Beyond the Pyramids: Stories from Egypt’s Past and Present

Egypt has fascinated generations in my family. As a kid, I listened wide-eyed as my grandparents told stories of their 1989 trip, where they army-crawled through the Great Pyramid, bartered at souks, and my grandma took off galloping on a camel into the Sahara. This paired with my favorite book series steeped in Egyptian mythology landed Egypt high on my bucket list from an early age. This year, I finally made the trip to the land of the Pharaohs. And even better, my grandma, eager to return to one of her favorite places in the world, came with me.

Cairo: From Sacred Sites to Ancient Stones

To beat jet lag, we arrived two days before our tour began—just enough time to explore the new Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), an architectural marvel that felt like walking through a modern-day temple. Due to several world events over the past five years, GEM hasn’t had its grand opening yet, but most exhibits are already in place and open to visitors, with the exception of the solar boat exhibit and the iconic Tutankhamun collection, which remain in the Egyptian Museum until the official launch. The museum guides you through time, from the Neolithic period to the Ptolemies, the perfect way to set the stage for the rest of our journey.

My grandma and I are both big foodies, so we also took the chance to take a cooking class with Traveling Spoon, hosted by three incredible women: Somaya, Sohaila, and their mother Maram. We made Mahshi (stuffed vegetables), shared feteer baked for Eid, and ended the evening laughing over card games like old friends. It was one of those rare travel experiences that doesn’t just teach you about the culture, it folds you into it.

Our G-Adventures tour began with an optional excursion through Coptic and Islamic Cairo, where we started with the Muhammad Ali Mosque, home to a quirky broken French clock tower gifted by Napoleon in exchange for the magnificent obelisk that can still be found in the Place de la Concorde in Paris. The mosque isn’t active since Muhammad Ali is buried there, which goes against religious custom, so it felt more like stepping into an impressive monument rather than a place of prayer.

We then visited the Coptic church of Abu Serga where the Holy Family, Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus, stayed while taking refuge in Egypt, a major source of pride for Coptic Christians. Lastly, we visited the Hanging Church, built on top of the southern gate of the Roman Babylon Fortress, where you could look down through glass panels in the floor at the original palm trunk beams and stone floor far below. The Coptic church has its own long line of Coptic Popes, completely separate from the Vatican, which is headquartered in the hanging church. This tour was a fantastic way to reflect on Egypt’s layers of religious and cultural heritage in the more recent 2000 years before diving back into ancient times.

The first proper day of the tour started with a bang: the Great Pyramid of Giza. For an extra fee, we climbed into the narrow, sloping passageways leading to the tomb chamber. We were warned to set our expectations low because of the plain interior walls since the pyramid is from the 3rd Dynasty of Ancient Egypt and intricate carvings became popular around the 11th, 600+ years after the great pyramid. However, for me, it was breathtaking to be inside of the iconic structure, underneath millions of tons of ancient limestone, perfectly placed over 4,500 years ago.

We also stopped by the Sphinx where we had the first of many moments where my grandmother’s 1989 memories collided with modern archaeology. Back then, it was widely believed (even among experts) that Napoleon’s troops shot off the Sphinx’s nose. That myth has since been debunked by pre-Napoleonic sketches that show it already missing. Whether the nose eroded naturally or was intentionally defaced remains undecided.

Cruising South to Aswan and Ancient Temples

After Cairo, we boarded an overnight train to Aswan, the same kind my grandparents rode down back in ’89! With bunk beds, amenity kits, and a car attendant who flipped our beds down after dinner, it felt like stepping into a retro time capsule. While my grandma realized her accommodation standards are far higher now than they were 35 years ago, I found the room a bit more spacious than an Amtrak roomette, although a bit more dated. We also had much more space once I decided it was worth the extra room to climb the wall up to the top bunk and store the sturdy, stable ladder under the bed.

In Aswan, we visited the stunning Philae Temple, dedicated to the goddess Isis. The entire site has been relocated stone by stone to save it from flooding due to the water level change caused by the high dam, a feat almost as impressive as its intricate carvings. This was the first place where we noticed the wear of time and evidence of different eras of people discovering it, from carved Christian crosses repurposing sacred spaces to a French inscription 10 feet in the air. Ironically, much of Philae’s beauty survived because it was mostly buried under sand for centuries.

One of the most heartwarming experiences came that evening when we visited a Nubian village on Elephantine Island. We enjoyed a home-cooked meal with a local family, surrounded by community warmth. Children played freely in the school playgrounds at night, and the safety and closeness of the neighborhood was unmistakable.

