Museums of Cairo

After our full day of pyramids, our second day in Cairo was all about museums, filled with visits to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and the brand new Grand Egyptian Museum. 

The Egyptian Museum in Cairo

THE EGYPTIAN MUSEUM IN CAIRO

The Egyptian Museum in Cairo (EMC) was first constructed in 1902 and houses over 150,000 artefacts inside the beautiful historic building. The museum sits in the downtown area of Cairo, right on Tahrir Square, the site of the major protests of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution. 

We did a bit of a whirlwind tour through the museum, but we still saw some of the most impressive pieces like the treasures of Tutankhamun’s tomb, including the golden death mask (it’s prohibited to take photos of it) 

Statue of Amenhotep III and Tiye

Sphinx in the entrance hall

The colossal statue of Amenhotep III and Tiye in the entrance hall of the museum are absolutely awe inspiring. Including their daughter Princess Henuttaneb, the monolith statue is the largest known dyad ever caved and originally stood in Mediate Habu in western Thebes (modern day Luxor). 

I was really interested to see more false doors (you can read more about my new found fascination with false doors in my previous post from our visit to Saqqara) and I loved seeing the statues of Pharaoh Akhenaten, who, in my opinion, is the most fascinating and mysterious Pharaoh. He introduced his own short lived monotheistic religion and was possibly the father of Tutankhamun

Tutankhamun’s Golden Throne

False Door

Statue of Pharaoh Akhenaten

We were surprised at how crowded this museum was, even though we arrived at opening time. Luckily Tarek suggested we head to the Tutankhamum section on the upper levels before the rest of the tour groups defended upon this area. Due to it’s age and magnitude of the huge collection, the Egyptian Museum had more of the feel of an old warehouse rather than a world class museum. Which is why I was so impressed to visit the brand new Grand Egyptian Museum afterwards. 

Front exterior of the GEM

THE GRAND EGYPTIAN MUSEUM

The Grand Egyptian Museum is simply incredible;  absolutely state-of-the-art. It’s situated right next to the Giza Plateau (and actually across the road from the Steigenberger Pyramid Cairo Hotel where we stayed) and it’s not even officially opened yet. The GEM complex is offering limited access to selected areas to test the readiness of the site ahead of the offical opening. 

Statue of Ramses III

Inside the GEM

The construction of the Grand Egyptian Museum has been in the works since 2002 and the main contract for the design of the museum was awarded to an Irish firm after an extensive international competition. 

The enormous 3200 year old statue of Ramses II that stands in the front hall once stood in a traffic circle known as Ramses Square in Cairo, but has been relocated to the musuem to preserve it against it from traffic polution.

Eventually, a large portion of the Egyptian Museum of Cairo will be transferred to the Grand Egyptian Museum, including close to 5000 treasures from Tutankhamun’s tomb.  It’s location, in close proximity to the Pyramids of Giza, will make sightseeing in Cairo so much more efficient. The view from the museum out towards the pyramids is amazing! So beautifully framed by the architecture of the museum. 

And not only that, there is a new international airport under construction, located in Giza - The Sphinx International Airport. And there is a new monorail in development that will link Cairo Airport to the Pyramids of Giza. Visiting Cairo will be so streamlined in years to come! 

Inside the Grand Egyptian Museum

The view out to the Pyramids

We felt so privileged to be able to visit the Grand Egyptian Museum before it was officially opened and we were so impressed by the sheer scale of it. It feels so vast and spacious - a very welcome upgrade from the Egyptian Museum of Cairo, which has stood the test of time but felt like it was buckling under the sheer volume of artecfcts and daily visitors. 

And extra note: both museums do have areas designed for children. The Childrens Museum at the GEM wasn’t opened yet and we didn’t get a chance to see the childrens area in the basement of the Egyptian Museum. But I’d recommend looking into it of you’re traveling with kids.

The Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara

After our visit to the Giza Plateau, we travelled south in our mini van with our guide Tarek to Saqqara which was the necropolis of the ancient capital city of Memphis. The main site is the Step Pyramid of Djoser, which is an early example of pyramid building . It was constructed around 2660BC and predates the pyramids of Giza by several centuries. 

