20 April

6 hidden Gems in Egypt

We all know that Egypt has the richest ancient civilizations in the world, as it has a huge number of touristic and historical attractions. You will not only enjoy history but also beautiful views that will catch your attention.

Of course, you know Egypt’s famous attractions which are the Pyramids of Giza, and the ancient temples in Luxor and Aswan but In this blog, we doubt you knew these attractions before as they are real hidden gems. Today’s gems will totally fascinate you, let explore the secrets and wonders of Egypt:

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Djara Cave

Somewhere in the deep of the Western Desert, you will find our first gem in Egypt, the Djara Cave. This cave is a masterpiece full of artistry rocks and several ancient carvings date back to more than 12,000 years.

Gerard Rohlfs was a German explorer who visited Egypt in 1873 and he was able to discover this astounding cave after lots of climate changes. This wasn’t the only discovering move in this cave as people forgot about it until they rediscovered it again in 1989 by another German explorer called Carlo Bergmann.

What is so special about this cave is that the whole cave is made of limestone stalactites which was a result of the water meeting with the dry climate of the desert. This is a natural piece of art that was created with a Zero human interface, that’s why we consider this cave a real hidden gem.

Beasts Cave

Another interesting cave that is hidden in Egypt’s desert called Beasts cave. This cave is about 7,000 years old which made it one of the oldest caves in the whole area. What makes this cave interesting is that it contains more than 5,000 well-preserved paintings that present many things from the Stone Age. You can see paintings of different creatures, humans, and ancient daily activities all over the walls. These paintings are made in red, yellow, and black pigments which will amaze you how these colors still exist until today!!

This made the cave to be a life source for the ancient ages where we all know how the people used to live in the Stone Ages. an interesting place like this should be one of the most important hidden gems in Egypt.

Nilometer

The ancient Egyptian built a place called Nilometer to measure the clarity of the Nile River’s water in 861 AD. thanks to the Nilometer they were able to predict whether there will be a famine or a flood so they can get prepared.

Nilometer is Located in Rhoda Island in Cairo city, it contains an octagonal column which is the main component to the Nilometer, plus a staircase that was allowed only to the priests, ancient rulers, and kings to use it for the examination of the Nile River behavior.

Colored Canyon

For all the hiking lovers, here we got you a place you can’t miss. This place came in the shape of a maze 40 meters high with a mix of beautiful colors, this place called “Colored Canyon”. Your hiking trip in this place will be a great experience full of the beauty of mother nature and the amazing mixture of the colored stones.

This piece of art contains lots of colors like Magenta, red, purple, and yellow, this mix will be your background during your hiking trip. For your own information this beautiful place was a result of some natural changes like water erosion, wind, and increasing the Iron percentage in the sandstone.

Shali Fortress

Shali Fortress is a very special ancient fortress, it was built in the 13th century was made from some special material, like karshif, clay, the usual soil at that time which is made up of salt, and fine sand.

The use of this fortress In ancient times was to be a safe refuge from the enemies’ attacks. Over the years, this fortress stood strong and complete until one day a heavy rain destroyed a big part of it, but we still have the other parts until now to be a great historical site to visit.

Eel Garden

Have you ever heard about a garden under water?! In Egypt you have to visit the Eel Garden, this kind of garden is very unique and special as it is an area off Dahab shore that consist of many small eels showing just their head. This scene will make you feel like they are a tall grass in a field. You can enjoy this beautiful site while snorkeling or diving and get the best experience between the water Eels.

Egypt is always rich in many gems you never heard about, in this blog, we provided you with only 6 of these gems and we will leave the other for you to discover. The journey in Egypt has a totally different taste. You will learn a lot about history, enjoy the beauty of mother nature, and have fun at the same time.

Make sure to go on such a journey at least once in your life, cause life worth discovering these hidden gems out there.

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 Verified 6/5 stars 6/5 stars GAT tours took care of every detail and were amazing in every way. Would highly recommend them
  
 
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   Ihor George C 
 153 days ago
 
 
 Verified Trip of a lifetime We just got back from a family "trip of a lifetime" to Egypt: 3 couples arrived in Cairo from different parts of US and Canada, at different flights and times, and yet the reception and arrival coordination and documents arrangement could not have been smoother. All was arranged, and the trip was custom designed by Ahmet from GAT Tours. We were a bit apprehensive considering the issues in the Middle East, but really there never has been a moment of concern and a complete feeling of safety as we were chauffeured, flown and sailed to the various destinations of this great country of Egypt. We visited the important sites around Cairo : the fantastic, new, Grand Egyptian Museum, the pyramids, the Sphinx, Civilization Museum, the market, Citadel, and other sites. Our hotel was first class. Our voyage down the Nile from Luxor was in upgraded suites (courtesy of GAT) on top of the line Sonesta Cruise line : gourmet meals in absolute comfort! We were lucky to have Asmaa in Cairo and Simon in Luxor and Aswan to guide us through the exhilarating sites of Karnak Temple, Valley of the Kings, Kim Ombo, Edfu, Abu Simbel etc. in a very knowledgeable and entertaining fashion. WOW !! What a trip. GAT Tours made it happen. George C.
  
 
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   Andrew C 
 159 days ago
 
 
 Verified Fantastic family trip to Cairo and Luxor. GAT tours was great Our tour guides Asmaa and Simon made our trip to Cairo and our Nile cruise so much more meaningful.
  
