I’ll never forget the first time I saw the Great Pyramids. It was a moment that literally brought me to tears. It was incredibly moving to finally see the massive structures I’d been reading about since fifth grade finally standing before me. And for that reason, Egypt will always hold a special place in my heart.
OAT travelers frequently share with me similar sentiments about their first glimpses of the pyramids. But the Great Pyramids are not the only memories they cherish from their adventures to Egypt. From their visits to rural schools and villages to their first ride on a camel to an amazing view of the Nile at sunrise, our travelers have been able to capture these moments in the images they’ve shared with me below. Here, Susan M. and Theodora M. show us some of their very favorite places—and people—they encountered along the way in Egypt …
My brother and I visited Egypt last Christmas. It was a trip we’d both always dreamed of doing. The weather was absolutely perfect during that time of the year. Amazingly enough, the best meal we had was the buffet at our first hotel, where we enjoyed an amazing selection of fruits, breads, vegetables, meats, etc. Delicious local fare! … And the food on the cruise was outstanding! Our Egyptian Trip Leader (who was also an Egyptologist) was amazing. He exuded his love for Egypt and its antiquities everywhere we went. Here are a few of my favorite photos from our adventure …
"Me and my brother visit Aswan. We took a felucca ride to the botanical garden on Kitchener’s Island … it was quite lovely. Our Trip Leader pointed out many interesting birds, and the poinsettias were blooming abundantly."
“Here I am with a group of schoolchildren during my visit to a rural primary school. I was particularly interested in the school because I was a second-grade teacher for 38 years.”
“After riding a camel from San Simeon Monastery to get to this small Nubian village, here I am with an alligator. The home our group visited had an open courtyard, tortoises crawling around, and the family had many crafts for sale.”
Susan M.
First-time traveler
Rochester, New Hampshire
Here are a few photos we took during our Cairo & the Eternal Nile River adventure. It was a great trip!
Lunch being prepared after a visit to the Pyramids of Giza.
Sunrise on the Nile River.
Trip Leader Mohamed El Leithy and Theodora’s husband, Jeff, smoke the shisha, a traditional water pipe.
Theodora M.
8-time traveler & Vacation Ambassador
Boulder, Colorado
Here, Marilea S.—a 3-time traveler from San Diego, California—shares a few excerpts (including her photos) from a summary of her trip sent to family and friends …
My trip to Egypt was fabulous and there is a ton to see, learn, and enjoy: the Nile cruise, temples, sites, and thousands of years of pharaohs, kings, gods, and goddesses. What is preserved is well-preserved because of the dryness. So if you’d like, you can see human mummies, crocodiles, cats, and dogs—and many of the carvings and hieroglyphics are thousands of years old. As far as safety, there are armed, uniformed tourist police on each tourist bus in Jordan. In Egypt, you’re escorted by an armed, plainclothes guard, and your vehicle is trailed by police escort as well. There are also plenty of police officers at each site. Tourism is a big industry, so there is a large effort to keep us safe. We got used to security checks—and they actually weren’t too bad.
I wouldn’t mind going back again. Since I’ve been to China seven times, why not make a fourth trip to Egypt? I’ll have to check my calendar. Here are a few photos from my trip …
"Here I am at the Ramses II temple at Abu Simbel—one of the 28 temples that were moved so that Lake Nasser, created when the big dam was constructed in the 1960s, wouldn’t cover them. Two temples are here. Another temple is actually at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City—a much smaller temple than these."
"I enjoyed a camel ride near Aswan on our way to the Monastery—which was once Saladin’s fort. My camel’s name is Caroline."
"In this photo, I’m outside of Cairo, in the Giza Plateau. The pyramid on the far left is the largest, the Great Pyramid of Cheops. It looks small because the other two are on higher ground. You can get inside and climb up to see the burial chambers of Cheops. This is the only pyramid where the tomb is actually inside the structure."
Marilea S.
3-time traveler & Vacation Ambassador
San Diego, California