My 11-Day Egypt Group Tour Experience | Lion Travel Itinerary Review, Must-Visit Attractions, and a Real Rundown of Pros and Cons

Origin | Why Egypt, and why not travel independently? Once I asked a well-traveled senior for advice — if he had to pick the "top five most worthwhile destinations" among the many countries he had visited, the order he gave me was: Switzerland Nepal Egypt Iceland Turkey This list actually stayed in my heart for a long time, and among them, "Egypt" and "Turkey" kept resurfacing in my mind again and again. Egypt, to me, carries so many captivating labels—one of the remaining Ancient Wonders of the World, a land on the African continent, one of the four great ancient civilizations—these keywords alone are enough to make it a trip you must take once in your lifetime. I had originally seriously considered doing Egypt as a self-guided trip, but since this journey would involve all five members of my family traveling together, and most of Egypt's major attractions are far apart from one another with travel relying heavily on private cars or domestic flights, I ultimately decided to go with a "guided tour" as the way to set foot in Egypt for the first time.

Pre-trip Review｜Why We Chose Lion Travel's 11-Day Egypt Tour? The number of days for Egypt tours on the market varies greatly, ranging from 8 days to 14 days. Here is the list of attractions I "absolutely must visit": Must-Visit List Cairo Giza Pyramids Egyptian Museum Khan el-Khalili Bazaar Luxor East Bank: Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple West Bank: Valley of the Kings, Temple of Hatshepsut Others Abu Simbel Temple After comparing multiple itineraries, we chose Lion Travel's 11-Day Egypt Tour.The insights shared below are purely personal experience, not sponsored content or an advertisement. Wonderful Lion Egypt 11-Day Tour Actual Itinerary (Adjusted Version) Below is the actual sequence of the itinerary we completed, slightly adjusted based on on-site conditions. Day 1 | Departure from Taipei, transfer in Dubai Day 2 | Arrival in Cairo → Egyptian Museum → Evening flight to Aswan https://tortoise2006.pixnet.net/blog/posts/11406756045 Day 3｜Aswan High Dam → Abu Simbel Temple (overnight in Abu Simbel) Day 4｜Return to Aswan → Board the Nile cruise → Philae Temple (cruise ship not sailing) https://tortoise2006.pixnet.net/blog/posts/11406760029 Day 5｜Nubian Village (camel ride) → Kom Ombo Double Temple Day 6｜Edfu Temple → Luxor Temple https://tortoise2006.pixnet.net/blog/posts/11406767481 Day 7｜Valley of the Kings → Temple of Queen Hatshepsut → Karnak Temple https://tortoise2006.pixnet.net/blog/posts/11406770749 Day 8｜Hurghada Red Sea Resort (self-paid glass-bottom boat + diving, Bedouin village) Day 9｜Return to Cairo (the originally planned visit to Khan el-Khalili Bazaar has been postponed) Day10｜Giza Pyramids → Khan el-Khalili Bazaar → Evening return journey

The key reason I chose this tour (practical advantages) 1️⃣ Get the "most exhausting travel" out of the way in one go On the second day after arriving in Cairo, we flew directly to Aswan on a domestic flight. After already going through two 13-hour international flights, this arrangement was truly crucial. If we had taken an overnight bus or an early-morning private car to Abu Simbel instead, our energy would have been drained very quickly. 2️⃣ The visiting experience at Abu Simbel is noticeably better Because I stayed overnight in Abu Simbel, my visiting time was staggered from most tour groups, so I didn't have to rush through taking photos amid the crowds — I could focus much more on appreciating this temple, which ranks in my personal top three among Egyptian temples. 3️⃣ Day one on the cruise, "staying put" The cruise ship was docked in Aswan, and that actually turned out to be the only day of the entire trip where I could really dive into the everyday life of an Egyptian city — an unexpected bonus for me. 4️⃣ Flexibly allocating the 11 days The extra day was split between: Luxor (spending more time seeing the Temple of Hatshepsut) Hodgado (stay one more night, make good use of the resort hotel's facilities)

The reality of group tours | Where I think it could be better ❌ Shopping stops eat up time On the Cairo afternoon, two segments were scheduled as shopping stops. Although there's no pressure to buy anything, the time still ends up cut into pieces. ❌ Cruise ship transfers are not very efficient I understand the road conditions aren't great, but if the whole trip switched to a private charter car, the itinerary's pace could probably be much tighter. ❌ Limited depth of city exploration Because so many nights are spent staying aboard the cruise ship, apart from Aswan, there's almost no chance to freely explore the city in Luxor. Practical tips for group tours (hands-on takeaways) 📱 SIM card Doing it yourself: about 200 Egyptian pounds (≈ NT$135) Buying from the assistant: 15 USD → If you want to save money, it's suggested that someone rush out first to handle it themselves, but be mentally prepared to be rushed to get back on the bus. (Personally, I'd still suggest letting the travel agency earn a little on this) 💧 Drinking Water Tap water is not safe to drink Mineral water prices: 600ml about 5 Egyptian pounds (Abu Simbel) 1500ml, three bottles for 1 USD (near where you disembark the cruise) Every restaurant meal provides 2 bottles of 1500ml mineral water per table 🛍 Nile River "Bargain Hunting" Shopping Vendors usually quote 2–3 times the actual selling price Decide on your target price in advance and stick to it No worries if you can't close the deal — there's a whole row of stalls ahead 🏪 Cruise Ship Store Bargaining Tips First buy from the riverside vendors Then use the vendor's price to negotiate with the cruise ship store You can usually get better quality goods at close to that price 🤿 Red Sea Optional Activities Glass boat + snorkeling: $70 USD (a bit pricey) - not recommended If you get the chance to travel independently to Hurghada in the future, diving there offers much better value for money

Summary | For a first trip to Egypt, joining a tour group is a sensible choice If it's your first time visiting Egypt, and you're traveling with elders or in a larger group, I'd still recommend joining a tour first. Though you lose a bit of freedom, you really do save a huge amount of effort and hassle when it comes to transportation, safety, and getting between attractions smoothly. And Egypt truly deserves the third-place ranking that senior friend of mine gave it. The pyramids, the temples, the Nile, and the Red Sea — these scenes aren't just photos, they're memories that will genuinely stay in your mind for a long time.