Egypt - Guide

Home to one of the oldest and certainly most important civilisations known to man and strategically situated on the important trade route between Africa and the Middle East, Egypt’s vibrant and unique history has been attracting foreigners for centuries with the result that today, the ancient sites of Egypt are among the most interesting and certainly most visited sites in the entire world. Egypt’s Pharaohs and dynasties gave birth to a culture unlike anywhere else in the world and the occupations that followed the demise of ancient Egypt, be it Alexander the Great, The Romans, Byzantium, Muslim Dynasties and the Ottoman Empire, have all left their mark on the country.

Tourism in Egypt is no new discovery as the incredible landscape and important archaeological sites have been attracting travellers for millennia. Then as today, people came to marvel at the Pyramids and nearby Sphinx, visit the Tombs of ancient Luxor and to explore the banks of the Nile from Dendera to Abu Simbel. Surrounded by history, these monuments to a once great civilisation, perhaps the greatest civilisation can still capture the imagination of travellers today.

However, Egypt is no longer just about monuments, ancient Pharaohs and history. These days, travellers come from all over the world to experience the warm blue waters of the Red Sea. The golden sandy beaches and colourful marine life found all along the coast provide some of the best snorkelling and diving in the World. Away from the coastal resorts and cities, the desert Oases of Siwa (where Alexander the Great visited the fabled Temple of the Oracle), Baharya and Farafra have produced fertile green islands which lie surrounded by incredible scenery unlike any other desert.

On top of this, bustling, modern day Cairo is home to medieval bazaars, lively nightlife and fantastic restaurants. With enough culture, life, history and adventure to rival anywhere in the world, it’s easy to see why Egypt remains the perfect tourist destination.

When to go

Egypt can be visited all year round, and decisions about when to go are best based on whether you like hot weather, and if you want to avoid the very busiest periods.

The sites in Egypt are busy all year round, but will be most crowded over the Christmas/New Year and Easter holidays, in February, and in October. The quietest, or least busy, months are May and June.

The best time to visit weather wise is generally spring (Feb-April) and autumn (September-November), as it will be very warm but not uncomfortably hot. The summer months of May to early September can reach well over 40°C, particularly in the southern regions around Aswan and Luxor. During these months we adjust our daily itineraries slightly to start earlier in the morning and have longer lunch breaks so we avoid the extreme heat in the middle of the day.

The winter months of December and January will still be pleasantly warm and there will be hardly any rain, but you will need some warmer clothes for the evenings. The skies will be overcast some of the time, particularly in the northern half of the country around Cairo and Alexandria.

Highlights

• Islamic Cairo - Souqs, Mosques and Medieval Architecture
• Gisa - Great Pyramids, and the Sphinx
• Alexandria - Catacombs, Fort Qaitby and Roman Amphitheatre
• Luxor - temples of Karnak and Luxor, and the Valley of the Kings
• Aswan - Abu Simbel, and great Aswan Dam, Temple of Philae
• Nile Valley - Temple of Edfu, Temple of Kom Ombo
• Hurghada - Red Sea, and St Anthony's & St Paul's Monasteries
• Dahab - Red Sea, Blue Hole, and Mount Sinai
• The Deserts - Bahariya, Dakhla, Farafra, and Siwa Oases
• Natural Sites - Wadi Rayan and the Valley of the Whales, Mount Sinai, and the tranquil beaches and coral reefs of the Red Sea