Sunrise Over Mt. Sinai

To catch sunrise at Mt. Sinai one has to be at the base by 2am. Its about a 4 hours climb and may be quite difficult. I attempted to do the climb on foot for about 30 minutes but it was really tiring for me so I opted to take a camel ride to the top.

It was a wise decision! I was able to conserve my energy for final 30 minute steep hike in which you have no choice but to do on foot. But the most amazing part was that I was treated to a very relaxing ride with spectacular views and the changing colors of the sky as sunrise approaches. The people who were with me on the tour regretted that they did not take the camel ride and were very envious of how relaxed and fresh I looked when they caught up with me at rest stop where the camel ride ends.

The view of the sunrise at the summit of Mt. Sinai was truly awesome and worth the long and difficult climb.

Cruising the Nile 2

Worth doing on a lazy afternoon is a motorboat cruise on the Nile that takes you to a Nubian Village. On the way to the village you will pass by rocky formations and have a brief stop at an island where you can climb up a hill which is part of the Sahara Desert. Had a good time on this hill, feeling the fine golden desert sand and enjoying the nice views of the adjacent islands.

In the Nubian Village, you will be brought to a typical Nubian house and given the opportunity to hold a snake. The latter was nothing really new because holding a snake is common in Asian tours.

Cruising the Nile 1

One should not miss a boat ride along the Nile River to complete your holiday in Egypt. If your on a tight budget you can take a Felucca boat (Egyptian wooden sail boats) with no facilities but will give you nonetheless a relaxing Nile River experience.

But the better way to travel along the Nile is to take a cruise on a superior class cruise ship. These small ships have first class facilities with nice cabins, swimming pool and other recreational facilities, and buffet meals.

The cruise travels through the Nile and provides scenic views of the Egypt's countryside and small towns, and the Sahara desert. The ship stops in major ancient sites such as Luxor and Edfu.

Karmak Temple

After visiting a lot of truly awesome ancient temples in Egypt, one would think that one has seen enough and will be quite hard to still be impressed. But still I was astonished with the last ancient site that we visited in Egypt, the Karmak Temple.

This is the largest ancient site in the world, and in its 100 hectares you will find colossal statues, gigantic obelisks and monumental pylons.

Karmak Temple was a fitting end to an unforgettable tour of Egypt's truly impressive ancient sites and temples.

Valley of the Kings

A bit of disappointment for me was the Valley of the Kings located in the Theban hills. This ancient burial grounds housed for 500 years (from the 16th to 11th century BC)the tombs for kings and powerful nobles of Egypt.

The mausoleum like structures where the mummies were kept are massive but not impressive. Nevertheless, inside the tombs, the walls decorated with scenes from Egyptian mythology are exquisite, colorful, and interesting.

Temple of Hatshepsut

An astonishing sight is the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut. The temple is dramatically situated in a valley overshadowed by the peak of the mountains of Thebes.

The massive quartzite statues that once guarded the mortuary temple is awe inspiring as they stand virtually alone in a field on the road to the valley of the kings.

What makes a trip to Egypt truly memorable is that it has a lot of truly awesome ancient temples and ruins which are similar, and yet each temple manages to be impressive in its own way at the same time.

Luxor Temple

Another spectacular sight in Egypt is the Temple of Luxor located on the east bank of the River Nile.This temple was initially a place of worship for Christians and then later for Muslims.

Luxor Temple is beautifully lit at night and counts as one of the best places I visited in Egypt.