Middle East & Africa

In my non-stop quest to make Viator the one-stop source of information for travel to Egypt…

My husband and I are not what we would call ‘cruise’ people. We have never done an extended cruise and have never been inclined to do so. When planning our trip to Egypt it became apparent early on that unless we were prepared to endure hours of car travel on bumpy, deserted roads with no speed limits - that would be NO - our best option for seeing the curiously named Upper Egypt, is by boat. I say curiously named because when you look at a map of Egypt, Upper Egypt (Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel, etc) appears to the South of Lower Egypt (Cairo, Alexandria, etc). I equate North with up and South with down, maybe it’s just me. In this case Upper refers to height with Upper Egypt further above sea level than Lower Egypt…it took me a while to grasp this concept!

Anyway, getting back on track, we decided to do the 8 Day Nile River Cruise on the lovely M/Y Mirage (M/Y being yacht shaped, M/S being ship shaped - it looked like most other boats to me?!) cruising both directions between Luxor and Aswan. Each day there was a stop and our own personal guide would disembark with us to show us the ancient wonders that make Egypt so famous. At either end in Aswan and Luxor, all our sightseeing was included before leaving the cruise, so it really was an all-inclusive tour package. Now not that the fabulous temples and bazaars of Egypt weren’t absolutely incredible, but the real highlight of the trip was being on the cruise itself.

The staff were beautiful people, happy to help anyway they could to make the cruise as memorable as possible, and they genuinely love talking to visitors to their country. Egypt is not a poor country, however money is not shared fairly and while the rich are very rich, the majority of the population earn appalling wages and don’t have an easy life. Most will never leave Egypt in their lifetime and they know this, so curiosity of foreign visitors is high, and they are keen to practice their language skills with you. The cynic inside may be telling you ‘they want a big tip’, but this is not their incentive. Of course they want a tip, their livelihood depends on it, but they are genuinely interested in the world outside of Egypt. They want a tip, but they don’t expect a tip, which differentiates them from a large proportion of the Western world.

Whether it was the housekeeping staff who arranged our towels in different shapes each day (my favorite was the crocodile), or the restaurant staff who knew what Eamonn was going to ask for before he opened his mouth, everyone on the boat was there to make our cruise as relaxing and easy as possible. Add to this the service of a private guide for all your tours and sightseeing, and you are looking at a well-organized, value-for money cruising experience.

The result of housekeeping staff with too much free time…

The scenery along the Nile is stunning. Outside of the main cities, the water is a deep blue while the banks are lined with lush greenery, dramatically backed against the yellow and orange sands of the desert. From time to time we would pass small villages or isolated houses where local farmers and their families were going about their daily business. The odd water buffalo would appear on the fringe of the banks, chewing lazily on reeds and water plants. The only sounds to be heard were the braying donkeys and the occasional call to prayer from the mosques hidden amongst the palm trees.

My favorite day on the tour was during the leg from Luxor to Aswan. There is a lock that all river traffic must pass through to get between the two great cities, however, there is ALOT of cruise ships servicing the Nile.

Every house needs 2 satellite dishes, even on the Nile!

At many ports of call your boat lines up side by side with 3 or 4 others and you will walk through the lobbies of each ship to get to shore. Because of the number of vessels, on arrival in Esna it is 99% guaranteed you will have to wait your turn to pass. It may only be an hour, it may be several, it all depends on traffic on the day. When it was our turn, we spent almost a whole day waiting on the far side of the lock. This is the side without a town attached, so the boats just line up and park and there is nowhere to go. You may think - how dull! But you would be wrong, this was a great day! Without any time pressures to be on and off the boat for shore visits, we were free to laze around for the whole day. Almost the whole boat headed to the sun deck to claim a lounge and settle in for the day. After breakfast we claimed our spot and settled in, until the inboard massage therapist came around to tempt us. Eamonn was not to be swayed, I on the other hand couldn’t resist a 1 hour massage at the bargain price of $40.

Heading back to the sun deck there was some kind of kerfuffle at the back of the boat. There were about 15 boats docked side by side with a passage between 2 rows. In the passage of water between, around 30 or 40 small wooden row boats lingered, complete with yelling Egyptians throwing plastic wrapped merchandise to the surrounding cruise passengers. T-shirts, scarves, belly dancing outfits and even fake Papyrus was flying through the air, searching for a buyer. If you caught something which you wished to buy, you simply took the merchandise, put your money in the bag and throw it back to the seller. Of course this is after a good 5 minutes of price negotiations! These guys are persistent, but eventually drifted away after about and hour and a half.

Shops come to you on a Nile River Cruise

Back to sunbathing, relaxing by the pool and chatting with other passengers. The sounds of Jamiroquai and Tom Jones drifts from the speakers while we sat back enjoying a glass of Luxor - King of Beers, life’s pretty sweet on a Nile River Cruise…

-Kerrie O’Mahony

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s tours & things to do in Egypt. Also have a look at traveler photos of Egypt over on the Viator Flickr site.