The Step Pyramid of Djoser

My favourite part about Saqqara was the Mortuary Temple that we first entered through to get to the Step Pyramid. The monolithic looking stone facade almost seems out of place, its architectural design almost looks modern, or sci fi even, something you might see in the movie like Dune. Inside are rows of huge columns, lining the way through to the vast archeological complex beyond. 

The Mortuary Temple of Djoser

We took the opportunity to go inside the Step Pyramid of Djoser and Tarek led us down the surprisingly spacious corridor deep into the centre of the Pyramid where we came to a vertical shaft that extends deep down into the ground and also rise up towards to the peak. We could also see another passage that extends off into the other side of the pyramid about half way down the shaft and at the very bottom we could see the impressive granite burial vault. 

Internal Shaft of The Step Pyramid of Djoser

Beyond the Step Pyramid there are many more temples, tombs, pyramids, albeit in more crumbled states, as well as mastabas, a flat style tomb that predates the Step Pyramid. Tarek took us into the Tomb of Idut, a princess who is believed to be the daughter of Pharaoh Umas. I was absolutely captivated by the false door that was still standing intact within the tomb. Ancient Egyptians believed that the soul of the deceased could freely enter and exit the tomb through a "false door," which are characterised by a recessed surface with a symbolic entrance in the centre. I find this whole concept so fascinating and not to mention how beautiful these carved stone ‘doors’ are. (We later saw more in the Egyptian Museum and the The Met in New York City.

The False Door inside the Tomb of Idut

I hadn’t been to Saqqara on my original trip to Egypt in 2007 and I was so happy we had the opportunity to to visit it on this trip. It was such an unexpected highlight, especially because our guide Tarek has so much knowledge from his recent archeological work at Saqqara. 

Even though we managed to avoid the crowds at Giza with our early start, Saqqara felt a lot less touristy than the Giza Plateau. Wandering around Saqqara felt like we were visiting an active archeological dig rather than a tourist attraction. The Step Pyramid of Djoser itself is an early prototype of pyramid building, one that bridges the gap between the very early Mastaba Tombs and the phenomenal pyramids that famously sit on the Giza Plateau so it’s well worth the trip for anyone who is interested in ancient Egyptian history. 

Lunch with an incredible view.

Inside the Mortuary Temple of Djoser

Inside the Tomb of Idut

Afterwards we headed back to the Giza Plateau where we had a delicious lunch at a restaurant that overlook the Pyramids. Dining at places like this is one of the benefits of arranging a tour with company like Memphis Tours. The restaurant was geared towards tourists and was included in our overall tour prices. We would have never been able to find a place with a view like this by ourselves and it’s so incredible convient to outsoruse alot of the daily sightseeing logistic to someone who was way more knowledgable.

Everywhere else in the world we’ve been, we have done all the researching, planning and logistical details and it’s been such a rewarding experience. But I’m so gald we splurged a bit (ok maybe a lot, hahah!) and saw Egypt with a tour company.

The Pyramids of Giza & The Great Sphinx

After Luxor, we flew to Cairo where we had two full days to explore the Prymaids and Museums. Unfortunately we did experience a bit of bad luck in the form of a cancelled flights, which saw us arriving at the Luxor airport at 6am only to discover we had been rescheduled onto a flight at 12pm. Sitting in the airport for 6 hours was less than ideal but in hindsight it was only a minor inconvienence. We all handled it well, a bit of ipad time for the kids and a few card games and quizzes saw the hours creep by without much discomfort. And thankfully we had nothing else planned for that day. We later found out that the flight was probably cancelled because of the thick fog that Cairo experiences in the winter months.

All transport to and from the airport and to the sights was arranged by Memphis Tours, which was so incredibly convenient. Driving through the streets and freeways of Cairo is unlike anything else in the world… except for, I assume maybe, in India. To the uninitated, the traffic of Cairo looks like pure chaos, but it seems to work for the Egyptians. Braino, who has been an absolute pro when it comes to driving all our hire cars, was glad to be a passenger for this leg of the journey.

