Tag: Cairo

Travelling to Cairo

We flew to Cairo from Sharm El Sheikh on 2nd May 2022.  We arranged to go via a local tour operator “Falcon Travel” which cost £175 each. Previously we had used this tour operator for a boat trip which was great and really good value for money.  The flight to Cairo from Sharm was an early flight therefore we were picked up from out hotel at around 4am which was too early as the airport had not opened up for any check in.

Unfortunately the flight was delayed which was no fault of the tour operator but just one of those situations you have to deal with. Also the airport itself is extremely small when travelling internally. Basically there is one very small cafe/shop where you can buy drinks and sandwiches. Unsurprisingly there was a very big queue at this cafe which therefore took a long time to get served.  The Plane that was taking us to Cairo was a propellered plane which made me (Debbie) very nervous.

Cairo Museum

Finally we arrived in Cairo where we were met by our guide and our driver for the day. Firstly we were driven to Cairo museum. At the museum entrance was included in the cost of the excursion. Undoubtedly when going to Cairo the museum is must see. It is amazing place and very interesting. We were there a few hours but could have easily spent longer there as there is so much to see.

Our guide was very informative and was able to answer any questions we had on any of the artefacts.  Previously he had been on several Egyptian TV shows due to his historical knowledge.

In the not too distance future the museum is going to move to a purpose built building over looking the pyramids which is due to happen at the end of 2022. The move of the museum has been preponed due to COVID

Purfume Shop

The first place he took us to was a perfume shop where we were introduced to a nice man who spent a lot of time explaining the nature of the perfume, oils and creams. Obviously he was trying to get us to buy something but when we didnt want to he was polite and we were then on our way. On the other hand our guide did not seem happy that we had not bought anything.

Private Boat Trip

Shortly after we left the museum our guide asked if we wanted a private boat trip on the Nile. Which we agreed to do. The cost of boat trip was £20 each. Surprisingly the boat was a large boat which would accommodate at least 50 people but we had it to ourselves.

The driver of the boat was great fun, he played party music and even let us drive the boat. Our guide filmed us dancing on the boat which was great fun to look back on. The boat trip was exceptionally good value and well worth doing. 

Lunch in Cairo

We went to a Restaurant called Cleaopatra’s for lunch which over looked the Pyramids. Basically it was a buffet style lunch which had plenty of choice and you could eat as much as you wanted. There was lots to choose from including fish, meat, salad and vegetables. Additional Meat Kababs were taken to the table. The lunch was included in the price of the excursion. Although drinks were an added charge they were very reasonably priced.  The restaurant itself was nice and the service was good. Our guide and driver waited outside for us to finish. We did ask them to join us but they declined.

Pyramids

Also included in the cost of the excursion was entrance to the pyramids. As it was Eid when we were at the Pyramid’s it was extremely busy. There were a lot of horse and carts offering people rides and lots of people selling things. A lot of people came up to us to offer to take photo’s, buy things or go on a horse ride but our guide told them to go away.

He did however introduce us to someone he knew that was offering camel rides. The guy who owned the camels took £60 off of us and the man who took us round on the camel took another £30. There were children telling us we were paying too much but by this time we were on the camel’s and it was too late. The owner of the Camels pushed away the children so they could not speak to us.

The guide did not stop them from ripping us off which was very disappointing. Apparently it is usual to pay between £15-£20 for a camel ride at the pyramids.  At the pyramids we were given a lot of photo opportunities. We have some lovely photo’s which our guide took a lot of them.

Papyrus Paintings

After the pyramids we were taken to a shop selling paintings on papyrus. When we arrive at the shop we were given a demonstration on our the papyrus is made. It is very interesting and very clever for its day but when you have seen it so many times it does not have has much impact. The demonstrator gave us a bit of a sales pitch about the paintings and encouraged us to look around. All though we were looking around on our own the sales man followed us.

We buy paintings from many countries and have bought them in Bali, Thailand, Vietnam, Cap Verde, Dominican Republic etc and love the art wok. The prices that they were charging were ridiculous compared to what we had bought in other countries. Also we had bought a painting from Egypt on a previous visit which did not cost anything like they were asking. Consequently we didn’t buy anything. Our guide changed his attitude towards us after this as he was not happy at all that we had not bought anything.

Jewlery Shop

He then took us to another shop that sold jewelry and souvenirs but not your usual buy a fridge magnet or bottle opener souvenirs they were all expensive. The owner of the store gave us a bit of a sale pitch about the quality of the silver. Again we didn’t buy anything. Buy this time our guide was not happy at all. The Guide did not talk to us much from that moment to being dropped off at the Airport. I think he gets some commission from the shops that he takes tourists to.

Summary

It was a long day in Cairo with a very early start. The day would have been much better if we had not been taken to places that we didn’t want to go to and had more time in places that we wanted to visit. There was too much time spent with people trying to sell us things that we did not want. None the less we had a good time in an amazing place.

Images

Things to do

• Visit the Pyramids of Gaza
• Visit the Sphinx
• Visit Cairo museum.
• Ride a camel
• Take a boat ride on the Nile
• Try the local cuisine

Top Tips

• When booking a tour package with a tour operator stipulate the places you want to see and the ones you don’t.
• Be prepared to see a lot of poverty
• Don’t be forced in to buying things you don’t want.
• Be careful of pick pockets.
• Keep tight hold of hand bags and valuables at all times even in area’s that feel safe.
• Agree a price before getting on the camel rides.
• Do the private boat trip or a boat trip on the Nile it is well worth it.
• Ensure you have plenty of water, sun cream and a hat in the hot months.
• Check out UK government travel advice before travelling to Cairo https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/egypt
• Check out other places in Africa we have visited. Please click on the following links Agadir , Hurghada , Sharm El Sheikh , Cape Verde
• Check out temperature on chart below for best time to visit Cairo.
• Be aware that when it is Eid it is exceptionally busy in Cairo.

Weather

Temp – Celsius Rain – mm	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
High Temp	18	18	22	27	32	34	34	33	32	28	23	19
Low Temp	9	9	12	15	18	20	22	22	20	18	14	10
Rainfall	15	4	8	7	0	0	0	0	5	5	1	3
Number of days	5	3	2	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	3