Regular visitors to the Viator Travel Blog may have noticed that I traveled to Egypt recently and kind of enjoyed it a bit. I did not know what to expect and arrived in Cairo with some trepidation about a culture, religion and way of life I didn’t understand. I admit arriving with a touch of ignorance and a small tinge of fear. Before leaving I found it hard to find good information about what to expect so I thought I’d share a couple of the things that I would have liked to know before I got there.

How much does Kerrie love Egypt? Lots.

1. Money: Small notes (1, 5, 10) are like gold in Egypt! You pretty much tip everyone who looks at you so you will need a good supply of small notes handy. I believe there are coins as well, but I never saw them! Wages are criminally low so Egyptians rely on tips from foreigners and locals alike, so stock up on the small notes. Also, it’s very, very difficult to get change so try and get as much as you can before arriving (even banks are reluctant to share). One of the happiest moments of my trip was finding an ATM in Aswan that gave out 10 pound notes! (opposite the Basma Hotel, next to the Nubia Museum).

2. Water: No surprise here, avoid tap water and only drink bottled water. Clean your teeth with bottled or boiled water, and avoid unpeeled fruits and vegetables. The real tip though for water is to remember to take it with you everywhere. Each and every time you leave your hotel room or cruise ship, grab a bottle. Sure it’s available to buy at the temples and bazaars, but you will be charged exorbitant prices and have to run the bargaining gauntlet to get your hands on some.

3. Private Guides: Egypt is a cheap place to travel so use your pennies to get yourself a private guide. Instead of trudging around the famous sites with 50 other people while adhering to their timetable, with a private guide you determine how long you spend at each place. It also gives you the chance to spend time with an Egyptian and they are always happy to share details of their life with you. Ask every question you can come up with about the country and lifestyle, you might just learn something. Also make sure your tour has hotel pick up if you haven’t been to Egypt before, it can be difficult to get directions.

Alabaster Factory in Luxor – well worth a visit

4. Dress: Yes, Egypt is a predominantly Muslim country, however they are pretty relaxed and accepting of other cultures and religions. Relying heavily on tourism, Egypt values its visitors and does not expect everyone to do everything their way. As a female (and a blonde one at that, the worst kind for traveling in a Muslim country according to the guide books…), I was weary of how to dress, however it became clear very quickly I could just dress like I would at home. I would not recommend hitting the town in hot pants and a boob tube, some discretion please, but do not worry too much about exposed legs, arms and shoulders. Skirts, shorts, sleeveless tops and dresses are all acceptable within reason, just avoid anything too short or too low cut. And for your sightseeing and day trips - wear flat, comfortable, closed toe shoes - there’s alot of sand to walk on in Egypt!

5. Beer: If you are a beer drinker - beware! Due to the heat, the beer in Egypt has loads of preservatives which can unfortunately have a laxative effect. There is one brand called Sakkara which is preservative free, so I suggest you stick to this one…

6. Hassle: Forget the Curse of Tutankhamun and how the Pyramids were built, the biggest myth for travelers to Egypt is that there will be hassle, hassle, hassle. I hate to bargain when shopping and I hate being pressured so I was definitely dreading the alleged hassle that most guide books warn you about. In contrast, I experienced minimal hassle from local shop owners. Yes they call out to you “my friend”, “free for you”, “you English?”, but a firm and polite “la shu-kran” — no thank you, was enough for their eyes to wander to the next potential customer. Also wearing a hat and dark glasses helps avoid the eye contact which the vendors are desperately trying to get from you. Luxor is a little more aggressive than the other big cities, but this is understandable when you consider tourism is 80% of the city’s income. Overall I was pleasantly surprised and ended up with more souvenirs of the trip than I had expected.

7. Shopping: There is plenty of plastic Tutankhamun’s and stuffed camels to buy in Egypt, everywhere in the world has their fair share of tacky souvenirs, but there is also some good quality items. The biggies to look out for are Papyrus, Alabaster/granite, gold and Egyptian cotton. Regardless of what tours you do, you will always be offered the chance to visit stores specializing in these products, often at set prices. They may not be the cheapest but if you are like me and not into the whole haggling thing, its a great way to shop. Just remember, if you don’t want to go you can just say no thanks. Obviously guides get a commission from sales to supplement their income, but big deal, can you blame them for wanting to supplement their income? I went to an Alabaster Factory in Luxor, the one place where you feel a little more pressure, and I browsed and left without buying anything. It was important to me to prove you are not obliged (and in fairness to my guides, they never made me feel obligated to buy anything) and I did. So take the chance to see how Papyrus paper is made and how Alabaster is carved, have a look at what’s on offer and buy if you want - your choice.

