Shutterstock.com, Dan Wiencek
Even as an inveterate traveler, I admit I’m a little rattled to arrive hours late to Cairo at 2 am. My plane, half a day behind schedule from London, opens its doors to let fliers rush across the threshold to their destination — Cairo, perhaps the most exotic destination on Earth. Even sleepwalking the word sounds like a poem. As I ponder when the hallways will end, I’m met by a man with kind eyes and a big grin. “We’ve been waiting for you for hours,” he says amiably, like an old friend, taking my suitcase. Following him, I feel transported even before I’ve left the building. My Abercrombie & Kent Tailor Made trip to Egypt has begun at last.
We head to Four Seasons Cairo at the First Residence, a splendid hotel in Giza in central Cairo on the west bank of the Nile. I’m expecting to sleep as we drive (read: dead tired), but I’m immediately enthralled by the bustle. I check my phone — what? Isn’t it the middle of the night? But, I’ll tell you this: No other city in the world is as alive as Cairo at this late hour.
Motorcycles packed with revelers speed by. Carts drawn by mules roll along the roadside. Multistory buildings sparkle with illumination, as if everyone inside were awake. On the sidewalks men have pulled chairs out into semi-circles to gather for conversations and drink sweet mint tea. Solitary individuals sit, too, reading books as if the street were a living room. Women and children walk hand in hand. Laughter seasons the air. People rush with large things in hand: immense jars, stacks of newspapers, towers of boxes. One man pulls a wagon piled with carpets. Another pushes a cart of food he has for sale; a delicious aroma wafts from it. Lured by the buzzy life force, I want to leap from the car and join the party.
Day One
Having arrived so late, I don’t get much sleep. But I don’t need it. The thrill and anticipation drive me to the hotel’s Tea Lounge for an Egyptian breakfast of ful (a fava bean stew) and shakshuka. Then, I rush to the lobby to reconnect with my friend, Amanda (who arrived separately) and to meet our personal Egyptologist, Abercrombie & Kent guide Medhat Ramadan. It’s just the two of us and Ramadan, a dapper man who wins our hearts instantly. Within minutes he impresses us with his passion and expertise. He embodies the spirit of Abercrombie & Kent’s Tailor Made trip itineraries, because of his vast body of knowledge and his peerless array of friends and colleagues to consult across Egypt. He can talk about the past as easily as the present. Deftly, he befriends us, discerning what interests us and wisely offering his own suggestions.
Today’s an easy day; we’re jet-lagged. We spend it at the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities (the original cache for Egyptian treasures), which remains open even as the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) — the largest archeological museum in the world — continues to launch piecemeal and, sadly, behind schedule. More on that later. (Spoiler alert: our guide has connections and we get a sneak peek!) We peruse mummies, curiosities and artifacts aplenty, then retire to a waterside cafe to lunch on hummus and falafel and drink sweet mint tea. Ramadan wants us to put four packets of sugar in our tea, but we just can’t make ourselves drink it that sweet.
Day Two
Today feels like a page from Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile — or any other book you’ve read that has characters cavorting around the pyramids and the Great Sphinx as if they were the only people in attendance. At these spectacular monuments, we aren’t alone, but Ramadan knows exactly when and how to approach each site to beat the crowds. He peppers the entire experience with fascinating stories.
We’ve begun with a sneak peek at the not-quite open-yet GEM, allowed to visit sections that most visitors can’t see yet — all arranged by Abercrombie & Kent. Housing the largest collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts, including treasures from the Tutankhamun tomb and items dating to 4000 BC, GEM represents an extraordinary cultural and architectural accomplishment. Perhaps the day’s masterstroke, however, is our lunch at an alfresco restaurant called 9 Pyramids Lounge, located on the same Giza plateau as the pyramids themselves. Seen with uninterrupted views, the pyramids seem just steps away. We pose for scores of photos, of course. It turns out Ramadan has enviable photography skills and he makes us model. Thus pressured, we channel our inner Cleopatra.
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Day Three
We leave very early to fly to Luxor, where we visit the Temple of Luxor and Valley of the Kings. Whisked about by Ramadan, once again we arrive and depart without the throngs. We seem to have every site to ourselves. Even within the tombs of Tutankhamun and Seti I, father of Ramses II, we find ourselves nearly alone — just us and a mummy or two. Today, Amanda and I begin to notice that Ramadan has a mystical way of speaking. His stories feel like a continuum that links time and metaphysical space. I love that he ends many proclamations with the words “so far,” reminding us that history never ends, that new events happen as we speak, that old objects and stories will be found and reinterpreted.
For many visitors to Egypt, a multiday cruise on the Nile is de rigueur. So, on this day we board Sanctuary Nile Adventurer, one of Abercrombie & Kent’s intimate river vessels. After checking in to posh staterooms, we watch the sun set like a succulent lemon falling from the sky, just as the evening call to prayer echoes from mosque to mosque.
