There are 54 countries in Africa. I have about a dozen of them on my bucket list. However, flight prices always deterred me from travelling there. That was until last summer when Royal Jordanian put several flights to Northern Africa and the Middle East on sale. I snagged two tickets to Egypt for $400 each.
The travel dates were set for February, Black History Month, but also peak season for Egypt. With six months of planning, I created an itinerary that would satisfy even the most fervent fans of Ancient Civilizations. Read on to find out what we did.
How to Get Around in Egypt
To make this trip a smooth and painless experience, I booked a private tailor-made tour with Memphis Tours. They provided a driver (and guide) who shuttled us around for the entirety of the tour. Outside of the tour, we used Uber Select to transfer to and from Cairo Airport.
Where to Stay in Egypt
We stayed in 5 different hotels during the trip: Marriott Mena House, Le Méridien Pyramids Hotel & Spa, and Le Méridien Cairo Airport in Cairo; Basma Hotel in Aswan; and the Hilton Luxor Resort & Spa in Luxor. All Cairo hotels were free, our Aswan hotel was booked via Expedia, and the Hilton was booked via AMEX Travel to which I applied my yearly $200 travel credit to reduce the cost. All prices are detailed in the Itinerary and Trip Breakdown below.
The best hotel of the lot was probably the Hilton. I could have spent a whole week there. It was magical. Incredible staff. Incredible service. For Aswan, Basma wouldn’t be my first choice. It wasn’t the one I originally wanted. The highly-recommended Mövenpick was sadly sold out so we ended up with Basma. Their food was great and cheap which is the only positive I could highlight from our stay.
Communication
I bought a SIM card at the Orange booth right after exiting customs for $20.61 CAD. It turns out that I didn’t really need it since all Memphis Tours cars had wifi but it came in handy when our hotel in Aswan had wifi problems.
Itinerary
Day 0 – Montreal – Amman – Cairo
Flight from Montreal to Cairo: $400 per person
Dinner at YUL’s Banque Nationale Lounge: FREE with Priority Pass
Late Lunch at AMM’s Crown Lounge: FREE with Priority Pass
Egypt Entry Visa: $25 USD per person
Uber Select from Cairo Airport to Marriott Mena House: £277.69 EGP = $21.50 CAD
Marriott Mena House: $0 / 17.5k points for one night
Dinner at Marriott Mena House: £380.64 EGP = $29.68 CAD for two people
Our trip didn’t get off to a good start. Both our flight to Amman and our subsequent flight to Cairo were delayed. Cairo Airport was simply madness. Getting our entry visa was pretty straightforward and I didn’t understand why I had encountered so many people booking a meet-and-greet service when I was doing my research for the trip. It all made sense once we exited customs. The minute we passed the gate, we were hassled left and right by taxi drivers, all claiming they had “a good price,” a few showing us some sort of badge that made them “official.” My original plan was to book a ride with Cairo Shuttle Bus but we couldn’t find their booth. We asked the person working at the information desk, only to have them direct us to the “limo” services. After asking around outside, we still couldn’t find it. So we gave up and ordered a Uber.
Uber has specific pick-up spots at Cairo Airport depending on you terminal. Our pick-up location was the parking lot which was pretty easy to find thanks to the directions on the app. Just walk past the fountain and take the elevator/stairs down. Seems pretty simple, right? WRONG! The parking lot is as chaotic as the arrivals area. Taxis and civilian cars all mingle with each other. The cars all look the same and there seems to be only 3 brands of cars in Egypt. After about 5 minutes of the driver and I exchanging “where are you” messages, she physically got out of her car and came to rescue us from the madness.
Our ordeal wasn’t over yet. Next, we had to face Cairo’s traffic which, at 9pm, rivaled North American rush hour traffic; the only difference being that Cairo drivers didn’t seem to believe in lanes or turn signals. Our driver tried to take shortcuts to avoid the traffic and only managed to get herself lost once she crossed the Nile. Thankfully, I had Google Maps open the entire time and managed to call her out in time before we had gone too far astray.