We stayed at the Steigenberger Pyramids Cairo Hotel which is located in Giza, right near the Pyramids and the new Grand Egyptian Museum. We had a fantastic view of the Pyramids of Giza from our two ajoining rooms, which was a total bucket list thing for me - a room with a view of the Pryamids. Overall, we loved the hotel; the breakfast buffet was great and the pools were lovely too. The location was well and truly worth it.

The view from our room at the Steigenberger Pyramid Cairo Hotel

Our guide in Cairo was Tarek, who was also an Archeologist and Egyptologist, he had worked on an excavation in Saqqara were they unearthed numerous mumified cats. Fasinating stuff, I loved hearing about it. While the Step Pyramid of Saqqara was on our itinerary for later in the day, our first stop was an early visit to the mighty Pyramids of Giza, only a short drive from our hotel.

Our guide, Tarek, Archeologist, Egyptologist and enthusiastic photographer.

We entered the Giza Plateau at the northern end, at the base of the Great Pyramid of Giza, tomb of the Pharaoh Khufu, who ruled during the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom. Built c. 2600 BC, over a period of about 26 years, the pyramid is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only wonder that has remained largely intact.

Visitors are a allowed to climb up the lower blocks of this pyramid and are able to venture inside, down into the burial chambers. On my first visit to Egypt in 2007, I went inside the Great Pyramid. I remember it being a little claustrophic walking down and back up the narrow shaft with a very low ceiling. It’s an additional cost so we opted not to do it with the kids but I kind of regret not doing it. It would have been a very cool experiene for them.

A camel with the Great Pyramid of Khufu in the background.

On the lower blocks of the Great Pyramid.

The Pyramid of Khafre

Next, we drove in our mini van past the Pyramid of Khafre, the middle pyramid with the stone - cladding top to it, around to the panaromic view point. While it appears bigger than the Great Pyramid, the Pyramid of Khafre is slightly smaller in dimensions and only appears larger because it sits higher on the plateau than the Great Pyramid of Khufu. From the panoramic viewpoint we could also see the smallest of the three Pyramids, the Pyramid of Menkaure.

If you would like to capture the iconic view of all 9 pyramids, which includes the smaller step like pyramids that sit in front of the Pyramid of Menkaure, you have to travel south via camel across the desert, at an additional cost. This viewpoint isn’t accessable via car or by foot. As much as I wanted to get that classic postcard view of pyramids, I knew I wouldn’t be able to convience anyone else in the family to ride a camel with me. I’ll even admit that it’s a little scary when a camel goes from sitting to standing with you on it’s back.

The Panoramic Viewpoint of the Giza Plateau

Our next stop on the Giza Plateau was the famious Great Sphinx of Giza. It was still early in the morning, around 9am by ths stage, so we were able to beat the crowds and get some wonderful photos of the Sphinx. Before we reached the viewing platform on the right hand side of the Sphinx, we walked through the impressive Valley Temple of Khafre, which had a really mystical feel to it. The girls were probably most excited about seeing the Sphinx. while it does feel smaller than expected in person, its still a breathtaking sight to behold. A lot of mystery surrounds The Sphinx, my favourite theory being a Hall of Records is buried deep inside the Sphinx that contains lost knowlegde of Atlantis.

The Great Sphinx of Giza

The Valley Temple of Khafre

The Pyramid of Khafre with the Great Sphinx in front.

Our next stop of the day was the Step Pyramid of Saqqara which was a 30 minute drive south along the Nile - I’ll share photos in the next post. Looking back on these photos, its absolutely incredible that we were able to show the girls this wonder of the ancient world. It’s a priceless memory that will last forever and I’m blessed to have visited the pyramids for a second time with my husband and daughters.

