Planning a Trip to Egypt on Points & Miles
Pyramids, temples, camels…who hasn’t dreamed of going to Egypt at some point? Egypt is certainly a bucket list destination, with centuries of tombs, temples, and ancient cities – with new findings being constantly discovered, even as of this year, when a lost city near Luxor was unearthed. With crowds non-existent and the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum slated for October 2021, now is a great time to plan you trip!
Our 10 Day Itinerary for Egypt
| Day | Lodging | Activities |
| 1 | Luxor | Tour Valley of Kings (don’t miss Seti I tomb), Hatshepsut’s temple. Consider Howard Carter house and King Tut tomb replica. Overnight: we recommend the Sofitel Winter Palace or the Hilton Luxor |
| 2 | Luxor | Karnak temple, Luxor temple, Luxor museum Consider seeing Luxor temple after dark or attending Karnak Sound & Light show Overnight: we recommend the Sofitel Winter Palace or the Hilton Luxor |
| 3 | Luxor | Morning: Ramesseum temple, the Nobles Tombs, Deir el-Medina (ancient workman’s village). Queen Nefatari tomb if time allows Board the boat mid-afternoon Overnight: Nile cruise |
| 4 | Nile Cruise | Nile Cruise; Edfu temple |
| 5 | Nile Cruise | Nile Cruise; stops include Gebel el-Silsila sandstone quarry, shrines, and temples |
| 6 | Nile Cruise | Nile Cruise; stops include Kom Ombo temple Your cruise will arrive and dock in Aswan but you will sleep on the boat that night. |
| 7 | Aswan | Aswan sightseeing: Philae temple, unfinished obelisk, high dam. Felucca ride to see the Plantation Island, Nobles tombs, Aga Kahn masoleum. Consider the Philae temple sound and light show after dark. Overnight: recommend the historic Aswan Sofitel Old Cataract Hotel |
| 8 | Abu Simbel, Aswan | Day trip to Abu Simbel for Ramses II’s temple ruins (drive or fly; we drove 3 hrs each way to allow for more time at the temple; would recommend flying if possible) Return to Aswan for some late afternoon sightseeing: Nubian village of Elephantine, Animalia House local museum, other sights. Night flight Aswan–> Cairo, overnight in Giza (recommended: Marriott Mena House) |
| 9 | Giza | Memphis, Saqqara (step pyramid), Dahshour (bent pyramid and red pyramid). Consider Egyptian Museum of Civilization Overnight in Giza (recommended: Marriott Mena House, with views of the pyramids) |
| 10 | Giza | Giza pyramids, The Sphynx Grand Egyptian museum |
| 11 | Giza | Fly home. (of note, most flights leave very early the next morning; midnight to 5am is common). |
Safety First!
Is Egypt safe? Well, that is always a good question. Egypt has unfortunately had bouts of political turmoil that periodically have not made it a very safe destination at times. However, at the time of our visit, we felt incredibly safe; all tourist sights and attractions include very high levels of security (police checks, metal detectors and scanning of all purses/bags/backpacks prior to entry.) Tourism is vital to Egypt’s economy, and the sense we got was that the government and the people have a vested interest to keep tourists safe.
Much of the protests in Cairo in the past happened at or near Tahrir square where the government buildings are (including the 2011 events that led to the Egyptian revolution and resignation of the president); this square was also where the must-see Egyptian museum is/was – currently it is in the process of being relocated to Giza, near the pyramids. In recent years, most of the terrorism attacks that occurred in Cairo were focused at religious sites within Cairo, not near the pyramids or other common tourist sights. In and around Cairo, having security is recommended and our company did supply a security guard who traveled with us to Saqqara and Memphis. For a less stressful first trip to Egypt, I would recommend skipping downtown Cairo all together – you miss out on some of the grit and local flavor, but on the other hand, Egypt has such an overwhelming number of sites and attractions to visit, far more than one can cram into a usual 10-12 day itinerary, so sticking to the touristy areas will keep you plenty busy and you will have an incredible experience.