Recommendation: Those traveling together in small groups wishing a private sailing on a Tailor Made Journey should request the Sanctuary Zein Nile Chateau, the newest and most lavishly designed vessel. With just six rooms and suites, this authentic dahabiya (traditional Egyptian sailing boat) has been built to international high standards. Its smaller size ensures it can dock in lesser-traveled ports while offering solitude seekers an extra layer of extreme privacy.
Day Four
By now, Amanda, Ramadan and I have developed a harmonic flow a trois. We’ve begun to dress alike, laugh at the same moments and share personal hopes and dreams. In tune with us, Ramadan creates the choreography for each day based on what intrigues us or what questions we asked yesterday. He’s always full of surprises: food to try, introductions to a local expert, shopping tips, help with bartering or behind-the-scenes discovery excursions — even impromptu ones.
Besides sipping cocktails and standing at the helm of the boat as it sails and thinking joyfully: “I’m gliding down the Nile,” the highlight today happens at the Temple of Karnak. There, Ramadan, as usual a fount of information, leads us through the massive complex with the dexterity of a ballroom dancer on a well-polished floor. Ricocheting through the ruins speedily, we shoot through alleyways and chambers, passing by carved walls and sanctuaries. Clusters of tourists with guides mob the place, sometimes blocking our way. But our talented Egyptologist has a destination in mind far from the madding crowd.
We trek after him to a far corner of the massive temple complex, where we hit a wall. “Just a minute. Stay right here,” he says. We watch him disappear to chat with a uniformed man — perhaps a security guard or a museum official. When Ramadan returns, he’s swinging an ancient-looking, old-school key attached to a ring. Grinning, as if performing a magic trick, he uses it to unlock what turns out to be a centuries-old door. Ramadan pushes the portal open to reveal a hidden temple. Inside, in semi-darkness, with just enough dappled sunlight for a halo effect, we see an ancient statue of the goddess Sekhmet — a woman with a lioness head sitting on a throne. Amanda and I swoon. “She draws all the empaths and spiritualists,” Ramadan says, just as Amanda and I swear we see Sekhmet’s eyes blink.
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Day Five
Today we wander the Temple of Horus, enjoy an Egyptian cooking class on board the boat and later disembark at Kom Ombo to explore the Greco-Roman temple, which honored Sobek the crocodile god, thought by some ancient Egyptians to be the creator of the world. The mummified crocs are as creepy and fascinating as you might imagine. We also sunbathe atop the boat around the rooftop pool. There’s something very 1960s retro glam about the mood on board, and our fellow cruisers are an international coterie of jet-setters.
Day Six
In Aswan, we leave the boat to hike through the imposing granite quarries at the site of the Unfinished Obelisk. Later, we take a small boat to Philae Temple on the island of Agilkia. After lunch back on board our oversized yacht, we disembark again to board yet another boat: a traditional felucca, a vision with two sails. We sail the Nile as the sun sets. In the evening, we attend an Egyptian fete on board, with everyone donning colorful, artfully embroidered local garb. We drink Egyptian wine and beer, dance, sing, and feast on Egyptian fare.
Day Seven
The Nile cruise portion of our trip ends in Aswan, but we fly from the city’s small airport to Abu Simbel for the day. Two temples draw travelers here, one of which you might recognize from the movies, such as the 1978 film Death on the Nile. I’m awed by The Great Temple at Abu Simbel, dedicated to the gods Amun, Ra-Horakhty, and Ptah, flanked by four gargantuan statues of Ramses II. Toward day’s end, we shuttle back to Cairo. This time, we check into the city’s other swanky Four Seasons property, Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza, a contemporary showpiece with cosmopolitan panache and scores of international travelers.
Day Eight
The final day. We’d be lost without Ramadan today — and we’re beginning to miss him even before we part. How can we stand to spend one day without his riveting stories? He takes us to Saqqara, home to Egypt’s oldest pyramid, the anchor of a tremendous archeological site. Once again, he orchestrates a tour nobody else could contemplate. Creatively and thoughtfully, he makes sure we see things others might miss — such as a tiny hole on the north side of the Step Pyramid. When we peer through it, a remarkable statue (said to represent the pharoah’s soul) is framed by an eerie silver light.
Our final act is to lose ourselves in the dynamism of Old Cairo. With Ramadan at our side, we’re swept up among the crowds of local shoppers in the labyrinthine market. Their contagious effervescence fuels us. Diving into the vibe, we yield to the sensory overload — it’s a tonic for living well. We take that vivacity home as the best possible souvenir.
From $11,595 per person for 10 days.
Contact Victoria Manuel, director, vmanuel@ abercrombiekent.com, +1 800 554 7094, abercrombiekent.com
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