Dream Destinations – Egypt

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There are certain parts of Africa that are particularly appealing and in terms of North African locations, Egypt is near the top of this list for many reasons. Packed full of history and amazing stories, it is no wonder that this country plays hosts to tourists from all parts of the world.

What is it about Egypt that makes it so attractive? Whether you are interested in learning more about the ancient Pyramids or taking a relaxing cruise along the River Nile, I have to say that this country seems to have it all. A word of caution though is that you are probably better picking the time of year you visit here unless you want to experience the sweltering heat associated with the African wilderness.

It’s difficult to pick a selection of attractions/locations worth visiting in Egypt but here are my top 5 that are ‘must-sees’.

Pyramids of Giza

All Giza Pyramids

What better way to start your exploration of Egypt than by visiting one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World – the Great Pyramid of Giza. I can only imagine how cool of an experience it would to see both the pyramid from the outside and also inside the chambers that make up the pyramid structure. Steeped with inspirational architecture dating back thousands of year, this is surely one of the most famous pieces anywhere in the world.

River Nile Cruise

Nile_Cruise

I have still never taken a cruise anywhere and of course we all associate these with Mexican or Caribbean cruises, but I would suggest that taking a cruise down the River Nile may well top both of these options. Relaxing on a cruise liner that wanders down the longest river in the world, passing by some amazing sights and scenery along the way sounds a pretty cool experience to me. There are a number of different cruise options available with different attractions available so dependent on what you would like to explore may well determine which option is best for you.

Mount Sinai

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Set in the heart of a relatively barren landscape, Mount Sinai captures so many visitors and so much discussion not because of its size or appearance but because of it’s religious history that relates this directly to where Moses received the Ten Commandments. It’s one of those spots around the world that has so much sentimental value attached to it that everyone feels enticed to explore this region.

Valley of the Kings

Valley_of_Kings

If you are interested in continuing the theme of exploring more history, the Valley of Kings plays host to a number of tombs that once were used for pharaohs, the leaders of the ancient world. If you purchase an additional permit, you can take some high quality images (minus flash photography of course) of inside the tombs.

Great Sphinx of Giza

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Another of the infamous landmarks in Egypt is the Great Sphinx of Giza which stands proudly on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the River Nile. It’s interesting when looking at recent pictures of the Sphinx just how battered and worn this is. I think this adds much natural history to these types of attractions rather than restoring them which understandably has to be done in certain instances but trying to maintain the originality is key here.

***This post is part of the 2014 A to Z Blogging Challenge (#DreamDestinations #AtoZChallenge)***

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Chris Boothmanhttps://abritandasoutherner.com
Chris Boothman is the co-founder of A Brit and A Southerner. Born near Manchester, England, Chris moved to USA in 2006 where he soon after met his wife and travel partner in crime, Heather. They have since embarked on an amazing journey of travel as they challenge others to follow in their paths of working full-time but also being able to travel frequently! If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact Chris at [email protected]

21 COMMENTS

    • Guys, there is nothing wrong with that at all – I think we should both take credit among many others that we think so alike! Maybe its that Aussie and British cultural thing 🙂

    • Crystal, we generally prefer these types of vacations also rather than just a beach location (sorry Heather, I know you probably want me to say “Let’s go to the beach for a few days”) because it just enhances the overall experience when there is so much to explore.

  1. I would love to do the River Cruise. I’ve done a lot of research on it and it just seems like a good experience.

    And when I think of Egypt, my mind always go to the pyramids. Mount Sinai, never think of it. i never realized that’s what it looked like.

    • I agree with you Ann! When I started doing research on Egypt, the main attractions of course were the Nile, Pyramids and Sphinx but when I read about the Mt Sinai I wanted to throw a curve ball in there and be a little different – I think this is a great spot to really enhance your cultural learning!

  2. Great post! Egypt is definitely a dream destination for us as well. We were actually really close to visiting last winter but then decided against it. Hopefully one day we’ll make it there – I want to cruise the Nile so badly and I’m not usually into cruise-style travel. Have a great weekend!

    • Cheers Calli hope you have a great weekend also. Egypt is a very different location to everything else we have done so far in this challenge but the one common ground is that it is still a #DreamDestination. I love how much history and beautiful architecture there is there and after you have wore yourself out with that, why not take a relaxing cruise down the River Nile – sounds pretty cool to me!

    • Thanks Ashley, yeah I hear you on the planning front – it’s impossible to visit everywhere all at once. I really need to do a better job prioritizing rather than just doing a series of #DreamDestination posts LOL 🙂 Ah well, that just keeps the inspiration high and desire to want to visit all these amazing spots around the world.

  3. I am so loving these posts- and I nearly chose Egypt! I’m so excited to see the pyramids one day. It’s such a great way to see what other people are wanting to see too.

    • Cheers Corinne, I will say that it is tough just trying to pick out 5 reasons to visit any of our #DreamDestinations. At the end of the day, that’s generally why they are classified as a ‘Dream’ location because there is a plethora of attractions there.

  4. Egypt looks so amazing! Along with the obvious I’d be really keen to do a cruise. I love the idea of just sitting on the deck watching the countryside slide by.

  5. Nice to have a day off to catch up with more Es! Found two on Egypt – and I’ve never been, nor to anywhere in Africa. I feel that is a big gap in my education so thanks for this great post. I agree a cruise might be a good option. I would never want to go on a big cruise ship, but having done a couple of small scale ones where a boat is really the only way to do it (Galapagos, Yangtse) I think this might fall into that class.

  6. Egypt is one of those countries we have looked at a couple of times and then chosen to go elsewhere. I think we will get there one day but it would be more for a Cruise down the Nile than a relaxing beach break as that doesn’t really appeal to me here. When researching for the A to Z Challenge I came across Abu Simbel in Egypt which I thought would be worth a stop off as well. 🙂

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