Egypt - A Journey Across Time
- Anne Marie Brown
- Feb 11
- 4 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
Matt and I traveled for 14 days through Cairo and on a Uniworld river cruise down the Nile river in Egypt. I received a lot of questions about our itinerary, thoughts on the country, and my outfits, so decided to write this blog post in response.
I have wanted to travel to Egypt since 4th grade, when I did a presentation on ancient Egyptian myths and the opening of King Tut's tomb.
When I had the opportunity to travel there, we jumped on it.
Did we feel safe?
I heard this question from a lot of people. Yes! We felt very safe. We had a security guard travel with each small group (we were broken up into three groups of 20 people with an Egyptologist/ guide). Were we constantly approached by people trying to sell us things like scarfs and magnets? Yes, but that's also part of the experience of traveling to Egypt.
In fact, in Agatha Christie's "Death on the Nile," she also describes the exact same experience of being constantly bombarded by people trying to sell her main characters things.
What were our days like?
Each day started quite early and involved long days. This sort of trip is called an "expedition style" cruise, which means each group does the same shore excursions, and people do not sign up for individual, different excursions on most days.
The benefit of this is that you don't really have to think, you just show up and go along for the ride each day. The downside is that you don't have any control to pick and choose what you want to opt in for.
We were pretty jet lagged, and the multiple days of 5am and 6am starts were rough, but we were told they were designed that way to avoid crowds and heat.
We had an amazing Egyptologist along with us, named Mohammed, who was a wealth of information, guiding us through the significance of each temple and getting us excited for what we were seeing.
We typically returned to the ship around 1pm for lunch onboard, and then would set sail for our next port. Afternoons involved time next to the pool, even though it was pretty chilly and windy while we were sailing, and evenings involved various cultural dance performances.
What was the ship like?
Uniworld does an excellent job. Their ships are all very individually designed and feel perfect for each country they sail in. Our room was remarkably large for a river cruise ship, and included a soaking tub, sitting area, and windows that fully opened so we could watch the towns along the Nile pass by.
Breakfast and lunch were always a buffet with a lot of local options. Dinners were a-la-carte and we always sat at communal tables to get to know other members.
The ship staff were absolutely top notch. Inspirato included wi-fi, gratuities, and local beer and wine with lunch and dinner. Any spirits that were not local were an additional charge, so we racked up the room charges with nightly happy hour cocktails. In general, it was not a heavily-drinking-based trip as mornings were so early.
What was so special about it?
It's hard to describe what seeing these temples is like. Matt and I are history buffs, and walking into places that were 4,000 years old, dating back to 2,000 years BC, was just breathtaking.
The ancient Egyptians knew so much about the constellations, moon cycles, even medicine and surgical procedures. It became a joke with Mohammed that "everything was invented in Egypt."
They believe that they have discovered only about 25% of what is still buried in the sand.
Some favorite sites were:
Dendara Temple
A hot air balloon at sunrise over the Valley of the Kings
An archeological lecture at the base of the paws of the Sphinx
Going inside King Tut's tomb
Seeing the Luxor Temple lit up at night
Tea at the Old Cataract Hotel in Aswan where Agatha Christie wrote Death on the Nile
Sailing through a hundred Feluca sailboats in the Aswan harbor
Can I help you arrange a similar trip?
Yes! Although it won't be a full-ship charter, I can book you on a Uniworld cruise or a private ship for just you and your family.
You can email me at AnneMarie@TafariTravel.com if you'd like help putting together a trip to Egypt.
My outfits
I love a theme, and I've learned that I really enjoy dressing up for travel. For this trip, my inspiration was Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider, Death on the Nile, and The Mummy.
Egypt is a largely Muslim country, and so women should dress conservatively. In general, I chose outfits that covered my shoulders and knees, and used layers. Mornings were quite chilly, with days warming up to mid-70's by noon. The sun was intense, so hats were necessary.
My strategy was mainly to pack a capsule wardrobe with shirts, skirts, and pants in whites and khakis, with some black pieces for evenings. This way, I could use pieces interchangeably.
I used a lot of scarves, hats, and jewelry for accessories. I figured if I checked a bag full of Amazon items and it got lost, I wouldn't be heartbroken. I put all jewelry and accessories in my handcarrry.
What did I wear?
I put together a storefront list with my purchases from Amazon in case it's helpful to any of you. The link is below:
Specific Items
Wax Brown Jacket
Portmann Mayfield Ladies' Belted Jacket
White Outfit
Top: Shein Lyxana White Two Piece
Pants: Amazon
Wrap Belt:
Ada Collection Wrap Belt Cognac
Khaki Top and Pants (Indiana Jones Outfit):
Horse bit Collared Shirt:
Ralph Lauren Slim Fit Belting-Print Jersey Shirt
Brown Hat:
Fairfax and Favor - the Waveny in Dark Brown
Pretty much everything else pictured is in my Amazon list here:
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