8. Camera: No matter where you are, or who they are, do not ever give your camera to someone else to take a photo for you - it will cost you dearly to get it back. If you want your photo taken somewhere, ask your guide or a fellow traveler, not the tourist police, not the temple staff, not the friendly camel owner and definitely not the guy with the Pharaoh head-dress who appears out of nowhere ‘my friend’. This is the scam you need to be aware of, so exercise some common sense and don’t hand over any valuables to complete strangers.

9. Egyptian Museum: Make this one of the last places you visit. Treasures from around Egypt have ended up here and it makes for a more interesting visit once you have seen their original homes, heard their stories and understand their significance. When you gaze upon the treasures of King Tutankhamun you can imagine how amazed Howard Carter would have been to open the untouched tomb once you have seen the arid location it was discovered in. The Museum is so big that unless you have several weeks to explore it in depth, you need to know what you are looking for and want to see.

10. Chill out: Relax! You do not need to take any more precautions in Egypt than you would traveling to most Western countries. People are very kind and respectful and I felt safer there than I often do in Sydney. It’s a different culture, no question there, but that doesn’t make it wrong, just different. Open your eyes and open your mind and Egypt will find a place in your heart.

If you are traveling to Egypt in the future, I hope these little tips help you feel more comfortable about the wonderful experience you are going to have, and for the record, I may have said no at the Alabaster Factory but there were so many nice things I had to ask my guide to take me to another one the next day — the things I do in the line of duty!

–Kerrie O’Mahony

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s tours & things to do in Egypt. Also have a look at traveler photos of Egypt over on the Viator Flickr site.

Editor’s Note: The following blog post is by Don George from his recent trip to Kenya & Tanzania. Don, a pioneering travel writer and editor for 25 years, is the host and creator of the adventure travel web site Don’s Place and the editor of the literary travel magazine RECCE.

MAASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE – Nighttime at Bateleur Tented Camp, just outside Maasai Mara National Reserve in western Kenya, near the Tanzanian border.

I’ve just returned to my tented, bush-surrounded camp cabin after a spectacular dinner on Bateleur’s open-air dining verandah: coconut carrot soup; a salad of pumpkin, beetroot, and rocket with walnuts; grilled Indian Ocean prawns with stir-fried onions, potato, spinach and corn; and a mousse-like chocolate pate with passionfruit sauce.

Don, among the Maasai

Eating such sophisticated, elegantly prepared cuisine on a full setting of china, silverware and crystal, choreographed with gracious, efficient service, it’s hard to believe that a couple of hours earlier we were scrambling, scraping, banging and bouncing over the Mara Plains – but that’s one of the fundamental joys of this journey, which combines long and rigorous drives into the bush with exquisite comforts back at the camp.Right now I’m sitting on a luxurious king-size bed surrounded by old leather traveling cases, leather-bound books on a mahogany desk, and wooden spears. Behind me is a porcelain sink with gleaming brass taps, a separate stone-floored shower area with organic shampoos and lotions and a certifiably high-powered shower, and a wood-paneled bathroom with a modern toilet. In front of me is a roof-to-floor mosquito net that I’ve zipped shut, and beyond that the deeply dark night alive with a symphony of surrounding sounds.

When I left the dining verandah to make the three-minute walk back to my cabin, a guard carrying a rifle raced to walk with me. “We must be careful, sir,” he said, arcing a powerful flashlight down the path and off into the bush. “You never know what is waiting for you. A few days ago I found a big Cape buffalo right there,” and he turned his light on the waist-high grasses not ten feet away. My heart skipped a beat. No buffalo tonight.

*****

The day began with breakfast at the Mount Kenya Safari Club, then a short drive to Nanyuki Airport, where we boarded another propeller plane for the flight to the Maasai Mara airstrip. From there we drove over a deeply rutted road – past a broken-down gas truck that looked like it was becoming part of the landscape — to the tented camp, where we settled in, had lunch, and then met Andrew, a local Maasai teacher who would bring us to his nearby village.

Breakfast on the lawn, complete with white-toqued chefs

As we drove to the village, Andrew told us about the Maasai diet. “Traditionally, the Maasai eat meat, milk, and blood from cattle,” he said. “We take the blood from the jugular vein. Now we sometimes also eat meat and milk from goat and sheep.” He also told us about how the Maasai use nature’s “living apothecary”: Leaves, roots and bark are all used as medicine, from twigs that are used in dental care to herbs that are used for stomach ailments to what he called the “Kenya green heart,” which is used to cure malaria.

When we reached Andrew’s village, he invited us to enter through a break in the encircling fence of thorny acacia. “Four families live in his village,” he said, ”and there is one entrance for each family. As you can see, the village consists of about a dozen huts, each made of mud laid over interlacing branches. Responsibilities in the village are clearly defined: Men do the cattle grazing, settle disputes between villages, provide security during the night, and mend the fence around the village. The women work a lot: They build houses, do cooking, fetch water, milk cows, fetch herbs and take care of the village during the day. There are more houses than families because the Maasai practice polygamy, so one man usually has multiple wives – depending on the number of cows he has; the more cows, the more wives he can marry. Each wife builds her own house.”