Where not to go: As in any country, “blanket warnings” are often applied when in reality, your safety as a tourist dramatically varies by region and city (just think of the difference in risks you might encounter between small town Wyoming and inner city Chicago). I would recommend thoroughly reading through travel advisories. At the time of our visit, the primary “unsafe” areas of Egypt that Americans were absolutely not recommended to go were limited to the Western Desert adjacent to Libya due to drugs and arms trafficking across the desert (avoid visiting a desert oasis like Siwa, and no desert safaris) and the Sinai peninsula where many resort towns are located (with the exception of Sharm El-Sheikh, which is considered ok to travel to but you are advised to fly and not drive there). Keep a close eye on the news (the BBC covers Egypt daily) to keep a pulse on local happenings in the weeks and months before your trip.
Transportation: probably your biggest danger while traveling in Egypt is driving; Egypt has one of the highest rates of traffic-related fatalities in the world. In Cairo, traffic crawls at a glacial pace much of the time so high speed impacts I suspect are less common (I suspect the pedestrians, who dart in and out of traffic unpredictably due to the lack of intersections and crosswalks, are high risk). Around Luxor and particularly on the highway between Aswan and Abu Simbel, traffic drives at high speed, everyone passes including at times when passing would not be safe, lane markers are not always present and not respected, and honestly the only time I felt unsafe on our entire trip was that Aswan-Abu Simbel drive (I would absolutely fly next time, even if it involved spending a night in Abu Simbel). Also note tourists are restricted on certain forms of public transportation such as microbuses for safety reasons.
Pickpocketing is fairly non-existent, there are occasional purse/bag snatching in cities but not in the tourist sights. In Luxor, there is a lovely pedestrian boardwalk where we saw families picnicking, women walking alone with a stroller, and joggers out and about, and hence we felt safe walking a little around our hotel during the daylight. You will be harassed by locals wanting to sell you items, but they are generally well-meaning and harmless. I would not recommend walking after dark.
COVID19 update: As far as the pandemic goes, Egypt has been open for tourism since July 2020 but requires a negative COVID test 72-96 hours prior to arrival, depending on where you are arriving from (96 hours is allowed for passengers from Europe or the United States). I would remain vigilant, watching for new outbreaks of more contagious variants of the virus, and changes in border opening and testing requirements. The US Embassy page for Egypt is a great place to check for current restrictions, mask mandates (masks are required and fines are imposed), and where to get COVID testing (our guide took care of arranging our testing and making sure the results were pinted with all the necessary time stamps and documentation). If you are vaccinated, do continue to wear masks indoors or if in close proximity to others, and socially distance. As of April 2021, Egypt opened vaccines up to the tourism industry and one of our 3 guides had already been vaccinated; overall, vaccination rates are low among the population as it is not free and cost prohibitive for most citizens. Don’t forget that the vaccine is designed to prevent severe illness related to Sars-CoV2, but it is still possible to acquire a mild case and test positive! While testing requirements remain in place, I recommend having a back up plan for that unlikely worst-case scenario of testing positive on your way to or from your destination). Also note that Egypt is is requiring proof of a health insurance policy upon entry; for a country like Egypt, I would heartily recommend travel health insurance regardless, less you get tossed by camel or involved in a traffic accident – much more likely causes of injury. We have used Allianz for single journey medical coverage in the past, and it appears that they will cover quarantine costs as well as trip delay costs, which might be handy in this current era of travel; for the two of us, it is usually under $100 and priceless for the peace of mind.
Using Points & Miles for Flights, Hotels
International Flights: For most US carriers, flights from the US will connect in Europe, and then it is about a 4 hour flight on to Cairo. Estimating how many points you might need has gotten more complicated as major US carriers have moved towards flexible pricing. With international ticket prices quite low at the moment, your “cheapest” option might be booking a ticket through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Portal or American Express Rewards Portal if you find a low price; for example, a $800 round trip economy ticket on any airline would be about 50,000 Ultimate Reward points (the redemption rate through Chase’s portal is 1.6 cents per point). As the price increases, you may find yourself better off transferring to an airline – which I prefer anyway as I find it much easier to work with the airline if changes need to be made. For United/Star Alliance, your best bargain is probably transferring miles to Canada’s Aeroplan (a round trip ticket at last check was 82,500 miles). While I am sure better points and miles bargains exist, we opted to book our flights on United – we had a vast number of points in our United and Chase Ultimate Rewards (UR) accounts, and we were very comfortable and understanding of the cancellation/rebooking policies should we have to cancel our trip due to political turmoil. Saver award economy flights start at around 49,000 miles each way/98,000 miles round trip at the time of this writing. Of note, if you know ahead of time that you will be starting (or ending) your travels in Luxor, I recommend tacking the flight to Luxor on to your rewards redemption if you are able to – EgyptAir is a Star Alliance partner and in theory their flights are bookable by points through Aeroplan, United, and other Star Alliance partners, but availability appears very limited to do this. Unfortunately, there were no available award seats to Luxor for our travel dates….but this can be an often overlooked way to save additional costs; I would also look into United’s “Explorer” option where you can add an additional destination (i.e. in an ideal world, if booking close to a year in advance), you might be able to fly US to Cairo to Luxor, then from Egypt to an additional destination (think Istanbul, Tel Aviv, etc) for a short stay up to 3 nights, then your flight back to the US, all on one award ticket, for the same miles as a simple round trip ticket.
