Egypt: the experience of a lifetime

I left Australia on this big crazy journey with one of my greatest friends and somehow it's October before we actually took a trip together! Months of excitement was definitely justified! Egypt was mindblowing and thought-provoking. Ancient and beautiful. And an incredible adventure!

I'm so grateful for my amazing travel buddy!

We picked a nine day tour that included all the big bucket list items, all the stuff you hear about at school and some we'd never heard about but were keen to learn! We started in Cairo, made a trip up to Alexandria (one of my must-dos!) and went south to Luxor and Aswan where we cruised for a bit on the Nile and ended again in Cairo. My travel buddy Dylan and me booked our flights to give us a full day on either side of the tour, which was perfect, especially at the end of the trip!

This will forever be one of my most favourite sunrises!

We left just a few days after Dylan's birthday and mine was right in the middle of the trip. We gave each other the unforgettable experience of hot air ballooning over the Valley of the Kings at sunrise! Photos don't show exactly how beautiful it was, or the thrill as the balloon lifts off the ground and hops over rocks as it lands. It was definitely one of the highlights!

And we're up and away! The Valley of the Kings is seen in the top left here.

One of my other favourite things was visiting a Nubian village one evening. A local teacher taught us all some basic Arabic and Nubian, and showed us how to write our names. It was something so simple but will be a really special memory. Walking through the village was really nice, and a different atmosphere to the always bustling Egyptian cities.

Getting a lesson in the Nubian village.

I spent my birthday visiting a temple in the morning, then relaxing on the cruise boat with my new tour friends. I enjoyed a cocktail in the pool on the rooftop as the beautiful banks of the Nile rolled past us. That night the staff on the boat gave me a cake and there was a dress up party after dinner which was so much fun. Everybody bought a simple traditional costume and we danced away.

Amazing to sail past these gorgeous banks of the Nile that look almost untouched but have so much history!

At midnight we got on the coach to drive out to Abu Simbel Temple to be a part of the Sun Festival that happens twice a year when the sun shines directly through the temple and enlightens three statues in the inner chamber shortly after sunrise, for only a few minutes. Even though we had seen a number of temples over only a few days it was quite special to be there for a day that holds so much significance.

You can stand in this spot and have a beautiful view in every direction!

Me and Dylan chose to spend our last day after the tour ended at a five star resort that actually neighboured the pyramids in Giza. The tour meant we had wake up calls nearly every morning and was very go-go-go; and it had to be to fit in all the places we went and activities we did. No regrets were had by slowing down the pace the last day and enjoying some time by the pool while admiring that ancient, golden, pointy view.

The sights of Egypt and my experience in this country was so different from anything I have ever done before. I highly recommend adding Egypt to your bucket list; I'm so glad I did!