Egypt Vacation Summary

In December 2010, the Pearce family (Irv, Ann, Cameron, Jason, and Jenny) went to Egypt for a two week vacation. Here’s a brief summary of our trip with links to many photos.

Tue, Dec 14

CIMG6022We arrive in Cairo around dinner and get to enjoy the city’s crazy rush-our traffic as we travel from the Cairo International Airport to the Cairo Marriott Hotel & Omar Khayyam Casino, which is a former palace located along the Nile. We were eager to head to bed.

Wed, Dec 15

P1010020Today was focused on visiting sites in Cairo. We began at the Mosque of Mohammad Ali Pasha, then visited the 100+ year old Egyptian Museum (no photos allowed), and ended the day with a sound and light show at the Pyramids of Giza.

Thu, Dec 16

P1010171Flying to Luxor, we began the day visiting the Karnak Temple. a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We then boarded our four-story cruise ship and enjoyed dinner. After dinner, we returned to the Karnak temple for a sound and light show that was much better than the one we experienced in Giza.

Fri, Dec 17

P1000247Still docked in Luxor, we traveled by bus to Dandarah to visit the Dendera Temple. We then returned to Luxor to enjoy the Luxor Temple by both dusk and night.

Sat, Dec 18

P1010433Still in Luxor, we traveled across the Nile to visit the Valley of the Kings (no photos allowed), were we entered several tombs including Tutankhamun’s. We then visited the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut. We even had time to visit the Colossi of Memnon before setting sail again up the Nile and passing through some locks.

Sun, Dec 19

P1010546We awoke in Edfu to visit the Temple of Edfu. In the afternoon we traveled to Aswan to see the Temple of Kom Ombo.

Mon, Dec 20

P1000424We began the day at a granite quarry to see an unfinished obelisk that was not fully carved out of the bedrock. Next up, the High Dam in Aswan that makes Lake Nasser. We then traveled by boat to the Temple of Philae, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was relocated to a higher island after the dam was built. Lastly, we traveled by boat to a Nubian Village that resided on an island in the middle of the Nile.

Tue, Dec 21

P1010683Got up at 3 am to fly to Aswan to see the amazing Abu Simbel temples, which are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They, too, were relocated due to the dam. This time, engineers had to move two large hills as the temples were carved right into the stone.

Wed, Dec 22

CIMG6399Today was a peaceful day cruising the Nile. We all needed the rest.

Thu, Dec 23

CIMG6418It was time to disembark our ship and catch a return flight from Luxor to Cairo.

Fri, Dec 24

Jumping JasonOur last full day of sightseeing, we awoke in Cairo to take a bus to Saqqarah to see the Statue of Ramesses II. Next up was the Step Pyramid of Djoser, also in Saqqarah. Saving the best for last, we ended our vacation at the the Great Pyramids of Giza; both a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World.

Geotagged Photos

You might also have fun browsing our photos on a map. My brother and I used cameras that had a built-in GPS receiver, which greatly helped me properly geotag all of our photos.

Flickr Egypt Map

One reply on “Egypt Vacation Summary”

  1. Yeah for you! THANKS a bunch! It was an amazing trip. How enriching to view these sites from the perspectives of all 5 of us. And…….our Egyptian Rummy games just topped the experience off!

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