Domestic internal flights: The three main areas you will visit Egypt are Giza/Cairo, Luxor, and Aswan, and for efficiency as well as security reasons, I would not recommend driving between them. You will be booking your flights on EgyptAir, which is the only option. Make sure to credit your flight to United or another Star Alliance partner like Aeroplan so that you can collect the miles for these flights. If you are working with a tour guide, I recommend booking your own internal flights so that you have more control over your money should a flight get cancelled, or should you cancel your trip – I used my Chase Sapphire Reserve card to book, knowing that I had trip insurance that would cover me should my trip be cancelled for some reason. Otherwise, your money will be forever tied up with the tour company who may or may not be willing to refund it. Trains are also an option to save money, but discuss in detail with your tour company as there are some logistics to consider.
Hotels: Hotels are already quite inexpensive in Egypt compared to travel in other parts of the world, and during the pandemic, rates are lower than usual (we found 5-star hotels going for $50-90 per night at the time of our booking). While tour companies are eager to tack on hotels to your overall tour package, I insisted on booking them separately – one, so that I could use points and free night certificates to get free stays, but also so that I could easily cancel them myself for a full refund up until the day of arrival, should our trip be cancelled (whereas with a last minute trip cancellation, the tour agency will keep your money and credit you towards a future trip.). In Luxor, we booked 3 nights with breakfast included at the Sofitel Winter Palace for 18,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points (the 5-star Hilton came highly recommended and cost a bit fewer points, but we were enticed by the Sofitel’s location, walk-able to the Luxor temples which look incredible to see at night). For the pyramids and sights around Giza, we avoided Cairo completely and stay in Giza at the historic Marriott Mena House, staying 2 nights for free using two 30k free night certificates to save $91/night. In Aswan, the place to stay is the historic Aswan Sofitel Old Cataract Hotel; this was really the only expensive hotel room we encountered on our trip at $286/night at the time of our booking, but for our one night their, we were able to cover the costs with a Hotels.com free night certificate; this hotel is also bookable by points through Chase Ultimate Rewards (at a cost of approximately ~17,800 UR points at the time of our travel).
Budgeting for Activities
Hiring a guide/Egyptologist: If there is one thing that always seems to be harped on about Egypt, it is the importance of hiring a Egyptologist/guide. One, to help with safety and security (normally, we prefer to take public transportation and figure out our own way around; Egypt is not the country to apply this strategy – in fact, tourists are not even allowed on certain public transportation such as the local microbuses). Second, there is an absolutely overwhelming amount of history to understand and absorb. Without a knowledgeable Egyptologist to explain the historical significance of sights, you’ll be alternating trying to do your own reading in advance, and taking pretty pictures of pyramids and temples without really understanding the significance of what you are looking at. The older wiser I get, the more I actually enjoy having a guide not just to explain the sights, but to get a perspective on what life is like in the country I am visiting: I like to hear about our guides’ background, culture, experiences, and their perceptions about the world. This is, truly, the reason we travel – to gain a better understanding of other people and cultures.
We used Real Egypt, which came highly recommended by our friends and did an excellent job suggesting itineraries and excursions that matched our travel interests. We enjoy not just seeing the sights, but getting a cultural immersion full of unique local experiences. This was really the only costly part of our trip, but well worth it – and when you are able to save on flights and lodging, you can put the bulk of your travel budget towards guides and experiences. We had Real Egypt handle the tours, cruise, and all airport transportation – basically, I booked our flights and hotel, they took care of the rest.
