8 Incredible Places That You Must Visit in Egypt
Egypt has always been associated with pyramids and desert. After our 12 days in Egypt trip, we realised there are so much more to explore! Most part of Egypt is covered by the low-lying sand dunes, valleys and mountainous plateaus. With that said, the attractions are quite scattered and you will need to spend more days to visit those amazing sites. What are the must visit places in Egypt?
You might say all temples look the same, but not until you visit them and see with your own eyes. Egypt has left us speechless, but turned us to story tellers.
In this post we will be telling you what are the must visit places in Egypt & their highlights!
Pyramids of Giza & The Sphinx
Highlight: Panoramic View of Giza Plateau, Pyramids, Cairo City and Desert
This is a 101% must visit site – the icon of Egypt. There are more than 200 pyramids in Egypt, but the three most famous pyramids are found in Giza plateau – Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure. The Great Pyramid (Khufu) is made from 2 million stones! It is the largest pyramid in Egypt. Some people think that it is built by aliens, just because it is quite impossible for ancient Egyptians to carry those stones which weighed at least two tonnes each. Plus, they had limited technology. Pretty impressive, isn’t it?
You will also see a statue called Sphinx with head of a human, but body of a lion. It is a mythical creature which is believed to be the Guardian of Giza plateau.
Every night there is a Pyramids Sound & Light Show. You will need to buy an extra ticket to have a seat in front of the pyramids. You know how we watched a free show? From our hotel room balcony! P.S. perk of staying in a pyramid view room =)
Aswan
Highlight: Nile Cruise, Amazing Sunsets, Blazing Sun
Escape from busy Cairo to the relaxing Aswan city. Aswan welcomed us with its blazing sun. It has a hot desert climate and we are not going to lie that Aswan is in fact one of the hottest, sunniest and driest cities in the world. However, this doesn’t dull its beauty. The Nile river is wide and exceptionally beautiful in Aswan. From colourful Nubian villages, ancient temples and traditional souks, this city is perfect if you would like to slow down your pace to enjoy every wonderful activities Aswan offers. Amazing places you can visit include Philae Temple, Abu Simbel, High Dam and Unfinished Obelisk.
One of the highlights would be Nile River Cruise tour. We totally loved our 4 days 3 nights Nile Cruise experience. It is the best way to experience the best of Southern Egypt. Hassle-free and relaxing. Did we forget to mention the breathtaking sunset and a sky full of stars?
Aswan is undoubtedly our favourite city.
Abu Simbel
Highlight: Temple Carved Out of a Mountain
This gorgeous temple is 3 hours from Aswan city. It means the return journey itself will take you 6 hours at least. So, is it worth the time and energy? We would say yes! Abu Simbel is iconic for the fact that is carved out from a mountain. It is unbelievable that the temple is moved from its original place (now submerged in water) to the current location. We can still see the traces of relocation work which is the pieces of rock stacking like puzzles. Walking into the temple and to our surprise, there are many chambers and statues in the temple. We didn’t manage to take any pictures or videos inside because we are not allowed to. The statues’ eyes look like there are still souls in them. Creepy much!
We almost melted in the 50 degree celsius weather. Even walking to Temple of Nefertari beside Abu Simbel seemed so near yet so far. This temple is built by King Rameses II for his favourite Nubian wife. Can you believe the pharaoh has 46 wives and 110 children?
In front of the temples you will see beautiful Lake Nasser in blue. The lake is peaceful and calm. Since we have travelled so long for this place, we spent 2 hours walking around the temple compound and enjoy the scenery. P.S. the advantage of taking a private tour.
The Most Wanted Travel Tips:
To avoid crowd & enjoy a quiet temple, you should either go super early or in late afternoon. Abu Simbel is also the most crowded attraction we visited in Egypt. It can get really hot especially in summer and we are talking about 50 degrees, or higher.
Edfu Temple
Highlight: Gigantic Pylons, Second Largest Temple in Egypt
Edfu is a popular stop for cruisers from Aswan to Luxor. In the morning after breakfast, we hopped on a horse carriage to Edfu Temple. It is a common way to explore the town. The journey was around 20 minutes and we saw how local people live their daily lives.
Two hundreds years ago, Edfu Temple (Temple of Horus) was buried by sand until a French Archaeologist found it. Today, it is known as one of Egypt’s best preserved temples. This is because countless inscriptions are still visible on its walls. We saw that with our own eyes and can’t deny the fact.
We spent around two hours there as the cruise will only start sailing at noon. Lucky us! That was why we had more time to walk to every nook and cranny of the second largest temple in Egypt. The most distinctive feature of Edfu Temple is the enormous pylons that stand at the entrance. They are 118 feet high and are engraved with battle scenes of King Ptolemy VIII conquering enemies for Horus.