We finally arrived to the hotel a bit shell-shocked from our first experience in Cairo. Our Uber driver gave us some chocolate as a parting gift. I gave her 5 stars just for the fact that she came to get us at the airport when we couldn’t find her car. I know some drivers would cancel the fare outright. We were upgraded to a Pyramids View room at check-in, a nice consolation prize after our hectic day.
Day 1 – Cairo – Aswan
Saqqara Complex Visit: £150 EGP = $11 CAD per person | Included in tour package
Dahshur Visit: £60 EGP = $4.50 CAD per person | Included in tour package
Lunch at Royal N. Restaurant: Included in tour package (drinks on your dime)
Giza Plateau Visit: £160 EGP = $12 CAD per person | Included in tour package
Camel Ride: $25 USD per person
Flight to Aswan: Included in tour package
Transfer from Aswan Airport to Basma Hotel: $30 USD
Basma Hotel: $333.06 CAD for 3 nights (breakfast included) for two people
Dinner at Basma Hotel: £164.42 EGP = $12.5 CAD for two people
Our tour of Egypt started in earnest the following morning with a 7am pick-up in the lobby of our hotel. We had booked a private tour including Cairo, Aswan, and Luxor; and Emad, a Cairo resident, was our guide for the first day.
Since the morning weather was hazy, Emad proposed to flip the schedule and start with Saqqara instead of Giza because the pyramids were barely visible. We agreed with his judgement and off we went to the Saqqara Archaeological site. On the drive there, Emad told us about Egypt’s history up until Alexander the Great’s conquest. It’s a lot of information to digest but we quickly started to remember some names by how often they came up.
The first of such names was Imhotep, builder of the very first pyramid, the Step Pyramid of Djoser who was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh during the Old Kingdom. The Step Pyramid was an evolution of the mastabas which were used as tombs by previous kings.
Since it was so early in the morning, we were the only tourists on the site during our entire visit. The first tour bus appeared right as we were leaving.
Our next stop was Dahshur where we saw both the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid. The Bent Pyramid features the best preserved limestone outer shell, showing how smooth pyramids looked on the surface during their heyday.
The Red Pyramid is a very impressive structure. It’s not as popular as the Great Pyramid of Giza yet so you won’t see many cheap souvenir sellers or random people volunteering to take your picture and then asking for a tip. There’s only a few soldiers, policemen, and the custodians at the entrance reminding you that pictures are not allowed. The entrance inside the pyramid is included in the Dahshur price which is another reason why the Red Pyramid is better than the Great Pyramid.
I must warn you though. The journey inside the pyramid is hard on the thighs. First, there is a 61 meter descent down a wooden ramp which has to be navigated hunched over because the passage is less than a meter in height. At the end of the passage, there’s dark chamber, followed by a hallway, then another chamber that smells like urine. From the second chamber, a set of stairs lead to the third and final chamber. All chambers are empty so there’s really not much to see inside. But if you wanna tick off an ancient Egyptian pyramid visit from your bucket list, this is the place to do it.
After Dahshur, we retraced our morning steps and returned to Giza for our final sight of the day. On our way there, we stopped at a carpet shop to learn how carpets are made and shop for souvenirs. I must say the silk carpets were very impressive but I wasn’t really planning on buying carpets there so we left empty-handed. Then we stopped for lunch at the Royal N. Restaurant where we enjoyed a nice grilled chicken meal. The restaurant is clearly catered to tourists as the only other customers who were there were French young adults, and another private tour who had arrived at Saqqara when we were leaving. Still, the meal was delicious and the view was great as well.
