SAQQARA, MEMPHIS & DAHSHUR

Although most tourists associate Egypt with the Pyramids of Giza, there are known to be at least 118 ancient pyramids scattered around the country, with more being discovered every few years or so. The majority of these monuments are spread out along the desert between the Giza Plateau and the semi-oasis of Al Fayoum. They include the must-see Step Pyramid of Zoser at Saqqara and the Red Pyramid and Bent Pyramid of Dahshur. These three pyramids represent the formative steps of architecture that reached fruition in the Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops).

MEDITERRANEAN COAST

Founded in 331 BC by 25-year-old Alexander the Great, Alexandria is legend personified. Its towering Pharos lighthouse, marking the ancient harbour’s entrance, was one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and its Great Library was considered the archive of ancient knowledge. Alas, fate dealt the city a spate of cruel blows and there are few visible remains of the glorious past. However, the new Bibliotheca Alexandrina has managed to rekindle the brilliance of the original centre of learning and culture. The complex has become one of Egypt’s major cultural venues and a stage for numerous international performers, and is home to a collection of brilliant museums.

NILE VALLEY

LUXOR is often called the world’s greatest open-air museum, but that comes nowhere near describing this extraordinary place. Nothing in the world compares to the scale and grandeur of the monuments that have survived from ancient Thebes. The setting is breathtakingly beautiful, the Nile flowing between the modern city and west-bank necropolis, backed by the enigmatic Theban escarpment. Scattered across the landscape is an embarrassment of riches, from the temples of Karnak and Luxor in the east to the many tombs and temples on the west bank.

• The wonderful Luxor Museum showcases a well-chosen and brilliantly displayed and explained collection of antiquities dating from the end of the Old Kingdom right through to the Mamluk period, mostly gathered from the Theban temples and necropolis. The ticket price puts off many, but don’t let that stop you: this is one of the most rewarding sights in Luxor and one of the best museums in Egypt.
• The Luxor Temple was largely built by the New Kingdom pharaohs Amenhotep III (1390–1352 BC) and Ramses II (1279–1213 BC) - a strikingly graceful monument in the heart of the modern town. Also known as the Southern Sanctuary, its main function was during the annual Opet celebrations, when the statues of Amun, Mut and Khonsu were brought from Karnak, along the Avenue of Sphinxes, and reunited here during the inundation.
• Karnak is an extraordinary complex of sanctuaries, kiosks, pylons and obelisks dedicated to the Theban triad but also to the greater glory of pharaohs. The site covers more than 2 sq km with at its heart the Temple of Amun, the earthly ‘home’ of the local god.
• On the West Bank of Luxor you will find enough to keep you busy for a full day of sightseeing. Once called the Great Necropolis of Millions of Years of Pharaoh, or the Place of Truth, the Valley of the Kings has 63 magnificent royal tombs. Start early and head for Colossi of Memnon and a look at the ongoing excavations of the Temple Of Amenhotep III. Drive around the hillside to the Temple of Hatshepsut after which make your way past Gurna Village and the Workers Tombs at Deir Al Medina. When the light softens head to Medinat Habu, the temple of Ramses III.
• As elsewhere in Egypt, the nicest place to be late afternoon is on the Nile. A popular felucca trip is upriver to Banana Island, a tiny isle dotted with palms about 5km from Luxor. The trip takes two to three hours. Plan it in such a way that you’re on your way back in time to watch a brilliant Nile sunset from the boat.

Other highlights of the Nile Valley include: Esna, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Aswan, Philae and Abu Simbel (see map for more detail).

WESTERN OASES

Older than the Pyramids, as sublime as any temple, Egypt’s Western Desert is a vast sweep of elemental beauty. The White Desert’s shimmering vista of surreal rock formations and the ripple and swell of the Great Sand Sea’s mammoth dunes are simply bewitching. Within this intense landscape five oases, shaded by palm plantations and blessed by a plethora of natural hot and cold springs, provide a glimpse of rural Egyptian life.

