Since 2011 when the Arab Spring occurred and given the region’s overall instability, there has been a lot of negative publicity about Egypt. However, Egypt is also full of beautiful beaches, a vibrant nightlife, and stunning historical sites. The following are the top reasons why you should visit Egypt this year – when you see what’s on offer, you’ll be booking Egypt Escapes as quickly as possible.
1. Egypt is Safe
Egypt is in the Middle East, which includes the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Syrian civil war, and migrant crises, which makes Egypt often viewed as a dangerous country. The general area is somewhat unstable. However, Egypt is far away from where the centre of the conflict is. Since Egypt has been a leading tourist country for a long time, Egyptians welcome tourists. They make you feel at home, watch out for you, help you out and give you directions.
2. It is Inexpensive
The conversion rates going from euros or dollars into Egyptian pounds are always very favourable. For 2 L.E., you can ride on the metro, or for 100 pounds (5 dollars) enjoy a delicious meal. You can also bargain for everything. Therefore, your money will go a long way.
Right now is the ideal time to visit Egypt since tourism still has not recovered fully, so hotel and tour prices are low still. There are not that many visitors so you can take perfect photos without a lot of tourists.
3. Tasty Food Scene
In Egypt, there is a good chance you’ll get fat. Egyptian food is very flavourful, but it isn’t really spicy, so it can be enjoyed without any pain. Falafel and fool (fava beans) is the most common type of Egyptian food. It can purchase it at a cart out on the street (for those with sensitive stomachs it is not recommended), at fancier restaurants, or inexpensive chain restaurants. In Egypt, the trend is for traditional street food to be cooked by restaurants in clean establishments. Therefore, you can enjoy this delicious food without getting sick.
Vegetarians should make Egypt their number one travel destination since much of the local cuisine there is naturally vegetarian and in some cases vegan. There is a traditional Egyptian dish called Koshary that you can purchase on the street that is made up of macaroni, rice, lentils, tiny noodles, tomato sauce, fried onion, and chickpeas. It will make you happy and fat.
4. Impressive History
The least incredible monuments in Egypt are pyramids (sorry, pyramids). There are small cruises available where you can go up and down the Nile and view 5,000 years worth of pharaonic majesty. Those temples demonstrate how each of the Pharaohs was always attempting to outdo the one who came before. The massive statute and columns with carved hieroglyphs can make you feel like you are in a different time in history. Some temples have colour still.
For me, Abu Simbel are the most impressive temples. These two temples were built by Ramses II in 13th century BC. The Egyptian government in 1959 made the decision to construct Aswan Dam which meant the temple would be submerged in water. UNESCO led an international campaign to help save this monument which paid to dismantle the temple and relocate it to its current location, 200 meters back and 60 meters higher than it was originally.
However, the pharaohs is not where history ends. Islamic architecture and history are just as impressive as the temples are. Islamic Cairo features thousand-year-old streets and the walls of the mosques feature Arabic calligraphy carved into them.
5. Gorgeous Beaches
I realise it seems that there are amazing beaches in every country, in South East Asia, the Caribbean, and so on, but the best of them all is the Egyptian beaches. You can visit the Red Sea (Dahab, Hurgada, Sharm el Sheikh) or the Mediterranean (Alexandria), with the first one being full of corals and clam, and the second being adventurous and wavy.
Red Sea corals are highly resistant to climate change and have very high visibility due to the low amount of rainfall, which makes them ideal for diving. In addition, there are two big advantages that Egyptian beaches have. First of all, there are no bugs since they are located in the desert. No crickets, mosquitoes, bugs or any other annoying tropical creatures. And given the fact that most of the beaches are far away from the major cities, the skies are always full of stars.