Nile Cruise in Luxor to Banana Island

After we visited the Valley of the Kings and Queen Hatshepsut’s Temple on the West Bank of Luxor, LT and our driver dropped us back to our hotel for an afternoon rest. Ibrahim, our Memphis Tours Leader, acommpanied us for an afternoon cruise. Initally, we thought this would be a felucca ride up and down the Nile, a felucca being a traditional sail boat used in Egypt. However, when we met our boat driver at the dock, we were found out that we were actually going to go to Banana Island. Also, because there wasn’t much wind that afternoon, our boat driver (I unfortuantely can’t remember his name) recommended we take one of the motorised boats instead.

We actually had a stunning Nile view from our hotel room but it was an added bonus to see Luxor from the vantage point of the Nile. Our boat driver / guide was fantastic, he was so chatty and friendly and really had a lot of interesting information.

Banana Island is a small banana plantation on the banks of the Nile. There seemed to be a number of boats arriving with tourists but it didn’t really seem like a tourist attraction, it was just a banana farm! But it was interesting nevertheless! Our guide told us about the organic banana farming practices and all the interesting featured of banana trees and then we were able to sit down at the picnic tables that overlooked the Nile and indulge in a bowl full of little organic bananas, which were actuallty really delicious. The girls loved them, which was great because we all had been struggling with a lack of appetite after over night of fevers.

The sun was setting as we headed back down the Nile when our guide offered to let Braino and I steer the boat for a bit. I was so terrible at it our guide quickly booted me back out of the drivers seat, haha! But Braino navigated us skillfully down the Nile for quite a while. The boat was actualluy rather big, a group of 30 people could have fit quite easily in to it but we had it all to ourselves.

The first time I came to Egypt in 2007, our tour included two nights of sleeping on a felucca while travelling from Aswan to Luxor. This was a really unique experience, because there was no showers, toilets or even rooms. Our group pretty much camped out on the deck of this sail boat for two days. I loved it but I didn’t think it would be the best option this time around with the girls. Braino and I did consider doing one of the famous Nile cruises boats that travel between Luxor and Aswan but it’s rather pricey and we thought that could get a little tidious for the kids, because there isn’t much onboard to keep them occupied. I’d love to do a Nile cruise later in life maybe, when I can kick back and read Agatha’s Christies ‘Death on the Nile’.

Visiting the West Bank of Luxor With Kids

After the full day we all spent sleeping, getting through the awful fever and lethagy we had all experienced, we mustered enought energy to head out in the moring, with our guide LT, to explore the sights of the West Bank of Luxor.

The Valley of the Kings

The Valley of the Kings is where the Pharaohs from the eighteenth dynasty to the twentieth dynasty. During this time were buried. Royal tombs were built deep with in the rock of the fairly unassuming limestone valley in an effort to hide the mummified remains and treasures from grave robbers. The pyramids that were used as burial chambers in the eariler dynasties were a little to obviously for graverobbers, so these style of hidden tombs gained popularity.

However, throughout history, many of these tombs were robbed and any artifacts that was found in modern times are now in the Egyptian Museums in addition to other museums in the world. The most well known tomb was Tutanhkamun’s, which was discovered in 1922. It hadn’t been disturbed at all and was found full of treasures, including Tut’s mummy.

Our ticket allowed us to enter three tombs and although guides are not allowed to enter the tombs and do any talking, LT advised that we visited the tombs of Rameses III (KV11), Ramses IX (KV6) & Ramses IV (KV2). Some of the tombs, like Tutanjkamun’s require an additional payment.

Although the tombs are generally empty, the intricate hieroglyphic adorning the walls are amazing, many of which still have colours after all these millienia. It’s amazing to think that there could still be tombs, sitting undiscovered in the cliffs of the valley.

Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut

Our next stop was only a short drive away to the Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Queen Hatshepsut was one of ancient Egypt's most successful and prominent pharaohs and only one of the very few female Pharaohs, reigning during the 18th Dynasty from approximately 1479 to 1458 BCE. As the daughter of King Thutmose I and wife of Thutmose II, she initially served as regent for her young stepson, Thutmose III. However, she soon declared herself pharaoh, adopting full kingly titles and regalia.

