Live Your Best Lives
Seriously! When its name appeared on the list of China's first batch of open outbound group tour destinations, it was ecstatic, because countless people's adventure journeys will be restarted!
Who is it? Lonely Planet ranked it as the best value for money country in 2019. Dotted with ancient temples and unsolved mysteries, it's a mysterious country where even the air is magical!
As the oldest country in the world, bar none. 7,000 years ago, a human civilization older than China was born here, and even now, you can still see the "only remaining seven wonders of the world" here.
Its unique geographical location also gives it a unique landscape of "half desert and half sea". On one side is the scorching desert, and on the other side is the most colorful sea. The sea water is clear and transparent, comparable to any island in Southeast Asia!
Wander through the local 14th-century open-air market, where you wander between the ancient and the modern. In a leisurely afternoon, drink a cup of traditional Arabic tea and you will be intoxicated by the pure market life here.
Yes! This is Egypt! There's an old Egyptian saying: "Those who drink from the Nile will surely return." Just kidding, how can you drink the water of the Nile? But Egypt is a place that makes people want to go back again and again.
The mysterious pyramids, the curse of the pharaohs, 7,000 years of civilization... one unsolved mystery after another comes to you, and you realize that the end of the universe is Egypt!
Diving, sandboarding, camel riding, and carriage tours, from ancient Egyptian temples to the Red Sea, this place has long been a popular tourist destination in the world. So this year, it’s time for us to cross Egypt off your life plan list!
Because Egypt’s entry policy is super friendly, for visa on arrival, the team only needs the original passport (valid for 6 months + blank page), no nucleic acid test, vaccine, etc. are required. From March 1st, even nucleic acid test is not required for the return trip, only the test kit needs to be uploaded for self-test!
Welcome to scan the QR code to add "Outbound Assistant Marco"
You can consult Egypt's local policies/route details in real time▼
Today, You Xiaoxia specially found our professional product manager, Mr. Qingyun, to share his experience with everyone. Follow his footsteps to see why Egypt, his "second home" that is so familiar but unforgettable, is so fascinating.
Teacher Qingyun:
In 2015, I was "sold" to Egypt for work. I never imagined I'd be there for two years, and I couldn't stop. Having "drank the waters of the Nile," I've been back and forth to Egypt no fewer than eight times, and my passport is nearly completely covered with visas on arrival. Now, let me slowly unfold the secrets of this ancient civilization, the real Egypt you don't know beyond the pyramids.
Are there two Cairos in the world?
Cairo, the capital of Egypt, is a place where wealth and poverty, grandeur and desolation, modernity and classicism coexist, all presented to you without any concealment.
Here, you can see luxurious high-rise buildings, low-rise distinctive houses, as well as numerous Islamic buildings and ancient Egyptian ruins scattered throughout the city.
It’s almost impossible to find a single word to accurately describe this city. Even two people traveling together describe Cairo in such different ways that it makes you wonder, “Are there two Cairos in this world?”
There is an Egyptian proverb that goes, "People fear time, and time fears the pyramids."
Picture above @Qingyun
As a child, I loved watching Discovery. We always had so many questions about the pyramids... Why did the Egyptians build them? How did they move multi-ton stones without machinery thousands of years ago? Is the Pharaoh's Curse real? Where did the Sphinx's nose go? ...
To help you solve these problems, we have specially arranged a local Chinese tour guide with 10 years of experience who will chat with you all the way.
Riding a camel, we traveled through the Giza Pyramids, which is one of the only seven wonders of the ancient world that has been preserved to this day. The pyramids in the distance stand tall, with their spires pointing to the sky.
Looking at the pyramids together with the camel, time stops at this moment, as if a parallel world really exists, and you will meet another self from thousands of years ago.
The picture below is @Qingyun
The Egyptian Museum is one of the museums with the largest number of collections in the world. It preserves 622 ancient buildings and historical sites. Countless treasures bear witness to the splendor and glory of ancient Egypt.
Ebo is one of the places you absolutely cannot miss when you come to Cairo. The collections here are amazing. I recommend the Mummy Gallery, which has an extra fee and you are not allowed to take photos.
In every corner of a city, there is a place full of the atmosphere of fireworks, where there are memories, stories, smoke, dust and smells. Beijing has Nanluoguxiang, Shanghai has Chenghuang Temple, and in the old city of Cairo, it must be the "Khalili Market"!
From Islamic-patterned lamps and daggers to counterfeit Rolex watches, authentic, ancient beauty and fake, cheap reproductions, this market, the oldest and largest in downtown Cairo, seems to have room for the whole world.
We are going to a teahouse that only locals go to. It is not easy to find without a tour guide. It is the Faisalwi Cafe, which "represents Cairo better than the Pyramids."
Since 1773, except for Ramadan, this place is packed every day. This old coffee shop decorated with mirrors everywhere is always filled with the sound of people and the noise of people. There is an endless stream of customers from the afternoon until the early morning.
A famous Nobel Prize winner in literature, Naguib Mahfouz, also came out of this cafe. He was a frequent visitor here and gained countless creative inspirations from it, writing a trilogy that shocked the world!