Suddenly a line of women, resplendent in brilliant red, white, yellow and purple robes, long dangling beaded necklaces and large looping beaded neckbands, assembled in the middle of the village and began to chant. “They’re welcoming you,” Andrew said, as they smiled and sang, their voices rising into high-pitched cries.

(more…)

Just when I think nothing interesting is in the news lately, along comes a novelty story combining 2 of my favorite things of the moment - Egypt and Robbie Williams (British pop star for the Americans amongst us). The Great Pyramid of Giza has stood 4,500 years through the ages, now it faces its toughest challenge!

It seems Robster has decided the acoustics in the Great Pyramid of Giza are irresistible and he simply must check it out to see if he can record part of his next album in the ancient structure. Having recently been inside the second largest of the Pyramids at Giza, I wish him the best of luck but think he is clearly out of his mind. No ventilation inside so the air is stale and hot, 10 minutes inside was all I could handle. Passages are low and narrow, good luck to his crew trying to get equipment in and out. Lastly, the fact it is a burial place for a Pharaoh. The poor Pharaohs of Egypt endured centuries of tomb raiders and gawking tourists traipsing through their resting places, and now a 21st century pop star’s whim!

So, cheeky Robbie Williams is flying to Cairo in December to belt out a few tunes in the Great Pyramid and hear for himself the legendary acoustics. Enjoy your trip Robbie and don’t forget - Viator offers a great range of things to do in Cairo and the rest of Egypt…

-Kerrie O’Mahony

When you do your checklist of things to see and do in Egypt, there’s one pretty amazing place that better be on it. Of course you will see the Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx, check out King Tutankhamun’s treasures at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and walk amongst kings at Luxor’s Valley of the Kings, but make sure you save a spot on that list for Abu Simbel. If you leave Egypt without going to this great site, I don’t think you can truly say you have seen it all.

Located 300 kilometers south of Aswan on the banks of Lake Nasser, the magnificent temples built by the great Ramses II dominate the desert landscape. You can get there by bus (about 3 hours each way), but the quicker and more comfortable way is to fly. Sure it’s more expensive but you get to fly over the endless desert sands instead of spending hours traveling on them, not to mention the great aerial view you get if sitting on the left side of the plane as you approach Abu Simbel airport. Sitting right there by the lake in the middle of nowhere, even from a height of several thousand feet, you get the idea this place is going to be pretty special.

When you land you join the shuttle buses which ferry passengers out to the site, passing through the small town. Abu Simbel is a great example of tourism sustaining a population. There is little reason to go to this small village other than the great temples, however due to their popularity a thriving population has been established and locals have all the essential amenities found in any city or large town in Egypt. To give you some idea of the impact tourism has on this town, the temples have up to 10,000 visitors pass through each day during the busy winter season. An average day out of season - around 3,000…

Temple of Hathor and Nefetari

This is where having a private guide came in handy. Arriving at the temples there would have been a couple of hundred people, with several large bus groups and 2 full plane loads, and this was on the late morning departure at around 9:30am. Supposedly if you are there very early in the morning when the bus tours from Aswan arrive, along with the early flights, it is much more crowded. With only the 2 of us and our guide, it was easy for him to lead us through the crowds and get us to the temples before everyone else. He visits this place several times a day and is very familiar with the comings and goings of its visitors, so he knew exactly how to give us the best possible experience.

While everyone else headed straight for the well-known Great Temple of Abu Simbel built by Ramses II as a tribute to himself (seriously this man had an ego ten times the size of Paris Hilton and Kanye West combined!), we went for the smaller Temple of Hathor (fertility goddess) and Nefertari (Ramses II’s favorite of 50+ wives). We had a good 20 - 25 minutes inside all alone without the intrusion of others. As we left, the hordes were on their way having finished with the big temple. When it was time to check out the big temple, while we were not alone, there was a significantly lower number of other people compared with what would have been had we visited it first. Needless to say, we tipped our guide well!

Due to the large number of people visiting Abu Simbel, guides are not permitted to enter the temples with their guests. This is to protect the site. Without a guide most visitors spend less time inside which reduces the wear and tear on the buildings. It also creates a mystical atmosphere inside with the majority of people remaining quiet, or at least keeping the volume to a minimum, so I think it actually enhances the experience. Before going inside each of the temples, the guide sat down with us and told us what we would see and what to look out for. He had photos and drawings which he used to point out some of the most significant artwork and their meaning. It was great to know what to look for, but also to have the freedom to let our own eyes seek and explore as well.

