Hoang Minh Thuong (1991) is currently a travel creator on social media platforms. A 12-day trip to Egypt helped her experience exploring the mysterious land that possesses the oldest civilization of mankind.
Egypt is a country located in the Northeast of Africa. And is the only country whose territory spans three continents: Europe - Asia - Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, Israel, Jordan, Sudan and Libya.
Hoang Minh Thuong had a 12-day trip to explore mysterious Egypt.
Most of Egypt is covered by the vast Sahara desert with the Nile River flowing from south to north, the population is concentrated mainly on both sides of the Nile River. The capital of Egypt is Cairo, one of the most crowded cities in the world. Due to its location in North Africa, the Middle East and Southwest Asia, Egypt is the cultural intersection of many regions and countries. Possessing the oldest civilization of mankind, Egypt has become an attractive destination to visit, explore the mysteries, legends and wonderful heritages of the world.
Egypt possesses the oldest civilization of mankind.
Explore Egypt - touch the great civilization
Minh Thuong's 12-day itinerary to explore Egypt includes famous places such as: Cairo, Siwa Oasis, Luxor, camping in the Sahara desert, Ginza pyramids, the world's largest antiquities museum, Aswan, Nile River, Abu Simbel, Valley of the Kings, Hungrada, Red Sea, Khan El Khalili ancient market...
From Cairo, Minh Thuong and the group traveled 12 hours by car through Siwa Oasis, camping in the Sahara desert. In Siwa, she arrived at Shali, a town located on the mountain, which used to be an ancient fortress to guard the whole town. From above, you can take pictures of the entire oasis. Then visit the salt cave, salt lake and have the opportunity to immerse yourself and swim in a floating water. You will never sink when swimming in the clear and cool salt water, touching the pure salt crystals crystallized in this area.
Sphinx Statue - A 45m long, 15m long lion-headed statue carved from a single block of stone, representing the strength and divine power of the Pharaohs
Minh Thuong experienced bathing in Cleopatra hot spring. Legend has it that the beautiful Cleopatra once bathed, while admiring Amoun temple, Dead hill, and El Dakrour mountain.
Preparing for the sand safari, Minh Thuong and the group went deep into the desert on specialized jeeps. Stopping at a small oasis to enjoy Berber tea at a place to watch the sunset during the jeep journey.
In the evening, when the sun went down, she and her group members camped overnight, lit a campfire under the starry sky, and enjoyed a very special dish of lamb and chicken grilled in the sand.
The rock carvings are thousands of years old.
Visit the Ginza pyramid complex, Giza Pyramids is the oldest and only remaining wonder of the 7 ancient wonders of the world, 146 m high. Giza is the largest pyramid and before the Middle Ages, it was also the greatest work that humans had ever done. The Giza pyramid complex includes: Cheops, Chephren, Menkaure (Mycerinus).
Minh Thuong visited a papyrus production facility - papyrus, which is recorded to have been used for the first time in ancient Egypt, the first dynasty around 4,000 years BC. Papyrus paper is ivory-brown, hard but bendable, and especially durable, made from the core of a type of sedge called papyrus, about 2-3 m high, growing on both banks of the Nile River. And most memorable, she and the members of the group became one of the first groups of Vietnamese tourists to have the opportunity to visit the world's largest Egyptian antiquities museum.
Masterpieces that stand the test of time
Minh Thuong also spent 3 days on a cruise on the Nile River and visited Aswan. In Aswan, she visited the High Dam - the largest dam in the world, built in 11 years and completed in 1971. Under President Nasser, the Aswan Dam made the Nile, the mighty, strong and unruly river, for the first time in history, completely under human control. And visited the temple of the goddess Isis - the goddess of love on Phila Island. She also watched the sunset on the Nile and visited the Nubian village - the blue village, participating in activities with the people on the island.
El Dakrour, Siwa
Flying a hot air balloon and visiting the Valley of the Kings is an experience that Minh Thuong recommends that visitors should definitely enjoy when coming to Egypt. A hot air balloon trip lasts about 45 minutes. Visitors will be picked up at the hotel early in the morning, in time to catch the first rays of dawn of the new day. Flights are usually made early in the morning and will be canceled if there is strong wind to ensure safety. The hot air balloon will fly along the west bank of the Nile from north to south so that visitors can see the Valley of the Kings, the Hatshepsut Temple, and the Amenhotep III Temple in the west. From above, you will clearly see two strips of fertile green plains and a strip of barren desert.
Early morning hot air balloon ride in the Valley of the Kings
In addition, when arriving at the Red Sea - a unique sea connecting the Middle East and the Suez Canal, Minh Thuong is captivated by the beauty of this sea with patches of dark blue mixed with light blue and turquoise water, as beautiful as a painting. Visitors will be able to take a private boat, scuba dive to explore the soft, colorful coral reefs, the flexible schools of fish and the intelligent dolphins.
When returning to Cairo, you can shop around the ancient Khan El Khalili market to explore the daily life of Egyptian culture. “I find it very easy to integrate in Egypt. The most memorable memories are probably the stories about bargaining. You can buy a dress here for 1/10 of the original price if you bargain well,” Minh Thuong said.
Total cost for 12 days for all expenses is around 75 - 85 million VND with 5-star services from: hotel, airfare, cruise, hot air balloon, transportation, food...
Scuba dive to explore the colorful soft coral reefs, agile fish schools and intelligent dolphins in the Red Sea
What is the ideal season to travel to Egypt?
Egypt has four climatic predominances: Mediterranean on the coast in the vicinity of Alexandria, Półpustynny near Cairo, moderate in the Nile Valley and desert in the south. For the vast majority of the year Egypt is dry and sunny. The average air temperature in summer is 38 - 40 degrees, but the desert reaches 50 degrees Celsius.
From June to September, the weather in Egypt is very hot, rarely below 30 degrees Celsius. The best time to travel to Egypt is from October to March every year, avoiding the hot summer and many diseases. Because the climate is quite hot, tourists need to regularly replenish water, apply sunscreen with high SPF UV protection and wear sunglasses and hats when traveling to Egypt.
For the vast majority of the year Egypt is dry and sunny.
Enjoy the food
According to Minh Thuong, Egypt is famous for its dishes made from vegetables and spices. In addition, the vegetables and fruits here are also very fresh thanks to being grown on fertile land silted by the Nile River.
Most of the Egyptian population is Muslim, so pork is not included in the traditional cuisine. People mainly eat beef, lamb, seafood and animal organs. However, the cuisine here is not very suitable for Vietnamese taste, so visitors should bring instant noodles or spices, wet sauce to eat with.
“Come to Egypt to feel the connection with this strange country. Come to Egypt, fly under the sparkling dawn, immerse yourself in the colorful hot air balloons flying in the sky of the pyramids and the Egyptian sphinx with all gratitude”, Hoang Minh Thuong shared.
Egypt is a country and culture worth experiencing and when you come here it will make you answer many questions about the ancient civilization of that world.
Egypt Discovery Itinerary:
Day 1: Hanoi/ Saigon - Cairo (Qatar Airways)
Day 2: Cairo - Siwa Oasis
Day 3: Visit Siwa Oasis - Camping in the Sahara Desert
Day 4: Siwa Oasis to Cairo
Day 5: Visit Ginza Pyramid, Sphinx & World's Largest Antiquities Museum.
Day 6: Nile Cruise & Aswan Tour
Day 7: Nile Cruise & Abu Simbel
Day 8: Nile & Luxor Cruise
Day 9: Valley of the Kings & Hungrada
Day 10: Red Sea & Hungary
Day 11: Khan El Khalili Old Market
Day 12: Vietnam.