The Giza Plateau is a perfect reflection of the bustling city across of it. It’s crowded, noisy, sellers and hustlers are everywhere; but it’s still a pretty epic sight when you walk up to the Great Pyramid and see how big the stones are. We had a discussion with our guide as to who built the pyramids – slaves or free workers. He said it was workers and the evidence was in the workers’ tombs nearby. So there you go. Egyptians believe that free workers built the pyramids.
The camel ride was an interesting experience. My camel’s seat was off-center so I would constantly slide to the right at first. It was better once my guide adjusted the seat but I still had to concentrate on keeping my balance. On the way back, my brother and I swapped camels and his camel was like riding a rollercoaster. The animal was so tall that every step felt like I was going to fall off. Once I figured out his walking cadence, it was a pretty enjoyable experience. But every time we stopped and started again, I had to get used to his giant steps all over again. He really lived up to the Ramses name. Our camel guide took good care of us and took some pictures of us on and off the camel. His pictures of us with the camels were much better than the ones without where he decided to experiment with angles and optical illusions. However, I didn’t like how pushy he was for tips at the end of our ride. That was a big turnoff.
We had one more stop before making our way to the airport. Another tourist trap. This time, it was the cartouche shop where you can get your initials carved into a silver or gold cartouche. Since I can’t wear metal, this one was easy to turn down. However, my brother purchased a silver cartouche for himself so they got a sale after all.
We had a late flight to Aswan and made it to the airport with plenty of time to kill. If you’re visiting Egypt and following my itinerary, the 7pm flight is a much better option than the 10pm flight we booked. If you do end up booking the 10pm flight, be aware that there are barely any food options in the domestic terminal so it’d be best to grab dinner in the city.
In Aswan, we were greeted by a driver and tour representative who took us to the hotel and handled the check-in. This transfer is optional in the tour package which is why I listed it separately in the itinerary. There are taxis at the airport (sadly no Uber in Aswan) but I wanted some peace of mind and avoid the language barrier.
Day 2 – Aswan
Unfinished Obelisk Visit: £80 EGP = $6 CAD per person | Included in tour package
Philae Temple Visit: £140 EGP = $10.50 CAD per person | Included in tour package
Nubian Museum Visit: £140 EGP = $10.50 CAD per person | Included in tour package
Nubian Museum Photo Ticket: £50 EGP = $3.75 CAD per person
Early Dinner at Basma Hotel: £320 EGP = $24 CAD for two people
There is one thing that I was really looking forward to experience for the first time in a Muslim country and that was the call to prayer. It’s one thing to imagine it happening while walking down the street, and another to experience it at 4:30am when you had just gone to bed two hours prior after a long day. Let’s just say I wasn’t too pleased about getting my sleep interrupted like that. Our room’s balcony door was not soundproof so we could hear the call as if we were outside ourselves.
After breakfast, it was time for our first day of sightseeing in Aswan. Our first stop was the Unfinished Obelisk which, as its name suggests, is an unfinished obelisk left in a quarry of ancient Egypt. It would have been the largest ancient Egyptian obelisk but it was abandoned after cracks appeared on its surface. The obelisk is pretty impressive and learning how they were built and transported was pretty interesting but other than that, there is nothing else to see in the quarry.
Next, we made our way to Philae Temple on Agilika Island in Lake Nasser. It was moved there from its original location in the 1960s following repeat flooding caused by the Aswan Low Dam built by the British in 1902.
The temple is pretty cool. Unfortunately, a lot of the wall scenes have been disfigured by early Christians and Romans who forbid the worship of Egyptian kings and gods. I got approached by a couple of guys who wanted to take pictures with me. One of them tried to hand me his baby for a picture but I don’t do kids so the result was just me standing there awkwardly while my brother took the pic.
