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Itineraries | Country Highlights | Photos of Camps & Lodges
COUNTRY HIGHLIGHTS
The Pharaohs, the Greeks, the Romans, the Arabs, the Turks and the British have all rules Egypt, and modern Egypt is an amalgam of these legacies and the influences of Islam and the 20th century.
Mud-brick villages stand beside Pharaonic ruins surrounded by buildings of steel, stone and glass. Bedouins live in goatskin tents and farmers till the earth with the simple tools of their ancestors. Townsfolk dress in long flowing robes, others in
Levis and Reeboks, and city traffic competes with donkey-drawn carts and wandering goats.
Nowhere are these contrasts played out so colorfully as in Cairo, a massive city thronged with people and ringing to the sound of car horns, ghetto-blasters and muezzins summoning the faithful to prayer. Egypt isn't all chaos and clatter, however. It's also a diver's dream dip, a quiet camel caravan through the desert or a long lazy punt down the Nile.
WHEN TO GO: When to go to Egypt will depend a lot on where you want to go. You'll find wandering around Upper Egypt and Luxor uncomfortably hot in the summer months (June to August) and winter is definitely the best time to be in these areas. Summer is also the time when the Mediterranean coast is at its most crowded. However, winter in Cairo can get pretty cool, so spring and autumn are the best times to be there. Ideally, mid-May to mid-April would be the best time to come to enjoy the warm days without the crush of bodies on the beaches and the midday heat of high summer.
ALEXANDRIA & THE NORTH COAST - "The Northern Coast" is the Egyptian North Western gate stretching 525 Km on the Mediterranean east to Sallum in the Libyan border. This was a rain-dependent agricultural land in the Roman era. Having good faith in the prosperous future of this region, the government spares no effort to develop it. Many comprehensive planning studies have been conducted. Many luxurious tourist spots have been built. In 1978, the process was unleashed. In spite of miles of white sand beaches and azure sea, Egypt's Med is still undeveloped and relatively unpopulated. There are fine beaches all along the coast from Alexandria to Mersa Matrouh, including the resort of Sidi Abdel Rahman, a secluded bay with clear waters and a selection of villas and hotels. At Mersa Matrouh itself, the natural bay and long white beach make for good sunbathing and swimming in calm transparent waters. Hired bicycles, carettas or open-sided tuf-tuf buses will take you to other good bathing spots nearby including the outstar beach at Al-Abyad and Ageebah cove, surrounded by beautiful scenery. As well as beaches there are other attractions in the Mersa Matrouh area: Cleopatra's bath, a rock-hewn whirlpool bath off-shore which was supposedly used by Antony and Cleopatra, a ruined temple fort built by Ramses II, an early Coptic chapel and "Romme's Hideout", a cave where the general planned his military campaigns and which has now been turned into a military museum.
At Abu Qir, a small fishing town, you can sunbathe, fish, swim and eat fresh seafood. To the west of the city try the resorts of Agami or Hannoville.
THE DELTA FROM NORTH OF CAIRO TO THE MEDITERRANEAN EAST OF ALEXANDRIA - The delta is lush with vegetation and its many canals work their way through the land. The Delta fans out like a palm tree trying to reach the Mediterranean. Vast fields of cotton, maize and rice decorate the flat landscape and the buffalo graze, plow or turn wheels for the grinding of the grain. During the winter months it is wise to bring a raincoat because of the high clouds that blow in from the Mediterranean. Along the coast itself, a sweater may be needed in the evenings.
CAIRO AND THE LOWER NILE VALLEY FROM CAIRO TO EL TABBIN - Cairo, and the area around it are considered to be the heart of Egypt, and one may find almost every aspect of Egypt represented in the area, including some of the most famous Pharaonic, ancient Christian and Islamic monuments.
THE LOWER NILE VALLEY FROM EL-MINYA TO EL-MINYA - This area of the Nile River Valley contains a considerable mix of Christian and Coptic, Greek and Pharaonic historical sites, particularly due to its close proximity to the Fayoum Oasis.
UPPER NILE VALLEY FROM SOUTH OF EL-MINYA TO QNA - This area of the Nile River Valley represents the Northern region of Upper Egypt (Southern). It is interesting from the standpoint that the area contains some of the oldest artifacts and the capital of the Old Kingdom, but also has a rich Christian and Islamic tradition.