Abu Simbel, Feluccas, and Kom Ombo

The evening before Abu Simbel, our group took a poll and decided the next morning we would set out at 4 a.m. for the four-hour drive to Abu Simbel. In all honesty, when you’re traveling to such a different time zone, 4 a.m. and 10 a.m. don’t feel all that different from each other — and the early departure was absolutely worth it. This is another site that the Egyptians managed to painstakingly take apart piece-by-piece to reassemble further uphill to avoid the rising level of Lake Nasser caused by the dam. At 8am there were no crowds, the weather was very comfortable, and I often found myself alone to admire the intricately carved rooms. The temples were built by Ramses II and are the only ones where a pharaoh is depicted larger than the gods themselves. The interior art oscillates between images of Ramses as an unbeatable warrior and detailed instructions on how to appease the gods, roughly 30% military propaganda and 70% spiritual proselytizing. Although wildly self-absorbed, Ramses did dedicate a temple to his favorite of over 200 wives, Nefertari, next door, which is just as intricately carved and beautifully preserved.

We returned to the Nile to sail on a Felucca, a traditional flat-bottom sailboat. I hadn’t expected much, but the breeze, open river, and soft mattress floor made for a very relaxing experience.

On the way up to Luxor, we stopped by Kom Ombo Temple, dedicated to the falcon-headed god Horus and the crocodile-headed god Sobek. While the acoustics of the temple were fascinating, the real show stoppers were the dozens of mummified crocodiles that had been excavated from the temple.

Luxor: Valley of Kings, Hatshepsut, and Karnak

In Luxor, we visited the Valley of the Kings, where our tickets allowed us to choose three tombs. The tombs available for public viewing oscillate depending on which are actively being excavated. Based on our lovely guide’s recommendations, we started with KV8 (the longest), followed by KV11 and KV14. Although Tutankhamun’s tomb was smaller and simpler because of his young passing, it boasted some of the most vivid colors, since it was sealed for so long and famously rediscovered in 1922 by Howard Carter. It is also the only tomb that still has a mummy in it.

But the standout was KV9, where Ramses V and VI rest under an explosion of colorful art and massive sarcophagi in the innermost room. Hours could have been spent in that one tomb alone as the colors and carvings extended across every wall and ceiling. It was breathtaking and everything you dream of a tomb being when you visit Egypt.

We also got to pay tribute to Hatshepsut, Egypt’s iconic female pharaoh, at her mortuary temple. Often overshadowed by Cleopatra or Nefertiti in pop culture, Hatshepsut was a brilliant leader who expanded Egypt’s trade networks and outmaneuvered political rivals to rule, a story that could fuel a telenovela for years. Although her stepson attempted to erase her from history, modern archaeologists have pieced her story together with evidence of her powerful reign scattered all throughout Egypt.

Our visit to Karnak Temple was our final stop of ancient grandeur before the end of our trip. Spanning over 200 acres, Karnak is the largest religious complex from the ancient world, built to honor the gods and added to by several ancient Pharaohs, including the aforementioned Hatshepsut and Ramses II. Its most iconic portion is the Hypostyle Hall with 134 sandstone columns covered in hieroglyphs that tower larger than life. Walking through them feels like being deep in a forest of stone.

A Modern Connection

One of the reasons I love and chose G-Adventures is their commitment to uplift local communities through tourism. In every tour you get to visit a local project supported by the Planeterra Foundation, G-Adventures’ philanthropic partner. In Egypt, we visited the Funtasia Project, an inspiring nonprofit offering after-school programs in the West Bank of Luxor that focuses on developing life skills and creativity among local kids. We brought along art supplies to donate from home and went on a student-led bicycle tour of the village with our guides, Aya, Hajar, and Mohamed. Around the campus, you could see art that students had collaborated on with visiting artists, from large wall murals to wheel-thrown pottery. It was an uplifting reminder of how Egypt is not just preserving the past — it’s investing in the future.

That night, we had dinner on a rooftop restaurant, reflecting on a journey that blended myth and memory, sandstone and spice, heritage and hospitality.

Final Thoughts

Yes, Egypt is a land of ancient wonders—but modern Egypt is just as unforgettable. It’s where you can laugh over card games with your cooking hosts, serenely float down the Nile, and feel genuinely welcomed by people proud to share their country. Despite alarming global headlines, I felt completely safe throughout my visit—even when tensions rose elsewhere in the region. A war broke out between Israel and Iran while I was there, but Egypt remained calm, warm, and remarkably steady.

If you’re traveling with a reputable tour company, they won’t take you anywhere unsafe. In fact, visiting while tourism is down offers a more intimate experience and directly supports local communities. In countries like Egypt, where tourism plays a major role in the economy, your presence has real impact, economically and emotionally. Showing up, respectfully and thoughtfully, matters.

Personally, there are still dozens of temples, tombs, and cities I didn’t have time to see, which is exactly why I can’t wait to visit again.