Our last stop of the day was the Nubian Museum which was conveniently located right across the street from our hotel. The museum hosts a lot of artifacts from the Nubian kingdoms showing how they evolved throughout the centuries and how they lived. Several Nubian sites are lost forever underwater due to the construction of the Aswan dams. The displacement of Nubian people is very reminiscent of the displacement of Native Americans in the United States and Canada. It is still a newsworthy subject over there as lots of Nubians want to come back to their ancestors’ lands. The government has been building new cities/villages for them since there’s not much space left in Aswan but some of these new cities are in the middle of the desert far away from water sources. We drove past one of these villages on our way to Abu Simbel the next day and it was literally in the middle of nowhere. It’s a shame that such majestic people were reduced to this.
Day 3 – Aswan
Abu Simbel Visit: £200 EGP = $15 CAD per person | Included in tour package
Abu Simbel Photo Ticket: £300 EGP = $22.50 CAD per person
Lunch at Basma Hotel: £380 EGP = $28.50 CAD for two people
Nubian Village Visit: Included in tour package
Dinner at Basma Hotel: £284.99 EGP = $21.40 CAD for two people
Ramses II’s famous temples at Abu Simbel are closer to Sudan’s border than Aswan. It takes 3 hours to get there and 3 hours to get back. The first checkpoint opens at 5am so most tours depart Aswan between 4 and 5am. We left our hotel at 4:30am with a pre-packaged breakfast from the hotel to eat on the road. Since the drive is through the desert, there’s really nothing to see except total darkness and the new Nubian villages that I previously mentioned. At some point, we also drove past a deserted bus station that is used as a transfer hub to Sudan. As the sun rose over the desert, we made one pit stop to use the bathroom and stretch our legs. It’s the only pit stop that I could see on the road to Abu Simbel so make sure to go to the bathroom before leaving.
Once we arrived at the temple, we completely forgot that it took 3 hours to get there. We were speechless at the size of Ramses II’s temple with the four gigantic statues flanking the entrance. Guides are not allowed inside either temples so our guide gave us the history of both temples and left us free to explore.
Both temples have gorgeous interiors. However, Nefertari’s temple is smaller and thus harder to navigate with the crowd. You’ll have to literally follow a queue of people like a human-size game of Snake. Ramses’ temple has more space but the scenes on the walls are quite repetitive. The most interesting part of both temples is the sanctuary in the Great Temple where four statues of deities sit. The temple was built in a way that every year, on February 22, three of four statues would be illuminated by the sun. The last one stays in the dark as it represents Ptah, a god connected to the Underworld and darkness.
On our way back, there was no bathroom break. Our driver took us straight to the hotel in on shot so we could eat lunch, rest, and prepare for the second half of the day.
In the afternoon, we took a motorboat to a Nubian Village on Elephantine island. We drank hibiscus tea in a traditional Nubian house where the owners kept alligators in cages which was sad to see. There were also baby alligators that could be handled to take selfies. I graciously turned down the opportunity. We were very lucky that day because local musicians started playing Nubian music for a group of tourists who were there before us. The music was great and it was a nice surprise.
After tea – very delicious, by the way, once you add three spoons of sugar – we walked through the village but there was nothing much to see. It was basically a giant bazaar where sellers would ask us to “come look” in their stores. We crossed the river once again to return to our hotel. On the other side, little kids serenaded us with the Arabic version of “Frère Jacques.” I didn’t know the song was universal. Of course, they asked for tips at the end, but we had gotten used to it at this point.
Day 4 – Kom Ombo – Edfu – Luxor
Temple of Kom Ombo & Crocodile Museum Visit: £100 EGP = $7.50 CAD per person | Included in tour package
Edfu Temple Visit: £140 EGP = $10.50 CAD per person | Included in tour package
Hilton Luxor Resort & Spa: $140.56 CAD for 2 nights (breakfast included) for two people
Early Dinner at Hilton’s Olives Restaurant: £1,174.48 EGP = $88 CAD for two people
One of the reasons why I picked Memphis Tours ahead of several other companies was because of this part in the itinerary. Every other tour operator did not want to do this excursion by land and instead proposed that we take a cruise for the Aswan – Luxor portion of the trip that would stop at these two temples. Since I was booking accommodations separately and had a good deal for the Hilton, I was not interested in doing a cruise.
