Title: The 5 Things You Have To Do In Egypt Plenty of people around the world want to visit Egypt. Most of these people, however, only have a couple of sights or activities in mind. Typically, there’s a strong desire to visit the pyramids, and beyond that simply a vague hope of taking in some additional history. Honestly this isn’t a bad outline for how to handle a country with as much to see from an historical perspective as any destination on Earth. But it still doesn’t hurt to have a few specifics in mind (nor to look beyond history), so I’ve outlined five of the must-see and must-do things in Egypt.
1. Visit The Giza Plateau
The pyramids might be obvious, but they’re still the main attraction, so to speak, in the entire country. The Giza Plateau, across the Nile from Cairo, is where you’ll find the three iconic pyramids you’ve seen on postcards a thousand times, as well as the sphinx. Exploring the area or taking a tour is well worth the time and effort, and in addition to seeing everything up close, you’ll likely learn a lot of fascinating information as well. Just in 2016 researchers discovered something new about the construction of the pyramids, and more recently a “secret room” was unveiled inside the Great Pyramid. The history is still being unraveled, which makes this place all the more incredible to explore.
2. See The Royal Mummies
From the outside it might seem as if Egypt is basically a museum in and of itself. However, visiting the actual Egyptian Museum in Cairo is a vital part of the experience, because this is where so many of the country’s historical artifacts are actually stored. More specifically however, you should buy the ticket to see the Royal Mummies within the museum. This is where you’ll actually be able to see the mummified bodies of ancient Egyptian rulers – including the famous Queen Hatchepsut and Rameses II.
3. Sail On The Nile
A lot of us have a fairly ridiculous image of the Nile River, thanks to innumerable fictional depictions and descriptions of it. To give an idea of what I mean by this, one video game online pretty much encapsulates it all, coupling all the famous sights from ancient Egypt together. The result is that the Nile, in an admittedly tongue-in-cheek game, is surrounded by symbols of Cleopatra, the Eye of Horus, Pharaoh’s staff, etc. And that, really, is how we see it: as a river running through an ancient land of rulers, symbols, and riches. In reality, it’s just a very long, very impressive, and in many places absolutely gorgeous river. Sailing on it (particularly from a town like Aswan) is a surprisingly wonderful experience – and ultimately gives you a better feel for what life might have been like for the ancients anyway!
4. Dive The Red Sea
This idea more or less speaks for itself though it’s also one that is left unexplored by far too many prospective tourists. With so much focus on ancient monuments, the city of Cairo, and the Nile, a lot of people more or less ignore the eastern coastline of Egypt, and by extension the Red Sea. As it happens Egypt has some very charming beach areas and seaside towns, and the Red Sea offers some of the best diving in the world. You’ll have the chance to see reefs, wrecks, and all kinds of interesting sea creatures, all in warm water with reasonably high visibility.
5. Explore The Karnak Temple
As a more traditional tourism option, you should certainly venture south to the Luxor area, which is arguably even more rich with ancient sites than the land surrounding Cairo. There’s a lot to see in and around Luxor, and you should probably plan on making a day or two of it. If you’re only passing through though, make the Karnak Temple a priority. It’s a staggering, enormous temple complete with a hall lined by over 100 giant columns. From the scope of the whole complex to the details of little hieroglyphics, it’s just an incredible place to see.
