By Ryan Published on 8 Dec 2025

Egypt

We heard someone say, “Egypt is a place you will visit once but never twice.” After eleven days there, we kind of get it. We were scammed, robbed, hustled, eaten alive by mosquitoes, and got sick twice from the food. Even with all that, we still felt a little emotional leaving. Egypt was chaotic and frustrating, but also incredibly unique and beautiful. When we get home, it will certainly be one of the places we tell the most stories about.

Egypt has been on our list forever. The pyramids, the Nile, the history. And, how could we do a trip around the world and not stop here?

Before we arrived, all we heard about was the nonstop scamming that happens to tourists here. I figured it happened to other tourists, but we'd be okay. We’ve been traveling now for a while and seen all the tricks in the book. To be extra safe, I did some research beforehand. I watched YouTube videos, learned all the common scams, and mentally prepared us to ignore any and everyone who tried to talk. Unfortunately, Egypt was humbling. We learned that even with good research they will still get you.

Cairo

We landed and I was ready. The airport was supposed to be one of the biggest headaches. But everything ended up being surprisingly smooth. We got our visa-on-arrival quickly, customs was no problem, and we already had a driver arranged. So far, so good.

We headed to our first hotel, the Mena House. We picked it for two reasons: it’s an iconic spot in Egypt, and it sits right across the street from the Giza Pyramids. We enjoyed our stay, relaxed by the pool, and had dinner with killer views of the pyramids. The next morning we woke up early to see them up close.

The Pyramids

The internet said we needed a guide for the Pyramids or we’d get hassled nonstop by locals trying to sell us their “services.” We decided to test our luck anyway and go without one, sticking to a strategy of walking fast and ignoring everyone. Surprisingly, it worked pretty well. For the most part, we avoided all the “fake security”, kids asking for selfies, and local guides insisting they knew a shortcut.

Seeing the pyramids in person was amazing. It’s something you’ve seen many times in movies and TV shows, but it was really cool to be there and grasp the size and the magnitude. We enjoyed our time and honestly felt like we got off pretty easy. It also helped that we went right at opening in the morning.

Day Tours

We only had three days in Cairo, so we packed in as much as we could. We booked two day-tours to explore and mark everything off our list. The first was a day seeing the Coptic churches and the famous downtown market, Khan el-Khalili. The next tour took us to the lesser-known pyramids: the Bent, Red, and Step pyramids. These have fewer crowds, you can go inside them, and you get to see the different styles of pyramids built throughout the years.

For these two nights, we stayed at the Fairmont Nile City hotel, and it really blew us away. They were super hospitable, the room was incredible, and the breakfast buffet was top notch. If we come back, we will definitely stay here again.

After our three days in Cairo were up, it was time to head to Luxor, where the next part of our Egypt journey would begin.

The Nile Cruise

Another big bucket list item was taking a cruise down the Nile River. Kaitlyn put in hours of research for this part. We specifically wanted a dahabiyah that sails from Luxor to Aswan. A dahabiyah is a traditional Nile sailboat and a different experience compared to the big cruise ships that you typically see. These boats usually take around 20 to 25 guests instead of 200.

The tradeoff here, as you can probably guess, is the cost. These are generally more expensive, but Kaitlyn was diligent and found an unbelievable option online with great photos and a solid itinerary. The only problem was, the company was brand new and had no reviews anywhere. Also, they wanted the money wired upfront. After everything we had heard about scams here, we were obviously hesitant. So we looked for other options, but everything else felt like a downgrade compared to this one. As the date got closer and our choices got smaller, we crossed our fingers, sent the wire, and locked in our spot.

Given how Egypt had gone so far, we were pretty sure there would be no boat waiting for us. But we flew to Luxor anyway. To our surprise, a taxi showed up at our hotel the next morning and brought us to the boat we had seen in all the pictures! And somehow it was even better than what we had hoped for. We try not to make a habit of blindly wiring strangers in another country, but in this case, we were glad we did.

When we boarded, they told us a big group had cancelled, which meant it would be just us and four other guests. There were more staff than passengers. It basically felt like a private chartered boat experience.

The cruise was a five day, four night sail from Luxor to Aswan. Along the way we stopped at ancient sites like Karnak Temple, Edfu Temple, Hatshepsut Temple, and the Valley of the Kings. At each stop we had a personal guide explaining the significance and history. Kaitlyn could have done without all the names and dates, but I was nerding out to all of it.

In between the stops was arguably the most fun part. Sailing down the river was super relaxing and every couple of minutes there was something new to see: water buffalo, local villages, kids swimming. Occasionally there were even locals that would paddle up to the boat to throw souvenirs over the railing to try and make a sale.