When approaching the big temple, obviously you are faced with the 4 massive statues of Ramses II guarding the entrance, but once you enter you are greeted with a corridor of yet more likenesses of the great Pharaoh. Because the site was only discovered in 1813, it escaped defacement by Christian invaders so the hieroglyphics and carvings are intact and cover the walls and columns everywhere the eye falls. The only damage is the odd piece of carved graffiti left by adventurers in the 19th century. The great battle scene to the left is one of the most impressive carvings in Egypt. At the back of the temple sits 4 statues - Ptah (god of the underworld), Amon-Ra (King of Gods), Ramses II himself and Harmakhis (sun god). These statues are positioned in a way that once a year (February 22 from memory) the sun rises and penetrates the temple to illuminate the statues - all except Ptah, who as the god of the underworld, is forever cloaked in darkness.

Ego, what ego?!

To add to the spectacle of Abu Simbel, is its famous move. The site was originally located 65 meters lower than its current location and on the banks of the Nile River, but with the building of the High Dam in Aswan and creation of Lake Nasser, the temples were to be flooded. UNESCO, recognizing the significance of the site, stepped in and lead the rescue project which began in 1964 and an for 4 years. The temples and the cliff they are carved into, were painstakingly cut into pieces, numbered, moved to higher ground and reassembled. To gaze on the temples now, you would never know they have not been where they now lay for their entire existence. Even the fallen 2nd Ramses statue was moved to replicate the exact position in which it originally fell, no restoration was attempted. Your guide will tell you all about it and there is also a small exhibition you can visit in the rest area after your visit to the temples.

So to make what has become a long story short, if you are going to Egypt, you gotta go to Abu Simbel! Like the Pyramids, it is a historical and cultural icon that more than lives up to expectations.

–Kerrie O’Mahony

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s tours and things to do in Upper Egypt and throughout Egypt. Also have a look at traveler photos of Egypt over on the Viator Flickr site.

We didn’t want the day to pass without wishing ‘Happy Birthday’ to the Viator Travel Blog, which went live exactly one year ago today. Here’s an excerpt from our very first post:

It’s official — the Viator travel blog is up and running. Tell your friends, tell your coworkers, tell random people in the street. The Viator travel blog is a resource for anybody who loves to travel. Check back over the coming weeks and months as we post and share our thoughts on a range of travel topics: from things to do in New York City and Paris tours and activities (the stuff that pays the bills and keeps us going) to travel deals, travel news, travel alerts, you name it. We also want to hear from you — don’t be shy, ask us questions, tell us what you like or don’t like, and we’ll see what we can do to help you make the most of your next trip. Happy travels.

Turning one is a good time to reflect on the year that was, the year that will be. Here’s a motley mix of facts and figures about our blog. It’s been quite a year, and we fully expect Year 2 to be as fun, inspiring and interesting (possibly even controversial!) as the first one.

The Viator Travel Blog: Year One

Somehow we’ve managed to publish 434 posts. Many of these are actually quite useful and good!

The 5 most popular (based on page views) are:

• A first-hand report from Viator’s founder about opening day at the Grand Canyon Skywalk.
• Our list of the Top 25 Things to Do in Europe in 2006. Which reminds me, stay tuned for our 2007 lists of top things to do, including our list of the Top 50 things to do around the world.
• Kerrie’s post about the 2007 Cricket World Cup. She explained the game with grace and patience (useful for us Americans) and did a pretty decent job tipping the results, too.
• My post about 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. It struck a nerve, and generated a fair amount of controversy. My opinions have not changed.
• Our Insider’s Guide to Malaysia’s Best Beaches. Going to Malaysia? Read this post.

Our Spam Filter has deleted 17,663 comments! That’s a lot of Viagara links. My favorite spam comments:

• I do think your right on the spot here, i am going to bookmark your site to see if other people have different views.
• I couldn’t understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting
• Sorry, it just sounds like a crazy idea for me

The 3 most popular search terms used to find our blog…

• rugby world cup predictions (thanks Ian for all your great Rugby World Cup posts)
• things to do in Europe (once again our list of Top 25 Things to Do in Europe in 2006)
• virgin first time (hmmm, was this post really what you were looking for??)

The 3 least popular search terms used to find our blog…

• belize it or not (no joke, 1 person found us using this term, hopefully they enjoyed our post)
• menstrual blood attracting sharks (yes, we really did blog about it)
• ancient 14 wonders of the world (silly us, we thought there were only 7)

Who are you people??? The top 5 home cities of our blog readers:

• London (cheers)
• Auckland (ta)
• Sydney (good on ya)
• New York City (thanks)
• Singapore & San Francisco (it’s a tie)

We have plenty of new ideas and plans for Year 2, so keep checking back over the next 12 months (or subscribe to our RSS feed and let your computer do all the heavy lifting). Thanks for your interest in the Viator Travel Blog, and let us know what else you’d like to see in the coming year.