My original plan was to take the train from Aswan to Luxor following our Nubian village visit, then do a day trip to Edfu and Kom Ombo while we were staying in Luxor. Our tour manager had a simple solution. They would drive us to Luxor and stop at Kom Ombo and Edfu along the way with our Aswan guide who would then return to Aswan on his own after our Edfu visit.
Thus, we set out early on Day 4 and made our way to the Temple of Kom Ombo, a double temple dedicated to Sobek and Horus. There, we saw an example of the Egyptian calendar, a nilometer, and Cleopatra’s jacuzzi where she would bathe in milk. The Kom Ombo Temple ticket also gives access to the Crocodile Museum, a small one-room display of crocodile mummies. The whole thing takes five minutes so might as well check it out before leaving. Pictures are not allowed inside the museum.
An hour and a half later, we were among the first tourists at Edfu. The Temple of Edfu is dedicated to the god Horus and is nearly intact. Multiple stairs and corridors connect the various rooms with very few windows letting the sunlight in. We got lost a couple of times while looking for specific rooms to take pictures in when our guide gave us free time.
Our visit over, we said goodbye to our guide and our driver took us on the final stretch to Luxor. On the way, we passed by small villages and several open-air markets. The biggest surprise, however, was seeing Egyptian version of tap-taps – pick-up trucks that serve as share taxis in Haiti. The Egyptian tap-taps were not as colorful – and not as overcrowded – as the Haitian ones but it really goes to show how cultures across the globe can be similar despite ethnic and religious differences.
We checked in at the Hilton Luxor in the early afternoon. Our Luxor tour manager met us there and gave us a brief overview of the schedule for the next two days. Then, we were free to unwind.
Day 5 – Luxor
Temple of Karnak Visit: £150 EGP = $11 CAD per person | Included in tour package
Temple of Luxor Visit: £140 EGP = $10.50 CAD per person | Included in tour package
Mummification Museum Visit: £100 EGP = $7.50 CAD per person | Included in tour package
Early Dinner at Hilton’s Olives Restaurant: £1,165.64 EGP = $87.5 CAD for two people
After a wonderful and hearty breakfast, we set out for our first day of sightseeing in Luxor. Our first stop was the Karnak Temple Complex, the biggest in Egypt. The maquette of the sight at the entrance was impressive enough. Then, we walked through the corridor of Sphinxes towards the Great Hypostyle Hall where we lost our minds.
There are 134 massive columns in the Great Hypostyle Hall, organized in 16 rows with the two middle rows higher than the other. It is said that the columns represent papyrus plants and the middle passageway represents the Nile. The two middle rows are thus higher than the rest due to their proximity to the water.
Everything after the Hall seemed insignificant by comparison. Hatshepsut’s obelisk was cool but didn’t have our jaws dropping to the floor. The Sacred Lake, where priests purified themselves, looked like a giant swimming pool. And the lucky scarab, which will get you married or pregnant depending on how many times you walk around it, felt like a touristic gimmick.
By the time we arrived at Luxor Temple, I had ‘temple fatigue.’ Hey look, more giant Ramses II statues, more columns, more pharaoh drama. I was zoning out during the guided tour and didn’t retain much information. This temple is only interesting because it has many religions in one site. In addition to the shrines dedicated to Amun and Amenhotep III, a mosque was built over the temple when it was buried under the sand, and a Christian chapel was built in the inner sanctum during Roman times. Fun fact, the missing obelisk at the entrance can be found at Place de La Concorde in Paris.
We ended the day at the Mummification Museum. It was a bit more interesting than the Crocodile Museum but will not take more than 30-45 minutes to go through all the artifacts/panels. It’s definitely a must-see for anyone interested in how the mummification process worked. Once again, pictures are not allowed.
