Good Day Travelers!
The time has come where I will share my last post about my travels trough Egypt with you guys. In my past posts I've already highlighted monuments and special locations around Cairo and Giza - In this post, I will share my overall experience about the 22 days I've stayed in this massive City!
Until today I could not really find out how many people actually live in Cairo - Google says: 23 Million, the locals say it's way above 40 Million! Either number, the city is massive!!!! On the picture below you can see a image which I took shortly before landing and I can promise you, that this is just a tiny part of the actual size of the city!
Arriving in Cairo
With my German Passport I was able to purchase my Visa on arrival - It costs 25$ and it lasts for 30 days. The process takes just a few minutes and can be done right beside the immigration counter.
After passing the immigration counter you'll find the usual confrontations - "Hi Friend, Taxi Taxi" - But I suggest you to just tell them that you've already a driver waiting. Most of the time this works :))
Inside the arriving hall you can find different simcard providers and you'll pay around 10$ for 25 GB Data Volume. After that, just open your UBER App and order a driver who picks you up. You will be shocked on how incredible cheap the UBER prices are in Egypt - I payed about 2.5$ for a 20 min ride into the city!
The second option is taking the Metro which is also convenient but it can be pretty crowded at certain daytimes. Also, seeing everything in Arabic can be quite confusing sometimes (There are also some english signs around the stations)
Source
Where to stay in Cairo
That's obviously a question of your personal taste. But I, as a solo traveler can only suggest you to look for an AirBnB - I've payed about 20$ per night in the popular Heliopolis district and my apartment had everything from washing machine, kitchen, 2 bathrooms and there was a lot of space to relax and cool down after days of walking.
From what I've heard is that Hotel and Hostel prices are also quite cheap compared to other countries. You will definitely find a places which you like for any kind of budget!
Above you can see 2 images during sunset from my balcony. It was always a highlight seeing this colorful event after a long day of walking. Sitting on a chair, drinking a tea and just have a moment of inner piece. Yap, life can be good!
Cairo
Not only is UBER an incredible cheap way to get around the city, it's also an amazing opportunity seeing the life of the locals! As the streets are so massive and chaotic, there are so many things you can discover and see. Below I will share some images from the impressions I've got during rides - I'm sure some of them will make you smile :))
As a photographer I was also super happy that people didn't mind when I took images out of the cars window. Just make sure to not photograph military and police vehicles/persons and you'll be fine taking pictures where ever you want.
The highlight was definitely driving through the old part of Cairo - There are lots of Mosques and other old buildings you will see while driving past them. It sometimes really felt like I traveled the time 200 years back!
What to do in Cairo?
There are honestly lots of things you can do in this City! 4 of the major ones I highlighted already in my previous posts:
Just check them out if you are interested. A few other places which I need to highlight are definitely the Khan el-Khalili Bazzar and the near by Al-Haklim Mosque. Both places should definitely be on top of your list!
To get to both places you simply mark the Bazar in your UBER map and the driver will drop you at the main street which connects both locations (Images Below)
Al-Haklim Mosque
The historical Mosque was completed in 1013 by Al-Hakim and renovated in the 1980s. As you can tell by the age it's an incredible important place in Cairo.
There is one thing which I didn't know when I entered the Mosque - It's actually not allowed to take pictures with a professional camera, just a phone. A friendly stuff member from the Mosque informed me about this after I already took some images and lucky me, I did not have to delete my camera images. I'm pretty happy about this as the Mosque is just stunning!!!
Not only was I lucky for taking pictures there, I was also super lucky that there was a group of very friendly prayers who visited the Mosque as well. I loved their colorful clothes and they also greeted me with smiles when I walked around to take some shots of this place. Such a great visit - Put it definitely on your list!
Khan el-Khalili Bazzar
This massive Bazzar was founded in 14th and some people told me it's still the biggest in entire Africa. I can't confirm it but by the size it really could be - It was massive.
The issue I had there was that it can get pretty annoying passing all the sellers and sorry, scammers. Some of them really try to sell you stuff as hard as they can and most likely don't accept a "No" (Not all of them, just some). That alone gave me quite a mixed feeling and I did not really feel comfortable taking a lot of pictures there. If you walk around without camera, it's fine, if you have your camera in the hand - People will "attack" you. So here are a few from the shots I took.
Overall it's a nice market. All the colors, fabrics and the handmade stuff - Pretty fascinating. There are also some little tea shops around which are really enjoyable with a great atmosphere inside of the market.
Do I recommend you to visit Cairo?
So, it's a yes. Probably you shouldn't stay for 22 days there as I did but yeah, a few days can be pretty exciting in this impressive city. Most people who visit Egypt go to the beach areas for diving or on short trips to the Pyramids. Cairo itself seems pretty undiscovered and it really has a very nice and special charm.
Egyptian people are super funny and nice to stay around with. I really don't want to include the street hasslers and scammers to the population but they are sadly a part of it and you should be aware when you consider traveling there. But for all the adventures - Just give it a go and judge yourself. You may either hate or love it, ha!
Thanks for virtually joining me on my trip!
Best,
Chris