top of page

January 2023

There is so much to see and do in Egypt that it's impossible to cover everything. However, 14 days is a good amount of time to explore the country's natural beauties, experience Egyptian culture and learn about its wonderous ancient history.


When planning your trip, consider the time of year you'll be travelling. Try to visit in the winter or spring/autumn. Avoid travelling during Ramadan as the majority of places close during this religious period.



You can also juggle the days around or switch out places with some options like Alexandria or Siwa which are also worth visiting!



Here is my ultimate 14 day itinerary to discovering Egypt


Day 1


Fly into Sharm El Sheikh

There are direct flights from London to Sharm El Sheikh. This is the closest airport to Dahab which is where the adventure starts!

Get a taxi to your accommodation in Dahab. If you have time, explore the area and grab a shawarmaor a koshori for dinner.



Day 2


Choose your adventure!

  • Trek the Sinai Desert

  • Climb Canyons in the Sinai Desert

  • Scuba or free dive in the Red Sea

  • Hike to the peak of Mount Moses

You have 3 days to play with!




Day 3


Journey to Cairo

Taxi back to Sharm El Sheikh airport to fly to Cairo. There are also night bus options to Cairo if you’re lucky enough to have more time and wish to save some money.

Arrive in Cairo and settle into your accommodation. I recommend Holy Sheets Hostel for solo travellers. The bunk beds are modern and so are the facilities which are cleaned regularly. The common room where breakfast is served is also great for chatting to other travellers.

Grab lunch/dinner and relax. If you wanted, you could explore the area of Zamalek which has some nice restaurants.





Day 4


The Pyramids

Use this day to see these famous ancient wonders of the world. I’d recommend getting a private tour guide, to see the pyramids of Saqqara, Dahshur and Giza. I did an express tour with Dr Zeinab who is an extremely knowledgeable and experienced guide. She currently works for the government on excavations but is available for tours which includes a car for the day to whisk you from site to site.

Book her here at Nobatia Tours or drop me a line and I can send you her whatsapp number to make a direct booking.


The last site closes at 4:30pm, so you’ll have the late afternoon and evening to relax and go over your photos of the pyramids. There’s also an option to see the Light and Sound Show in Giza which is available in different languages.



Day 5


Cairo's Museums

Wander around the museums. Back in 2009 I visited the Cairo museum (aka Egyptian Museum) which was the most interesting museum I’d ever been to. With the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum still to be announced, many of the artefacts, that were once in the Cairo museum, are in the process of being moved to its new home - the new Egyptian Museum.



Day 6/7


The White Desert

Spend a night in the mystical White Desert. Camp by the fire, listen to local Bedouin music and sleep under the stars before waking up early to watch the sunrise.

I went with Ahmed Safari Camp which I booked through Dahab Hostels for a decent price and, although it's a lot more touristy than a trip to the Sinai Desert, I still had an amazing time.

Arrive back to Cairo the next day around 6pm.

Pick up any luggage from your accommodation if necessary and catch the sleeper train.

If you're travelling solo, you can book one bed in a sleeper train cabin. They'll pair you with another non-Egyptian traveller of the same gender.

A cheaper option would be to catch a night bus from Cairo to Aswan.


Day 8


Travel by felucca!

Arrive in Aswan and meet your felucca captain at the station.

Explore Aswan and set sail in the afternoon on the river Nile.

Sleep under the stars on the felucca.


I sailed with Ziggy who doesn't work for a tour company, nor does he have a website. But he has A LOT of great reviews on Tripadvisor. I highly recommend him! His sailing and cooking is off the charts! You can book him by sending him a voice note via whatsapp (he doesn't read English). Just drop me a message and I'll send you his details! If he's fully booked, his two brothers also sail feluccas and he can hopefully fit you on one of those!


Day 9


Second day on the felucca

Wake up on the felucca to a peaceful and beautiful sunrise.

After breakfast, sail further north and stop off at a beach for a dip and a bit of sun.

Visit Kom Ombo - Hill of Gold - late afternoon and watch the amazing sunset behind the island Nagaa Al Jami. Camp by the fire on the beach and sing songs with your felucca captain!



Day 10


Luxor


Leave the felucca and get the first train from Kom Ombo to Luxor at around 8:20am. Your felucca captain can arrange for a tuk tuk to take you to the train station for 100LE.

Arrive in Luxor 2.5 hours later.

Check into your accommodation, shower and grab a couple of falafel sandwiches before jumping on a collective bus to Karnak Temple. I highly recommend this local falafel place which is next to the bus stop if you're staying in this area:

Spend the afternoon exploring Karnak Temple and then walk down the Avenue of Sphinxes to Luxor Temple.


Have dinner and rest for the evening.

For Egyptian local food I’d recommend koshori or chicken hawawshi at كشري الاسكندراني Don’t be intimidated by all the locals - head on through to the back and you’ll find stairs leading up to their restaurant on the first floor. Ask for a menu in English.



Day 11


Valley of the Kings and Queens


Wake up early for a hot air balloon ride and watch the sunrise. Book in advance. If you stay at Bob Marley House Sheriff Hostel, they can organise this for you at a reasonable price and also prepare an early breakfast for you before you leave.

I didn’t get to do this as all flights were called off by the aviation authorities, but your tour company or hotel should be able to advise you in advance.


Hot air balloon rides take place on the West Bank. From there you can grab a taxi to explore the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens.

I booked a tour for the Valley of the Kings and afterwards, when the rest of the group left for some awful sounding buffet dinner, a fellow traveller and I got dropped off at the Valley of the Queens. When exiting the site, we realised we had no transport to take us back to the city but luckily, a souvenir shop owner kindly gave us a lift to the ferry to get back to the East Bank... by motorbike! :D


Take a night bus with Go Bus from Luxor back to Cairo. There are various other options and companies, but the most expensive seat is with Go Bus at 550LE (£15/ $19) and leaves at 10:35pm. It has the most leg room and is the comfiest.




Day 12/13


Time to rest!


Arrive in Cairo around 7am. You can either explore New Cairo or attend an event (@desert_adventures_egypt have great events in the desert 30 minutes from Cairo), or catch a flight back to Sharm el Sheikh to finish off your trip with some time on the beach.

You can also use these days as rest days in between each destination if you wish to break it up more.



Day 14


Fly back home!


 


Getting Around


Transport

Hostels and hotels can help organise taxis to and from airports. It's definitely more comfortable to arrive at an airport and jump in a pre-organised taxi. However, it's likely to be a little more spenny than other taxis.


I recommend using Uber or Careem. The prices are more economic and you don't have to faff around with cash.


 

Tours

Hotels and hostels can also help organise tours for sightseeing trips to places like Valley of the Kings or the Pyramids at Giza (or book directly with Dr Zeinab for Cairo tours!) Hotels are likely to charge more so you can contact some of the hostels above and see if they can book you a spot even if you don't stay in their rooms.


For the felucca ride, I booked directly with Ziggy via whatsapp voice notes :D It was definitely a more authentic experience from the very beginning! If you wish to book one of his boats, send me a message and I'll send over his contact details.







Comments


bottom of page