Ten days, four destinations, one logical loop:
- Days 1-3 · Cairo: Giza pyramids, Saqqara, Coptic quarter, Khan El-Khalili bazaar.
- Day 4 · Cairo → Luxor: short flight (90 minutes).
- Days 5-7 · Luxor: Karnak, Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut temple, hot air balloon over the West Bank at dawn.
- Day 8 · Luxor → Aswan + Abu Simbel: by overnight Nile cruise or direct car (3h).
- Days 9-10 · Aswan: Philae, Abu Simbel pre-dawn (3 AM departure), Nubian villages, felucca at sunset.
Light and timing
Egypt’s golden hour starts at 5:30 AM and ends by 7 AM in spring. After that the light is harsh until 4:30 PM. Pyramids photograph well at 3 PM with side light from the south — counterintuitive but correct.
Gear
- Wide-angle 16-35mm essential for pyramid scale and temple interiors.
- 50mm prime for portraits — locals are camera-friendly but ask first.
- Polarizer for skies (the desert sky goes deep cobalt with a CPL).
- Lots of cleaning cloths — sand gets EVERYWHERE.
What to skip
Skip the camel rides at Giza — overpriced and the guides are aggressive. Skip the Pyramids sound and light show — kitsch. Skip the all-inclusive Nile cruise package — overpriced, get a felucca for half the budget and twice the experience.
Full gallery on @vidaiatzen. The Spanish version with day-by-day itinerary: guía en castellano.
