The Wonders of Egypt

An adventurous 6 days in Egypt with a 3-year-old!

Egypt has been high on the bucket list and the reality of the trip far surpassed our expectations. T had to return to Egypt for work and we decided to tag-a-long, adding 4 days in Cairo to explore the most epic of destinations. *Thus far, T has always traveled first to a new country and we have accompanied him on any future trips he has. It really helps that he has at least a semblance of navigating the country - Like, "if I drive in Egypt we will get divorced - we are hiring a driver."

The highlight of our trip was most certainly the interior tour of the tomb in Great Pyramid of Giza. Due to our deep competitiveness, we found ourselves first into the pyramid complex and raced to the tomb. The magic is palpable, the power is exquisite and the experience is humbling. If you are physically and mentally able (think the most extreme claustrophobia), the interior tour is unmissable. The pyramids are a wonder of the world for a reason.

The second highlight was our Nile dinner cruise. Invited by friends, we were the only non-Muslims and only Americans on the entire boat. H and I posed with strangers for pictures and his blonde hair was tousled by every woman there (he's used to it now!). The Egyptian people were warm, so kind, so filled with radiating joy that I was nearly overcome. To partake in a traditional Iftar and dance in celebration with so many strangers was once in a lifetime. To be honest, I was struck by a particular detail - our American culture weaves alcohol into every aspect of life. And this was the first time in my life that I had seen hundreds of people all together letting loose, laughing, dancing with vigor, and celebrating with no alcohol. It was ... pretty powerful.

Egypt left us wanting so much more and we will return for a Nile cruise to Luxor.

Trip Details

Itinerary

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Egypt Trip Details

Hotels:

Marriott Mena House

Marriott Mena House with no reservation… I mean, yes, make a reservation but I totally recommend. There are more “luxury” places and also hotels that are cheaper, but nowhere is closer to the pyramids. If safety is a concern for you, the Mena House is through the first security check point for the pyramids (there are like 5), so you’re getting an extra layer of protection. The majority of the guests here were American. The rooms are decent. Pool is great. Staff is exceptional. Rooms are subject to dynamic pricing so check multiple dates. But waking up and having your coffee while the sun beams off the pyramids? Yeah, that’s priceless.

Al Alamein Motel: Simply stunning design and delicious food. This motel was the first on the North Coast and has been renovated to perfection. Legit obsessed. We stayed in the offseason so there were only 9 guests total which meant the amenities were under construction. The food was perfection and the service (even for just the few guests there) was wonderful. Think marshmallows and milk on the nightstand or fresh complimentary watermelon on the beach. Since it was the offseason rates were half of typical pricing .. thank god. Expensive!

Heliopolis Hilton: We spent the night at the Heliopolis Hilton as we had an early flight and it was decent. The stray peacocks on the grounds were an A+. Rooms were a C+, hotel was a B- (smelled like stale cigarette smoke), experience was a B+. Check out the below section on healthcare to read more. The hotel and dinner were shockingly cheap and so I recommend when you just need a place to crash for the night.

Food: food isn’t the goal of our travels right now, so we didn’t eat outside of the hotel except for our night on the Nile River Cruise. That meal was an authentic Muslim Iftar and was delicious. I have zero idea what anything was but all super tasty. The food at the Marriott is outstanding - I will crave the Mena House burger for the rest of my life. The cocktails and wine are shockingly expensive, beer is not.

Transport: we hired drivers and Ubers. I would never recommend a taxi. With an Uber you have some semblance of accountability both with the driver’s identity and setting the rate ahead of time. With taxis … you can easily get taken for the final rate. Ubers are VERY cheap. A 40-minute ride cost $5 USD. Don’t rent a car. You will die or get divorced, of this, I am sure. Plus, there’s just no reasons when Ubers are that cheap. Additionally, highly recommend bringing your car seat. It was a pain to lug around, but the traffic was scary and I wanted to be sure H was safe. We found our driver to the North Coast through a friend and the driver and tour guide through the hotel.

Tours: there are millions of tours that will bring you to the destinations you’d like to see. For convenience, we used the tour company that was based at The Marriott. Yes, this service was more expensive then other services (like a group bus) but we had a private car, private driver, private tour guide. The cost was $250 for 2 people for a full day (kids are free) - you choose as many destinations and places as you like. The bonus was that the driver stayed in the car with the AC on, the car seat and our valuables protected. Our tour guide could tailor each stop to the needs of a 3-year old i.e. leaving early. I cannot imagine the stress I would feel if our toddler was annoying a group tour or having to wait for everyone while he was getting fussy. We did find that day 2 was less great than day 1. We think is was because we didn’t tip our guide at the end of day 1 and saved it all for the end of day 2. This was not appreciated … oops.

Safety: I felt as safe as I do in NYC (where my brother lives). I watch my bag, my kid, my surroundings very closely. I triple check my Uber driver and I don’t engage with strangers unless I feel like it. I wouldn’t walk at night alone etc. Comfortingly, Egypt has a proactive approach to danger. All cars are bomb searched with dogs at all entrances. I absolutely do NOT mind this. Instead of making me feel “unsafe”, I feel safer because the police are making sure that nothing bad DOES happen. Felt no unease at all, except with the driving … I thought we would be in an accident every second.

Healthcare: traveling with a toddler means traveling with a small pharmacy "just in case." And although you prepare, sometimes you need a doctor. On our final night, H had a breathing attack. It was due to the incredibly poor air quality that day and allergies to cigarette smoke in the hotel. This has happened before, and I know what to do, but we did need a doctor. The hotel was able to call an emergency physician who came directly to our hotel room at 2am, examined, prescribed and brought the necessary medication within 15 minutes. The service was remarkable, and do you know what all the medication cost? $3.62 ... three dollars and sixty two cents?!?! The emergency doctor at 2am was only $100. Up your game, America. Your health care system is pathetic. I should point out that this cost was WITHOUT our insurance. So we can speak to excellent health care in Egypt and a hotel that assisted immediately.

EGYPT ADVENTURE ITINERARY

Day 1: Nile River Dinner cruise.

Exceptional, authentic, humbling, beautiful.

Day 2: Hired a guide - Great Pyramids of Giza complex (including Sphinx), great pyramid interior tour and Saqqara necropolis.

We left at 7:30am and returned to the hotel around 2:30pm. We could have stayed much longer but … 3-year old.

Day 3: The Citadel and Mosque of Muhammad Ali. Old Cairo: Cavern Church, The Hanging Church, The Coptic Museum. The Egyptian Museum. A drink at The Cairo Tower.

Seems like a fuller day then it was. All these places are very close. So with a driver and a guide we flew right through. The Coptic Museum was an A+ while The Egyptian Museum was a D+. A new Egyptian museum should be completed in the next 5 months and will be exceptional. After a long nap at the hotel, we Ubered back to watch the sunset from The Cairo Tower. There is a revolving restaurant and café at the highest point in Cairo - exceptional views.

Day 4: Great Pyramids of Giza without a guide. Drive to North Coast (3 hours).

We so enjoyed just exploring the pyramids ourselves. Thankfully, you can’t climb on the larger ones, but you are free to explore the entire complex. We felt like we were discovering ancient Egyptian ruins ourselves. The drive to the North Coast is easy and a large, recently paved, straight shot with no cars.

Day 5/6: Marassi, North Coast

I have never seen such beautiful blue water. However, we were staying at Marassi which is essentially a brand new city built in the past few years. We stayed during the offseason so it was essentially abandoned. As I learned, much of Cairo relocates to the North Coast during the hot summer months.

Day 6: Cairo

Drove back late to spend the night prior to an early morning flight.