Photo @Naguib Mahfou
The world's largest open-air museum
Luxor, 700 kilometers away from Rome, was once the thousand-year-old capital of Thebes. The entire city is known as the "world's largest open-air museum" and is home to countless capitals and royal tombs.
Luxor is divided into two parts by the Nile River, the West Bank and the East Bank. The East Bank is full of life and magnificent temples, while the West Bank is the tomb of the pharaoh and queen.
This place is also called the Temple of the Goddess. Its builder was none other than the great female pharaoh Hatshepsut, who was powerful and accomplished at the time, just like China's Wu Zetian.
The stairs leading to the temple are completely exposed, so walking this way requires the courage to face the scorching sun.
The temple consists of three platforms. The exquisite murals record the unprecedented prosperity of Egypt's trade with neighboring countries during the queen's reign, as well as sacrificial scenes. The statue with its arms folded across its chest seems to be waiting for some divine summons.
Passing through one tower gate after another, there are a total of ten tower gates in the Karnak Temple. They are holy places that protect people in this world, and the souls of the dead also have to pass through these gates on the way to the afterlife.
The main hall has very magnificent columns, and the column shafts and walls are covered with carvings and hieroglyphic inscriptions. It seems that Thutmose III knew that one day his great achievements would be known to thousands of people every day.
Some say you haven't been to Egypt if you haven't visited the Luxor Temple. Unlike the typical daytime temple tour, there's actually a real way to experience the temple: a nighttime tour.
The temple was built by several generations of pharaohs, mainly by Amenhotep III and Ramses II during the New Dynasty to celebrate the Opet Festival.
When the lights come on in the evening, there is an even more mysterious and solemn feeling than during the day, and you can personally feel the splendid civilization of this ancient country that has been glorious for thousands of years.
This is a traditional means of transportation that has been popular on the Nile River for hundreds of years. It relies solely on the power of the wind to sail. We took a three-masted sailboat and wandered in the clear water of the Nile River. It was a unique experience here!
Let the wind carry you for a while, the golden sunlight shines on the canvas, and enjoy the feeling of sailing on the Nile. The sunset and the sailboat are so beautiful! The Nile River, the mother river of Egypt!
A horse-drawn carriage ride is a must-do in Luxor! We've arranged a special carriage ride to the magnificent Luxor Temple, followed by a stroll through Luxor City, where you'll experience the charm of the ancient capital. The sight of the tall, handsome black horses and the ornately decorated carriages themselves are enough to excite you!
In addition, we also arranged for everyone to go to a local school to study Arabic courses. The teaching and interaction by local teachers were lively and interesting.
Diving and sandboarding! A great vacation destination!
Leaving the temples of the gods, we will head to Hurghada to start a leisurely vacation and discover another side of Egypt!
The name Hurghada may sound unfamiliar to you, but you must have heard of the name Red Sea. It is one of the top ten diving sites in the world, comparable to any island in Southeast Asia!
The Red Sea is not red, but because there is a kind of algae growing in the sea. In a certain season, a large number of algae will die and then turn reddish-brown, dyeing the sea water red, which is why it is named the Red Sea.
Hurghada lies on the Red Sea coast, with the Sahara Desert on one side and reefs and azure waters on the other. With year-round sunshine and water temperatures around 20°C even in winter, it's a popular diving and snorkeling destination at any time of year.
In the Red Sea, you can also choose to go out to sea to experience the wind, be lifted up by the waves and gallop across the vast sea, without paying attention to what is behind you or what is ahead!
Rich Arabic style
We'll head to Alexandria, Egypt's famous port city. This is a special addition to our 2023 itinerary, allowing you to see both the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. Compared to the smog-filled Cairo, this place is much more relaxing.
It was once a prosperous capital with beautiful beaches, seawalls and architectural landmarks. It was a summer resort for the whole of Egypt and therefore earned the reputation of "Bride of the Mediterranean".
Our initial impression of this city came largely from the movie "Cleopatra" we watched as children. The most impressive thing was Qaitbay Castle, the location of the legendary Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It was destroyed by an earthquake in 1480 and sank to the bottom of the sea forever.
The Odyssey wrote, "Now, in the midst of the mighty sea lies an island, Faroe—the Lighthouse, they call it, and from the good bay near it the ships cut the sea."
Nowadays, tourists from all over the world come here to pay tribute to the Lighthouse of Alexandria. After the destruction of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, only the Pyramids remain of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, telling the glory of their era alone.
Pompeii's Pillar, also known as the Knight's Pillar, is the emblem of the city of Alexandria, Egypt. It is a 27-meter-high pink Aswan granite pillar built around the first century AD during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. The top of the column is topped with a flower-shaped capital.
There is also an underground library here. The square holes on the wall are where books are stored. It is said to be "the earliest library in the world."
Egypt, this mysterious and ancient country, is so fascinating just by hearing its name. But when you actually set foot on this land, you will find that what really attracts you here is far more than just the pyramids and the Sahara!
