A great place to experience something totally different to your normal walk of life! The culture is strong and exciting.
I flew into Cairo from London on dusk. My driver to the hotel didn't have his headlights on (like everyone else I soon noticed), and it made for an exhilarating ride...like dodem cars in the dark! A lot of beeping and flashing of lights.
I stayed at the President Hotel in Cairo, a standard 3 star hotel handy to Embassies and good for walking.
My tour was with Transglobal - the Imaginative Traveller. I got plenty of time to see the Museum, the Markets, and obvious sights like the Pyramids, Sphinx of Giza, Aswan Dam, Philae Temple, Luxor, Hatshepsut Temple, Valley of the Kings, to name but a few.
I just had to have an Arabian horse ride near the Pyramids on the outskirts of the desert. Of course, also a must is 'high tea' at the famed Agatha Christie movie - Death on the Nile - the old Cataract Hotel.
My trip down the Nile was on a Doma, bit more comfortable than a Felucca, but not the standard of a fully air-conditioned cruise boat.
There were plenty of historical temples and buildings to see, some even by Donkey!
Abu Simbel - get there early to try and avoid the crowds.
St Catherines Monastery - for the fit and early risers.
Crossing borders is always interesting, but Jordan is well worth it. I stayed at the Ambassador Hotel, again good location and standard.
I visited Jerash, a well preserved Greco-Roman city, the Dead Sea, Petra (the rose coloured city) is a must, especially if you enjoyed the Indiana Jones movie.
A tour around some of wadi Rum Desert to take in the vastness and catch a glimpse of some 'nomads'. Rest up a little at Aqaba, on Jordan's water edge.
The smells and the people really make this part of the world unique. Be prepared to adjust to their culture, so as to not offend, but this only adds to the fantastic experience.