Every year, visitors descent upon the popular resort of Sharm el Sheikh from the UK. They come to relax by the beach or pool. Some want to scuba dive and other spend hours snorkelling on nearby reefs. There are plenty of excursions on offer for visitors to Sharm el Sheikh and one of the more popular ones is a day trip to Egypt's capital, Cairo.
Cairo is home to the world famous Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx but the day trips to Cairo offer much more than just these ancient monuments. From Sharm el Sheikh, day-trippers can either travel to Cairo by road or air. Either way, its an early start with road trips leaving at around 2am and flights at around 5am. That means a long day ahead but it is really worth the effort.
Itineraries may vary on trip to trip but day normally starts with a visit to the Cairo Museum or to give it's correct title "The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo". Most of the morning is spent here and it is full and some amazing treasures. Some of the more magnificent items are those that were found in the tomb of the boy Pharaoh Tutankhamen which include the famous gold and blue death mask. There are also numerous items of furniture and ornaments and one thing to is noticeable is how well the colours are preserved in some of the items considering they are thousands of years old. However there is far too much to explore in the museum so visitors have to pick and chose the areas they want to see.
From the museum, the tour group is taken down to the River Nile for lunch on board a river boat. There is a reasonable selection of food and for entertainment there are also dancers. Alternatively, you can watch the skyline of Cairo pass by as you sail up and back to your departure point.
Next stop are the Pyramids of Giza. Looking at many photos, you would be forgiven for thinking they are in the middle of the desert but that is not the case. The Pyramids and Sphinx are just on the outskirts of Cairo. It is impossible not to be impressed when you get up close to the Great Pyramid due to the sheer size of the it. You can plenty of time here to wander round the Pyramids and there are no shortage of locals trying to sell you a wide range of souvenirs or rides on their camels. There are plenty of opportunities for photos before the tour bus takes you a bit further down to the Sphinx. Once again, you will be offered the chance to buy all sorts of souvenirs and there are more photo opportunities. However, the Sphinx has not worn nearly as well as the Pyramids so you can't get as close to it. Its late afternoon as the tour leaves Cairo's most famous tourist sights but there is still time for a couple more stops.
The first of these stops is at a fragrance shop where your are invited to try some of the many perfumes the shop stocks. From here the tour bus starts to head back to the airport with one final stop en route. Papyrus is the paper like material produced by the ancient Egyptians from the pith of the Papyrus reed. It was used to write on but today, it is a common tourist souvenir, usually with pictures of ancient Egyptian gods and similar images. At the Papyrus shop, there is a wide range of Papyrus available and visitors can also watch a demonstration of how modern day Papyrus is made.
The tour bus leaves and the day trip to Cairo is over. The group now makes their way back to the airport for the flight back to Sharm el Sheikh or the road journey. The day trips to Cairo from Sharm are quite tiring but are good value. For holiday makers staying in Sharm el Sheikh, it is an excellent way to see some of the sights of Cairo without actually staying there.
Rob Atherton
http://redseaexplorer.com/cairo/
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