Hatshepsut is renowned for her prosperous and peaceful rule, which was marked by significant architectural achievements, including her magnificent mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahri and the two obelisks at Karnak Temple (of of which is still standing).

The temple is breathtakingly intriging from a distance and up close there are many impressive statues lining the three different levels and more well preserved, colourful heirogliphics. I would rate this as one of my favourite places in in Egypt, maybe because I remember first learning about Queen Hatsheput in a computer game I used to play as a kid; Where in Time is Carmen Sandiago.

The Colossi of Memnon

Our last stop on the West Bank of the Nile was The Colossi of Memnon, two massive stone statues standing as guardians at the entrance of the ancient mortuary temple of Pharaoh Amenhotep III. Crafted around 1350 BCE from quartzite sandstone, each statue, towering at approximately 18 meters (59 feet) high, depicts the seated figure of Amenhotep III. It was fasinating to see all the current archeological exacavations that stretched beyond the statues. Other than the two statues there are only a few souvenir vendors at this site, making it a quick visit to see the Colossi and take photos. We managaed to arrive just before the large bus load of tourist we saw leaving Queen Hatshepsuts Temple at the same time we did, so we had the Colossi all to ourself for the short time we were there.

Because all our travel was arranged by Memphis Tours, we didn’t have to worry about a thing - LT, our guide, picked us up directly from the hotel with our driver in our own private mini van. And we didn’t have to worry about tickets or paying admission on entry. LT had all of that arranged for us in advance. I would highly recommend visiting with a guide; LT was able to provide so much fasinating information and it was a incredibly convinient having someone else take care of everything, considering we were still feeling a little bit unwell.

Because we missed a whole day of our itinerary due to feeling sick, we didn’t get to visiting the following sights:

• Ramesseum

• Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III at Medinet Habu

• The Valley of the Nobles

Other sights you could add to your West Bank of Luxor interary are:

• The Valley of the Queens

• Hot Air Balloon at Sunrise

• Deir el-Medina (Valley of the Artisans)

• Temple of Seti I

Tour guides will also recommend shops you can visit that usually involve a bit of a demonstration on the production techniques. For exmaple LT recommended we stop in at an Alabastor workshop. Alabastor is a stone similar to marble that is unquie to the West Bank of Luxor and I believe this particular place was the oldest authenic workshop in Luxor.

He also offered to take us to a perfumerary on the East Bank near Karnak Temple where we could purchase esential oils and perfumes. However, declined on both occasions. With these sort of visits, there is a bit of an implided expectation that you purchase something, so we felt that if we weren’t going to buy anything we didn’t want to waste anyones time. However, if you do have the budget and the luggage space, it would be very interesting to see how things are made.

East Bank of Luxor - Karnak Temple & Luxor Temple

Luxor, once known as the ancient city of Thebes, was the captial of Egypt from 1570 BCE to 1069 BCE. Like most of Egypt, The Nile flows right through Luxor, dividing it into the East Bank and The West Bank. The East Bank is where you’ll find mots of the large hotels, shops, residential areas and two of the most important sights of Ancient Egypt; Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple.

We arrived in Luxor in the afternoon, after our driver from Memphis Tours transported us by Mini Van from Hurghada. The Drive took around 3 hours and we drove though some very barren, desert landscapes.

Unfortunately, Hallie and Rooney came down with feverish, flu like symptons on this day, so by the time we reached the hotel in Luxor, The Sonesta St George, they were in no state to head out sightseeing. Braino stayed at the accommodation while they slept and Farley and I headout with our guide LT to visit Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple. As sad as it was that two of the three girls were sick, it was still a lovely afternoon, spending some one on one time with Farley.

Karnak Temple

 Dating from around 2055 BC to around 100 AD, the Karnak Temple Complex is a collection of temples, chapels, pylons, and other structures, making it one of the largest religious complexes ever built.

Inside the Karnak Temple Complex, the Precinct of Amun-Ra, is the only part that most visitors get to see. The other three parts, the Precinct of Mut, the Precinct of Montu, and the dismantled Temple of Amenhotep IV, are not open to the public. 

