The standard tourist visa to Egypt is one month. That’s how long we spent in Egypt, and it was a good amount of time to see and do a little bit of all that the country has to offer. Here is a review of our itinerary and our final comments on our one month stay in the Land of the Pharaohs.

We started our journey in Cairo, a manic, chaotic city that can change from intriguing to overwhelming in an instant. "Crazy crazy Cairo", "From Cairo to Aswan" and BTBtv episode #5 tell the story of our five (or was it six?) days there.

From there we took a train to the extreme southern end of the country, which in Egypt is called the Upper Nile Valley. This is because the Nile flows from south to north. We spent a couple of relaxing days in Aswan, taking a day trip to see the impressive monuments of Abu Simbel. "From Cairo to Aswan" again.

From Aswan we went north, down the Nile, to Luxor. Four days in Luxor were plenty for us to see what we wanted to without getting overwhelmed by it all. "Luxor: City of History, City of Hassle".

Once we left Luxor, we left Pharaonic Egypt behind in the search for the other side of Egypt. Our first stop was Alexandria, an interesting city that bears pretty much only the name of the city that was home to both the Library and Lighthouse at Alexandria. "Alexandria". And don’t forget "Train Madness" that tells the story of our epic journey from Luxor.

After Alexandria we hit the interesting and isolated oasis town of Siwa. I got sick and spent a few days in bed, but then we spent a few more relaxing around the oasis, sitting in the shade of the thousands of palm trees. We also booked a desert safari. Our experiences are recounted in these posts. "Sick in Siwa (but still having fun)" and "Safari in the Western Desert".

Our last stop in Egypt was Dahab, a backpacker magnet,and rightly so. The Sinai Peninsula is beautiful and is worth a separate trip, but our main goal was relaxation. We managed that just fine. "Doing Nothing in Dahab".

We spent Thanksgiving in Cairo before heading to Nepal, which Val recounts nicely. "Thanksgiving in Cairo".

Egypt can be trying at times, but it’s cheap, most of the people are really friendly, and it’s been a top travel destination for centuries. You can’t go wrong!