The trouble is that after a second and third look, you realize: all the stunning girls came here with men, and all the cool guys were engaged by charming companions even before crossing the Egyptian border. Of course, you can book tours to Hurghada from Kyiv and spend your allotted seven or fourteen days to start a beach romance here. But it's still better to bring your own: it's more reliable, less hassle, and healthier.
However, even if you are not alone in Hurghada, sooner or later (usually on the third day) you start to be overcome by the thought that besides beach, evening, and shopping pleasures, there are others, quite romantic and even adventurous. And that's right. Because being in Egypt and not learning what the Arabian Desert is, not seeing with your own eyes the only surviving wonder of the world – the Pyramid of Cheops, not swimming on the coral reefs of the Red Sea with exotic fish – would be, to say the least, stupid.
First of all, we advise you one morning after breakfast, or one evening before dinner, to find the tour company manager in the hotel lobby and first sign up for a safari. This pleasure will cost you $35 and will be as follows.
Around two o'clock in the afternoon, a column of Japanese jeeps will be brought to your hotel. Take your seat, but do not forget to show the guide the receipt for the safari payment – it is your ticket for this journey. The real Arabian Desert will begin half a kilometer from the hotel. Stones sprinkled with yellow sands, endless expanse and distant mountain peaks on the horizon... Soon Hurghada with the azure strip of sea will disappear from sight, the sands will close behind the jeep, and this will mean that the safari has begun.
Do not be surprised if the driver – a dark-skinned Egyptian – suddenly opens the jeep door and at a speed of about one hundred kilometers per hour stands fully on the car's step, elegantly steering it with his bare right foot. He wants to please you and at the same time immerse you in the atmosphere of a risky journey. Those who love speed and thrills – they will like it.
The first stop the jeep will make on a flat and boring plateau. Everyone will dismount to catch their breath, and then the guide will point out a miracle: you will see a real mirage. The surface of a huge lake will appear before the tourists' eyes at the foot of the desert mountains. A deception. But what a fantastic one! This should be photographed to later show the pictures to relatives and friends.
A new race over sand dunes, a few short stops, and here it is – the final goal of the safari – the Bedouin camp, where they will kindly give you a camel ride and show their simple household. And then another unique show called "sunset in the desert". You will climb a small rocky peak to see the ever-changing palette of colors on the celestial canvas, until the sun gives you one last long ray and falls tiredly behind the sharp peaks of the mountains.
Now there will be a candlelit dinner at the Bedouin camp, dancing to the beat of drums, and gazing at the night sky with huge twinkling stars. Not bad, right? We advise you to dress simply for the safari: a tracksuit or jeans are desirable, shoes – sneakers. Don't forget a sun hat, sunglasses, and if it's winter or early spring, then a warm sweater: it can be cool in the evening.
Rest for a day, and then head to the coral islands. A real sea boat awaits adventure seekers at the hotel pier. There the sailor will receive fins, a mask and a snorkel. Forty minutes on the Red Sea – and we are at the coral bank. Put on fins, mask and – into the water.
The feeling that you are fabulously small and swimming with the fish in a home aquarium. Another miracle that will be remembered for a long time. After the tourist has swum enough, he will be fed a modest lunch prepared right there on the boat, consisting of mackerel and fresh vegetables. And then they will take you to a real island where you can sunbathe and swim to your heart's content. Advice: since you will spend almost the entire day under the scorching sun, you need to stock up on sunscreen. Getting completely burned in Hurghada is a piece of cake. Here you have to be very careful, and if you hesitate a little, the whole vacation can go down the drain – such a merciless sun in these parts.
And now, having gotten an impression of the safari and underwater walks among the coral reefs, you are morally ready for a trip to the pyramids. We warn you: this trip will be the most difficult, and you need to prepare well for it.
First, from Hurghada to Cairo is more than 500 kilometers. The price of a one-day excursion is $85. To avoid driving in the sun and wasting precious daylight, the bus will leave Hurghada at 2 am. For the trip, it is best to wear comfortable jeans, sneakers, or soft travel shoes. Before the trip, each excursionist will receive a boxed breakfast at the hotel restaurant, which can be eaten whenever desired. For all five hours to Cairo, the bus travels escorted by a police patrol. By the way, the buses on this route are comfortable, with televisions, toilets, and bars, but alcohol should not be abused – in the morning you have a really interesting program waiting.
The tour of Cairo begins with a magnificent alabaster mosque, from which a stunning panorama of the city opens. In the Egyptian National Museum, you will be admitted to a well-guarded hall with the genuine sarcophagus and golden mask of Pharaoh Tutankhamun. We vouch for the high quality of the impressions. Just keep in mind that taking photos with a flash is prohibited there, and you will have to pay for shooting without flash. But all this is a prelude to meeting the pyramids. After a light lunch, the group will head to the outskirts of Cairo, where your meeting with this wonder will take place. Be careful: around the pyramids there are many swindlers and beggars who are just waiting for a naive tourist to fall into their simple traps.
On the way back to Hurghada, tourists cannot avoid three obligatory pleasures: a jewelry store, a perfume shop, and a papyrus shop.
Already at the end of the day, or even past midnight, the bus pulls up at your hotel. Of course, everyone is quite tired: the long journey, many impressions... But don't worry. After dozing on the beach under an awning, by lunchtime you will feel ready for new adventures. Where to now? Maybe to the ancient capital Luxor? That's also not close, but how interesting! Or stay by the sea? Yes, let's build up our strength, and in the evening let's go all out. What is offered to us after dinner?
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