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Country profile · Stop V
Twenty-seven days from the Nile Delta to the Sinai.

Egypt

5 — 31 May 200127 days104 photos
Capital
Cairo
Population
67M '01
Currency
EGP 3.85/$
Languages
Arabic
Daily budget
$25 / person
Tap water
No drink bottled
Field notes

Twenty-seven days from the Nile Delta to the Sinai.

We crossed into Egypt at Taba on the 5th of May, traded the desert sun of Wadi Rum for the Red Sea coast, and pointed south. Cairo first — chaotic, vast, twelve to sixteen million people braided around the Nile. The National Museum alone could fill a day; we gave it two.

Then south by train to Luxor and the Valley of the Kings, by air to Abu Simbel, and back up to the Sinai for a week of cheap rooms, scuba diving, and a sunrise hike up Mt. Sinai. Egypt is where the trip first felt big.

"Abu Simbel is the absolute must-see — well worth the trip."
— Trip note · 24 May 2001
Egypt
Egypt
Stops in country

Places we stopped.

Abu Simbel

10/10

The Great Temple and the Hathor Temple, both moved to higher ground when the Aswan dam raised the waters. Worth every hour of the trip down.

Must seeTempleUNESCO

Giza

9/10

The Pyramids and the Sphinx right outside Cairo. The must-see in Egypt — though paying extra to walk inside the Pyramid only earns you an empty tunnel.

Must seeWonder

Cairo

8/10

The life and blood of Egypt. National Museum, the Citadel, the Bazaar, countless mosques. The museum alone could fill a day.

CityCulture

Luxor

8/10

The Valley of the Kings and Queens lies across the Nile. Famous burial-site excavations, Luxor Temple in town, Karnak just outside.

RuinsTemple

Dahab

6/10

The hippie sanctuary on the Sinai. Dirt-cheap to eat and sleep, scuba and snorkeling for next to nothing, Mt. Sinai a hike away.

BeachDiving

Aswan

5/10

Famous for the dam. Not a must-see — but if you're already passing through on the way to Abu Simbel, take a look.

Engineering

Port Said

5/10

A pleasant surprise. There's a nice boardwalk, and the Suez Canal begins here on its way to the Mediterranean. Hot, humid.

CoastCanal
Photo album · Egypt 2001

From the road.

View all 104 photos
The Great Temple
Abu Simbel
The Great Temple
24 May 2001
The Nile at dusk
Cairo
The Nile at dusk
12 May 2001
Luxor Temple
Luxor
Luxor Temple
20 May 2001
Karnak columns
Luxor
Karnak columns
20 May 2001
Colossi of Ramesses
Abu Simbel
Colossi of Ramesses
24 May 2001
The Red Sea coast
Dahab
The Red Sea coast
28 May 2001
Temple facade
Abu Simbel
Temple facade
24 May 2001
The old town
Cairo
The old town
14 May 2001
Sinai shoreline
Dahab
Sinai shoreline
29 May 2001
Valley of the Kings
Luxor
Valley of the Kings
21 May 2001
Streets of Cairo
Cairo
Streets of Cairo
15 May 2001
The boardwalk
Port Said
The boardwalk
30 May 2001
Daily diary

Written from
the road.

5 May 2001
Crossing into Sinai at Taba
→
12 May 2001
First day in Cairo: chaos and the Nile
→
15 May 2001
The Pyramids of Giza, finally
→
20 May 2001
Karnak, Luxor, and the Valley of the Kings
→
24 May 2001
Flying south to Abu Simbel
→
28 May 2001
Dahab: the hippie sanctuary on the Sinai
→
31 May 2001
Crossing the Red Sea to Eritrea
→
Next stop

→ Eritrea

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