Travel Blog
April 7, 2025
One more Item checked off my bucket list!
My brother, Will and I spent 11 days with AmaWaterways exploring the ancient pyramids and temples of Egypt. We learned so much about history and how these amazing structures were built. I can’t explain the feeling you have when looking at the great step pyramid of King Zoser then realizing the structure is over 4600 years old! I was dwarfed by the stones of the Giza pyramids and the temple columns at Karnak. The massive size make you realize how smart the Egyptians were to be able to engineer and create these beautiful sites.
Cario is a huge city with a population of over 14 million people. Driving was crazy! If there were lanes on the road, it was just a suggestion. People drove where they wanted with pedestrians crossing amongst the madness. It was very entertaining and suspenseful to watch!
We visited many ancient sites and museums. I do not have a favorite as each site has its own appeal. The site I was most excited to visit was Sakkara. I was able to enter the pyramid of Unas. The walls and ceiling of this pyramid are filled with hieroglyphs and stars. It’s simple but beautiful to see.
The site that surprised me the most was the Philae Temple. This temple is dedicated to Isis, Osiris and Horus. This beautiful temple is on an island in Lake Nasser. My surprise was that this temple was relocated! Piece by piece this temple was dismantled and rebuilt to higher ground before the Aswan dam was built. Engineering at its best!
Walking in the Valley of the Kings and the Karnak Temple was surreal. We visited the tomb of King Tut where the Boy King still lays. The colors in his tomb are vibrant and detailed. King Seti’s tomb was much larger and deeper in the ground. The size of Karnak is unexplainable; the number of columns, statues, the lake and river that at one time flowed from one end of the temple to the other end of the temple.
Our visit to the pyramids of Giza and Sphinx was busy and fast. We had time to view the sites and take some pictures.
Then it was off to ride a camel! I didn’t realize how tall camels are! It was a good laugh watching everyone experience the camel rides. There were some good photo ops along the way too.
Some of the other sites we visited during our visit was the Cairo Citadel, Alabaster Mosque, the Grand Egyptian Museum, Old Cairo, Temple of Horus, Temple of Hathor, Kom Ombo and the Temple of Hatshepsut.
We had the opportunity to return to the Sakkara site on our last day in Cario. I worked with AmaWaterways to set up a private tour to the Imhotep Museum which is a small museum dedicated to the digs at Sakkara. After our visit to the museum our guide, Maha, took us to see the Tomb of Kagemni. This tomb had scenes of how daily life was in Egypt throughout the structure. There were scenes of dancing, fishing, hunting, families together, animals; it was fascinating to see the details of these pictures.
Egypt is a place you need to visit to comprehend the size and engineering ingenuity of the ancient sites.
Our first 3 nights in Cario, we stayed that the Ritz-Carlton with AmaWaterways. We had the luxury of being upgraded to the Presidential Suite which overlooked the Nile River with the pyramids of Giza in the far-off distance. Our suite consisted of 3 rooms: main bedroom, living area, dining room with a kitchenette and 1 ½ bathrooms. Great location to watch the sunsets!
Our ship was the AmaDahlia while cruising the Nile River. We shared a French Balcony stateroom which offers a floor to ceiling window that opens for fresh air. We had plenty of closet and drawer space for our clothing and accessories. The bathroom is a bit small with a full shower and single sink with storage underneath. The color scheme onboard the AmaDahlia is warm, cozy and relaxing. My favorite spot was on the top deck in a shaded chaise lounge with my book.
The evenings were filled with socializing with the other guests. We enjoyed a Nubian show with dancing and singing, belly dancing and the infamous Galabya Party. Everyone wore Galabya’s that night while playing silly games and dancing to “Walk Like an Egyptian”. I enjoyed meeting our Cruise Manager, Omar. We had some wonderful conversations about “life”. Omar was very welcoming and helpful to everyone onboard. It showed that Omar loves his career. Maha, our Egyptologist and tour guide, was amazing. Her knowledge of the sites and history was “top notch”. Plus, she had a great sense of humor! Maha was another person who was easy to ask questions and shared interesting stories and facts with us.
Note about the vendors at all the sites. They can be aggressive in their selling techniques. It can be fun to bargain for a souvenir, if that is your thing. I think my brother had the art of bargaining perfected by the end of our trip. I lost count of how many souvenirs he brought home. The vendors will also approach the ship on a boat selling linens in which they will throw to you onboard. I had our window open in the stateroom one afternoon and a vendor approached me through the window. I just slowly closed the window and said, “no thank you”.
True story – My brother was bargaining with a vendor for a $5 Messi soccer shirt as he was boarding the bus to leave from a temple visit. My brother was talking to the vendor through the bus window telling the vendor the shirt was too small. Our bus departed to return to our ship. As we pulled into the cruise port and everyone was getting off the bus, the vendor walked up to my brother with a larger Messi soccer shirt. The vendor had followed our bus on his motorcycle so he could make the sale! Of course, my brother had to purchase the shirt, but the price increased to $10 because of the “delivery” fee!