We stopped to see a village along the way which showed what life is like for the locals in the area. It was obviously very different from what we know in Texas, so it was really interesting to see. On the last night we stopped on a river beach where one of the locals challenged me to a swim race. Needless to say, I am now undefeated in Africa.

The food on the boat also deserves a mention. It was way better than we expected it to be. Everything was traditional Egyptian food, and we found ourselves looking forward to the meals more than the sights. We got three meals a day and each meal was at least three courses. It was more food that we could ever finish but we tried our best, since we loved it so much.

After our final temple visit in Aswan, the crew offered us a ride to our hotel. Halfway there, the taxi driver stopped and explained (through Google Translate) that he couldn’t take us any further. We weren’t sure why but there was nothing we could do. He called someone, and minutes later a three-wheeled off-road scooter pulled up. Apparently the rest of the route was not accessible for normal cars. We drove through an old Nubian town and then through a desert, all signs pointing to no hotel anywhere close. We just kept riding along and hoping we weren’t being driven out to our deaths. After about 30 bumpy minutes we turned a corner and breathed a sigh of relief as a very colorful hotel appeared in the distance.

We spent our last two nights at the Kato Dool Hotel in Aswan. It sat on top of a sandy cliff overlooking the city. We used the rest of our time here to relax and recover from everything we had done the last 11 days.

Issues we had

As I mentioned earlier, we had plenty of issues on this trip. Here’s a quick list of a few:

A fake security guard at Giza told me my ticket wasn’t valid unless I bought another “half ticket”. Kaitlyn’s ticket had no issue and we purchased the same one. However, he decided I needed to pay extra. After arguing and wasting a bunch of time, I just paid so we could get in.
All of our tour guides brought us to their favorite “authentic shops”. For example we were shown a factory where all the carpets were handmade, only for us to find them later in shops being sold right alongside all the other cheap Chinese knockoffs. We also were brought to a local seamstress who, on our arrival, quickly ripped the plastic off the dress and placed the clothing on her sewing machine.
One of our tour drivers got pulled over and paid the cop off to avoid a ticket. (Which was kind of cool)
Both of our attempts to Uber to the Cairo airport were scams. One driver accepted the ride, and marked in the app that we were already in the car even though they were miles away. This let him get paid without ever moving. The other driver went to the pickup spot then continued on to an alley we couldn't get to so we were charged a fee for being late.
Because of the Uber issues we were running late for our flight. A driver at the hotel offered to take us to the airport for $100. (For reference, the Uber was charging $3.50). We said no, but eventually ran out of options. I talked him down to $60 and he agreed, but when I swiped my card he had quickly switched it to $75. Then he spent the entire ride begging for a tip. He even pulled off the road twice for us to get cash from an ATM. I finally threatened to call the hotel corporate line and explain what was happening. After that, he completely changed his tone, smiled and assured us, “no tip, no problem”.
The cash we brought with us was stolen from our luggage by hotel cleaning staff in Luxor.
On the Nile cruise, we parked to sleep on the bank one night and got eaten alive by mosquitoes. They were massive, and there was no escape. I killed as many as I could which meant blood was splattered all over our room. We covered up every inch with thick clothing and tried our best to sleep, but couldn't. The next morning we both counted hundreds of bites.
Although it did not impact us, we found it interesting. The Nile cruise had a full-time staff member in charge of handling scams and bribes from the local police. The police would threaten to search the boat or inspect passenger documents unless they received a “gift”. The staff member had to make sure the operators at every checkpoint and lock received a “gift” or the boat wouldn’t be allowed to pass.
Every time you stepped out of the hotel or off the boat, swarms of people rushed us, begging for money or to buy their souvenirs. We got very good at ignoring them but unfortunately they push to a point where you have to be mean to get them to back off, which neither of us liked. The local guide you are with won't help either because then it seems like they are stopping their neighbors from getting business.
And on top of all that, we both got food poisoning twice.

Egypt didn’t take it easy on us. It felt like we were a target for everyone and people were only interested in talking to you if it led to money. Even when someone was being nice, they would throw in a joke about helping us, but it would cost $1,000. But despite all the chaos, there was so much we genuinely loved about our time in Egypt.

Things we loved

The weather could not have been better. It was sunny and warm every day like Egypt should be.
The sights and atmosphere of Cairo was truly unique, like nothing we’ve ever seen before.
The pyramids, despite some of the hassle, were surreal to see in person.
The temples all throughout the cruise were genuinely impressive. It’s crazy to think that after all these years, the buildings still exist, with many of them having the original paint intact.
The Nile cruise was unforgettable and had a magical feel. Plus the food was incredible.
Our time in Egypt was never boring and every day really felt like an adventure.
We saw some of the prettiest views we’ve had on the trip so far.

Egypt was chaotic, loud, overwhelming, and frustrating, but also fascinating, beautiful, and unlike anywhere else we’ve ever been.