Zicasso Travel Stories: Egypt Is a Time Machine & So Much More

Visiting “distinctive” locations is not new to Doug, who has visited 48 countries, including India, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Though he has visited Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula in the past, a recent trip organized by Zicasso opened a whole new world for him and his wife Lisa, who he described as an “amateur Egyptologist.”

“Egypt holds so many secrets,” Doug said. “And this drove the idea of wanting to see it in a way that gave us an immersive experience. There’s more to the country than the pyramids and temples in Luxor. But it’s difficult to really understand how much more.”

Describing a sunset cruise on the Nile while in Luxor, Doug said: “It was gorgeous. It was charming. It was quiet. It was just us and the two guys who drove the boat. We had the ambiance of Luxor, which is such a gorgeous city. It has a different energy than Cairo, which we also enjoyed, but for different reasons. If Cairo is fast-paced, Luxor is surprisingly serene between the calm reeds, lush palm trees, and sporadic ruins.

“One day our guide asked if we wanted to change our program a bit and visit the Valley of the Queens early to try to beat the crowds. Our hotel would pack us breakfast to eat on the way. We listened to our guide’s advice. We were the only people there for hours.

“With popular tombs, there are time limits, especially with heavy crowds, which many travelers may not know about. But we had Nefertari’s tomb completely to ourselves. The number of rooms, the colorful hieroglyphics, the stories each panel told. We could see everything.”

“When planning the trip, Lisa said we needed to visit the Temple of Dendera, which I had never heard of. Our destination expert let us know it was possible. We arrived, and it was as if somebody had painted the entire temple yesterday. It was vibrant. It was gorgeous. It was gigantic. It was a temple dedicated to lovers, so it was nice that I was there with Lisa on a trip she’d been waiting to take her entire life.

“Being in the temple was like being in an Indiana Jones movie, and that’s so much of what people want when they travel. Everyone wants their own, personal experience.

"I love to feel like I am on an adventure. There, I was able to capture that. We had many similar moments throughout Egypt, so my expectations were blown wide open and exceeded.

“Traveling with a guide just added an extra layer to our trip. We had the same guide in Luxor the entire time. By the second day, he understood our personalities, what we were interested in, and how we liked to tour. He took us off the tourist path to restaurants or neighborhoods that are culturally unique and to places with great views of temples other travelers wouldn’t know about.

“His expertise showed us how to balance all the things we wanted versus what we could do, so as not to overwhelm or exhaust us. He managed this difficult balance beautifully."

Doug described his trip to Egypt with Zicasso as among his top experiences of all time, adding that this is also true of other trips he has taken with the company, including the one on which he proposed to his wife.

“While organizing the Egypt trip, our specialist made suggestions based on our interests, so we saw underground Coptic churches we would not have known about, but which are still culturally relevant and important. Of course, they have been overshadowed by the pyramids, but they also enlightened us on how much more there is to experience.

“I have missed so much on my travels because I didn’t know about things, like, I hate to say it, the Great Ocean Road in Australia. That wouldn’t have happened if I had worked with a Zicasso destination expert. Our Egypt travel specialist gave us advice on things I would not have known about otherwise, from the best places to stay to organizing the sunset felucca ride. Lisa knew about Dendera, but we didn’t know about the medieval mosques and Coptic churches. We ended up with an immersive, once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“It would have been a very different trip if not for the quality tours, top-class accommodations, private drivers, and expert guides. Every experience was meaningful, including eating traditional koshari, a bowl of lentils, rice, chickpeas, pasta, and tomato sauce topped with crispy onions.”

Whether you are looking to take the dream trip you have been dreaming about or are eager to witness the wonders of the world, you can find more inspiration for your trip with our Egypt tours or explore different ways to enjoy the country with our Egypt travel guide.