How to See Ancient Egypt in Two Days

We were picked up by our guide and driver in Safaga at the end our cruise for the long drive (3-4 hours) out to the Valley of the Kings in an air-conditioned van with WiFi. After our day of touring the tombs and temples, we had lunch, and then our guide helped arrange for a reasonably-priced day room at the Lotus Hotel on the Nile River so we could grab a couple of drinks and freshen up for a few hours after our tour ended and before our overnight train to Giza. Our driver (sorry, I can’t remember his name!) picked us up at the hotel later that night to bring us to the train station, and even waited with us in the station to make sure we got on the right train, which was very comforting.

In Giza and Cairo, we were taken care of by Etch (our guide) and Samah (our driver). Etch has an unbelievable wealth of knowledge, and pointed out everything along the way. The Egyptian Museum was amazing; I wish we could have spent more time here looking at the art and King Tut’s treasures. At Giza, Etch took tons of pictures of us climbing up the Great Pyramid and knew exactly how to position us for the “fun photos” (holding the pyramids, kissing the Sphinx, etc.). He also negotiated a price for us to take a 40-minute camel ride along the edge of the desert from the pyramids to the Sphinx. We rounded out the day with lunch (overlooking the spectacular pyramids and Sphinx) and a little shopping, before finally making our way to our pre-arranged hotel in Cairo before our early morning flight home.

Both lunches were in very nice authentic Egyptian restaurants and were a delicious variety of meats and vegetable dishes. Beverages are not included in the tour price, and a small tip is also expected.

It may also be helpful to specifically note some “extras” that are not included in the entrance fees to certain attractions. For example, the entrance fee to explore the Valley of the Kings includes five tombs, but not our “wish list” tombs of King Tut and Sety, which were extra. Similarly, entrance to the grounds of the Giza pyramids was included, but to actually go inside the Great Pyramid was an additional cost. US Dollars and Euros are accepted, and, of course, our guides helped us, but had I known about this, I feel like it would have been less of a hassle if we had Egyptian Pounds on hand.

Traffic in the cities, especially Cairo, is crazy! Be sure to consider delays due to traffic (and perhaps even a fender-bender) if your time for a tour is limited.

Thanks to our guides and tour company for arranging our two unforgettable days in Luxor/Valley of the Kings and Cairo/Giza! Not only did they show us the things we wanted to see, like tombs and pyramids, but they also taught us much about the Egyptian people and their culture.

Enjoy Ancient Egypt !

Thanks for your hints. A down-to-basics question: did you happen to use public toilets in the Valley of the Kings or Giza? Wondering how they are -- cleanliness, Western style or not, etc.

We'll be on guided tours but with much more time than you, but you sure hit the highlights!

We were picked up by Ramasside Tours team in Safaga for the long drive (3-4 hours) out to the Valley of the Kings in an air-conditioned van with WiFi.

Our tour guide from Ramasside told us that whenever there was a good quality Western toilet facility he would inform us. When we stopped it was by 5 star hotels, also in Cairo the area near the pyramids has new toilets because some of the other ones were old and derelict but the one by the entrance was new and it was ok.

You should discuss this with your tour guide especially if it is more than normally important so that they can plan the time around toilet stops if needed or at least tell you when you are near a decent toilet.

Thanks for your reply. We've found that Uniworld guides always know the best choices for facilities so I'm sure we'll be fine. I was just asking out of curiosity.

Two weeks would be much better than two days but even then you'd just be touching on the magnificence of this country.

The entrance fee is now (Jan 2017) for 3 tombs only.

Thanks for your hints. A down-to-basics question: did you happen to use public toilets in the Valley of the Kings or Giza? Wondering how they are -- cleanliness, Western style or not, etc.

Generally, at the really touristy attractions, there are Western style toilets. How clean they are, is in the eye of the beholder, but for Egyptian standards, it is paradise. Please note to take small change (50 Eurocents, 10 Egyptian pounds, something like that) to pay the toilet attendant before you go in. Generally, you get the toilet paper from the attendant when you enter. In Egypt, people are dependant on tips, you will get shouted at if you do not tip. If you are on a guided tour, the guide generally knows where clean and reliable toilets are.

At the Valley of the Kings last week, there were several toilets at the ticket office/visitor center (entrance/exit) that were fairly clean. Please note that once you get on the little train to the tombs, there are no facilities at all beyond that point: no toilets, no refreshments, no shops, nothing.

In Giza, the guide took us to one of the fast food restaurants across from the Sfinx, but that is 6 years ago, so I would not know anymore.

Thanks for your hints.

Thank you. We are also booked on an overnight tour in Luxor.:):)

Thank you very much for sharing your trip reports here as they have helped us enormously in deciding what we should be doing in Luxor.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums