Explore our travels around Egypt on the map or check out our articles.
The Sinai area of Egypt has had its troubles. In fact, reaching it from Cairo is actually pretty tricky. However, visiting Sinai from Eilat in Israel is actually a great way to explore. For our journey into Egypt, we decided to join Abraham tours on their Mount Sinai & Red Sea 3 Day Experience for the chance to chill on the beach and climb Mount Sinai overnight.
Egypt is a wonderful adventure. Ancient landscapes, gods, legends and dusty treasures abound. You can feel like an adventurer just by diving into a souk. Our favourite adventure, however, was travelling from Luxor to Cairo on the sleeper train. Whether you are catching the Cairo night train, travelling between Cairo and Luxor by train (like we did) or catching the night train to Aswan (much further down the line) read on for our full review.
This post may contain sponsored content or affiliate links that help support the blog. All opinions are our own.
The ERNST company runs a route, primarily for tourists between Aswan and the capital city nightly. We picked the train up at Luxor, where we had been staying for three days.
Check out our hot air balloon adventure in Luxor?
If you are staying in Luxor’s main tourist zone, you will have a short walk to the station. If you are in the more upmarket hotel zone, it is likely you will need a cab.
On arrival, you will be approached by a fair few pushy touts, but they will leave you alone once you are settled in at the station. The main building is large and very shiny. It has reliefs on the wall, and large columns, emulating the famous Luxor temples.
When we entered the building, we struggled to find out where our train would be leaving from. We had arrived with plenty of spare time (I am a big believer in contingency time, for just this reason).
We made it onto the right platform (the one adjoining the station building itself) and waited as our train time came and went. Local guys clearly knew what we were waiting for, and made sure we didn’t board the trains that stopped at the platform ahead of ours. The stuffy night was slightly unpleasant and so we bought some sugary drinks from a vendor on the platform to quench our thirst, and waste some time. It took about an hour after its scheduled time for our train to arrive, and so when it finally turned up, we enthusiastically climbed on board.
It was easy enough to find our carriage and we scrambled up the steps quickly. Down the corridor we spotted our cabin and gratefully chucked in our backpacks before following them in. The guard came in to make sure we were settled in, and disappeared with a smile.
The decor inside our cabin reflected the colours of the desert outside; beige and inoffensive. You won’t be blown away by the stylish interiors, but they are clean and not falling to bits with a sort of retro sixties air. Think early cold war chic.
There was one long seat to share that faced backwards and had a table built into it. I love going backwards on transport but Mr Fluskey is less keen. On the opposite wall was a coat wardrobe, a locked door to the adjoining cabin and a wash basin. This make me think that booking seats 1/2, 5/6 etc would give you front facing seats.
Read about our Mount Sinai & Red Sea 3 Day Experience Review
Food is included in the price of your ticket. When you book, you are given a few choices of meal (chicken, meat, fish, veg etc). Mr Fluskey and I both went for the chicken, with a tiny bit of trepidation.
The food was served by the guard, on little plastic trays. It looked, and tasted, like plane food…the kind that people make jokes about. The chicken was unbelievably dry, and the rice was seriously salty. It was enough to leave your mouth devoid of saliva for days. Mind you, the potato was fine. As for dessert, the cake was so plain that it was impossible to form an opinion on it.
Honestly, I didn’t really enjoy it, but I had paid for it and hadn’t bought anything else so tried to eat as much as possible.
The guard returned to remove the dinner things, and then once again to make up our beds. The bottom seat became one bunk, and the shiny bit of the wall was folded out to make a top bunk. The pillows were great so there was no need to dig our own ones out.
Now I love taking night trains, but you are never going to get a wonderful night’s sleep. You will save on the price of a hotel room, and get from A to B. You may well need a nap the following day to make it through. The best thing about this though, is being party to some lovely sunrises. They call the hour after sunrise, the golden hour, and as the world slips passed your window, you can see why. Shadows create gorgeous contrasts and the world is bathed in a light that is far less stark than the blazing African midday sun.
Breakfast was a continental breakfast of sorts. If you like bread, you’ll love this! Staying in budget accommodation, we were used to these finger rolls for breakfast, it’s fuel more than delicious food. The coffee was pretty good but the cakes were all quite dry.
I’m not really sure what happened next. The guard knocked on our door saying, “Cairo” so we gathered our backpacks and jumped out into the morning sunshine. I was a bit confused because it was quite quiet and there didn’t seem to be a terminus-style building.
We walked along the platform and just as we realised we had actually disembarked at Giza (GIZA!!!!?) the train moved off.
“OH NO!”
Cue the short argument of frustration.
Thankfully we spotted a sign that told us the Giza Metro was just next door, and so we quickly made for the train to take us the rest of the way into Cairo.
I slightly blame the guard, but most likely it was our general lack of decent sleep that caused the mistake. At least it was easy enough to correct.
We really enjoyed our night train journey from Luxor to Cairo and would heartily recommend it to those of you who fancy a little adventure on your Egyptian trip. If you think it is something you would like to do, here are some tips for you:
Rosie xx
When you think of cheap, budget travel destinations a few ideas might spring to mind. India, Vietnam, Eastern Europe; but have you considered Egypt? Backpacking in Egypt won’t break the bank (even an all-inclusive can be a bargain), is packed with amazing experiences and you will be blown away by the stunning landmarks in Egypt. Even if you are just planning a full-blown Nile Cruise holiday, you’ll be surprised at how much things cost in Egypt. Read on to discover the 8.5 reasons you will love backpacking in Egypt.
This post may contain sponsored content or affiliate links that help support the blog. All opinions are our own.
Egypt has always been a reasonably cheap option for travellers with plenty of options for all budgets. In late 2016, Egypt un-pegged the Egyptian Pound from the US Dollar to avert a huge financial crisis. This resulted in a crash in the value of around 50%.
The new exchange rate is great news for travellers from around the world, as your money will stretch twice as far. These days 100LE (Egyptian pounds) is worth around £4.20, $5.50, €4.80
So what does that mean in practice?
Where in world can you get a dorm bed for just 60LE (£2.50), or a private for 120LE (£5)? Egypt! I think you’d be hard-pressed to find it in many countries that are so easy to travel around A dorm bed will cost you twice as much in Thailand.
Even an all-inclusive hotel in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el Shiekh only set us back 470LE (£20) per person per night! That included food all day, and alcoholic drinks between 10:00 – 00:00. It is a great deal.
Check out our Mount Sinai & Red Sea 3 Day Experience Review
What can you get for 19LE? Two packets of crisps, two soft drinks and a chocolate bar from a street stall, right opposite the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
What can you get for 75LE? A plate of falafels, bread, pickles and a tahini dip, plus a soft drink in a small cafe right in Luxor’s tourist zone.
What can you get for 166LE? Four mezze dishes and a main meal, plus four fresh blended smoothies at a top-rated tourist hangout in Luxor.
What can you get for 175LE? A large pizza and a litre of fizzy pop in a gloriously air-conditioned Pizza Hut overlooking the Pyramids and Sphinx of Giza. OK, so this wasn’t a complete bargain but that would have been twice the price at home. It goes to show that even the more globalised products are good value in Egypt.
Getting from the centre of Luxor to the Karnak temple complex, 2.5 kilometres up the road, cost us just 1.5 Egyptian Pounds each. That is a grand total of £0.13. We caught share taxis everywhere we could during our time in Luxor.
Read Riding the Rails – The ERNST Night Train from Luxor to Cairo
Can you believe, an Uber from central Cairo, all the way out to the airport cost just 96LE! It is great value, removes all need for haggling and the cars are all much newer, and nicer, than Cairo’s old white taxis.
Whilst in Luxor, we had a budget hostel room. However, we decided we would treat ourselves. The Steigenberger Nile Palace Hotel, a five star resort on the banks of the Nile, let us use the pool for just 100LE each!
You can also treat yourself to a caleche (horse and carriage) ride around the centre of Luxor. An hours trot is just 25LE. What a lovely way to treat a loved one, without breaking the bank.
Check out when we went Soaring Above Luxor with Magic Horizons Hot Air Balloons
Egypt’s stunning attractions are not heaving. They are not even busy. They are nearly empty. Come early in the morning, or in the afternoon and you can have phenomenal sights almost to yourself.
There has been some seriously damaging news about Egypt in the past few years. People think that it is unsafe. I’m not going to gloss over it, some of Egypt is still off-limits. You shouldn’t travel into the Sinai Desert, and flying in and out of Sharm el Sheikh is still labelled as trave with caution. However, everywhere you would want to visit; Hurghada, Luxor, Aswan, Cairo…the whole Nile in fact, is completely fine. There are no restrictions put down by the Foreign Commonwealth Office in the areas listed above, and we felt completely safe throughout our entire trip. People are still happy to travel to Paris, Barcelona, and London, other places affected by terrorism.
