spend about 2-3 hours inside this amazing museum and left for lunch in a local restaurant. After lunch, we visited the largest bazaar of the Middle East, the popular bazaar of Khan El Khalili. Back to hotel by around 6pm |
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Day 6
After breakfast in hotel, we were transferred to Cairo airport for a short flight to Hurghada, departing 1420 hours and arriving 1525 hours. Upon arrival, we were transferred to our hotel, Jazz Aqua Marine Hurghada, which is one of the best hotels there. We opted for an all inclusive stay here, which includes all meals during our 4 night stay. |
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Day 7
After breakfast, we were picked up at around 9am for the sea wolf submarine trip in the Red Sea. Not very interesting in our view. We were in the open sea for about an hour to see the underwater fishes and corals, and then they left us on a boat to relax and have drinks for about an hour before sending us back to the hotel |
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Day 8
Woke up before 6am for the amazing sunrise near our hotel. After breakfast, we headed to the Sahara desert for Quad riding and visited a village in the desert. The trip started 9am and back to hotel around 8pm. |
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Day 9
Another trip to the Red Sea for snorkeling today. The water here is amazing. The corals were even better than those we saw in Maldives. Anyone visiting Egypt should spend some time to visit the Red Sea. After two snorkeling spots, we were left on an island for about 45 mins to rest and relax before headed back to the port. |
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Day 10
After breakfast, a driver picked us up and headed to Luxor. We visited Luxor Temple at around 5pm, and left the Temple at night. So we enjoyed the temple during day light as well as when it was lighted up. The temple is even more crowded during night time. Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor and was constructed approximately 1400 BCE. In the Egyptian language it is known as ipet resyt, "the southern sanctuary". Wikipedia. After visiting the temple, we were transferred to our hotel, Maritime Jolie Ville Luxor, for one nigh stay. |
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Day 11
We joined a hot air balloon ride this morning (US$180 each). The pick up time was 445am, and the hot air balloon ride was before the sunrise. The operator, Magic Horizon, is very experience. To see the Valley of the Kings from above is pretty cool. We would recommend people to try the hot air balloon if they are not afraid of height. We were transferred back to the hotel by 730am for breakfast before visiting the Karnak Temple, which is one of the largest Temples in the world. The Karnak Temple Complex, commonly known as Karnak, comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, chapels, pylons, and other buildings near Luxor, in Egypt. Wikipedia. After visiting the Temple, we check in into our River Nile cruise, M/S Nile Style. |
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Day 12
After breakfast on board, today we went to the West Bank to first visit the Valley of the Kings. This is a MUST for people visiting Egypt. There's more than 50 underground tombs open to public now, and each ticket allows you to visit 3 tombs. The paintings and carvings inside the tombs are simply amazing. The colours are still very vivid. From Jan 2018, they now allow tourists to take photos and videos inside the tomb (without flash). Just need to purchase the ticket from the ticket booth. After Valley of the Kings (The Valley of the Kings, also known as the Valley of the Gates of the Kings, is a valley in Egypt where, for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th century BC, rock cut tombs were excavated for the pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom. Wikipedia), we visited Hatshepsut Temple (The Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, also known as the Djeser-Djeseru, is a mortuary temple of Ancient Egypt located in Upper Egypt. Built for the Eighteenth Dynasty pharaoh Hatshepsut, it is located beneath the cliffs at Deir el-Bahari on the west bank of the Nile near the Valley of the Kings. Wikipedia) and the Colossi of Memnon (The Colossi of Memnon are two massive stone statues of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III, who reigned in Egypt during the Dynasty XVIII. For the past 3,400 years, they have stood in the Theban Necropolis, located west of the River Nile from the modern city of Luxor. Wikipedia) before heading back to the cruise, which set sail at around 230pm from Luxor to Esna. |
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Day 13
After breakfast on board, we visited the temple of Edfu, taking the horse carriage from the port to the Temple. The Temple of Edfu is an Egyptian temple located on the west bank of the Nile in Edfu, Upper Egypt. The city was known in the Hellenistic period as Koine Greek: Ἀπόλλωνος πόλις and Latin Apollonopolis Magna, after the chief god Horus, who was identified as Apollo under the interpretatio graeca. Wikipedia After that, we set sail to Kom Ombo to visit its temple before sailing to Aswan. The Temple of Kom Ombo is an unusual double temple in the town of Kom Ombo in Aswan Governorate, Upper Egypt. It was constructed during the Ptolemaic dynasty, 180–47 BC. Some additions to it were later made during the Roman period. Wikipedia |
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Day 14
We left Aswan before sunrise towards Abu Simbel Temple. The drive from Aswan to Abu Simbel took about 3.5 hours. Along the way, we stopped at a rest stop in the Sahara desert to enjoy the sunrise. The Abu Simbel temples are two massive rock temples at Abu Simbel (Arabic: أبو سمبل), a village in Nubia, Upper Egypt, near the border with Sudan. They are situated on the western bank of Lake Nasser, about 230 km (140 mi) southwest of Aswan (about 300 km (190 mi) by road). The complex is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the "Nubian Monuments",[1] which run from Abu Simbel downriver to Philae (near Aswan). The twin temples were originally carved out of the mountainside in the 13th century BC, during the 19th dynasty reign of the Pharaoh Ramesses II. They serve as a lasting monument to the king and his queen Nefertari, and commemorate his victory at the Battle of Kadesh. Their huge external rock relief figures have become iconic (Wikipedia). The Temple is not very big and hence can be finished by an hour before taking the 3.5 hour car ride back to Aswan. In late afternoon, we joined an optional tour to the Elephantine and a local village. |
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Day 15
Breakfast on board, and after that we visited Aswan Dam, followed by the Unfinished Obelisk in the quarry, and ended the tour at the Temple of Philae at mid-day. Philae is an island in the reservoir of the Aswan Low Dam, downstream of the Aswan Dam and Lake Nasser, Egypt. Philae was originally located near the expansive First Cataract of the Nile in Upper Egypt and was the site of an Egyptian temple complex. Wikipedia. Thereafter, we were transferred by to the cruise and waited to be transfer to the airport for our evening flight to Cairo for one night stay before flying off the following day. |
TRIP PHOTOS - EGYPT