Egypt and its mind-blowing 10 cities

I am back with yet another blog. And this time it’s all about my trip to Egypt.
As a little girl I spent a lot of time watching the world on my atlas and wondering what the world would be like. I saw many people travelling a lot and at that time I could do nothing more than imagining those distant places. Their pictures were my windows to the world, nourishment for my soul. This wanderlust got me going. Since then I started travelling and i absolutely love it. For me the most important part of a trip is to know the real heart of the country. And also because the best part of  trips are often the unexpected ones. My second passion is photography. I try to capture the emotions I feel, but I still have to learn a lot. I try to improve every time I take out my camera for a shot. It took me a while to realize that how important it is to have a point of view of your own, it doesn’t matter if it’s bottoms-up or upside down. My camera allows me to express everything I want to communicate to others.
This is my first blog from my trip to EGYPT. It was one hell of a journey. It all started with an internship opportunity which i got through AIESEC (ping me if you’re interested as well ) and I was lucky enough to be a part of an internship in such a beautiful country. I was lucky because initially I didn’t plan for an internship in Egypt but my buddy from AIESEC told me to go for Egypt as its a must visit place, atleast once in a lifetime. Initially i planned for an European country but the main reason for not opting for an European country was the weather there as it would be cold af during this time of the year and  i don’t prefer cold weather much. Egypt is hot during the days and cold af during the nights due to the deserts there. Overall, Egypt was a wonderful journey. Its truly magnificent in all its dimensions.
 Let’s go through my 6 weeks of gypsying all over Egypt.These are the places i visited. Let’s start with the captial of the country – CAIRO

CAIRO

The City of a Thousan Minarets—is a splendid place to explore the Egyptian history and culture. Cairo is the capital and also the largest city of Egypt.
1. THE EGYPTIAN MUSEUM : To walk around the museum is to embark on an adventure through time.

2. KHAN-AL-KHALILI : No trip to Cairo would be complete without a visit to Khan-Al-Khalili.

3.CAIRO CITADEL

GIZA

 Egypt’s Great Pyramid of Giza—one of the wonders of the ancient world, and a dazzling feat of architectural genius. One of the most interesting Giza pyramid’s facts is that the Great Pyramid held the record as the tallest structure in the world built by man for almost four thousand years.The great Pyramid of Giza is 4500 years old , 23,00,000 blocks were used for its construction  and it took around 20 years to build it.
1.  THE GREAT PYRAMID OF GIZA

2. THE GREAT SPHINX OF GIZA

ALEXANDRIA 

The Egyptian city of Alexandria is not only famous for its spectacular location on the Mediterranean Sea but also for its historical value that made it carry the name of the man who built it thousands of years ago. Alexandria was founded around a small, ancient Egyptian town in 331 BC by Alexander the Great. It became an important center of the Hellenistic Civilization and remained the capital of the Hellenistic Rome and the Byzantine Egypt for almost 1000 years until the Muslim conquest of Egypt in AD 641, when a new capital was founded at Fustat (later absorbed into Cairo).

1. ALEXANDRIA LIBRARY 

2. STANLEY BRIDGE 

3. QAITBAY CITADEL 

SINAI

Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula is a sparsely populated desert region between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. On its southern tip, Sharm-el-Sheikh resort is a base for diving and snorkeling around the reefs of Ras Mohammed National Park. Inland, 6th-century St. Catherine’s Monastery is near biblical Mount Sinai, where the 2,285m summit is renowned for its sunrise views. To reach there you need to walk for 2 kilometers between the valleys , then start hiking the mountain for 7 to 8 kilometers and then 800+ stairs to reach at the top. The temperature on the valley is around -1°C so expect it to be -10°C to -15°C on the top. In Sinai you can find DAHAB, its one of the most beautiful and peaceful cities in the world and it has one of the best diving spots in the world called the Blue Hole.
1. SHARM EL- SHEIKH

2. 3 POOLS

3. BLUE HOLE

4. SAINT CATHERINE MOUNTAIN

FAYOUM

Fayoum is a perfect place for a day’s trip. It is located near the western deserts of Egypt. U can chill being in Feluka here and enjoy the natural and magical lakes of Fayoum, the Meadwara mountain and the sand boarding. You can also enjoy the waterfall (only waterfall in Egypt) and the desert camping.At night you can also have the special Egyptian tea along with bonfire and star gazing.
1. FELUKA

2. MAGIC LAKE

3. SAND BOARDING

4. WATERFALL

5. FIRE CAMP

HURGHADA 

Hurghada was once a fairly small and unimposing fishing village, next to the Red Sea. It has a number of superb beaches. Its waters are clear and calm for most of the year and have become popular for various watersports, particularly recreational scuba diving and snorkeling. Here you can enjoy swimming between the colourful Corals and living the Bedouin life. (Diving is recommended)You can also enjoy the safari in the deserts of Hurghada.

SIWA

Siwa Oasis is one of Egypt’s most isolated settlements with only 23000 people. There are many oasis attractions to visit in Siwa such as the Dead Mountain, the Eskandar Temple, the Amun Temple,  the Dakrour Mountainsl, etc. Siwa is also popular for its natural springs. U can swim in the cool waters of the Cleopatra’s Bath, the Salt Lake and the Bir Wahid. If you are an adventurous soul, prepare yourself for a 4X4 jeep safari through the sand dunes deep into the Sahara Desert. After this thrilling ride you get a chance to refresh yourself in the cold lake and then relax in  the natural hot spring. You can also enjoy the sand boarding, the sunset, the mid-desert camping and the star gazing.
1. DEAD MOUNTAIN

2. AMUN TEMPLE

3. DAKROUR MOUNTAIN

4. FONTAS LAKE

5. CLEOPATRA’S BATH

6. SALT LAKE

7. BIR WAHID

8. SAFARI

9. HOT SPRING

10. SAND BOARDING

11. CAMPING IN GREAT SAND SEA

LUXOR

Luxor is known as the world’s greatest open-air museum but that comes nowhere near the scintillating beauty of  this extraordinary place. Nothing in the world compares to the scale and grandeur of the monuments that have survived here from  the ancient Thebes.If you crave for historical and archeological discoveries then Luxor is your place .
1. KARNAK TEMPLE

2. LUXOR TEMPLE

3. VALLEY OF THE KING

4. MEDINAT HABU

5. HATSHEPSUT TEMPLE

ASWAN

Aswan, a city on the banks of the River Nile, is more of a historical place. Its a place to be gazed in awe as it contains some of the significant archaeological sites like the Philae temple complex, on Agilkia Island near the landmark Aswan Dam. Philae’s ruins include the columned Temple of Isis, dating to the 4th century B.C.Man’s creation is truly amazing.

1. HIGHDAM

2. PHILAE TEMPLE

3. NUBIAN VILLAGE