You can’t see Egyptian pyramids in Dubai, or New York (although there is one obelisk from the Karnak temple in Central Park). These beautiful temples and mysterious tombs are in situ and can only be seen in person.
The low tourist numbers also means that people are quite glad to see you. You have both great bargaining power, and the power to change someone’s day. For example, hiring a guide at the temple you are visiting, means you are putting money into the local economy and won’t cost you an arm and a leg.
….in comparison. You can enter the Pyramids of Giza (the only remaining ancient wonder of the world no less) for under £3.50. Now compare that to:
Egypt really is most excellent value!
And what is that pesky 0.5 point!?
Are you a student? Do you hold an International Student Identity Card? Then your trip is about to get even cheaper! Most of the sights have 30%-50% off for you lucky folks. Don’t have an ISIC card? Never fear, there is a roaring trade in creating them in Luxor. Just tell your hostel owner that you’d like one, and they can take you to an office to get one (shhhhhh!)
Egypt is a wonderful holiday destination. From cheap scuba diving in the Red Sea (some of the best dives sites in the world) to a huge collection of fascinating monuments, there is SO much to see and do. The weather is warm year round so it is a lovely reliably sunny holiday with a guaranteed dollop of culture. Budget airlines fly to Hurghada, and EgyptAir has bargain flights around the country.
Read about all our travels in Egypt
We spent 9 days backpacking in Egypt in came home with money in our pockets; a first. Put backpacking Egypt on your bucket list and please feel free to share this with your friends. You never know, you may inspire them to go and spend just some of their hard-earned pennies on a real Egyptian adventure.
Rosie xx
Luxor is the jewel in Egypt’s tourism crown. There are many ways to see it’s famous tombs and temples. The most exhausting being a traditional tour, on foot. The most magical, taking to the skies in one of Magic Horizon Hot Air Balloons! If you are looking to do something a little bit special during your time in Egypt then you should definitely get a Hot Air Balloon in Luxor.
This post may contain sponsored content or affiliate links that help support the blog. All opinions are our own.
Too excited to sleep, I was awake before my 03:30 alarm even went off. Mr Fluskey had once been up in a hot air balloon but (despite being a Flying Fluskey) I had not.
We got ready and stumbled down the stairs for our 04:20 pick up. The waiting minibus drove us two minutes up the road to a small dock, right opposite Luxor Temple. The whole group was gathered by 04:40. This seems to mean, the further from the temple you are staying, the earlier your pick up will be.
We made our way carefully down the dark gangplank and onto the boat just as the morning’s first call to prayer rang out across the city. Laid out on the table was a selection of tea, coffee and fresh mint with a pot of hot water. Each passenger also had an XL Twinkie.
Never in a million years would I have guessed that I would be given a Twinkie in Egypt! The Australian guy next to us had never tried one, and it was a beautiful moment to share his first time. He popped a bite of the oily, sickly sweet snack cake in his mouth and chewed contemplatively. “Well I couldn’t eat a whole one” he grimaced.
Our captain for the day, Bob, embarked and began his safety speech. Half the group was Chinese and I don’t know how much or little they understood of the talk. He explained the landing position, which was very important, and told us about how he expected the morning to go.
We all had to fill out a form with our name, hotel name and weight in kilos. At this point, you may be tempted to lie, but it is vital that you are honest or they may not have enough fuel for the flight.
The boat chugged across the Nile in the darkness and two minutes later we were back off and into another minibus.
Check out our Mount Sinai & Red Sea 3 Day Experience Review
There are lots of companies flying their balloons over Luxor, it’s pretty big business. I wanted to make sure we chose a company with a great safety record and an equally sturdy reputation. During my research I came across Magic Horizon Hot Air Balloons and this became my number one choice. Bob, the pilot not only has a hot air balloon license but pilot licenses in Egypt, the UK and the USA. (Turns out he lived just up the road from where I used to live in Sussex).
All the balloons that Magic Horizon own are made in Bristol, UK to the highest standard. They also own the largest basket in the world. It holds a whopping 28 people, and it was in this basket that we were to head skywards.
With sunrise fast approaching we arrived at the launch site. Four huge balloons were already semi-inflated and the jets of flame lit them up like huge Chinese lanterns.
Watching the balloons fill, feeling the heat radiate and hearing the burners roar from some distance away was exhilarating.