 
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   Marc C 
 159 days ago
 
 
 Verified Cairo and Nile Cruise This was an excellent tour! GAT Tours planned every detail and was very accommodating. We were initially going to cancel the tour considering the recent instability in the Gulf Region, however, the tour manager (Ahmed Omar) ensured our safety. We felt very safe in the hands of our tour guides (Asmaa - in Cairo and Simon in Luxor/Aswan). Both tour guides were extremely knowledgeable, personable, engaging, and advised us well on how to save time and money at the various sites and markets. Strongly recommend Asmaa and Simon as tour guides! Our travel/logistics person (Seif) was also great. He ensured our transportation, pick-ups, and meals were all on time. Everyone operating the tour was accessible and responsive via iPhone. The tour guides really showed us how rich their culture (ancient or modern) is. Highly recommend this tour: Six adults (incl. 2 seniors). My personal favorites: Valley of the Kings, GEM, and any of the evening tours of the temples!
  
 
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   Angustias R 
 160 days ago
 
 
 Verified Una agencia muy fiable Fue todo excelente desde Dina hasta Omar el representante de la agencia , los guías auténticos profesionales , nos sentimos muy agustos y protegidos
  
 
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   Neil91 
 162 days ago
 
 
 Verified Good experience overall It’s a mixed review of the tour and I will divide it into office staff and guide & drivers. Ahmed Omar in Cairo office helped us with our 5 days-Nile cruise and associated sightseeing. He was very prompt, polite and professional. As we didn’t get the morning flight on the day of our cruise, Ahmed helped us book a Luxor hotel for the night before. He also asked us for a personal favour and we obliged. Ahmed was thoughtful and offered to arrange ‘meet and greet’ at Cairo airport, in addition to the pick up on our return to Cairo after the cruise. Mr Mina met us at Cairo airport for helping with visa, Sim and money exchange. Despite Ahmed’s assurance that we would be helped with exchanging money, Mr Mina was walking out without doing that. When my wife pointed that out, he tried to blame us for not reminding him, which was not very nice! At Luxor airport, we were expecting My Ayman, but someone else came, which is fine. He was helpful and went to the hotel with us and next morning picked us up from hotel and dropped us at the cruise. We chose Sonesta star goddess for our trip and Ahmed had arranged everything. The guide Mohamed Refaat met us at 3pm. He said was a freelancer, and that he was given to us because he is a close friend of Mr Ayman. We found difficult to understand his English initially and his knowledge was just ok. He spent 20 minutes outside the Karnak temple talking about canals etc and as a result we had to rush at the end. He didn’t offer to take photos, but obliged whenever we asked. He repeated himself a lot and was not very interesting or engaging. We did think of calling the office to change him but didn’t. In Aswan, he said that we should pay for the felucca ride which was included. And then went on to say that we should pay the driver as he is not paid well and that we have to spend a lot during our Abu Simbel trip. On the final day, Mohamed went to our cruise reception and asked the person to give us an envelope and then turned around and told me to give them tips, before he leaves. That was very disrespectful behaviour and we were angry. Then we went to Abu Simbel and throughout the journey, he mostly chatted with the driver or slept. The driver, Kareem, was holding his phone with his left hand and talking while driving on the highway, which we found quite scary. Despite clearly telling Mohamed that we will not take out money using our card and that we will exchange money when we return to Aswan, after our trip finishes, he kept asking us to take money out throughout the day whenever he saw an ATM, very irritating behaviour. It left us with a bad taste. On the positive side, he was always on time, was friendly and did the basics. There were other little negative things like the car didn’t have water or tissue box, though it was sorted after informing Ahmed twice. It would have been good if someone from Gat tour contacted us directly to see if we were ok. We had to keep texting Ahmed for all minor issues, and he was always prompt. The representatives for Aswan airport and then again at Cairo airport were all on time and professional. So overall it was good. Gat tours is recommended but the guide Mohamed is definitely not.
  
 
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   Malau M 
 195 days ago
 
 
 Verified Agence au top Agence vraiment au top gestion des visites, transports, choix des hôtels malgré des changements d’horaires causer par les avions, une personne était là à chaque étape au moment de notre arrivée. Un grand merci à Dina qui nous a organisé un séjour sur mesure en famille dont nous garderons de merveilleux souvenirs
  
 
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   Anne 
 198 days ago
 
 
 Verified The best! Highly recommended! 10 out of 10 The best. Seamless from start to finish. Nothing is too much. Excellent communications. We did the Renaissance 5 day river cruise from Luxor to Aswan. 4 of us. We had our own knowledgeable and very solicitous guide who accompanied us throughout the cruise. GAT also met us at the airport and in Luxor to take us to the boat and introduce us to our tour guide. Everything on time, with clear communication. GAT also booked us the Elite sleeper train from Cairo to Luxor. Their cost was was very reasonable and it was a fabulous experience: a wonderful, clean and well designed compartment with excellent service, they even provided slippers! Mr Omar, one of the managers, based in Cairo, was superb in choreographing our entire trip. Thank you GAT
  
 
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   Ehab Marzouk 
 205 days ago
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. شركه في غايه الاحترام .مواعيد محترمه وأسعار مناسبه جدا ..بصراحه مكنتش شايل هم اي حاجه وانا معاهم
  
 
 
  
 
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6 hidden Gems in Egypt

You will read in this article

Feeling Lost ?

Djara Cave

Beasts Cave

Nilometer

Colored Canyon

Shali Fortress

Eel Garden

Your Journey, Your Way

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