Top 3 Travel Destinations — Cairo, Egypt

OK, I’ll be the first to admit there’s a bit of a recency effect happening here. You see, Cairo was the first city I visited after the COVID travel restrictions were lifted so I went on this trip with a lot of anticipation and good vibes - like, nothing could put me in a mood on this trip. I was ready to roll with anything that came up. This trip was particularly special not only because it satisfied my wanderlust longing after being unable to travel for 2 years, but because it provided the opportunity to see family after such a long time. Also, being able to visit such a historical country like Egypt gave me such a deep appreciation of the Egyptian culture and the meaning of Ramadan (which was when we visited).

My Favourite Things about Cairo

• The Pyramids of Giza - this one is a no-brainer! The pyramids are pretty much synonymous to Egypt. Seeing them in person was so surreal. The good thing about visiting during Ramadan was that there weren’t too many large crowds in the tourist spots which made for an enjoyable experience.

• The people - Prior to going to Cairo, I had read mixed reviews about how some people may try to take advantage of tourists. But this wasn’t my experience at all. And on reflecting, I think that perception can apply to pretty much any tourist city. On the other hand, what I experienced was generosity, kindness and a culture that its people were incredibly proud of.

• There was a familiarity I felt when I arrived in Cairo. It’s hard to explain but I think fellow Africans might understand - being in Cairo felt like being home. There was a familiarity that reminded me of Lagos but without the crazy traffic! Seeing people hustling, the markets, the warmth, the beauty felt familiar but there was still a newness and uniqueness to it. Like I said, hard to explain, it’s just one of those things you feel.

• The food - I have to add a caveat here - not all the food, (as I discovered to my shock that Egyptians love sugar!) I’ve got a sweet tooth but even I was like “Woah, woah, woah, this ish is sugary!!” Most of the savoury food was amazing, but the sweet food was on a whole new level!

• The museum - I love visiting museums whenever I visit a new city. So it was a no-brainer that a visit to the Egyptian museum was on my to-do list. We got a tour guide who did a walkthrough of the museum with us and I personally preferred this. I typically would opt-in for the digital tour guide options but I think due to COVID, they weren’t offering that service. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and really made the experience even richer as he provided context to a lot of the artefacts we were looking at. We built such a good rapport with our guide that we ended up hanging out with him and learning more about Egyptian culture.

• The River Nile - Again, this goes back to that familiar feeling I was talking about earlier. Growing up in Nigeria, we learnt and sang about the 7 Rivers in Africa (Nile, Niger, Senegal, Congo, Orange, Limpopo, Zambezi). So, seeing one of those rivers and the longest one at that in person was quite a surreal experience for me. The length is unbelievable (6,650km!) - you literally see this magnificent river from the plane - it’s that long and distinctive.

My must-do List for Cairo - these are my recommendations if you find yourself in Cairo for a few days:

• See the pyramids - this one is so obvious so let’s leave it at that.

• Check out the Egyptian museum - even if you’re not a history buff, you will be pleasantly surprised at the rich history that can be learned about. There’s also talk of a new museum being opened later this year (2022) which is expected to be the biggest archeological museum in the world.

• Visit Alexandria - it’s so easy to just stay in Cairo when visiting Egypt, but do yourself a favour and visit Alexandria! Even if it’s a day trip, do it, you won’t be disappointed. Alexandria is breathtakingly beautiful! I will probably have to do a separate blog dedicated to all the wonderful things Alexandria has to offer especially, the seafood!

• Get a local to show you around - the obvious reason for this is that Arabic is the official language in Egypt so communicating can be tricky if you are not a fluent speaker. Most tourist places have English-speaking staff but it can get tricky when you need to pay for something and your instinct is telling you that the price has been inflated simply because you’re a tourist. This is where a local can come in super handy. I was fortunate that we had family living in Cairo and they had a lovely Egyptian gentleman that worked for them. This gentleman was the real MVP, he negotiated, haggled and straight up told hawkers we weren’t interested in buying their wares. This made our lives so much easier. Getting into tourist locations was a breeze because we had a trustworthy local with us. I’d say this made our visit so much more enjoyable and we didn’t experience any of those woeful stories I had read about before visiting.

Thinking of visiting Egypt and want to know more about things to do, places to stay, or getting a reliable and honest local to show you around? Contact the Wanderlust By Design team and we will be happy to assist you.

Be well,

JJ