My mom and I arrived at Cairo International Airport a day early, where we were met by a TourRadar representative who assisted us through customs. We each paid $25 USD for a visa, and the process was quick and straightforward. From there, we took about a 45-minute transfer to The Oasis Hotel, which we absolutely loved. It was clean, spacious, and had everything we needed after a long travel day.

The next morning, we had a slow start. Our hotel offered a breakfast buffet, and we took our time before heading into downtown Cairo to visit the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. We used Uber, which we found to be safe, reliable, and very cost-effective. The ride took about 30 minutes and cost roughly $3 USD, and we tipped generously. For comparison, our hotel offered a private car and driver for $150 USD. Ultimately, it comes down to what makes you most comfortable and fits within your budget.

The museum exceeded our expectations. Admission was about 500 EGP for adults and 250 EGP for students, roughly $10 USD and $5 USD respectively. Looking back, this is one place where I would have loved to do a guided or tour-style visit to gain even more context.

One of the things we loved most was that the museum is organized chronologically, taking you from prehistoric Egypt all the way to the present day. It walks you through daily life, religion, art, and architecture across different eras. For me, the highlight was the Royal Mummies Hall, where remarkably well-preserved kings and queens are displayed, offering an intimate glimpse into ancient burial practices and royal life. The museum also features Nubian and Islamic art, which became even more meaningful later in the trip when we traveled south toward Abu Simbel in Nubian territory.

Afterwards, we grabbed a coffee and pastry in the Garden of Civilizations, a calm and beautiful way to end the afternoon before heading back to the hotel.

After breakfast, we headed straight to the Giza Plateau, home to the most iconic symbols of ancient Egypt. I’ve seen dozens of pictures throughout my life (textbooks, Nat Geo, you name it), but there is nothing that compares to seeing the Great Pyramids with your naked eye. Built around 2600 BCE (about 4,500 years ago), they are a testament to time and to unrivaled engineering and ingenuity.

Our guide explained how the pyramids were constructed by skilled laborers, not slaves (not sure I fully believe this…), and how the tombs were once covered in smooth limestone that would have glistened in the sun, with the tops capped in gold.

Nearby, we visited the Sphinx, gazing “watchfully” as it has for millennia, its weathered face guarding the plateau.

From Giza, we continued south to Saqqara, a place that feels quieter but arguably even more important. Here stands the Step Pyramid of Djoser, built around 2650 BCE, considered the first completed pyramid in Egypt and the blueprint for everything that followed. Unlike Giza, Saqqara is sprawling and layered, filled with tombs that tell stories not just of kings, but of officials, craftsmen, and daily life.

What struck me most was learning how burial practices evolved. After the pyramids of Giza were repeatedly looted, later pharaohs abandoned monumental tombs altogether, choosing instead to hide their burials deep underground… cue the Valley of the Kings, another stop later on our epic journey.

By the time we returned to our hotel in Cairo, we were pooped, but also buzzing with excitement from everything we had witnessed and learned.

An early morning flight carried us south from Cairo to Aswan, where the pace of Egypt immediately shifted. We visited Philae Temple, one of the most remarkable survival stories in Egyptian archaeology. Philae Temple temple does not stand in its original location. When the Aswan High Dam was built in the 20th century, Philae was at risk of being permanently submerged. In a massive UNESCO-led rescue operation, the entire temple complex was dismantled and rebuilt stone by stone on higher ground, preserving its alignment and carvings.

The temple, dedicated primarily to Isis, the goddess of magic, healing, motherhood, and protection, and was believed to be powerful enough to revive the dead. Philae remained an active religious site long after most ancient temples had fallen out of use. In fact, some of the last known hieroglyphic inscriptions in Egypt were carved in the 6th century CE, centuries after Christianity had spread through the region! Arriving by small motorboat, approaching the island as ancient pilgrims once did, made it easy to understand why this place retained spiritual significance for so long. 

That evening, we boarded our Nile cruise...

We were up at an ungodly hour (pun intended) to reach Abu Simbel. Driving through a flat, seemingly endless desert as the sun slowly rose, we tried to squeeze in whatever sleep we could. The remoteness of the journey only adds to the impact of the site itself. Carved directly into sandstone in the 13th century BCE, the Sun Temple of Ramses II is a display of power, with four colossal, no really, colossal statues guarding the entrance and staring straight out across what was once Egypt’s southern frontier.

What makes Abu Simbel even more incredible is that the entire complex, much like Philae, was dismantled and relocated block by block in the 1960s to save it from flooding caused by the construction of the Aswan High Dam. Standing there, it’s hard to decide what’s more impressive: the ancient ambition that built it or the modern engineering that preserved it.

After returning from Abu Simbel, we stopped at Kom Ombo. Our guide warned us not to fall into the water here, explaining that this stretch of the river was once home to tens of thousands of crocodiles, which explains why half the temple is dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile god. Kom Ombo is one of Egypt’s most unusual temples, perfectly symmetrical and honoring two gods at once. Carvings on the walls even depict ancient surgical instruments, offering rare insight into early Egyptian medicine.

As the sun set, we continued sailing north toward Luxor, often called the world’s greatest open-air museum. Watching villages and farmland drift past from the deck made it clear how little life along the Nile has changed over thousands of years...