Budgeting your time: For a 10-12 day experience similar to ours, it will probably feel a bit like a Beethoven symphony: a frantic, overwhelming tourist boot camp book-ending the beginning and end of your trip, with a mellow relaxing Nile cruise in the middle. Luxor is overwhelming, budget at least 2 1/2 days for sightseeing. For a cruise, plan 3-5 days and note most cruises depart on Mondays from Luxor – so plan your arrival in Luxor accordingly. Aswan and Abu Simbel deserve 2 days minimum; ideally 3. For Giza and the pyramids, 2 days is sufficient for a whirlwind tour, and 3 days will allow more time to explore museums and sights as well as relax. I recommend ending in Giza/Cairo to avoid any delays or problems with an internal domestic flight affecting your international flight home. Have more time? You’ll find plenty to do – grab a guide book and see what piques your interest!
Cruising the Nile: One of the bucket list items in Egypt is to take a Nile Cruise. These are typically 3 to 5 day affairs that depart in Luxor and arrive at Aswan, with most of the big ships all traveling together in one big diesel belch on certain days of the week. (as of this writing, there are no current cruises between Cairo and Luxor; there is one tour operator running cruises between Abu Simbel and Aswan which I think would be a great way to see Abu Simbel). I am not a cruiser – I consider them floating petri dishes in a non-pandemic year – and especially on the Nile, where a 5 night “cruise” actually just has you sitting at the docks in Luxor and Aswan for most of the time (it actually takes very little time to sail from Luxor to Aswan). Our friends recently had traveled to Egypt and had great recommendations, one of which was that we must cruise the Nile on a Dahabiya, a smaller Egyptian sailboat which has the advantage of docking at smaller ports along the Nile. Typically these boats hold very few passengers (10-18 max), but at present with the pandemic, it is even possible to book the entire boat. We looked at two options: Nour el Nil, which takes a leisurely float down the Nile and offers a lot of insight into the local villages and less traveled sights – and has amazing food to boot (read a helpful review about it here), and the smaller Dahabiya trip through Real Egypt, which is what our friends took, with a maximum of 10 guests and option of booking the whole boat, and a lower price point. We chose Real Egypt as we have a great chance of getting a boat to ourselves, and the itinerary worked a bit better for us, with a more intimate experience. Read the cruise literary and reviews carefully before choosing on a cruise that fits your style; you will find larger, cheaper cruises – some of which may be shorter, but you may sacrifice seeing some of the amazing sights along the Nile that larger ships can’t reach.
Budget for tips: While you likely will not encounter any pickpockets or hear about robberies in Egypt, you will be harrassed, constantly, for baksheesh – a tip. In fairness, this is a poor country and tips are how a good many citizens earn a living. Tipping starts at the airport, where you will find bathroom attendents in the arrivals terminal before you likely have even had a chance to change money (keep $1 or 1 euro coins handy for this). Be prepared with small bills/change in local currency to tip not just your tour guide, but for use of your camera (best to just use your phone), use of the bathroom, to tip the guard at a tomb, you name it. ATMs will give you 200 EGP bills which are hard to break, but do your best to try to break up large bills daily with your hotel and any time you purchase something small like water (your guide may also be able to trade you out). Ask your guide for guidance on how much to tip (usually 5 EGP for the bathroom, 10-20 EGP for a security guard at a tomb or temple who will also show you “extras” or take your picture to earn his tip). Also ask your tour operator if it is possible to pay for tips in advance – this will save you a lot of hassle and grief of trying to determine how much to tip your guide(s), driver(s), boat crew, etc
What will I eat in Egypt? While you presumably aren’t traveling to Egypt for a pure culinary experience, it is good to know what to expect. All hotels we stayed at included a breakfast buffet – usually included – that was enormous – a mix of pastries, cold cuts and cheese, omelettes, mezze, and local items. A common one we saw was a lentil or bean stew – by far, the best version of this was at the Mena House where you could customize your legumes with various toppings (Mena house had the best breakfast…the Sofitel Winter Palace was our least favorite). At lunch and dinner you will see many similarities with Lebanese, Israeli, and Turkish cooking: various mezze and hummus to start, and kebabs were a common lunch while touring (chicken, beef, or kofte which is like a meatball). Fish (usually tilapia) was always a delicious option, usually fried or simply grilled. On the boat, we usually had chicken, fish, or beef as well as a number of homemade stews, rice, the ubiquitous french fries, and often a pasta in addition to salads and mezze. Sometimes lunches were sooooo huge and late in the day (1-2pm) that we ended up skipping dinner or just snacking. We recommend avoiding raw fruits (unless you can peel them yourself) and raw vegetables to minimize GI distress….yes it is painful to continually turn away the cucumber tomato salads, but better to not spend the day in the bathroom. (of note, we did give in and eat some raw veg at the Mena house at the end of our trip, and did not have any problems…but do at your own risk).