–Scott McNeely

Temple fatigue - it happens in Egypt, it happens in Asia and it happens in Europe, only there it’s called church fatigue. Basically, there are only so many ancient/old sites you can see before they all look the same. On my recent trip to Egypt this phenomenon threatened to take over the vacation with no end in site. With an ancient civilization of over 4,000 years, you are bound to run into a little temple fatigue along the way. You know it’s struck when you are looking at an incredible piece of artwork carved thousands of years ago and all you can think is “yeah, seen it before at so and so temple!”. Traveling in Egypt, this is as big a risk as contracting hepatitis and tetanus!

Whenever you visit any place in the world where the main attraction is a certain period in history you risk “something really old but no different to the place we just saw” fatigue. In these cases, the guide showing you the sites makes all the difference. Luckily on my recent visit to Nile River Cruise through Upper Egypt (that’s Luxor and Aswan which appear lower than Cairo on the map just to confuse you…) I was lucky enough to have the most amazing guide to show me the sites. Having already seen Edfu Temple, Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple, Hatshepsut Temple, you get the point right, it was time to see Philae Temple in Aswan. Our lovely guide Samir, to be forever known as Sami, is a native of Aswan and not only knows, but loves this place from deep within his heart.

Sami does his thing at Karnak

Aided by the stunning Nile River setting, Philae Temple is one of the most picturesque sites in Upper Egypt to begin with, but with Sami as our guide it was also really interesting, despite the similarities to the countless other ancient places we had already seen. He found the most interesting stories which were unique to Philae, as well as tying it in to the overall history we had learned throughout the rest of the trip. Later on we visited the Botanical Gardens on Kitchener Island and spent over an hour just sitting with Sami chatting about life in Egypt and Sydney and the general goings on in the world. After the cruise was over we spent a few extra days in Aswan, and mentioned to Sami that we wanted to watch an English soccer match but our hotel did not have the channel. Sami found another hotel that had it and arranged for them to open their bar early just for us to go and watch the match. Where else in the world do you get treated so well?

Sami was with us for the whole week and I got to know him well during this time. Many hours were spent talking about love, life, religion and soccer (the international language!). I discovered things I would never have expected to on a trip to Egypt, including alot about myself. Sami has taught me real tolerance for those with differing beliefs and showed me a different perspective and approach to life. All this from a guy 2 years younger than me who has never left the country he was born in, I love it when people surprise me for the better.

Sami is now a friend for life and I hope to see him in Sydney soon so I can share my hometown with him the way he shared his with me. He is a great reminder of why I love to travel as much as I can, and the perfect example of how one person can change your world for the better.

–Kerrie O’Mahony

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s tours and things to do in Upper Egypt and throughout Egypt. Also have a look at traveler photos of Egypt over on the Viator Flickr site.

Editor’s Note: The following blog post is by Don George from his recent trip to Kenya & Tanzania. Don, a pioneering travel writer and editor for 25 years, is the host and creator of the adventure travel web site Don’s Place and the editor of the literary travel magazine RECCE. His seven books include “Travel Writing”, “The Kindness of Strangers,” and “Tales from Nowhere.”

An elephant and her children; Mt. Kilimanjaro in the background.

On our second bay in the bush, as dawn is just beginning to light the world outside my tented room, I hear a shuffle of feet and then “Jambo! Your tea, sir.” One of the Maasai staffers places a tray with a pitcher of tea, heated milk, sugar, a china cup and saucer, a spoon and two biscuits on my veranda. I throw on my clothes, down a quick cup of tea, and hustle up to the main lodge, where our safari van awaits.

Lewela, our safari director, greets us with a broad smile. “Are you ready to see some wildlife?”

We hop into the van and set out as the rising sun starts to streak the sky. Bouncing on dirt tracks through the dry brown Savannah, we soon spot a herd of elephants in the distance. As we approach, the classic Amboseli photo composes itself in my mind: a line of huge gray elephants standing in the foreground among swaying, lush green elephant grass, with snow-crowned Mt Kilimanjaro rising massive and majestic in the background.

All the elements are there, except one – the lower flanks of Kilimanjaro are visible, but the top remains tantalizingly hidden within a dense gray camouflage of clouds.

“The elephants are probably walking toward a waterhole for their own version of morning tea,” Lewela says. Their path parallels the dirt road we’re on, and we’re able to drive alongside them for about 10 minutes. Then the lead elephant veers to the right, directly onto our road. We stop and watch in awe as a parade of elephants lumbers unconcernedly in front of us, less than 15 feet from our van.

There are twelve in all, ranging from mature adults nearly twice the size of our van, with two-foot-long tusks, to babies about as tall as a bicycle. They plod slowly, deliberately, delicately across, a surprising combination of girth and grace, then plunge unhesitatingly into the dense tangle of trees and brush on the other side of the road. Immediately the air rings with the sound of tearing and scraping as they break and uproot their breakfast, grabbing great trunksful of branches and bushes and curling them into their mouths, where they methodically chew them.

