Egypt: A Bucket List Trip with Abercrombie & Kent

This was one of the absolute best trips of my life (and I have been to some really incredible places!). There is nowhere in the world like Egypt. The history, the landscape, the food, the culture…everything is rich and reaches far back into history. I toured with the incomparable Abercrombie & Kent. Their tours are 5 stars across the board, and I cannot stress this enough: a good guide makes all the difference, especially in Egypt. Having true experts on the destinations – like the Valley of the Kings, the Grand Egyptian Museum (often called the GEM), the Djoser step pyramid in Saqqara, and more – with us at all times really allowed us to get wonderfully immersed in the Egyptian culture and experience.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime trip that everyone must do.

Our first few days were filled with iconic destinations. We started with the Egyptian Museum in Cairo which has so much to see: towering statues of the pharaohs, artifacts from when the Greeks and Romans were in Egypt, masterful and ancient works of art, and a King Tutankhamun exhibition (Note: travelers should be aware this exhibit will be moved to the Grand Egyptian Museum later this year). Everything is beautifully preserved and rich with fascinating stories and history. The second museum on our itinerary was The GEM. The architecture itself is stunning, designed to reference the pyramids of Egypt with sharp lines, sandstone colors, and triangular motifs. Right inside, we were greeted by a massive, ancient statue of a pharaoh. It stands alone, mighty and commanding the space. It must have been so very carefully relocated to the GEM from its original residence in Egyptian Museum, but with the awe and attention it receives in the great hall, I imagine the pharaoh would be pleased with its new home.

A&K then took us to Saqqara, an area just outside Cairo, where we saw the Step Pyramid, officially called the Pyramid of Djoser. It is the oldest pyramid yet to be found. The site is still being excavated and is full of many smaller pyramids of the kings and queens of ancient Egypt. At some point I lost track of which King or Queen’s pyramid we were visiting – there were so many! That same day we visited the Sphinx and the Great Pyramids of Giza before heading to the most impressive temple I have ever seen: that of Ramesses II.

Ramesses II in life was very flamboyant and ostentatious. So, it is unsurprising he demanded all of his statues represent him well…very, very well. Even in his old age he demanded his likenesses depict him as an imposing, virile, commanding man in the prime of his life. It is safe to say his workers followed his orders to the letter. His temple is stunning and impressive beyond belief. Located in Abu Simbel, the two rock-cut temples are more than 3,000 years old and took over 20 years to construct. The feeling of standing beneath those ancient faces, looking into the entry into the temple dedicated to the gods…it is indescribable.

We then boarded a felucca, a small ship with a triangular sail, and cruised down the Nile River. We stopped along the way at different sites and temples, including granite quarries and a temple in Cobomo dedicated to the Crocodile God, Sobek, before arriving at The Valley of the Kings. This valley contains a temple with the actual mummy of King Tutankhamun, known as “the boy king” (he died at 18). Now, up until this point I had not ventured deep into any of the temples we had visited; Small, close spaces are not my friends, and the Egyptians buried their kings very, very deep in these temples. At all the other temples I would usually make it about halfway in before needing to turn around. However, I was determined to look upon the resting place of the Boy King… and I made it all the way in to the temple! It was absolutely worth it. It is one of those things you have to see for yourself to feel the history all around you. All of the walls inside the temple were decorated with daily Egyptian life and Tutankhamun’s life story, all the way from when he was a baby. It blows your mind, it really does. And, since it is protected from the harsh outside elements, all of the colors in the temple paintings are beautifully preserved. Did I mention these temples are 4,500 years old? Incredible. And many of these temples are still being excavated!

When you think of Eqypt, of course you know you’re going to see the pyramids and the Sphinx. I was amazed by how much more I saw – and how much more is coming. Knowing these sites are still being excavated, it is incredible to think of how much more there will be to see 5 years from now, or even just one year from now. I one hundred percent recommend Abercrombie & Kent for trips to Egypt. I had a fabulous time with them. They take care of everything and are so connected with the history and knowledge of the region. For a bucket list trip like this, it is important to go with a trusted guide company.

This was the trip of a lifetime. It is a bucket list item for everybody and I really think everybody should do it. You will find pyramids in other places around the world, like Mexico and Peru, beautiful pyramids and ancient sites, but this is something else. Every single place we went to there were temples with people still working on them. It’s completely breathtaking.