Drinking in Egypt: being a Muslim country, alcohol is not widely served and is quite expensive. At hotels, beer and Egyptian wine were the more afford options but the wine was not great. If you want wine without paying a small fortune, choose a bottle of local Egyptian sparkling wine which we found to be good and about $50 a bottle; all our hotels also carried imported wine which was usually French and started at 6000-9000 EGP per bottle, which is roughly $400-550 (!!!). Dahabiyas do not serve alcohol but you are welcome to bring your own, and best place to purchase is probably the airport duty free shop.
Your Egypt Planning Checklist
Months to 1-2 years out:
- Determine your dates of travel, and how long your trip will be. Keep in mind timing of inflexible plans like a Nile Cruise (many of which start on a Monday or Tuesday) when choosing exact dates. Start prioritizing what you want to see (and get a good guide book – we used Lonely Planet).
- Secure your guide/Egyptologist early, good guides book up fast
- Book your international flights (when booking on points and miles, I recommend booking as soon as tickets are released, which is 300+ days in advance).
- Book your Nile cruise (if not included as part of your tour/guide)
- Book your hotels (again, good ones book up fast)
- Book your domestic flights (earlier is usually cheaper)
- Check the CDC’s travel website several months before your trip to review health or vaccine requirements so you can prepare for any needed vaccines and give yourself plenty of time to get them (for example, there was a shortage of the Typhoid oral vaccine in early 2021, which had any of us been traveling abroad in early 2021 would have been a mess to contend with).
4-6 weeks before traveling:
- Make your final plans for sightseeing, and any final reservations
- Buy your travel health insurance policy
- Buy your Egypt Visa on line (can be purchased in person, but why not save the hassle?), allowing at least 2 weeks for processing
- Double check CDC’s website for any health or vaccine requirements that may have changed. Make sure you have an up to date Typhoid vaccine. I would absolutely recommend a COVID vaccine for travel as well.
- Stock up on any prescriptions you need from your health care provider, we recommend traveling with ciprofloxacin, azithromycin (Z-pak), zofran, and a sleep aid like trazodone at a minimum (plus over the counter medications such as Imodium, NSAIDS/tylenol, Benadryl for allergic reactions or rash, cold/cough medication, and heartburn medication as needed).
- Do you need reliable WiFi on your trip? Is your mother worried about you and insisting you check in daily? (not that I speak from experience or anything….). See if your wireless carrier has service in Egypt, consider buying a SIM card upon arrival, or rent a WiFi hotspot.
- Finalize your packing list. Make sure you have good walking shoes/sandals that are broken in, and appropriate clothing to take (for women, shoulders and legs should be covered, no cleavage). Don’t forget plenty of sunscreen!
- Make copies of your passport, visa, and health insurance policy to stash in a safe place.
Need Inspiration?
- You knew I was going to recommend the Rick Steve’s Egypt TV Special, no surprise there. #Ricknik
- Beneath the Sands of Egypt: Adventures of an Unconventional Archaeologist by Donald P. Ryan is a great non-fiction exploration of Egypt’s history and culture
- To dive deeper into Egypt’s history, Toby Wilkinson has authored 2 recommended books: The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt and The Nile: Travelling Downriver Through Egypt’s Past and Present
- I love to read some fiction that inspires travel as well. Pauline Gedge has written a number of historical fiction books that closely follow history; her first novel was Child of the Morning, about a 15 year old girl who becomes a pharaoh and is based on the real life of the pharaoh Hatshepsut who ruled Egypt in 1400 BC.
- Or, perhaps delve into Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie, a classic read (and soon to be a new movie due to be released Fall 2021).
- On my to-read list: a more contemporary book, Chronicle of a Last Summer by Yasmine El Rashidi.
- A number of movies have been filmed in Egypt, from Cleopatra to Raiders of the Lost Ark to James Bond’s The Spy Who Loved Me. My husband’s pick would be the second Transformer’s movie, filmed near the pyramids in Giza.
Do you have recommendations on things to do in Egypt? Post in the commends below!
See our related post on Luxor and Valley of the Kings