Egypt Travel Guide

Egyptians are a warm and welcoming people. They are never out of pleasantries and quips and they place importance on hospitality above all. Most Egyptians will proudly explain that they are descendants of pharaohs and will tell you about the eternal Egypt of Oum Kalsoum and Naghuib Mahfouz over a meal of tasty mezze, flavourful kebabs and a juicy meloukhia (vegetable soup).

The Copts are the Christians of Egypt and have been present in the country for centuries. They can be found all over Egypt, although today they represent no more than 10% of the population. Their history has been written over the years through contact with the Egyptians, most notably in Misr al Qadima in Cairo, the monasteries of Wasi Natrum in the south of Alexandria and at Saint Catherine in Sinai.

Much like Lawrence of Arabia, there are undoubtedly those who prefer to explore Egypt's extraordinary eastern desert which extends from the Nile and the Mediterranean to the Sudan and Libya. A sea of sand as far as the eye can see, featuring 5 major oases: Siouah, Bahariya, Farafra, Dakhla and Kharga, not to mention the rock formations of the White Desert: an unforgettable landscape dotted with blinding white peaks.

The famous Nile starts where the White Nile- whose source is a stream in the hills of Burundi- and the Blue Nile- which comes from the high plateaus of Ethiopia- meet. The Nile is the longest river in the world (6 700 kilometres). One of the best ways to admire this legendary river is on a cruise. It's an experience that is as thrilling as it is romantic, particularly on-board a dahabiya (2 masts) or a felouque.

The wildlife and flora of the coral reefs are true gems for amateur divers on a sports holiday. A true underwater oasis which owes its beauty to a particularly warm climate. It's home to more than a thousand species of fish, each one different from the next: the angel fish, the parrot fish, the scorpionfish, the clownfish... The coast by the towns of Hourghada and El-Gouna offer a great view of local marine life.

Land of history with monuments registered as UNESCO world heritage sites, Egypt attracts millions of visitors seeking to learn about its thousand-year-old past. In the kingdom of the pharaohs, you will marvel at the wealth of archeological sites of Egypt The sphinx of Giza, near Cairo, is a famous example: sculpted from limestone in the image of Pharaoh Khafre, it has aged majestically on the three Great Pyramids of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure.