What a literally wonder-ful trip this was! Seeing the legendary pyramids, temples, and tombs first-hand is awe-inspiring, of course, but it’s more than that. It’s as close as you can come to time travel. Walking where the pharaohs walked, seeing the world through their eyes, sailing on the eternal Nile, is simply transcendent.
Almost everywhere I’ve traveled, I’ve found people to be warm and welcoming. That holds true for Egypt, with an added dose of humor and hospitality. Strike up a conversation and you’ll hear a joke before too long. Even people you’ve never met before will treat you as an old friend. Laughing at life seems to be a national pastime; if you’re going to develop wrinkles from squinting at the sun, you might as well convert them into laugh lines.
If you’re thinking of visiting Egypt, I encourage you go with Smithsonian/Odysseys Unlimited. It wasn’t a relaxing trip – there were several very early mornings and little down time – but it was even more rewarding than I could have imagined.
Travel Tips
Arriving. There’s no need to get a visa in advance. Getting one on arrival is quick and easy – you just hand over $25 US in cash (no credit cards) and receive a visa sticker, which you take to the immigration desks.
Travel by air within Egypt. At all Egyptian airports, you go through security twice. As soon as you enter, you must show your passport and put your luggage and carry-ons through an x-ray machine. There’s no need to remove shoes at this point, but phones, belts, and watches should be put through the machine. You will then receive a pat-down; there are separate lines for men and women. Check-in desks are located after the initial screening. Once you are checked in, there’s another screening before the gates, where you will need to remove your shoes.
Hotel room location in Cairo. Drivers in Cairo are permanently attached to their car horns. The symphony of toots, blasts, and chirps starts early in the morning and continues until around ten at night, with occasional reprises in the wee hours. The ubiquitous motorcycles add a rumbling bass line. If you’re not a heavy sleeper, you should try to get a hotel room facing away from the street.
Security. There are armed police and military personnel everywhere. We even had a security person on our tour bus. To be honest, I’m not sure why – I know tourism is an essential part of Egypt’s economy and the government wants people to feel safe, but I never got the sense that we would have been unsafe without the security. Don’t be put off by it.
Public bathrooms. Bathrooms in museums and airports are clean. Bathrooms at outdoor tourist sites (Abu Simbel, Karnak, Valley of the Kings, etc.) are clean-ish. Almost all public bathrooms are staffed by an attendant who will expect a small tip, one or two Egyptian pounds (50 cents to a dollar). There’s toilet paper in the museum and airport bathrooms, but not at the outdoor tourist sites. There, the attendant will hand each person a couple of sheets. I recommend sticking a roll in your backpack or purse.
Food and drink. Aces all around! Egyptian food is terrific, and it’s an easy place to be vegetarian. Falafel, hummus, baba ghanouj, tagines, foul (a fava bean dish), and all sorts of rustic breads offer lots of healthy alternatives. Fruit juices – especially mango – are delicious, the tea is refreshing even without the massive amounts of sugar Egyptians prefer, and the coffee ranges from decent to very good.
I tried an Egyptian lager (Stella), which was nice, as well as a couple of different Egyptian single-malt whiskies, which were decent as well and far less expensive than imported scotches. Do not get ice in your drinks: even at fancy hotels and restaurants, stick to bottled water, which is readily available and generally provided free of charge. You also should use bottled water when brushing your teeth.
Health. Even if you’re careful, there’s a chance you’ll suffer some stomach problems, as did I and several others in my group. Bring plenty of Imodium or Pepto Bismol. If you don’t improve, pharmacies are everywhere, and I believe they will dispense Cipro without a prescription. (Thankfully, my issues were relatively mild so I didn’t need to find out.)
The air quality is poor. The combination of dust from the desert and, especially in Cairo, pollution from the cars, caused several people in our group to develop sinus issues. If you’re susceptible to sinus infections, you may want to wear a mask.
Cell coverage. Even in remote locations, cell coverage is good.
Dealing with vendors. At every tourist site, you have to run a gauntlet of vendors on exiting, and often on entering as well. They are persistent. If you’re not interested in shopping, don’t make eye contact and don’t respond, even if they say hello. Any engagement is viewed as license to ramp up the pressure. You may need to say “no” (laa in Arabic) several times.
Flies. The only things more persistent than the vendors are the small black flies. They don’t bite, but they’re annoying. I just brushed them away because I don’t like using DEET, but you may want to bring some insect spray if you’re so inclined.
Leaving Egypt. When it’s time to go home, assume the departure process will take twice as long as it should. First, there’s traffic to deal with. I was fortunate to leave on a Friday, when most businesses are closed. This meant the roads to the Cairo airport were relatively clear, but there were big backups at the airport, even at 7 in the morning.
Once you’re inside the airport, you may encounter a very long line for the initial security screening. It moves quickly, but it still took around 25 minutes from the time I joined the line to get through the check point.
After the initial security screen, pick up an immigration form at the desks near passport control. (Be sure you have a pen; they aren’t provided.) The form is brief and easy to complete.
Once you’re through passport control, head toward your gate. Here’s where things really bogged down, at least for me. The second security screening line inched along, so that by the time I finally reached my gate, it was an hour and twenty minutes after I’d arrived at the airport.
On a regular traffic day, you may want to leave Cairo for the airport three-and-a-half or four hours before your flight. You may be lucky and find shorter lines, but you never know.
Thanks to everyone who made this such a wonderful trip …
To our excellent guide, Amr, a brilliant, kind, super-organized man with degrees in archaeology, comparative literature, and translation (he’s translated Shakespeare and Shelley into Arabic). Amr kept our group – he called us “family” from day one – well-informed, on time, entertained, and pampered.
To Dan, the Egyptologist who accompanied us on this Smithsonian-sponsored journey. Dan’s infectious enthusiasm for his field, gentle manner, and keen esthetic eye greatly enhanced our experience.
To Odysseys Unlimited for arranging an outstanding itinerary, putting us up in excellent hotels, and most important, providing such a wonderful guide. I’ve taken several trips with Odysseys and have found them uniformly excellent, a terrific value for my travel dollar.
To my fellow “Smithsonian Habibis,” a stimulating, engaged group who were a joy to travel with.
To Lauren Clark, my excellent travel agent, for her sound advice and expertise.
Finally, as always, to my wife, Sandy, for not just tolerating, but encouraging my passion for travel. As I wrote after my last trip, your support literally and figurative means the world to me!
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My next trip will be in February 2026, when I’m heading to Chile (including Rapa Nui), Argentina, and Brazil with a friend I’ve known since elementary school. Until then, be well, savor life, and find the beauty in everything you can!
PuffinlessTravel 
A fabulous two weeks indeed!
(That comic panel is terrific.)