Egypt | FindPenguins

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Trip start
October 23, 2026
Egypt
Egypt
October 23 in Egypt 🌬 88 °F
Half term is upon us and we were all ready for our next trip. We parked at Heathrow to leave our car and took the National Express bus to Gatwick for our flight. For the first time ever, we got there so early we couldn’t even check our bag. After making it through, we did enjoy a very nice lounge and had lunch before boarding our flight. Unfortunately, we were about an hour late to take off so we arrived to Hurghada after 1030. We found our driver and arrived at our resort just before midnight local time (2 hours ahead of London). A late dinner of room service in bed before we all finally crashed at about 2am. Our rooms were supposed to be connecting but we are stuck a few doors down. Looking forward to seeing the Red Sea in the morning.Read more
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Egypt
Hurghada
October 24 in Egypt ☀️ 88 °F
Nestled on the coast of the Red Sea, Hurghada is a former fishing village that is now a booming resort town. With warm water much of the year, the Red Sea is very popular for snorkeling and scuba divers. We are staying at the Baron Palace and, though we missed breakfast after a late wake up time, we found some fruit and yogurt down by the beach bar. After leaving the rainy 11 deg C of England, the full sun and 28 deg C of Egypt was very welcome. After breakfast, we all changed into our suits and found lounge chairs by the pool. While the boys splashed, the rest of us enjoyed our books. After a few hours, we headed back for a late lunch. The kids are big fans of the all inclusive buffet and we all got plenty to eat. After lunch, we made reservations at the spa for our last day and got drinks before heading back to the pool. We found someone to help us book a snorkeling trip for tomorrow and then took our things down to the soft sandy beach. While Mom and Gideon enjoyed the land, E, H and Dad relaxed in the warm Red Sea. The shallow soft sand bottom was a fine way to end the day before dusk and we were called back to shore. We all got showers before another buffet dinner. After filling our bellies, we packed it in for a night together to watch Moana (live action) - Hudson has been begging for a while. A full day but up early tomorrow for our snorkeling trip.Read more
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Egypt
Red Sea boat trip
October 25 in Egypt ☀️ 81 °F
Up early today for breakfast before meeting our driver to travel back to Hurghada central where our speedboat was waiting for us. As we settled in, we quickly came upon a set of dolphins playing in the water. Our captain did a great job of following them as there were many boats around since we were so close to the bay. Afterwards, we jetted across the Red Sea (with H and Dad in the back to avoid the speed boats bumps but the other three loving ever minute and hatching a plan to buy a speed boat) to our snorkel stop. The warm was very pleasant and there were many fish to be seen. Gid even saw a Nemo and Dory. After 40 minutes we loaded back up for our next stop - the famous Orange Bay Island (aka Giftun National Park). Dubbed as the Maldives of Egypt bc of its clear and shallow water, it was certainly pretty but, as we had been warned, also a tourist trap. After £25 of ice cream cones, a photo shoot (with the kids) and a walk on the sand for the adults, we jumped back in the boat for a short trip to the much more reserved and beautiful ‘White Island’. More of a long sand bank, the water was beautiful and we enjoyed the numerous kite surfers. Mom and Dad got a photo shoot too and we splashed around in the shallow water before enjoying fresh fruit (mango and melons were a hit) on the boat and a short trip home.

