12 of the best things to do in Egypt

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Egypt, a hyperlink between northeast Africa and the Middle East the place historic landmarks meet the capital Cairo’s full of life hub of tradition and culinary delights, is on the rise as a tourism hotspot.

Swapping traditional European vacation locations for some winter solar at Egypt’s reasonably priced Red Sea resorts in Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada has develop into a cheap selection for UK travellers chasing the solar between September and May.

The Nile River, huge desertscapes and a treasure trove of Unesco World Heritage websites from the Pyramids of Giza to the tombs of pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings await holidaymakers. Think a wealth of cruising, diving, cooking and navigating the stalls of vibrant bazaars on an Egyptian vacation itinerary.

We’ve rounded up some of the best things to do for one-of-a-kind actions and adventures to Egypt’s historic and up to date points of interest.

Read extra: The winter solar vacation spot you hadn’t thought of – for gorgeous seashores and no jet lag

Cruise the Nile

Travel by boat along the longest river in Africa

Travel by boat alongside the longest river in Africa (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Africa’s longest river, the 4,000-mile-long Nile, has been a lifeline for Egyptian journey for 1000’s of years, and it’s the ideally suited passage to see all of Egypt’s historic relics. Cruise in a floating lodge between Luxor and Aswan for a style of luxurious; the light journey is a welcome escape from the chaotic visitors and busy bazaars of cities comparable to Cairo.

The surroundings is one for all the senses as you meander previous wildlife (like the Nile crocodile) on the lush riverbanks, fertile farmland, tomb-riddled desertscapes and preserved Unesco treasures comparable to the legendary pyramids.

Sandboard in the desert

(*12*)

Surf the Saharan dunes in fashion (Getty Images)

Thrill seekers of all ages will thrive as they surf the Saharan dunes on a desert safari tour. Trade the mountains for the desert in Egypt’s sea of sands and strap on a board to glide down the clean golden hills.

The yellow and blue panorama of the Great Sand Sea in Egypt’s western desert is taken into account one of the world’s best spots for sandboarding, whereas Egypt’s Sinai desert hosts steep dunes comparable to Haduda and El-Safra that rise to 150m excessive for the final daredevils.

Scuba dive the Red Sea

Vibrant marine life thrives under the Egyptian waters

Vibrant marine life thrives beneath the Egyptian waters (Getty Images)

One of the hottest diving locations in the world, the Red Sea’s heat waters are residence to the coral gardens of the famed Ras Mohamed National Park in the north and the shivers of sharks off the Brothers Islands east of El Quesir.

Find underwater waterfalls, shipwrecks like the SS Thistlegorm and wholesome corals teeming with marine life on reasonably priced dives. Experienced divers can take a several-day dive voyage on liveaboard ships, whereas conservation-conscious websites comparable to Marsa Nakari in Marsa Alam are introducing extra eco-diving experiences.

Read extra: This boho enclave is the excellent various to Egypt’s touristy Red Sea resorts

Shop at Khan el-Khalili bazaar

The bazaar is a treasure trove of jewels, leather and incense

The bazaar is a treasure trove of jewels, leather-based and incense (Getty Images)

Think artisan workshops, conventional crafts and vibrant tradition in the Khan el-Khalili souk (market). Weave your method by way of a labyrinth of leather-based, spices, perfumes, essences and oils in the historic centre of Cairo, the place Egypt’s most well-known market dates again to the 14th century.

The full of life buying and selling hub has an unmissable vibrant ambiance for vacationers on the hunt for opulent ceramics, distinctive textiles, Arabian lanterns and gold items.

Dune buggy in the desert

Go off the beaten track to dunes undiscovered

Go off the crushed observe to dunes undiscovered (Getty Images)

Steer by way of the dunes in an off-road dune buggy on a desert safari to native villages and rolling ridges for a guided Egyptian journey. You’ll drive in fashion, rocking the ‘scarf and sunglasses’ sand safety mixture, to the Sinai desert for these holidaying in Sharm El Sheikh or the Arabian desert from Hurghada. Break for natural tea in a standard Bedouin tent and keep until sundown whereas rushing round the sands – it’s what dune buggies had been made for.

