Every year, holidaymakers and visitors travel to Sharm el Sheikh from Britain. They come to chill out by the beach or swimming pool. Some want to scuba dive and other spend hours snorkelling on local coral reefs. There are a good amount of trips being offered to visitors to Sharm and one of the more preferred ones is a tour to the capital of Egypt, Cairo.
Cairo is home to the world notable Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx but the day outings to Cairo offer a great deal more than simply these age-old monuments. From Sharm, day-trippers can either get to Cairo by road or air. Either way, its an early morning start with road excursions departing at about 2am and flights at roughly five in the morning. It all means a long day ahead but it is absolutely worth the effort.
Itineraries may vary on trip to trip but regularly begins with a visit to the Cairo Museum or to give it's proper title "The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo". Almost all of the morning is spent at the museum and it is full with some renowned pieces. A number of the more wonderful pieces are those discovered in the tomb of the boy Pharaoh Tutankhamen which include the notable gold and blue death mask. There are also a good number of items of furniture and ornaments and one thing that is evident is how well the colours are preserved in many of the treasures taking into consideration they are thousands of years old. All the same there is far too much to explore in the museum so tourists have to decide on the areas they want to view.
From the museum, the tour group is taken down to the River nile for a meal aboard a river boat. There is a good assortment of food and for entertainment there are also dancers. On the other hand, you can easlily watch the Cairo skyline pass by as you sail up and back to your starting point.
Next stop are the Pyramids of Giza. Looking at a good number of photos, you should be forgiven for thinking that the Pyramids are in the middle of the desert but that isn't so. The Pyramids and Sphinx are basically on the edge of Cairo. It is extremely hard not to be astounded after you get near to the Great Pyramid due to the actual scale of the it. You are able to have plenty of time here to wander round the Pyramids and there are no shortage of locals attempting to sell you a range of mementos or rides on their camels. There are lots of chances for pics just before the tour coach takes you a bit further down to the Sphinx. Just as before, you will be offered the opportunity to get all sorts of souvenirs and there are more photograph opportunities. Yet, the Sphinx has not worn nearly as well as the Pyramids hence you can not get as close to it. It is late afternoon as the group leaves Cairo's most notable tourist points of interest but there remains to be time for one or two further visits.
The first of these visits is at a perfume shop where your are invited to try a few of the a large number of scents the shop stocks. From here the tour bus starts off to travel back to the airport with one remaining stop en route. Papyrus is the paper like material produced by the historical Egyptians from the pith of the Papyrus reed. It was used to write on but today, it is a frequent tourist souvenir, in most cases with pictures of ancient Egyptian gods and similar images. At the Papyrus shop, there is a wide range of Papyrus available and tourists can also enjoy a display of how modern day Papyrus is created.
The tour coach leaves and the tour group to Cairo is over. The excursion now returns to the airport for the flight back to Sharm el Sheikh or the road journey. The day trips to Cairo from Sharm el Sheikh are quite tiring but are great value. For holiday makers staying in Sharm, it is a superb way to see several of the sights of Cairo without actually staying there.
Cairo is home to the world notable Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx but the day outings to Cairo offer a great deal more than simply these age-old monuments. From Sharm, day-trippers can either get to Cairo by road or air. Either way, its an early morning start with road excursions departing at about 2am and flights at roughly five in the morning. It all means a long day ahead but it is absolutely worth the effort.
Itineraries may vary on trip to trip but regularly begins with a visit to the Cairo Museum or to give it's proper title "The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo". Almost all of the morning is spent at the museum and it is full with some renowned pieces. A number of the more wonderful pieces are those discovered in the tomb of the boy Pharaoh Tutankhamen which include the notable gold and blue death mask. There are also a good number of items of furniture and ornaments and one thing that is evident is how well the colours are preserved in many of the treasures taking into consideration they are thousands of years old. All the same there is far too much to explore in the museum so tourists have to decide on the areas they want to view.
From the museum, the tour group is taken down to the River nile for a meal aboard a river boat. There is a good assortment of food and for entertainment there are also dancers. On the other hand, you can easlily watch the Cairo skyline pass by as you sail up and back to your starting point.
Next stop are the Pyramids of Giza. Looking at a good number of photos, you should be forgiven for thinking that the Pyramids are in the middle of the desert but that isn't so. The Pyramids and Sphinx are basically on the edge of Cairo. It is extremely hard not to be astounded after you get near to the Great Pyramid due to the actual scale of the it. You are able to have plenty of time here to wander round the Pyramids and there are no shortage of locals attempting to sell you a range of mementos or rides on their camels. There are lots of chances for pics just before the tour coach takes you a bit further down to the Sphinx. Just as before, you will be offered the opportunity to get all sorts of souvenirs and there are more photograph opportunities. Yet, the Sphinx has not worn nearly as well as the Pyramids hence you can not get as close to it. It is late afternoon as the group leaves Cairo's most notable tourist points of interest but there remains to be time for one or two further visits.
The first of these visits is at a perfume shop where your are invited to try a few of the a large number of scents the shop stocks. From here the tour bus starts off to travel back to the airport with one remaining stop en route. Papyrus is the paper like material produced by the historical Egyptians from the pith of the Papyrus reed. It was used to write on but today, it is a frequent tourist souvenir, in most cases with pictures of ancient Egyptian gods and similar images. At the Papyrus shop, there is a wide range of Papyrus available and tourists can also enjoy a display of how modern day Papyrus is created.
The tour coach leaves and the tour group to Cairo is over. The excursion now returns to the airport for the flight back to Sharm el Sheikh or the road journey. The day trips to Cairo from Sharm el Sheikh are quite tiring but are great value. For holiday makers staying in Sharm, it is a superb way to see several of the sights of Cairo without actually staying there.
About the Author:
Even though most tourists head to Egypt for a beach holiday, Cairo is fast becoming more popular as a destination for a excursion or slightly longer stay.
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