After getting back to the resort, we all had a quick rinse before buffet lunch and then made our reservations at the tennis court. It was hot and sunny and none of us will be playing at Wimbledon any time soon. We finished the day by the pool before more showers and our dinner reservations at the Egyptian restaurant. Lentil soup, hot and cold mezze and delicious meats for our best meal yet. More Moana before bed for much needed rest.Read more
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Egypt
Lounge and spa day
October 26 in Egypt ☀️ 81 °F
Elliot and Dad dragged themselves out of bed before breakfast to hit the gym and use some machines (only free weights at home). It was more crowded than we thought but got in a good workout before meeting the boys and Mom at breakfast buffet. We made it just before closure and then went straight down to the pool. We were able to read and relax a bit before Mom took the boys for a free haircut. Unfortunately, English is not universal in Egypt so they didn’t come out quite like everyone wished. We also struggled with our free laundry pick up - after the fourth person stopped by, we finally told the manager that it had been picked up by the first person that came. Anyway, we got more pool relaxing time before a hurried late lunch and then it was off to the spa. We all got to enjoy the sauna, steam room and jacuzzi before another hamam experience with scrubbing and bubbles. Then we were split up for a one hour massage. All the kids thought the Zeyrek Cinili hamam in Istanbul was better but all thought the massage part was the best they’d ever had. We were all very relaxed afterwards and grabbed our pool towels and headed down to the beach for our final dip in the Red Sea after the kids got their infinity pool pictures. We found out last night that 2 people were killed by shark(s) three days apart in 2022 at the same beach area; didn’t mention that to the kids until were getting out of the water but Joce chose to only get up to her knees. After hitting up the on-site Egyptian pharmacy for cheap Z-packs and ondansetron, we headed back for showers and packing before dinner. Our laundry finally arrived and Mom finished up the suitcases before heading to dinner. Combo seafood and bbq at the sea front restaurant before finishing Moana. Early flight tomorrow!Read more
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Egypt
Cairo
October 27 in Egypt ☀️ 66 °F
Another day that we are up early; our flight was at 8.50am so we had to get up at 6.15 for our 7am transport. Unfortunately, check-out was a hassle (late and then took our suitcases and then couldn’t figure out how to check us out for our first late night of room service) but our driver made up some time weaving through the streets of Hurghada (and we were all happy we hadn’t eaten anything before). After a rush to check our luggage, we got to relax for some coffee and croissants before our short flight to Cairo. After getting our luggage, we got two separate Ubers to our Airbnb on Zamalek Island. We also got a taste of Cairo traffic - lanes don’t mean anything and it makes Manhattan traffic look tame. Somehow we managed not to get sick for our second drive of the day and finally arrived almost an hour later at the Albanian Embassy with our flat on the 11th floor overlooking the Nile. (We took a 1 hour Uber from the airport and the total cost was $4. Crazy. And the thrill of making it here alive was free!). We chose a place in Zamalek as it’s supposed to be the safest area… and where all the embassies are located. Armed police right outside made us feel safer… I think (at least they seem nice!). Our flat is beautiful and has a wonderful view of the city. None of us realized how big Cairo is; 10M people in the city proper and over 23M in the metro area. Reminiscent of Istanbul but not as walkable. Jocelyn found a delicious tiny Greek place around the corner before we walked to a nearby grocery store - our favourite travel past time. 1.5L of water a total of 9 Egyptian pounds - the equivalent of 12 pence back home (we only brush and drink with bottled water here so we bought a lot). After heading back to the flat with breakfast items and a fortuitous find of one of the top 100 coffee shops in the world (fresh roasted V60 grind), we had a very long chill session with reading and sitting by the window for a few hours. Jocelyn found a nearby highly rated restaurant so we did takeaway after we decided to eat in (though the restaurant was beautiful and right by the Nile). Dad wandered back to the grocery store to look for coffee filters (having left them at home) before stopping back at the coffee to beg for some while Mom took dinner back. We all ate together while catching up on Celebrity Traitors before a couple rounds of Liverpool before bed. Tomorrow is a big tour day.Read more
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Egypt
Pyramids and GEM
October 28 in Egypt ☀️ 75 °F
Today was the classic quintessential Cairo day that you have imagined since childhood. We had hired an Egyptologist as a guide and separate driver through Emo tours, and after a bit of an issue finding us, we hopped in and picked up our guide about 5 minutes later. Osama was a great driver through the day, though we were one seatbelt short (unfortunately not a rare thing in Cairo). We drove about 40 minutes through Giza to the start of our tour. Words can’t really express the insanity and terror of Cairo traffic. You spend every minute wondering about the number of traffic accidents and pedestrian deaths. There may be 5 lanes, but 10 cars across, then motorbikes with several people on each, vans, buses, etc. Our driver even had to expertly swerve a woman driving a cart full of cabbage pulled by a donkey going THE WRONG WAY on the highway. Bananas.

We started this epic day at the pyramids of course, and it was stunning. We learned about the kings who built them as burial tombs (Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure); father, son and grandson. Khufu, is the last standing wonder of the ancient world, the largest pyramid, and absolutely incredible in person. It took 20 years to build and weighs over 6 million tons. After walking around Khufu, we went to Khafre, which still has some of the original covering at the top (all of the pyramids were built, covered with a thin stone facade, painted and polished, but only the top bit remains. We had tickets to enter Khafre, which was pretty claustrophobic, with all of us banging our heads on the way in and out.

We continued to walk the grounds, learning about the incredible engineering and mathematical precision that the ancient Egyptians employed to build the pyramids. Each side points to true North, South, East and West, only off by 3/60th of a degree. The pyramids are arranged in a Fibonacci spiral (predating him), and the points of the tops align with Mercury, Venus and Saturn once every 2,737 years. Mind-blowing!

