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I Finally Visited Edfu Temple by Horse Carriage and Packed These
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items Planning a Nile cruise stop at Edfu and wondering what to actually bring, wear, and do during that horse carriage ride to the temple? I showed up my first time in sandals with no water and learned every lesson the hard way. This is everything I wish ...
Sections
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Sun Protection That Survives Egyptian Heat
Staying Hydrated When There's No Water for Miles
Comfortable Shoes for Ancient Stone Floors
Camera Gear That Handles Dust and Low Light
Dealing with the Horse Carriage Ride Itself
What to Wear Inside Edfu Temple
Sun Protection That Survives Egyptian Heat
The carriage ride is open-air and the temple has almost no shade. I got sunburned through my shirt the first time, which I didn't even know was possible.
Slather this on before you leave the cruise ship. I skipped reapplying once and had a red stripe across my nose for three days. SPF 100 sounds extreme until you're standing in direct Egyptian sun at noon.
Anthelios Melt-In Milk Sunscreen for Face & Body SPF 100
Grab this if you're the type who forgets to reapply sunscreen on your ears and neck. The flap folds up when you want photos and drops down when you're walking through the open courtyard. Saved me from looking like a lobster.
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Wear this instead of a regular tee. It breathes better than cotton in 105-degree heat, and it dries in minutes when you sweat through it. I wore a dark cotton shirt my first visit and felt like I was wrapped in a wet towel.
Men's Silver Ridge Utility Lite Long Sleeve Shirt
Staying Hydrated When There's No Water for Miles
Once you're on that carriage and heading to the temple, there's nowhere to buy water that isn't wildly overpriced. Learned that one the expensive way.
Fill this with ice water on the ship before you leave. Still cold two hours later in the Egyptian sun. My travel buddy brought a plastic bottle and it was warm soup by the time we reached the temple entrance.
Wide Mouth
Toss a packet into your water before the carriage ride. Sounds dramatic, but the heat hits different in Upper Egypt. A friend got dizzy halfway through the temple tour because she only drank plain water and barely any of it.
Liquid I.V.® España
Keep a pack in your bag for before you eat or drink anything. The carriage handles, the temple walls, the horse, you're touching everything. Not glamorous advice, but it kept me from getting sick when half my tour group didn't.
Wet Ones Singles Antibacterial Hand Wipes
Comfortable Shoes for Ancient Stone Floors
The temple floors are uneven limestone, and some areas have loose gravel. I watched someone in flip-flops nearly twist an ankle on the ramp leading inside.
Swap your hotel slippers for these before the carriage ride. They grip on dusty stone, they dry fast if you sweat, and they look decent enough for photos. I wore mine across three temple visits without a single blister.
Women's Teva Hurricane XLT2 Hiking Sandal Review
Pair these with closed-toe shoes if sandals aren't your thing. They wick sweat instead of turning into soggy cotton sponges. I brought regular socks on my first Egypt trip and threw them away after day two.
Men's Coolmax® Hiker Micro Crew Midweight Hiking Socks
Use these if you want ankle support on the uneven floors inside the temple. They're heavier than sandals but worth it if you have weak ankles like I do. Walked for three hours straight without any foot pain.
Men's Moab 3 Hiking Shoes
Camera Gear That Handles Dust and Low Light
Edfu Temple has some of the most detailed carvings in Egypt, but the interior halls are dark and the outside is blindingly bright. Plus, dust gets everywhere.
Bring this if you want sharp photos in the dim inner chambers without using flash, which isn't allowed. The autofocus locked onto hieroglyphs in near darkness while everyone else was getting blurry phone shots.
Sony Alpha a6400 Mirrorless Camera with 18-135mm
Keep your camera in this during the carriage ride. Dust and horse hair fly everywhere on that road. I had my camera hanging from my neck once and spent twenty minutes cleaning the lens before I could shoot anything.
Everyday Sling
Snap this onto your phone if you don't want to carry a full camera. The temple columns are massive and impossible to capture with a standard phone lens. Got the entire hypostyle hall in one shot instead of awkwardly backing into a wall.
Moment T-Series
Dealing with the Horse Carriage Ride Itself
Nobody warns you that the carriage ride is bumpy, dusty, and about 15 minutes each way through a small town. Here's what made it actually enjoyable.
Pull this over your nose and mouth during the carriage ride. The road kicks up dust and the horse, well, smells like a horse. I looked silly but breathed easy while everyone else was coughing.
Multifunction Headwear Buff Original EcoStretch Neckwear
Get small bills from the ship's front desk before you leave. The carriage driver expects a tip, and if you hand over a large note you're not getting change back. I learned this on my very first ride and overpaid by about triple.
Buy Egyptian Pounds
Slip these on if you get motion sick easily. The carriage bounces on cobblestones and the horse doesn't exactly maintain a smooth pace. A woman in our group turned green halfway there. These would have saved her morning.
Sea-Band Anti-Nausea Motion Sickness Bracelets
What to Wear Inside Edfu Temple
It's a working archaeological site with some dress expectations, and the temperature swings between blazing courtyard and cool dark halls caught me off guard.
Wear these instead of shorts. They cover your knees, which some guides request, and the stretch fabric doesn't stick to your legs when you sweat. Rolled them up during the carriage ride and down again at the temple entrance.
Prana Stretch Zion II Pants
Toss this on as your base layer. It covers shoulders, which you'll want at the temple, and it doesn't hold sweat stains. I wore the same one two days in a row and nobody could tell. Not proud, just honest.
Patagonia Women's Capilene Cool Daily Graphic Shirt
Drape this over your shoulders if you're wearing a tank top. Works as a quick cover-up at the temple and doubles as a dust shield on the carriage. I bought mine at a market in Luxor for almost nothing and used it every single day.
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Snacks and Energy for a Long Morning Stop
Most Nile cruises dock at Edfu early morning. Breakfast on the ship is rushed, and there's nothing to eat near the temple that won't upset your stomach.
Stash two of these in your bag before leaving the ship. The temple visit takes longer than you think, especially if your guide is thorough. I hit a wall of hunger at hour two and regretted not packing anything.
RXBAR Protein Bars
Toss a bag of these in your pocket for quick energy between the carriage ride and the temple walk. They don't melt in heat like chocolate does, and the salt replaces what you're sweating out. Shared mine with a grateful stranger from Germany.
Sahale Snacks Banana Rum Pecans Glazed Mix
Drop one of these into your water bottle halfway through the visit. They dissolve fast and taste better than plain warm water when you're overheating. My guide actually asked me what I was drinking and bought some for himself later.
Nuun Sport Electrolyte Tablets Mixed Flavors
Guidebooks and References Worth Having on Hand
Your cruise guide will cover the basics, but having your own reference made the carvings and hieroglyphs so much more meaningful. I stared at walls blankly my first visit because I had no context.
Read the Edfu chapter the night before your visit. It gives you enough background to understand what you're looking at without being an Egyptology textbook. I highlighted three things to find and it turned the visit into a treasure hunt.
Solo Female Travel in Egypt | Tips, Safety & Routes
Flip through this if you're genuinely curious about why Edfu matters. It explains the Horus myth carved on the walls in a way that made me stand in front of one relief for ten minutes straight. Heavy book though, so maybe read it on the ship.
The complete temples of Ancient Egypt
Download the Arabic language pack before you lose Wi-Fi signal. Helpful for reading signs, negotiating carriage prices, and thanking locals in their language. One phrase in Arabic got me a genuine smile from our driver and a smoother ride back.
Download languages to use offline - Android phone & tablet