Day 6 – Luxor – Cairo
Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Ride: Included in tour package
Valley of Kings: £200 EGP = $15 CAD per person | Included in tour package
Valley of Kings Photo Ticket: £300 EGP = $22.50 CAD per person
Ramses VI Tomb Ticket: £100 EGP = 7.50 CAD per person
Hatshepsut Temple Visit: $68.23 CAD for two people
Alabaster Store Visit: Included in tour package
Lunch at El Hussein Restaurant: Included in tour package
Flight to Cairo: Included in tour package
Transfer from Cairo Airport to Le Méridien Pyramids Hotel & Spa: $30 USD
Le Méridien Pyramids Hotel & Spa: $0 / 25k points for two nights
Dinner at Le Méridien Pyramids Hotel & Spa: £476.53 EGP = $36 CAD for two people
For the second time in our trip, we had to wake up at an ungodly hour in the morning. This time, it was for a sunrise hot air balloon ride over Luxor. The balloon ride was booked by Memphis Tour on our behalf but it was another company – Alaska Balloons – who handled the hotel pick-up and actual ride. We were picked up at our hotel at 4:30am (I had to laugh at the receptionist who gave us a wake-up call at 4am. Who takes only 30 minutes to get ready in the morning? Certainly not me!). Our van made another stop to pick up another group of tourists and then we were driven to the marina where we would cross the Nile by motorboat.
Before we left the marina, we were given a safety brief by our pilot and signed our life away on waivers. On the other side of the river, another van picked us up and drove us to the takeoff site. Although it was early in the morning, the atmosphere was buzzing. Having never taken a hot air balloon before, it was impressive to see the various crews setting up their respective balloons. I didn’t know it required that many people. It took a while for our balloon to take off as the top part wasn’t centered properly. There was a lot of rope pulling and intermittent blasts of fire. Once our pilot was satisfied, the rest of the crew – who were keeping the balloon on the ground by hanging on to it – let go and off we went.
For about an hour we flew over farmland, flying low enough to be able to touch sugarcane fields and ruffle the top of palm trees, and high enough to have a panoramic view of the Valley of Kings, Hatshepsut’s Temple, the Valley of Queens, and other temples. Our pilot was good-humored and often broke into song. He was also very assertive in his negative reply when a few of the passengers asked if we could go as high as other balloons who were flying ridiculously high above us. I definitely felt that we were in good hands.
My feelings were justified when we landed in the desert and barely felt it. In the brief prior to our flight, he told us that there were three ways of landing a balloon and that he would ask us to get into landing position when the time came. That never happened. He simply rested the balloon on the ground like a feather gently landing on the floor. He did have to yell at overeager passengers who were trying to get off early which would have altered the weight of the basket and potentially take us flying again. In the end, everyone followed his instructions and we all got off safely.
Since we were going to the Valley of Kings next, we were shuttled to a restaurant near the Colossi of Memnon where our Memphis Tours guide would pick us up. But not before the balloon company tried to sell us a DVD of our morning adventure ($10 USD) and collect tips for the crew.
The Valley of Kings ticket gives access to three tombs. We visited KV2 (Ramses IV’s tomb), KV6 (Ramses IX), KV8 (Merenptah), and bought an extra ticket for KV9 where both Ramses V and VI were buried.
The tombs were simply amazing, their vibrant colored walls a far cry from the drab walls of the Red Pyramid. Most of them had a blue and yellow color scheme but there was also some red and black here and there. Truly magnificent. KV2 made the biggest impression but that’s mostly because it was the first tomb we entered and we didn’t quite know what to expect. The novelty slowly wore off as we visited the other tombs.
The Temple of Hatshepsut was disappointing. Although Hatshepsut’s story is very interesting and badass (she’s a woman who became pharaoh), I was still feeling “temple fatigue” and only used the opportunity to take more pictures. The custodians at the site didn’t help matters as they were very pushy and annoying, asking to be tipped for showing us a hole in the ground for example. They were by far the worst custodians out of our entire trip.
