The Winter Holidays 2024: Egypt

As my plane touched down in Cairo, I felt a rush of excitement. Egypt—a place straight out of history books, filled with legendary pyramids, ancient temples, and miles of desert stretching in every direction. From the Great Pyramid of Giza to the Valley of the Kings, it’s like a place frozen in time.

For the first five days, we took it easy—sleeping in, eating good food, working out at the gym, and hanging out by the pool. But after those days of relaxation, it was time for adventure. Our guide, Muhammad (and then the other days Ahmed), picked us up for a 16-day deep dive into Egypt’s past and culture.

We kicked things off at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, where we got an incredible overview of Egypt’s history. The museum itself was shaped like a modern pyramid, with a huge open interior. But the highlight? Seeing the Royal Mummies Hall, where the preserved remains of 18 kings and 4 queens rested. It was insane how well the ancient Egyptians had perfected mummification—some of the mummies still had hair and teeth!

​The next day, we finally visited the Great Pyramid of Giza—one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Walking up to it, I couldn’t believe how massive it actually was. We also saw the Great Sphinx, which looked even more mysterious in person. One of the coolest parts was climbing inside the pyramid itself. The passageways were narrow and steep, but at the end, we saw the stone container that once held the sarcophagus of Pharaoh Khufu. It was surreal standing inside something built over 4,500 years ago.

One of the best things about Egypt? The food! My favorite was Koshary, a wild but delicious mix of pasta, rice, lentils, chickpeas, crispy onions, and spicy tomato sauce. It might sound random, but trust me—it’s comfort food at its best. Fun fact: Koshary started as a street food for workers in the 19th century and became Egypt’s national dish! If you ever visit, grab a bowl from a local street vendor—you won’t regret it.

​After Cairo, we took a long (8-hour!) drive to Siwa Oasis, a remote paradise in the middle of the desert. We spent three days there, floating in cold salt pools where you barely have to move to stay afloat. We also went on a Sahara desert tour, racing up and down massive sand dunes in a 4x4. At sunset, we climbed one of the tallest dunes and watched the sky turn shades of orange and pink. That night, we had dinner at a desert camp, where they cooked chicken in an underground pit—it was one of the best meals of the trip.

​Back in Cairo, we checked out the brand-new Grand Egyptian Museum, which had just opened a month before. This place was huge. You could spend days exploring every exhibit, but since we were short on time, we only got a quick look. After that, we visited some of Egypt’s lesser-known pyramids—the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid. The Bent Pyramid was the hardest to climb inside because of how steep and narrow it was, but it was totally worth it. Inside, we even saw ancient wooden beams that had been holding up the structure for over 4,000 years!

Next, we left Cairo and flew to Aswan, where we boarded a Nile cruise—which, by the way, is the best way to travel ever. For the next few days, we stopped at some of Egypt’s most famous temples, like Philae Temple (which was actually moved piece by piece to save it from flooding!), Edfu Temple (one of the best-preserved temples in Egypt), and the Temple of Sobek (dedicated to a crocodile god—yes, ancient Egyptians worshipped crocodiles!).

In Luxor, we woke up before sunrise for a hot air balloon ride, floating high above the Nile, temples, and tombs. Seeing 4,000-year-old ruins from the sky? Absolutely unreal. Later, we explored the Valley of the Kings, where we climbed deep into the tombs of Ramses I, III, and IV—some of the walls still had bright colors and carvings, even after thousands of years. We finished our exploration of Ancient Egypt with a few hours at Karnak Temple. It felt like stepping straight into history—like the ancient pharaohs had just been there yesterday.

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After all that sightseeing, we needed a break. We drove four hours to Hurghada, a resort town on the Red Sea, for two days of relaxing at an all-inclusive resort. It wasn’t the best resort we’ve been to, but chilling on the beach and hanging by the Red Sea was a nice way to wrap up the trip.

Finally, we headed back to Cairo for our flight to the next country. Egypt was an unforgettable experience—seeing places I had only read about in history books was incredible. But after visiting almost every major site, I think I’ve checked Egypt off my list for a long time.