Egypt is a true bucket list destination for many. We’ve always been curious about it yet experiencing it far exceeded our expectations. Our Gate 1 tour led by our 4 year university trained Egyptologist took us on a journey into one of the oldest civilizations on earth. So many western historical threads started with the ancient Egyptians. And they were extraordinarily meticulous about recording and preserving it all. There are many UNESCO World Heritage Sites. We hope our story inspires you!

Our trip began with a flight from New York’s JFK to Cairo on EgyptAir. The Gate 1 team in Cairo welcomed our group of 24 warmly to their chaotic city of over 20 million. Don’t even think about driving in Cairo! Our hotel was the Marriott built around a gorgeous 1865 palace built to celebrte the opening of the Suez Canal. The breakfast buffet was a spectacular blend of Egyptian and western foods.

Our first tour was of the now Old Egyptian museum where we saw many treasures including the mummy and 22 pound gold death mask of King Tut (no pics allowed). As everywhere in the country security was tight with scanners at every sight. Also Gate 1 quietly posted an armed security agent on every bus and tour. Tourism is very important to Egypt and they do their best to keep it safe. We never felt unsafe even in markets with some of the most aggressive sellers we’ve ever seen. The Khan el-Khalili market in old Cairo dates from the early years of Arabian Cairo.

Next day the Great Pyramids and Sphinx of Giza did not disappoint. Of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World only these survive. No one knows exactly how they were built around 2600BC. Everywhere there were throngs of tourists yet moving along pretty well. We went on a short ride on camels after a rough start on these unpredictable beasts that could have hurt somebody. Holding on for dear life we decided we don’t need to do that again. The Sphinx sits right nearby for some great pics. Later we visited the Step Pyramid at Sakkarra built by pharoah Djoser in 2610 BC. It was the first tomb in this design and led to all the rest. Their was much experimenting before the great pyramids were perfected. Over time though pyramids were out of favor since they pointed the way for tomb robbers to find the treasures. This tour also included the obligatory shopping stop at a carpet school which taught skills to teenagers so they could have some options.

A flight to Aswan took us to our Nile Cruise riverboat. There are literally hundreds of these boats on the Nile all basically offering the same cruise. Ours was a 7 day cruise which we realized was the best option as the tours are back to back to back and any shortened cruise would be exhausting. The Nile is the longest river in the world at over 4100 miles. It originates at Lake Victoria and Ethiopia. Everything about Egypt revolves around the Nile. There would be no Egypt without the Nile. Spring floods were historically epic and led to many dams before the construction of the High Dam in the 60s. Now the river is very controlled but at a cost. The Nubians are an ancient indigenous people of Upper Egypt and their towns and villages were inundated. Many were relocated Also there are many ancient sites now below lake Nasser although several including famously Abu Simbel and Philae Temple were relocated to high ground. Crocodiles are no longer found below the dam. Our cruise allowed us to access many sites from both Aswan and Luxor. Each site had a unique story which our tour manager shared magnificently. The Egyptians were mad for preserving their story in hieroglyphics, cartouches, paintings and carvings. Their artistic skill is incredible. We had to constantly remind ourselves that what we were seeing was 2000 to 5000 years old.

The tour finale was a visit to the brand new Grand Egyptian Museum – GEM – also called the Giza Museum. It is located just 2 km from the Giza Pyramids. This was many many years in the making and is now the largest in the world. The building itself was designed by an Irish architectural firm after a competition from 81 other countries. There was a partial opening in November 2024 after a parade of mummies from the old museum. The complete Tut collection will be moved in time for the grand opening July 3, 2025. Egyptians are rightly proud of this achievement which will eventually display over 100,000 artifacts. We were able to view 12 galleries and the grand staircase.

Overall impressions of our 14 day tour. Egypt is a classic bucket list destination. Its not an easy country to visit. We don’t think we would ever try it on our own. Traffic is chaos. Cleanliness is something that must be improved upon. Public toilets are pretty grubby and you must pay 10 to 20 EGP to use them. Air quality is a problem from vehicles and blowing sand. Would we go again? Probably not just because there are so many other places to see. Would we learn a lot more if we visited again? Absolutely! This is an overwhelming story told in extraordinary detail. The Egyptians are rightly proud of their ancestors. They do a great job sharing with the world.