Before returning to our hotel to pick up our luggage, we stopped at an alabaster shop. Another tourist trap where tours make their commission. This one was easy to resist as the man showing us how the pots and sculptures were made would not look or speak to me at all. He only addressed my brother. It was the first time we had come across this behavior and although I understood the cultural reason, it really felt as if I was invisible and didn’t exist. Needless to say, we didn’t stay long.
Back at Cairo, there was a bit of a mix-up as there was only one Memphis Tours representative waiting at the airport and we ended up being on the same flight as two other groups who used them as well. Thankfully, the representative was able to contact our tour manager who wasn’t far behind and the situation was sorted out rather quickly. Still, I suggest taking the phone number of your tour managers and guides in case something like this comes up on your trip.
Once again, we were upgraded to a Pyramids View Room free of charge thanks to my Gold Elite Status and we settled in for the night.
Day 7 – Cairo
Coptic Cairo Tour: Included in tour package
Khan el-Kahlili Tour: Included in tour package
Egyptian Museum Tour: £160 EGP = $12 CAD per person | Included in tour package
Lunch at Halaket El Samak: Included in tour package
Dinner at Le Méridien Pyramids Hotel & Spa: £501.29 EGP = $38 CAD for two people
Our last excursion day was dedicated to the city of Cairo. We visited Coptic Cairo, stopping by the St. Sergius and St. Bacchus church where the Holy Family once rested after fleeing from Bethlehem. We also visited the Ben Ezra Synanogue which is no longer used for prayer and worship as there’s almost no Jews left in Cairo.
We didn’t spend much time at Khan el-Kahlili. There had been a suicide bombing the day before (3 victims, all police officers) and it was still early in the morning so there wasn’t much activity. This is one of the places I’ll put on my to-do list if I ever go back.
We visited the Egyptian Museum last and it was fairly crowded, but tour groups moved swiftly from section to section so it never felt suffocating like the British Museum for example. Our guide walked us through the highlights including King Tut Rooms and then gave us some free time to explore further. After a week of gallivanting all over Egypt, I was too tired to spend more time there so we only checked out a few extra rooms before leaving the museum.
Day 8 & 9 – Cairo
Late Breakfast at Le Méridien Pyramids Hotel & Spa: £256.06 EGP = $19.50 CAD for two people
Uber Select from Le Méridien Pyramids to Le Méridien Cairo Airport: £288.03 EGP = $22 CAD
Le Méridien Cairo Airport: $0 / 12.5k points for one night
Dinner at Le Méridien Cairo Airport: £626.68 EGP = $48.56 CAD for two people
We did absolutely nothing on our last full day in Egypt. We slept in. Ordered room service for breakfast. Checked out at the last time possible. Then transferred to Le Méridien Cairo Airport. Our flight was scheduled to take off at 7am the following day so I preferred sleeping next to the airport rather than do the hour-long commute from Giza in the early morning.
Our check-in took longer than usual as we were given an already-occupied room at first. This seems to be a real problem at Le Méridien because we had witnessed another customer go through the same thing when we were checking in at Le Méridien Pyramids. Our second room was on a lower floor but empty this time with a view on the parking lot – a stark contrast to the views we’ve had throughout the trip. Our vacation was truly over.
The next morning, we almost missed our flight to Cairo. Since we were already at the airport and had already checked in, we assumed that two hours would be enough to get us through security and customs. Wrong! First, our flight was in Terminal 2. The hotel is at Terminal 3 and the terminals are not connected to each other on the inside so we had to exit, walk to Terminal 2 and get our bags scanned a second time (there are multiple security checkpoints at Cairo airport including at the terminal entrances). Then, we found out the hard way that online check-in was completely useless and that we still needed to go to the check-in counter to get physical boarding passes and the exit form. Thankfully, the people in line at customs were gracious enough to let us pass in front of them and we raced to the gate to board our flight. We were on the last bus to the plane. Made it in the nick of time.