We circled back on the bus to the front of Khafre, which is the location of the Great Sphinx. Also incredible, and looks just as you would expect it to. Our last event was a camel ride to the desert beside the pyramids, and took photos all together. The camels were huge, and their shepherds rather pushy for tips:)

Isaac, our guide, took us to a delicious local spot for lunch, and we sampled so many incredible local dishes - soups, breads, hummus, roasted chicken and kofta. Dessert of backlava and rice pudding rounded out the meal.

After lunch they took us to a Papyrus Institute and we had a lesson about how they make genuine papyrus. Then, we were lured into buying a few paintings to bring home (of course). We declined another shop stop, excited to get to the museum.

The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), 20 years in the making, opened last year. It is an incredible space. Every detail has a purpose and a meaning. You are greeted by a huge ancient statue of Ramses II, who is a very important king in Egypt’s past, ruling for over 60 years. We ascended the path to eternity (main staircase, filled with important sculptures and landing on a view of the pyramids). To the right on the top level, we entered the entire wing dedicated to Tutankhamen’s artifacts. This collection holds over 5,000 artifacts from his tomb. Though he was an unimportant king in the history of Egypt (a baby king, who ruled from age 9-19, had significant infectious diseases, and suspected to have multiple genetic issues due to a shallow gene pool), his tomb was luckily covered up by another king’s, which is why his was not robbed and held such incredible treasures.

The treasures were incredible. We saw golden chariots, bows used by KT, jewelry, shoes, food containers, even socks and sandles. The most magnificent items were the shrines and sarcophagi - each holding a smaller one (x3), with the innermost being made of solid gold. One of the absolute highlights was his mask of course; all of it, just magical.

We stayed at the museum, spending all of the rest of our tour in Tutankhamen’s exhibit, before heading down to meet the driver and make another harrowing journey back to the Embassy.

A quick dinner in, while we all showered off the dust from the day, hung out for a bit and headed to bed, happily exhausted from a day well spent.Read more
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Egypt
Citadel and Mummies
October 29 in Egypt ⛅ 82 °F
After a long day yesterday, we had a chill start to the day. We risked our lives again in Ubers to get to Old Cairo, about 30 minutes east of our apartment. Probably the best drivers of the trip, hardly any honking and felt less scared than usual. Though I did see a family of 4 on a motor bike, with the 2 kids the size of the boys.

The Saladin Citadel was built in the 12th century and was a fortress high above Cairo, and a city in itself. Now there are mainly museums and the Muhammad Ali Mosque. Beautiful for its age certainly, but not a match for the mosques of the UAE.

We took cars to a local spot for lunch. A bit of a miss from a food perspective and Elliot let me eat a fly with my fries, so I thought it best to stop there.

We booked the Egyptian museum of civilization for the afternoon, solely for the 30 mummies of kings and a few queens that it held. Ramses II also rests there and was incredibly well preserved (though the whole exhibit was a lot:). Good to appreciate it for what it is.

The museum was closing as we left. Still a lot to explore in Old Cairo, but another time, perhaps. Tomorrow we have a few more things planned, then we booked a hotel closer to the airport so that we can more easily make our early wake up call!Read more
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Egypt
Shopping and chill
Oct 30–31 in Egypt ☀️ 79 °F
We packed up our bags after a bumpy morning - the Cairo water may have finally gotten to us. Fortunately, there are (super cheap) pharmacies everywhere so after stocking up on ondansetron and albuterol inhalers ($1!) we got some meds for the Egyptian water before heading out to some local artisan shops. We walked around our neighbourhood and everyone got some good finds before heading back for a late lunch. We had a delicious meal - lentil soup is a new favourite and our last try was our best.

We decided to leave our Nile Airbnb early (and our host was gracious enough to refund us our last night) so we could move to a hotel closer to the airport for our early flight out on Halloween. A 30 minute uber later (though Dad, E and G got left 20 minutes away from the hotel) we checked in to our massive 3 bedroom stay. We considered the pool but decided to stay in for an early bedtime. Mom and Dad went to a nearby grocery store - the busiest we’ve ever seen but also super kind workers (we felt like we might have stood out a bit) - and brought home dinner food while we watched the penultimate Traitors and finished The Mummy. Then it was off to bed for our 2am wake up call (midnight UK time). We had no problems with check in and enjoyed the lounge (and massage chair) before our 5am flight home. It’s going to be a bumpy day but at least we get to be home for Halloween.

So happy to finally see the Pyramids and spend time together!Read more
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Trip end
October 30, 2026