Each and every year, holidaymakers and visitors travel to the well liked location of Sharm el Sheikh from United Kingdom. They come to unwind by the beach or pool. Some want to dive and other spend hours snorkelling on nearby reefs. There are lots of tours available for holidaymakers to Sharm and amongst the more renowned ones is a day trip to the capital of Egypt, Cairo.
Cairo is home to the world well-known Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx but the day trips to Cairo provide you with much more than merely these historic monuments. From Sharm, tourists can either get to Cairo by road or air. Either way, its an early morning start with road outings leaving at close to two in the morning and flights at nearly 5am. That means a long day ahead but it is absolutely worth the effort.
Itineraries may vary on trip to trip but usually gets under way with a trip to the Cairo Museum or to give it’s correct title “The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo”. Almost all of the morning is spent here and it is packed with some renowned pieces. Many of the more impressive treasures are those that were found in the tomb of the boy Pharaoh Tutankhamen which include the renowned gold and blue death mask. There are also quite a few items of furniture and ornaments and one thing that is noticeable is how well the colours are preserved in several of the pieces taking into account they are 1000′s of years old.
Nonetheless there is simply too much to explore in the museum so travellers and tourists have to decide upon the areas they want to go to.
After leaving the museum, the tour group is taken down to the Nile for a meal aboard a river boat. There is a good selection of food and for entertainment there are also dancers. Alternatively, you can enjoy the Cairo skyline pass by as you sail up and back to your departure point.
Next are the Pyramids of Giza. Looking at a lot of photos, you could be forgiven for thinking that the Pyramids are in the midst of the desert but that is not so. The Pyramids and Sphinx are actually on the edge of Cairo. It is extremely hard not to be fascinated as you get up close to the Great Pyramid by the actual size of the it. You are able to have enough time here to stroll round the Pyramids and there are no lack of locals trying to sell you a wide variety of souvenirs or rides on their camels. There are lots of chances to take snap shots prior to the tour bus takes you a bit further down to the Sphinx. Once again, you will be offered the opportunity to get a variety of souvenirs and there are more photograph opportunities. Of course, 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 excursion leaves Cairo’s most popular tourist places but there remains time for a few more stops.
The first of these visits is at a fragrance shop where your are invited to try some of the lots of scents the shop offers. From here the tour bus starts off to head back to the airport with one last stop en route. Papyrus is the paper like material produced by the historic Egyptians from the pith of the Papyrus reed. It was used to write on but nowadays, it is a familiar tourist souvenir, quite often with pictures of age-old Egyptian gods and similar images. At the Papyrus shop, there is a wide range of Papyrus available and holidaymakers and visitors can also enjoy a demonstration of how today’s Papyrus is made.
The tour coach leaves and the day trip to Cairo is over. The tour party now heads 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 tiring but are good value. For holiday makers staying in Sharm, it is a terrific way to witness a few of the points of interest of Cairo without actually staying there.