The most impressive area is the The Great Hypostyle Hall, where the awe-inspiring towering columns soar towards the heavens. The other iconic sights to look out for are the Obelisk of Thutmose I and Queen Hatshepsut along with many huge statues of Ramses II. 

Our guide, LT was a qualified Archeologist and Egyptologist and had so much knowledge to share. He also specialised in spiritual tours and had worked on film shoots as a historical consultant including The Scorpion King with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. He was such an interesting character and was very proactive at offering to take our photo, which is always lovely. I actually didn’t get any photos with him. 

First Pylon of Karnak Temple

Obelisks of Thutmose I & Queen Hatshepsut.

The Great Hypostyle Hall

The Great Hypostyle Hall

The Great Hypostyle Hall

The Great Hypostyle Hall

Aries Sphinx Statues in the Great Court

Luxor Temple

After Karnak Temple, we headed to Luxor Temple, which is only a short 2km drive away. There is an Avenue of Sphinx Statues that once linked Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple.

Farley, LT and I arrived as the sun was setting but were surprised to find the crowded were still quite thick. LT mentioned that these crowds were nothing compared to amount of people who visit between Christmas and New Years. Visitors would have to line up for hours just to enter the temples. No Thanks! I’m glad we had missed those sort of crowds by a couple of days

Luxor Temple resembles a smaller version of Karnak Temple and was built by Amenhotep III (1390-52 BC) but completed by Tutankhamun (1336-27 BC) and Horemheb (1323-1295 BC) and then added to by Rameses II (1279-13 BC). The Temple interestingly has evidence of Christian worship and remains of a Coptic church. There is also a Mosque that was built on top of the Temple while it was still buried under the sand. It has been preserved and still stands to this day.

The front of Luxor Temple is guarded by 6 statues of Rameses II - two seated and four standing. Originally two 85m tall obelisk stood on either side of the entrance but one only remains today, the other can now be seen at the Place De La Concorde in Paris.

Avenue of Sphinx

Luxor Temple

Luxor Temple

Luxor Temple

Luxor Temple

Luxor Temple

Luxor Temple

If I could choose a super power, I would want to be able to go back in time to see ancient sites in all their splendour . Or to the late 1800s, when these temples were half buried in the sands of time, before any one saw the value in excavating the ruins of the past. Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple are magnificant in their current states, it’s hard to imagine what they would have looked like over 3000 years agao. Even with the crowded they still have an ethereal, otherworldly vibe, that makes you marvel at history and the evolution of civilisations. I felt very proud to be able to return to Egyot and share the experience of visiting these temples with Farley, 18 years after visiting them for the first time.

Egypt - Two Week Family Holiday in to the Land of The Pharaohs

Straight after our time in Norway, we flew via London to Hurghada, Egypt where we spent two weeks exploring the main sights of Egypt, arriving on January 2nd.  

Before we left Australia in May 2024, we had all our accommodations and flights booked until the new year, which was everything up to Norway. It was in August that we decided we’d head to Egypt after our time in Norway based on a few reasons: 

• I had been to Egypt in 2007, when I was I 21, and had the most amazing time. I’ve always dreams of going back and loved the idea of showing my family the magic of Ancient Egypt. 

• As Australian, we were able to stay for 90 days out of a 180 period in Europe, based on the Shengen Zone tourist restrictions. So after Norway, our 90 days were up and we were not able to visit any more European countries so we had to make a decision to head beyond Europe at this point. (Although Ireland is apart of the European Union, it is seperate to the Shengen Zone, which is why we were able to stay for 90 days Ireland first. ) 

• We were able to find some cheap direct flights to Hurghada from London with Easyjet so while we were still in that part of the world, it seemed the like most opportune time to include a visit to Egypt. 

• Also, as we had spent so long in the colder climates, we were keen to change it up a bit and get some sun. January is in fact Egypt’s winter as well but the temperatures were quite pleasant  - around 23 degrees celsius. 