Around the base of each balloon, the ground crew dashed. Baskets were brought on flat bed trucks and attached. Men shouted instructions at one another in between the burners bursts and as each balloon prepared to leave, they descended upon the basket yelling and straining to take the strain until it was ready to ascend.
The first balloons rose away from the launch site and were quickly replaced by the next four, including ours.
We lined up in front of the basket and prepared to clamber in. There are little foot holes to help you but you have to be pretty sprightly when getting into the basket. It is about a metre deep and divided into nine sections. The outer four take four people each and the central section holds the pilot and the fuel canisters.
The burners are scorching! Every time they blow you feel a rush of heat above you. Obviously, if you are in one of the outer sections you won’t be as toasty.
The ground crew waved us a cheery goodbye before we slowly bumped up into the sky. The balloons are held down by trucks and the crews have to time when to let it go. It all seems like a tussle, hot and noisy until, seconds later, you are floating away. As the world drops away beneath you, all the madness seems to drip from the basket and serenity takes over.
As some of the other balloons had left, the occupants could be heard screaming at the height but our fellow passengers seemed to be made of stronger stuff.
Read Riding the Rails – The ERNST Night Train from Luxor to Cairo
One thing about hot air balloons that both makes complete sense, and yet I find baffling, is there is no wind. Well, there is, but as the balloon is guided by it, the basket feels very little air movement. It is incredibly strange to be high up in the air without a breeze whipping your hair into a frenzy. In fact, the whole experience of floating along is fantastically relaxing. The noise is little to none…until the burners make you jump and you remember that fire is what is keeping you up.
Doing a tour of the West Bank of Luxor the previous day gave us a good idea of what it was we were looking at. I think it is a real bonus to know what you can see.
Behind the next set of balloons lies the Valley of the Kings, resting place for the Pharaohs, and Valley of the Nobles. You can also make out the Temple of Hatshepsut, a famous female Pharaoh. It looks like its built into the rock, but it’s just an optical illusion.
The balloon began to descend slowly and we were all a bit giggly and nervous. We floated down at around 30 metres. The guy next to us piped up, “What are we doing?”
The pilot explained that he was taking us lower so we weren’t blown east too quickly, losing nice photos of the West Banks sights.
The angry man shouted that there must be something wrong with the balloon!
And so back into the sky we rose and began to drift east towards the Nile.
Well what can I say. The views from 300m were spectacular. The River Nile, that slices through Luxor, glistened in the rising sun. The minaret towers of numerous mosques pointed skywards. The whole scene was gorgeous. I thought it made a nice change from walking along the tout heavy street level.
The Landing
As we came down lower, the wind had noticeably picked up. Whereas before, we had been 30 metres off the ground the lazily drifting sideways, now we were swimming along at some speed.
The pilots tried to find a landing spot for quite some time and finally the flying team shouted “LANDING POSITION”. We crouched down, noticing that our section of basket seemed much smaller as we all jostled for knee space. Each of us clung on to the handles in front of us, anticipating a bumpy landing. Peeking out of the foot holes, used for climbing in and out of the basket, we saw the ground crew running full pelt to try and keep up with the balloon.
Thump!
Air.
Thump.
Dust
Thump!
Aaaaaaaaand tip.
It was quite a bumpy landing, and honestly more intense than I was expecting. I found out later that we landed at 15 knots, way above the normal speed of around 2 or 3. The basket had dragged along the desert floor and then tipped over. We were fine but a little sandy. It was a stark contrast to the blissful peace of the flight. We clambered out into the sun-baked surroundings and dusted off.
Read about all our travels in Egypt
When everyone had composed themselves, angry man kicked off again, and so the pilots gave us a quick explanation. If there is no wind, you cannot fly at all. At the time we took off, the winds were light and favourable. Whilst in the air an unusual gust had started up below us. At that point, you just have to get on and land. Angry man looked like his whole day had been ruined, but it was just 10 seconds out of a very enjoyable hour and so I was pretty relaxed about the whole thing.
After a quick snap with our certificates, we were all assigned a minibus. How they made it to the landing site in time baffles me. The ground crew really earn their gratuities. We had a little doze and before we knew it, we were back at our hostel, and just in time for breakfast!
Thinking of booking with Magic Horizon Hot Air Balloons? Here are my top tips:
This trip was sponsored by Magic Horizon Hot Air Balloons but all opinions are entirely my own.
Rosie xx