“In fact,” Lewela says, watching the elephants feast, “elephants spend about three-fourths of their lives eating. Adult elephants generally eat between 200 and 400 pounds of vegetation a day. About 70 percent of their diet is grass; the rest is leaves, fruit, branches, roots and bark. As you can see, the elephants grab the food with their trunks and stuff it into their mouths; then they grind the food down with their molar teeth. They use these teeth so much that in its lifetime, an elephant will grow six sets of molars.”

Suddenly Lewela pauses. The next to last elephant in the road-crossing parade has stopped, and is now turning toward us. Ears extended, tusks pointing our way, eyes staring straight at us, he ponderously maneuvers his tree-sized legs so that he faces us squarely. “Don’t worry,” Lewela whispers, “he’s just curious about us. He’s checking us out.”

Tembo! This elephant decided to check us out closely!

For an electrifying moment, we stare at each other, and rather than fear, I find myself falling under the spell of the elephant. There’s something so gracious, dignified and wise about him. I know these are personifications and projections, but still – look at him! His big round eyes curiously, peacefully staring, his Dumbo ears ever so gently flapping, his foot-long tusks just starting to curl, his tail swishing, he’s a big gray embodiment of curiosity and self-assurance combined. We hold our breaths in taut suspension, and I feel a kind of primordial gut-tug, like some spirit-understanding is leaping from me to the elephant and from the elephant to me. An inexplicable, irrefutable connection is fused, then the enormous tree-legs start to slowly turn, heroically bearing that wrinkled gray bulk, and the elephant slowly shifts course, heavy foot-step by heavy foot-step, and ambles off into the brush.

Elephants are a good example of the complexities of conservation in Africa. “They are enormously destructive,” says Lewela. “Look at how much they eat! If they’re confined to an area, they can strip it of its trees and other vegetation. They can even transform a wooded area into a grassland. But they also open up dense forests so that all kinds of animals and plant life can thrive there. They have a role in the cycle. And of course they’re good for tourism, too. But as local people want more and more land for their livestock and farms, the elephant’s territory gets smaller and smaller. It’s a very complicated situation.”

We drive on and see our first hippopotamus, a brown blur slowly stepping through the bush. “He must have been out late partying and now he’s headed back to the swamp,” says Lewela.

Then we see elegant, impossibly elongated giraffes nibbling on tree-top leaves, and two tawny, big-maned lion brothers walking magisterially through the elephant grass. We come upon a herd of big-nosed, crinkly-skinned Cape buffalo – “a face only a mother could love,” Jennifer says – and wildebeest and zebras placidly grazing. Our drive climaxes with a rare view of two lions mating in the grass. (We share this sight with a van full of peach-skinned Scandinavian teenagers; one especially cherub-faced girl turns to us breathlessly, flashes a thumbs-up and exclaims, “Lion sex!”)

The wonders continue. But that night, as we review the day over a sumptuous meal on the dining veranda, it’s the elephant – full with a wisdom that seems to stretch through centuries – that stands, stolid and wide-eyed, in my mind.

–Don George, guest blogger

Planning a trip? Head over to Don’s Place to browse his recommendations, or browse Viator’s own tours and safaris in Kenya.

Flying from Cairo to Aswan you get a sense of the size of Egypt, mile after mile of sandy desert interspersed with the odd abandoned building and the occasional siting of the green belt along the Nile River. As far as the eye can see it’s nothing but orange sands and blue sky.

On arrival in Aswan we disembarked the plane for the ludicrously short bus ride to the terminal (seriously its about 100 meters!) which we later realized was a good thing. Why’s that you ask? Heat! Several degrees hotter than Cairo, the dry heat of Upper Egypt is unrelenting, yet bearable due to the absence of humidity. In summer temperatures regularly exceed 50 degrees Celsius, while winter is a more sensible 30 - 35 degrees. For our arrival, Aswan turned on a picture perfect, not a cloud in the sky, 37 degree day. The locals are proud to tell you Aswan only gets about 20 minutes of rain twice a year, sometimes 3 times, and even then it’s only a light shower “like tear drops from the sky”.

With a population of around 800,000, Aswan has a much more relaxed, laid-back attitude to life than other parts of Egypt, most notably Cairo, and is less focused on the tourist dollar due to its healthy income from the High Dam and surrounding quarries. Life in general in Egypt has a slow pace but Aswan manages to take it down a notch again and this is where the charm lies in the city.

Of course there are the main attractions which you go there for in the first place - the High Dam, Unfinished Obelisk and Philae Temple, but there are plenty more charms to this city than these famous sites. The Nile River is at its most spectacular around Aswan with the white sails of feluccas dominating the waterway. The dramatic orange dunes of the West Bank plunge to the palm fringed banks of the deep blue river creating a stunning contrasting landscape.

