To Egypt – Travel + Lifestyle + Architecture Blog

We started the group tour in Jordan, then we spent several days in Israel, (Day 1 to 7). For the Israel Blog, chick here.

Day 8 – Transfer to Egypt/Taba/The Red Sea

We headed to Eilat, Southern Israel to cross Egypt via Taba land border. It took around 5 hours to Eilat from our base hotel in Bethlehem. All our entry documents and visa were handled by the tour agency. We spent our first night in Egypt at Taba Strand Resort, a beachfront hotel along the Red Sea. Strand was the best hotel that we stayed in during the course of the pre-arranged trip. It was a great night for us to rest.

DAY 9 – Saint Catherine / Transfer to Cairo

After breakfast at Strand, we head to visit Saint Catherine Monastery, on the foot of Mt. Sinai, where God appeared to Moses in a burning bush. Saint Catherine’s Monastery is the oldest continuously inhabited Christian monastery in the world, dating back 530 AD. The site also holds the world’s oldest continually operating library, with unique or extremely rare works, such as the Codex Sinaiticus and the Syriac Sinaiticus, as well as possibly the largest collection of early Christian icons, including the earliest known depiction of Jesus as Christ Pantocrator.

We then proceed to Cairo Egypt via Suez Canal. Along the way, you will see the granite mountain of Mount Sinai and Wadi El Raha where according to tradition is the area where the Israelites camped and the golden calf was forged (Exodus 32). It was an 8-hour drive across the Egyptian desert. We arrived in Cairo at around 8pm in the evening.

DAY 10 – Pyramids

Day 10 was the highlight of the Egyptian trip, as we explored one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, the three great Pyramids of Giza.

Tip: Never miss the camel ride, as this takes you to a higher area with good vantage point of the pyramids.

Day 11

Our last day in Egypt was spent on a relaxed pace. We visited the famous Egyptian Museum with over 100,000 exhibits which boast the most comprehensive collection of Pharaonic art in the world. The highlight of the exhibit is the Treasury of King Tut, including the the priceless golden mask.

Random view of the city of Cairo,taken from our hotel. This tour was pre-arranged by OTE manila.

Day 11 concludes our Tri-country trip to the Holyland. Everything was pre-arranged by OTE Manila. As someone who is used to DIY backpacking travel, this pre-arranged tour was such a luxury and a relief from all hassles of preparation. We felt pampered all-throughout. Never kami nagutom. Kudos to OTE Manila. This is not a paid post! Na-appreciate ko lang yung experience, most especially the bonds and friendship we shared with our co-tourist, including the OTE owner himself, who was with us during this trip. Sa uulitin! =)

Osaka Dinner Set

~~$200.00~~ $150.00

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A dream journey that took almost a year to fulfill.

It was October 2021 when I came across an online post promoting an all-inclusive package trip to the Holyland. The tour is set as a non-sectarian pilgrimage; A ten-days excursion curated to follow the Biblical stories that happened in Jordan, Israel and Egypt. I did some research and comparisons, and found the offered package practical, since it would be impossible for me to travel to these countries DIY, given the pandemic set up.

The packaged tour is operated by Online Travel Express, a Manila-based travel company. Departure date was set at summer of 2022, since we had to wait for the travel restrictions to ease out. This also gave me more time to prepare. After a series of rescheduling due to travel rules, we finally departed July 2022; and as I was told, we were the first batch of Filipinos to depart for the Holyland, post-pandemic (or something like that). We were 26 pax in the group; the brave few per se, to travel despite the situation.

It was my first time to join packaged tour, where everything was pre-arranged; Visas, Airfares, tours, hotels and meals, land transfers and guides. The agency also assisted on all the entry documentations for each country, as well as the Ph requirements upon return. Overall, I felt that getting an all-inclusive travel package is the better option when visiting the Holyland. Everything was hassle-free from my end. The experience was worth the cost.

The curated tri-country tour covered 10 days. Sharing here some highlights.