Due to varied travel advisories, there might be some confusion whether travel to the oases region is possible or even possible for foreign travellers. You should avail yourself of the advice of your government before deciding to travel to this region of Egypt.

• As the capital of the New Valley Governorate and the closest of the oases to the Nile Valley, Al Kharga is also the most modern and therefore the least exotic. Al Kharga has long stood at the crossroads of vital desert trade routes. This influential location brought it great prosperity, and with the arrival of the Romans, wells were dug, crops cultivated and fortresses built to protect caravan routes. The new road to Luxor makes it a convenient gateway to the oases, and a smattering of ancient sites here means it’s a decent stopover in its own right.
• At the centre of Dakhla Oasis lies the town of Mut, now a modern Egyptian town. It has decent facilities and makes the most convenient base for travellers. You will, however, have a richer experience of Dakhla by staying out of town. The slumping mud-brick villages and palmaries, speckled with hot springs, that surround Mut capture the essence of slow-paced oasis life. In particular, Al Qasr is one of the most enchanting places anywhere in the Western Desert.
• Bahariya is one of the more fetching of the desert circuit oases, and at just 365km from Cairo it’s also the most accessible. The oasis’ main centre is Bawiti. Away from its dusty, unappealing main road, much of the oasis floor here is covered by sprawling shady date palms and speckled with dozens of natural springs, which beg to be plunged into.
• Siwa is the stuff of desert daydreams. Just 50km from the Libyan border, this fertile basin brimming with olive trees and palms, on the edge of the Great Sand Sea, epitomises slow-paced oasis life.

RED SEA COAST

• El Gouna is a self-contained holiday town and probably the best-run resort in Egypt. Boasting 16 hotels, an 18-hole golf course, plenty of villas, and boutique shopping, restaurants and bars galore, it’s about as far removed from Egypt’s usual chaotic hustle as you can get.
• The once obscure fishing village of Hurghada has long since morphed into today’s dense band of concrete that marches along the coastline for more than 20km. Still, it’s a convenient destination for combining a diving holiday with the Nile Valley sites.
• In-the-know divers have been heading to Marsa Alam for years, attracted to the seas that offer up some of Egypt’s best diving just off the rugged coastline.
• Far removed from the resort clamour of the rest of the Red Sea coast, the historic city of Al Quseir is a muddle of colourful and creaky coral-block architecture dating from the Ottoman era that sadly is bypassed by most tourists.

SOUTH SINAI

A barren coastline of extraordinary beauty, the Sinai Coast has seen some of history’s most significant events of the past several millennia played out against its isolated shores. These days, however, the region is more renowned for its superb coral reefs, unique Bedouin culture and sandy beaches. South Sinai is both nirvana for members of the international diving fraternity and a famous package-tourism escape for Europeans after sun, sand and sea.

• Purpose-built Sharm El Sheikh occupies a prime position on the southern coast of the Gulf of Aqaba with some of the world’s most amazing underwater scenery on its doorstep. The town devotes itself solely to sun-and-sea holidays offering a family-friendly vibe and resort comforts, with world-class diving thrown in.
• West of Sharm El Sheikh lies the headland of Ras Mohammed National Park, named by local fishers for a cliff that resembles a man’s profile. The waters surrounding the peninsula are considered the jewel in the crown of the Red Sea and is home to some of the world’s most spectacular coral-reef ecosystems, including a profusion of coral species and teeming marine life.
• Low-key, laid-back and low-rise, Dahab is the Middle East’s prime beach resort for independent travellers. The startling transformation from dusty Bedouin outpost to spruced-up tourist village is not without its detractors, who reminisce of the days when beach bums dossed in basic huts by the shore.
• St Katherine Protectorate incorporates a 4350-sq-km area of high-altitude desert and protects a wealth of historic sites sacred to the world’s three main monotheistic religions. Rising up out of the desert and jutting above the other peaks is the towering 2285m Mt Sinai (Gebel Musa).