Morris Murdock Escorted Tours

This was an experience of a lifetime! To learn about the wonders of Egypt, let alone be there seeing them in person as we learned about them, is something none of us on our tour will ever forget!

Our tour group was made up of family, and friends, and by the end, we considered all family after the time and experiences we shared together.

The itinerary was well planned – we saw more in 10 days than we could have seen in three times that on our own. The tour company guides and drivers who facilitated our travel, entrance into sites, meals, and lodging, made it all run so smoothly. We felt well taken care of and thus we were able to enjoy everything we saw to the fullest.

Dad, our tour guide, otherwise known as Dr. C. Wilfred Griggs, is so knowledgeable. His background in ancient history and as an archaeologist in Egypt for over 30 years made our experience so meaningful. He is an excellent teacher, and you can feel his energy and love for the country.

A summary/overview of our trip including the seven wonders of Egypt. There are way more than that! We saw wonder upon wonder during our tour!

June 7-9

Arrived in Egypt after our travel day. Visited the Giza plateau – to think about how these pyramids were built is mind-boggling!, the Great Sphinx – it was carved out of one block!, camel rides for all who wanted to participate, and Sakarra where we saw the oldest standing step pyramid.

Stopped by the City of the Dead on our way to the Meidum Pyramid, one of my favorites. It’s also known as the collapsed pyramid, but it gives insight into how it was constructed, and to imagine how big it was originally is hard to comprehend. A short stop to look at Hawara Pyramid which was built out of mud bricks, and then to Fayum City to see the ancient canal of Joseph and water wheels. This place is known for its basketry – we may have bought a few. (o: We stopped by Karanis, an ancient city built by Romans, and enjoyed the scenery and a stop by the lake in the Fayum on our way back to Cairo.

Our hotel accommodations were lovely. The meals were superb and a swim in the hotel pool was so refreshing after our hot day.

June 10-14, Nile Cruise

A flight to Luxor and a stop by Karnak Temples before boarding our ship. Karnak is a gigantic temple complex comprising several temples and structures and then a visit to Luxor Temple which was once connected to Karnak by an avenue of sphinxes. To see the magnificent ruins of these structures conjures thoughts of how grand they were historically and the carvings and paintings within tell so much about their beliefs and culture.

We boarded our cruise ship that evening and set sail. The ship was beautiful, our rooms were comfortable, the food was amazing, the staff was so kind and accommodating, and the view along the Nile was breathtaking! Looking out at the women doing laundry in the river, children at play, water buffalos, tropical plants, grass huts, etc. It gives a picture of Egypt and the lifestyle that you can’t get any other way.

We visited Valley of the Kings, a series of tombs built to protect the bodies of the Pharaohs after they died, including King Tut’s tomb – it was one of the most intact tombs ever discovered. The walls were covered in writing.

The mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut is a magnificent structure, one example of the power that women also had in Egypt. 

We visited Deir el-Medina, the worker's village that inhabited the workers who built the tombs in the Valley of the Kings. They also made their own tombs under their houses and these were even better preserved than the ones we saw at Valley of the Kings. 

We spent an afternoon on the boat sailing the Nile and enjoying the scenery, a moment to reflect and take it all in. 

Edfu Temple was the most complete of temples that we saw. From room to room, we saw inspiring structures and pictures carved into the walls.

We sailed to Kom Ombo temples, two temples built by the Greeks, parallel to each other for two gods, Horace the falcon and Semak the crocodile God. 

A stop to see the unfinished obelisk, which dates back to about 1500 BC. It is located in a limestone quarry. We learned how they cut and polished the granite. The obelisk is giant in size! It cracked before they finished it so it was left – I can’t imagine how they would have moved it! But that is what I have thought about so many of the awesome structures in Egypt.

We flew to Abu Simbel, where we saw the border temples built for Ramses II and Nefertari. They are very magnificent. We also got a good look at Nasser Lake, the lake/reservoir above the high dam that provides water to the Nile River.

A felucca ride around Elephantine Island before we board our ship for our last night on the Nile.

June 14 & 15

After disembarking our cruise ship, we rode a small boat to the Temple of Philae. This was another favorite. It was so pretty and what stood out to me most were the beautiful columns, all having different designs at the top.

Driving through Cairo gives you an experience of culture like none other.

We visited the Salaheldeen Citadel & Mohamed Ali Mosque, a fortress and an active mosque. Our local guide, Sherif, who stuck with us throughout the whole tour, was so flexible and able to arrange and rearrange our sightseeing and accommodations when flights were delayed or some sightseeing took longer than others (he was amazing!), gave us a brief history of Egypt and his Muslim religion.

Our last stop for the day was the Grand Egyptian Museum. It isn’t completely open yet, but we could walk up the different stairs and see lots of ancient statues of different pharaohs.

I still can’t believe I was there and experienced that! Thank You to all who made that trip happen!