We also managed to see the Nilometers which ancient Egyptians used to measure the river level and help predict the future season’s harvest.
Luxor
Highlight: Hot Air Balloon, Valley of the Kings
Luxor is a city on the east bank of the Nile River. It is known as one of the world’s greatest open-air museum! Many temples are found on the east side while tombs are built on the west side which symbolises darkness or death.
Valley of the Kings is really mind-blowing. The royal tombs are decorated with colourful hieroglyphs – the passwords for the king to go through judgement after death. You will need extra ticket to take photos in the tomb. The most recent tomb discovery belongs to King Tutankhamun. The creepy part is, the archaeologists who found the tomb died one after another! It is the only royal tomb with all the treasures remained untouched while being discovered while many other tombs have been robbed by tomb raiders.
There is a popular activity you can do – take a hot air balloon ride and see Luxor from above. Unfortunately our balloon ride got cancelled because there was an accident a day before. We have seen many beautiful pictures and it means that you shouldn’t miss it when you visit Luxor. Show us your amazing experience by tagging us in instagram @themostwanted_travel!
Karnak Temple
Highlight: Tallest Pillars Among All Temples in Egypt, Biggest Temple in Egypt
Karnak Temple is located in East Luxor. You can actually call it as Karnak Temple Complex because it covers more than 100 hectares, an area larger than some ancient cities. Two rows of Sphinx statues welcomed us into the temple complex. We can’t even finish exploring the temple in one and a half hours!
The most impressive part of Karnak Temple would be the Great Hypostyle Hall. It features 134 tall columns and the whole area is large enough to fit the whole of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris! Totally unbelievable. This area is exceptionally great for pictures.
We also went to the sacred lake area with a lucky beetle statue. We walked around the beetle 7 times and hope our dreams will come true – to travel the world and accomplish more things in life together 🙂
Karnak Temple is the second most visited place in Egypt after the Pyramids of Giza, there is no reason for you to skip this temple for your Egypt trip!
The Most Wanted Travel Tips:
Karnak Temples look really beautiful in the late afternoon, the best time to go would be 4pm or 4.30pm so that you have enough time to explore before it closes at 5.30pm!
Hurghada
Highlight: Cool Beach Resorts & Scuba Diving or Snorkelling in World Famous Red Sea
If you are a beach bum like us, you will love Hurghada, a famous beach resort town along Egypt’s Red Sea Coast. The beautiful aquamarine sea will mesmerise you again and again. Water sports activities like windsurfing, island hopping, scuba diving and snorkelling are very popular. In fact, Red Sea is renowned as one of the world’s best dive sites. Imagine jumping into the crystal clear water during Egypt’s summer – nothing feels better than that! You must visit Giftun Island, a national park where you can see colourful coral reefs, turtles and stingrays. There are also trips in glass-bottomed boats and submarines. Other activities you can do is desert safari quad biking. Embark on an adventure to explore Sinai desert’s unique landscape, tasting Bedouin food and enjoy amazing sunset here in Hurghada!
Plus, there are many restaurants, bars and nightclubs to keep you entertained, while the old town, El Dahar, is home to traditional Egyptian coffee shops and souks. Go Bus station is also located here. We came to Hurghada with Go Bus from Luxor.
Hurghada is well known for its all inclusive resorts, perfect for those who wants a relax and hassle-free stay experience. We stayed in Desert Rose Hurghada Resort and our tummies have never felt so satisfied before. They have a man-made bay where you can swim safely, three big swimming pools and even have a water park.
The Most Wanted Travel Tips:
As a touristic destination, things in Hurghada are generally more expensive. Besides, please remember not to soak in the sea water and not rinsing yourself after that. Red Sea is one of the world’s saltiest body of water. It will make your skin vulnerable to the strong sun rays.
Read more: Desert Rose Resort Hurghada | Biggest Resort Ever
Citadel of Salah El-Dein
Highlight: Mosque of Mohammed Ali Made from Alabaster, Cairo City View
Another attraction you must visit is Mosque of Muhammad Ali sitting elegantly on the highest point of Citadel of Salah El-Dein. This mosque is dedicated to Muhammad Ali, ruler of Egypt in the 1800s. It is also known as Alabaster Mosque as the walls are built using alabaster. The interior dome is impressive and similar to the Mosques of Istanbul that we have seen. We absolutely love the details!
The best thing is – you will get the best Cairo city view here. The sky is always misty so it forms a beautiful blue gradient as the backdrop of yellow and brownish cityscape.
What are you waiting for? It is time for you to tick Egypt off your travel bucket list. With so much to offer from historical sites, beach getaway, Nile Cruise experience and more, Egypt is definitely a wonderful destination for everyone regardless families, group of friends or couples.
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