During our stay in Aswan after our 8 day Nile River Cruise, we took a fantastic trip to Aswan Botanic Gardens on Kitchener Island. Sailing to the island on a felucca, it was so relaxing sitting back watching the beautiful landscape pass by with nothing but the sound of the wooden boat slicing through the water. No whirring engines, no chattering tour groups, just us and the Nile. Again our wonderful guide Samir joined us and told us about the Tombs of the Nobles carved into the steep slopes of the West Bank, and the wonderfully positioned Agha Khan Mausoleum looking down over the river. The water is a deep shade of blue and crystal clear once away from the edges, peering over the side of the boat you can see fish swimming in the reeds below as the sun’s rays penetrate the surface.

After sailing for about 20 minutes we arrived at the island where we visited the small botanic museum before enjoying some time strolling the peaceful gardens. Containing plant species from around the world, the space provides a tranquil escape from the crowds and heat of Egypt. There is a small outdoor cafe at the rear of the gardens where we met up with Samir again and sat for at least an hour just chatting about life. I think we covered everything from Islam and Ramadan to rude cockney slang and how to tell the difference between a Canadian from an American accent!

Sailing back to Aswan we had plenty of time to enjoy the ride as our “captain” played in the wind and currents, showing off his expert felucca sailing skills, and giving us a little heart-starter catching the wind at such an angle to tilt the boat on its side so we thought we would fall into the water. With a cheeky giggle he corrected the angle and we continued on our way, sailing for around half an hour. Our captain was the oldest felucca sailor in Aswan and Samir translated to us when other passing sailors would call out to him in Arabic, teasing him to retire.

We later mentioned to Samir that we wanted to watch an English football match that was being played that afternoon but our hotel did not have the channel. Within a few hours he had arranged for us to visit another hotel nearby who opened their bar and showed the match on the big screen TV just for us! Where in the world do you get service like that? Later that night we went for dinner at a local restaurant Samir recommended to us called Nubian House, which serves Nubian food in a peaceful setting. The restaurant sits high above Aswan with spectacular views over the city and the Nile, and we spent hours enjoying the peaceful surroundings.

The hospitality and kindness shown to us in Aswan will stay in my mind forever and is without a doubt the highlight of my fantastic visit to Egypt. Considering the amazing monuments and fascinating history of the country, this is no mean feat.

-Kerrie O’Mahony

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s tours and things to do in Luxor, Aswan & Upper Egypt, and throughout Egypt. Also have a look at traveler photos of Egypt over on the Viator Flickr site.

Our trusty taxi!

There are many, many temples to be seen as you travel along the Nile River through Upper Egypt, some well known and often visited, others sitting lonely on the banks with few if any visitors. Obviously you have the biggies like Luxor’s Karnak and Hatchepsut, and Aswan’s famous Philae Temple, but when you get out of the 2 big cities and explore the river by boat, you get to see some of the lesser known ones.

On day 2 of our 8 day Nile River Cruise we found ourselves docked in Edfu for our first shore excursion of the trip. As we disembarked we were happy this had been pre-arranged, eliminating the need to negotiate with the dozen or so locals vying for business with their horse and carriages. This is the primary means of transport in Edfu and it is a pleasant 10 minute ride to the town’s major attraction, Edfu Temple or the Temple of Horus.

Arriving at our destination and running the gauntlet of the tourist bazaar to the main entrance, it was hard not to be in awe of the Temple of Horus. The best preserved and most intact of all Egyptian temples, it towers overhead with giant carved decorations on the facade. Built to celebrate both the marriage of Ptolemy XIII and Hathor, and to honor the falcon god Horus.

Temple of Horus in Edfu

With Grecian influences the Temple of Horus is not a true Egyptian masterpiece, however this makes it none the less impressive. After a thorough introduction to the history of the temple from our fabulous guide Samir, it was time to go inside to see the Great Hypostyle Hall and the Inner Sanctum. In places the hieroglyphics and carvings are still intact, untouched by the Christians who have defaced many of Egypt’s great sites, in particular the walls of the laboratory where perfumes and incense were created. Here you can see the hieroglyphic formulas for such potions, carved intricately on the walls from floor to ceiling.

At the very back of the temple is a roped off area which once contained the golden carving of Horus and a diminutive replica of the wooden solar boat belonging to the god. The originals of both are on display at the Louvre in Paris where they have been since the French used deception to smuggle them from the country - let’s face it, they stole them! This is a common story throughout Egypt with many precious items mercilessly taken from their true home, it’s not just the French either, English, American, German, the list is long.

We were once again thrilled at our decision to travel with a private guide for our tours and day trips, allowing us to learn so much and have his expertise to see the site with little interruption from other visitors. Without the crowds of Cairo and the blatant commercialism of Luxor, the Temple of Horus in Edfu is well worth a visit. It is feasible to visit on a day trip from Aswan, but more commonly it will be part of your Nile River Cruise itinerary.

-Kerrie O’Mahony

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s tours and things to do in Upper Egypt and throughout Egypt. Also have a look at traveler photos of Egypt over on the Viator Flickr site.