Each year, travellers and tourists arrive at the preferred resort of Sharm el Sheikh from the UK. They come to chill out by the beach or pool. Some want to dive and other spend hours snorkelling on neighbouring coral reefs. There are plenty of excursions to be had to travellers to Sharm and undoubtedly one of the more renowned ones is a tour to the capital of Egypt, Cairo.
Cairo is home to the world well known Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx but the day outings to Cairo provide you with so much more than only these historical monuments. From Sharm el Sheikh, tourists can either travel to Cairo by road or air. Either way, its an early start with road trips leaving at nearly 2am and flights at roughly 5am. It makes for a long day ahead but it is genuinely worth the effort.
Itineraries may vary on trip to trip but normally starts off with a tour to the Cairo Museum or to give it’s proper title “The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo”. Most of the morning is spent here and it is full with some renowned treasures. Many of the more magnificent items are those discovered in the tomb of the boy Pharaoh Tutankhamen including the well known gold and blue death mask. There are quite a few items of furniture and ornaments and one thing that is apparent is how well the colours are preserved in a number of the items taking into account they are thousands of years old. Nevertheless there is way too much to explore in the museum therefore holidaymakers and visitors have to choose the areas they want to have a look at.
From the museum, the tour group is taken down to the River for lunch aboard a river boat. There is a good range of food and for entertainment there are also dancers. Alternatively, it is possible to watch the skyline dotted with various Cairo hotels and other landmarks pass by as you sail up and back to your departure point.
The next item on the itinerary are the Pyramids of Giza. Looking at a large number of photos, you would be forgiven for thinking that they are in the midst of the desert but that isn’t the situation. The Pyramids and Sphinx are merely on the edge of Cairo. It is difficult not to be astounded the instant you get near to the Great Pyramid owing to the actual size of the it. It is possible to have a good amount of time here to wander round the Pyramids and there are no lack of locals trying to sell you a large range of souvenirs or rides on their camels. There are lots of opportunities for photos before the tour bus takes you a bit further down to the Sphinx. Once again, you will be given the opportunity to purchase all types of souvenirs and there are more photograph opportunities. All the same, the Sphinx has not worn nearly as well as the Pyramids therefore you can not get as close to it. Its late afternoon as the group leaves Cairo’s most well known tourist points of interest but there remains time for a couple further visits.
The first of these visits is at a perfume shop where your are invited to try some of the a good number of scents the shop offers. From here the tour bus starts to head back to the airport with one final stop en route. Papyrus is the paper like material made by the age-old Egyptians from the pith of the Papyrus reed. It was used to write on but nowadays, it is a regular tourist souvenir, mostly with images of historic Egyptian gods and similar images. At the Papyrus shop, there is a wide range of Papyrus available and visitors can also see a demonstration of how current day Papyrus is created.
The tour coach departs and the tour party to Cairo is over. The tour party now makes their way back to the airport for the flight back to Sharm el Sheikh el Sheikh or the road journey. The day tours to Cairo from Sharm are quite exhausting but are excellent value. For travellers staying in Sharm, it is a great way to see a few of the attractions of Cairo without actually staying there.