Our itinerary 

4 x Nights in Hurghada

Hurghada is a coastal resort town along the Red Sea. It’s a hot spot for snorkelling and scuba diving and has an endless choice of all-inclusive resorts. Amarina Abu Soma Resort and Waterpark was a smaller resort but it had great pool area and a private beach too. 

3 x Nights in Luxor

From Hurghada we visited Luxor and Cairo as a part of a private guided trip through Memphis Tours. This ment that we had private drivers and mini vans to get around in, private guides at all the sights and 5 star hotel accommodation and flights between Luxor and Cairo and also between Cairo and Luxor. 

Unfortunately, we all came down with a nasty fever / cough. Braino first showed signs of it on the last day in Hurghada and then poor Hallie and Rooney came down with it on the day we travelled from Hurghada to Luxor, which also happened to be Hallie’s Birthday. (Thankfully we had a bit of a celebration for her the day before, knowing that her birthday fell on a travel day) 

Then Farley and I felt sick that night. We all spent the following day in beach and missed out on a whole day of sightseeing. We even arranged for a doctor to come out at night as Hallie’s fever was still pretty intense, she had a bit of a delirious spell. He prescribed some antibiotic for us and we were able to make the most of the following day. 

What we did in Luxor included: 

• Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple on Luxor’s East Bank (This was just Farley and Me on the afternoon that we arrived. Braino stayed in with Hallie and Rooney who were feeling sick) 

• The Valley of The Kings ,West Bank of Luxor where we entered three of tombs - Rameses III, Ramses IX & Ramses IV,

• The Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, West Bank of Luxor

• The Colossi of Memnon, West Bank of Luxor 

• Boat ride on the Nile to Banana Island, a Banana Plantation along the Nile. 

We stayed at the Sonesta St George Hotel in Luxor which had a beautiful view out over The Nile. 

Karnak Temple, Luxor

Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Luxor

3 x Nights in Cairo 

During the two full days we had in Cairo our Itinerary included: 

• The Giza Plateau where were visited the Pyramids of Giza and The Sphinx

• The Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara. 

• The Egyptian Museum in downtown Cairo

• The newly built Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza. 

In Cairo we stayed at the Steigenberger Pyramids Cairo, where we had an incredible view of the pyramids from our rooms. 

Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara

The Sphinx at the Giza Plateau, Cairo

4 x Nights in Hurghada 

After our time in Cairo, the tour with Memphis Tours officially ended upon our arrival back in Hurghada. We stayed for another 4 nights at Pickalbatros Jungle Aqua park Neverland Resort, which was another huge all - inclusive resort with multiple water slides and pools. It was also where we celebrated Farley’s birthday. 

We thought the kids would love all the waterslides but to be honest, our energy levels were still low post sickness and the water in the pools was still quite cold. Some were heated but it was hard to get a lounge chair around these popular pools. 

To top of it off, Braino, Hallie and I all caught a case of Gastro towards the end of our stay. Unfortunately for me and Hallie it was the day that we caught the flight back to London so that travel day was extra challenging.  

Neverland Jungle Waterpark Resort

Neverland Jungle Waterpark Resort

Overall, Egypt is an incredible, eye opening place to visit and we will always look back on our time there with a sense of wonder. But it was unfortunately affected by the bout of sickness that we all experienced. Thankfully it didn’t have us out of action for too long but it did affect our energy levels and the general morale of everyone during our excursions

We also realised that all inclusive hotels probably aren’t our thing. Even though they seem like good value for money, there isn’t a lot to do unless you want to literally swim and sit by the pool all day. At both hotels we were all in the one hotel room so it was quite a small space to hang out in. The food was all buffets, and while the variety and quality wasn’t too bad it got a bit monotonous going to the same dining room three times a day. 

Also, we were there during the time of year when the weather was slightly too cool for swimming. Perfectly fine for Europeans escaping the freezing winters but for us, the weather was similar to a Brisbane winter. Perfect temps for the days of sightseeing  in the sun but not so much for swimming and lounging by the pool. 

I’ll share some more posts on the specific places we visited in Cairo & Luxor in upcoming blog posts.