Swim in the Siwa Oasis

The azure salt lakes are fringed with olive and palm trees

The azure salt lakes are fringed with olive and palm timber (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

In the far Western Desert, a whole bunch of pure springs and salt swimming pools in hanging shades of turquoise type the Siwa Oasis. The cold and hot springs resemble the rugged carvings of a valuable gemstone, the ideally suited environment for some R&R.

A excessive focus of salt means swimming in the waters free from marine life is extra like floating as you expertise an intense buoyancy – so lie again and loosen up beneath the Egyptian solar.

Sleep in the White Desert

Drift off under the stars in the chalk desert northeast of Farafra

Drift off beneath the stars in the chalk desert northeast of Farafra (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The White Desert National Park in the Farafa Depression, western Egypt, presents adventures to an remoted, otherworldly panorama. The huge sci-fi surroundings has a moon-like floor, with its sandstorm-eroded chalk and limestone formations, and the barren pure surprise is a novel host for a multi-day tenting expertise.

Travel by jeep to arrange your Bedouin-style campsite and hunker down for an evening beneath the stars with the fennec foxes – bear in mind thermal layers although, because it will get surprisingly chilly in the desert when the solar goes down.

Take a scorching air balloon trip over Luxor

The landmarks of ancient Thebes and the Valley of the Queens are best viewed from above

The landmarks of historic Thebes and the Valley of the Queens are best seen from above (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

For a fowl’s eye view of the archaeological museum of the West Bank, take to the sky at dawn and be part of the sea of vibrant hot-air balloons that float over Luxor. See the Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, Colossi of Memnon and the Nile River from a brand new perspective on a bucket-list trip that doesn’t break the financial institution.

Hike Mount Sinai at dawn

Mount Sinai is a renowned biblical site in Jewish history

Mount Sinai is a famend biblical website in Jewish historical past (Getty Images)

Early birds catch the worm on a hike up Mount Sinai, and the summit views of jagged mountains and the huge desert make a sensational backdrop for a dawn. It’s a 2,285m in a single day trek to the high of the storied mountain, thought to have been the website the place Moses obtained the 10 commandments. Hikers can take pleasure in breakfast at one of the world’s oldest Christian monasteries, Unesco-listed St. Catherine’s, at the foot of the mountain after the climb.

Visit the Valley of the Kings

The valley is home to the tombs of pharaohs past

The valley is residence to the tombs of pharaohs previous (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Carved from the rocks of a valley on the West Bank of the Nile, the grandeur of the Valley of the Kings is a straightforward go to from Luxor. From round 1550 BC the pharaohs, nobles and royals from 18th-century dynasties of the New Kingdom interval had been buried with their possessions in preparation for the afterlife. The valley is the resting place of over 60 historic Egyptian tombs, together with the tomb of younger king Tutankhamun, one of the most iconic at the burial grounds.

Read extra: A primary look inside world’s largest museum – with 22 mummies and an Indiana Jones second

Climb the Giza Pyramids

It’s a hot walk up through the Grand Gallery of the Great Pyramid

It’s a scorching stroll up by way of the Grand Gallery of the Great Pyramid (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A visit to Egypt wouldn’t be full with out a go to to the pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx, and likelihood is you’re conversant in the Cairo sight, however the spotlight of any Egypt itinerary is taking a visit inside one of the three interiors open to guests.

Ticketed at lower than £20pp, you may courageous a sweltering climb inside Khufu’s Great Pyramid and see the Queen’s burial chamber, the Grand Gallery and the unforgettable crimson granite partitions of the King’s Chamber by way of a steep tunnel.

Learn new abilities at a Cairo cooking class

Try your hand at authentic Egyptian cooking using a wealth of spices

Try your hand at genuine Egyptian cooking utilizing a wealth of spices (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Get hands-on with Egyptian tradition and delicacies at an intimate cooking class expertise with the locals in Cairo. Culinary excursions to bustling road meals and spice stands with beneficiant servings of genuine Egyptian meals comparable to hearty ful medames and hawawshi promise tantalising flavours and conventional abilities at each cease.

Read extra: Cairo metropolis information: Where to eat, drink, store and keep in Egypt’s capital

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