Final Thoughts
I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Egypt and intend to return someday for a repeat of Cairo, Luxor, and other cities that we didn’t have time to see (Alexandria comes to mind). It helps that the Canadian dollar (and US dollar) goes a long way. Half of our dinners were room service so I don’t need to tell you how cheap food would be outside of the hotels. We unfortunately didn’t get the chance to sample the local cuisine outside of the touristic restaurants offered by our tour because after adding a roundtrip taxi fare, the prices would have been comparable to the hotel restaurants. I did try a stuffed pigeon at the Hilton and it was pretty decent.
Having private tour guides really enhanced the experience for us, not only in terms of knowledge about the sites and cities, but also in terms of flexibility. We showed up to most of the sites earlier than the majority of tour buses. Our worst experience with crowds were at the Sphinx at Giza, Abu Simbel, and Philae Temple. We managed to avoid the worst of the worst at Karnak by leaving right as hundreds and hundreds of people descended on the site. We were also able to dictate how much free time we wanted at each of the sites. The guides also shielded us from the souvenir sellers so we weren’t harassed by them.
Now the question burning on everyone’s lips, is Egypt safe? Although there was a suicide bombing while we were there, we never felt unsafe. All touristic sites have police/military checkpoints where cars are checked in addition to bag and body scanners at the actual entrance. Same for international hotel chains such as Marriott, Hilton, Méridien, etc. There are mass shootings almost every day in the States yet no one is asking if it’s safe. I would only check the calendar to see if there are noteworthy political events or holidays before going.
Trip Breakdown
Flight: $800 CAD roundtrip for two people with Royal Jordanian
Accomodations: $473.62 CAD + 55k Marriott/SPG points for two people
- Marriott Mena House: 17.5k points (1 night)
- Basma Hotel: $333.06 CAD (3 nights)
- Hilton Luxor Resort & Spa: $140.56 CAD (2 nights)
- Le Méridien Pyramids Hotel & Spa: 25k points (2 nights)
- Le Méridien Cairo Airport: 12.5k points (1 night)
Transportation: $123.5 CAD
- Uber Select from Cairo Aiport to Giza Hotel: $21.50 CAD
- Memphis Tours Private Transfer from Aswan Airport to Aswan Hotel: $30 USD
- Memphis Tours Private Transfer from Cairo Airport to Giza Hotel: $30 USD
- Uber Select from Giza Hotel to Cairo Airport Hotel: $22 CAD
Memphis Tours Package: $1280 USD for two people
- Private air-conditioned vehicle
- Domestic flights
- English-speaking tour guide
- Private sightseeing tours in Cairo, Luxor, and Aswan
- Sunrise hot air balloon flight over Luxor
- 3 Lunches
- Daily supply of bottled water
- In-car wifi
Extra Activities: $149.23 for two people
- Camel Ride in Giza: $25 USD per person
- Ramses VI Tomb: $15 CAD for two people
- Hatshepsut Temple Visit: $68.23 CAD for two people
Food: $403.96 CAD for two people
- 1 Dinner at Marriott Mena House: $29.68 CAD
- 1 Lunch at Basma Hotel: $28.50 CAD
- 3 Dinners at Basma Hotel: $57.9 CAD
- 2 Dinners at Hilton Luxor: $175.5 CAD
- 2 Dinners at Le Méridien Pyramids: $74 CAD
- 1 Breakfast at Le Méridien Pyramids: $19.50 CAD
- 1 Dinner at Le Méridien Cairo Airport: $48.56
Other Expenses: $255.61 CAD for two people
- Entry Visa: $25 USD per person
- Orange SIM Card: $20.61
- Photo Tickets: $49 CAD
- Tips: ~$100-120 CAD
Total: $3,906.61 CAD for two people
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