It’s always been a storyteller of epics, so it’s no surprise Egypt is back in the limelight with new riverboats up and down the Nile, and new hotel openings and remakes of the grand dames.
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I’ve recently returned from my second home, Cairo, and have been running updates in the Australian media us on the incredible changes to the Pyramids of Giza, the Grand Egyptian Museum and the restoration of some of Egypt’s historic hotels.

Talking Egypt with Sydney radio station 2GB

2GB afternoons host Michael McLaren is another a fan of Egypt. Having visited it years ago, I think after our chat, he’s keen for a re-run. I’ve spoken to him about Central Asia and other Middle Eastern destinations in the past, and this time, we focused on Egypt.

Michael reckons you shouldn’t get on a camel… clearly, he’s had a dodgy experience. The key is to negotiate the price before you jump up. And certainly don’t pay in advance. Because the question is not “How much does it cost to get on a camel,” but it them becomes “How much to get off!”

We also talked about the new airline links to Egypt, his favourite ship on the Nile and the biggest event for 2027, the solar eclipse, which takes place next August.

Take a listen to our chat:

And also on The World Awaits podcast

​The great thing about being a co-host on a podcast is that it lets you indulge your passions, and clearly my travel passion is for this part 
of the world.

Packed with more tips on places to visit in Egypt, we’re also talking about the three grand dames that Hong Kong hoteliers Mandarin Oriental have snapped up, and are thankfully refreshing in Egypt. They are the Old Cataract down in Aswan, formerly a Sofitel, as well as the Winter Palace in Luxor, which last time I visited was in serious disrepair, and finally Shepheard’s Hotel in Cairo, which was the place to hang out in the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries.

There’s also a pile of new builds, as Egypt replenishes its hotel stock ahead of a bumper year for tourism.

We’ve been waiting for this comeback for nearly a decade. So finally, after dodging COVID, instability within the country and wars not of its making on its borders, it’s Egypt’s time to return into the sun.

Cairo at Night, Dream by Luxury Escapes magazine

The best description I’ve ever heard about Cairo’s sleeping habits is that it’s not so much a city that never sleeps, but a city that sleeps in shifts.

So it won’t shock anyone that this story I wrote on spending a night out in Cairo starts early and finishes… well, it finishes as late as you’d like, with plenty of snacking to get you through. Remember, this is a country that doesn’t judge you on how late you sleep in the mornings.

For my suggestions, I’ve started you out on the Nile at sunset, because the Nile is always the beginning or the end of any Egyptian journey. I’ve then sent you into modern Cairo’s club scene, into medieval Cairo for dinner, and to a gloriously old school cafe that’s open 24 hours a day. There are rooftop cocktails, because everyone loves a good rooftop, and a walk between floodlit 13th-century palaces, just to tie it all up with a neat bow.

The trick is to not underestimate your travel time. This sprawling megalopolis is home to 26 million people, and traffic jams at 1am are just how we roll in Cairo.

desert sand dunes

Need more North Africa? Come with me to Algeria!

If too much North Africa is never enough, why not join me on a journey through Algeria next March?
I’ve teamed up with British adventure specialists Untamed Borders to run this 12-day tour from the Mediterranean down into the Sahara.
Along the way, I’ll run a series of travel writing workshops. So if you’ve ever wanted to become a writer, pen that memoir or simply write a snappy postcard, come join me!
See more here on my website, Read More