LUXOR/THEBES FROM SOUTH OF QENA TO NORTH OF IDFU - This area is really dominated by the Luxor/Karnak/Thebes open-air museum, filled with awe inspiring monuments of ancient civilizations as well as some of the best preserved.
As Thebes it was described by Homer as "the hundred-gated city". Its later name, Al-Uqsur, means "City of the Palaces".
Testaments to a desire for immortality, built for eternity in sandstone and granite, the temples, tombs and palaces still stand, surrounded by souks and luxury hotels. On the east bank of the Nile, in the City of the Living, Luxor and Karnak Temples greet the sunrise. The sunset on the west bank throws shadows on the City of the Dead: the Tombs of the Nobles, the Valley of the Kings, Queen Hatshepsut's temple.
Today, you can walk through history; past statues with the heads of gods and animals, beneath carved lotus buds and papyrus. Ride in a horse-drawn caleche, sail in a felucca, take a sunset cruise or see the city from a hot-air balloon.
Please be aware that more than 80 percent of Egyptian artifacts are in the Thebes area and plan your visit accordingly. Many tours devote only four days to the area, with one of those days being a side trip to Abydos and Dendera.
Elsewhere in this region, we find not only some of the oldest remains in Egypt, but also the history of trade and agriculture, of vast camel caravans and the city that grew from that.
ASWAN AND NUBIA, FROM IDFU TO ABU SIMBEL - This area of Egypt enjoys a very rich history and a central role in Egypt's development. There are hundreds of historical sites including some of Egypt's most important monuments. Beginning at Aswan, this area stretches South and includes Lake Nasser. HIstorical sites may be found in and about Aswan, as well as south along the coast of Lake Nasser.
RED SEA - That exquisite corridor of tinted mountains and radiant water...here and nowhere else, is the vestibule between the Levant and the Tropics. -E.M. Forster describing the Gulf of Suez, 1923.
Egypt's Red Sea coast runs from the Gulf of Suez to the Sudanese border. Its mineral-rich red mountain ranges inspired the mariners of antiquity to name the sea Mare Rostrum, or the Red Sea. Hermits seeking seclusion founded early Christian monasteries here, sharing the wilderness with camel-trading Bedouin tribes. Today, the crags and limestone wadis of the Eastern Desert remain relatively unexplored, home to ibex and gazelle. But the Red Sea itself, dotted with coral reefs, fringed by ancient ports, teeming with underwater life, has a rich maritime history which stretches back to Pharaonic times. The thermal winds that once sped clippers to the East still bring thousands of migrating birds to the shores of the Red Sea, making it a paradise for bird-watchers. Today, the ancient ports are better known as some of the best diving and fishing resorts in the world. Here, you will find over 800 fish species, including the deadly stone-fish, the equally dangerous butterfly-fish, as well as surgeon fish, jellyfish such as the cassiopei, crabs that sometimes overrun the shore in the evening and some species of shark. Sunbathers relax on white sand beaches, or find shade in the mangrove lagoons that line the coast, while snorkelers explore the reefs. And the underwater wonder of the Red Sea remains a living tapestry of vibrant corals and exotic fish, waiting for you to discover its secrets.
SINAI - After 8,000 years at the heart of history, experience the continuing contrasts. Sinai is where rock meets coral reef and the desert stops at the sea. It is the grandeur of granite meeting golden beaches. Here, you will find tropical fish and rare birds, spectacular sunsets and clear starry nights. Meet Sinai and discover yourself. El-Arish has shady palm beaches, Mediterranean waves and the glowing colors of Bedouin crafts. Sharm El-Sheikh is the simplicity of sun, sea and sand. The luxury of five-star hotels, water sports, shopping and entertainment. Ras Mohamed is a world famous paradise of coral gardens and tropical fish.
Sinai is the land of discovery. It is the route to the Promised Land, where Isis sought Osiris and the Pharaohs found gold. It is where Moses witnessed the Burning Bush and the Bedouins camped by Crusader forts. Sinai is the meeting point for three great religions, at the crossroads of Africa and Asia.
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