Sometimes I hear that people are interested in traveling to particular places but they hesitate going because of the presumed lack of veggie-friendly dining options. Vegan travel presented some problems in Egypt, but there were some decent options too.

In February 2008, I traveled to Egypt for a 10 day vacation. My journey started out as a 5 night Nile River cruise from Aswan in southern Egypt (30 miles from Sudan border) to Luxor in central Egypt. Then my tour group flew to Cairo for the last leg of our sightseeing.  land of pharaohs, hieroglyphics, and the Nile River! I selected Gate1Travel as my tour company. They are so professional, have great guides, and bring you to out-of-the-way places that locals frequent, in addition to popular touristy spots. An advantage to traveling with a tour company is that their local guides are fluent in both English and their native language, so they can be a great source when needing a translator for vegan questions when ordering meals in a restaurant.

On the cruise ship, much to my surprise there were several food options. Some of the staff did speak a little English. However, to be on the safe side I asked my tour guide to inquire from the chef as to what items were indeed vegan. There were salads of course. One of my favorite dishes was fava beans. A national dish is Ful medames which is the fava beans in basic olive oil. I really enjoyed it! The buffet included several veggies. Then there was the pita bread. I can’t say enough about the tasty pita bread in Egypt! Its 1000 times better than the version we eat in the USA. It was like eating potato chips, you wanted one after another.

As the ship docked in various ports, we sometimes ate at local restaurants, in addition to onboard dining. One restaurant that stood out had a vegan tangine of vegetables in a tomato sauce. Then they spread out various dishes of hummus, baba gannoush, olives, and other spreads. There was an open-fire clay oven producing warm, soft pita bread one after another. Heavenly!

First stop was Cairo. However, the next morning we immediately went to the airport again this time to catch a flight to Aswan in southern Egypt. In Aswan we boarded our Nile River cruise ship, a luxurious ship with entertainment, dining, and lots of space.

After settling in for a quick rest, we hopped on the tour bus with our local guide and headed to Aswan. The Aswan dams were built during the last century  to regulate flooding, to provide electricity and to bring water sources for agriculture. In southern Aswan, we toured the many ancient temples, admiring the detailed hieroglyphics. A major tourist attraction is Abu Simbel Temple. The entrance has 4 enormous statues of on its front facade.

There are no vegetarian or vegan restaurants in this region. Bring your own snacks or order side dishes at cafes. I ate on board the cruise ship and filled my tummy with the delicious fava beans and pita bread.

Back to the cruise ship by name when we set sail overnight to Luxor.  During the evenings, there were many music and dance performances onboard. I got to learn new dance moves and perform with the professional dancers! While stopping for lunch one afternoon after a land tour, the group stopped at an outdoor restaurant with singers and musicians to entertain us while we dined. I joined those performers in a dance also. Vegans can fill up at these type of restaurants. They place a huge spread of hummus, baba ganoush, and various other items along with plate upon plate of freshly baked pita bread. You can request for the chef to prepare a vegetable tagine stew dish.

In central Luxor, we visited Valley Of The Kings and Queens and went underground to see the tombs of many past Egyptian rulers, kings and queens. We even saw King Tut himself. The Valley visits are definitely worth the trip as the hierogylphics underground still contain rich, vibrant colors due to being unaffected the elements of weather.

Another day of sightseeing brought us to Karnak, Luxor Temple, and other historic ruins. The hierogylphics were quite impressive with their intricate details and carvings. Our guide pointed out the animal, people, and other symbols carved into the pillars and walls of the temples and what their significance was.

For one evening in central Luxor, my tour group stayed at a large, elegant hotel, the Sofitel Winter Palace. Their main restaurant had vegan options, incuding that popular veggie tagine with tomato sauce. Egypt does not have many cuisines of its own. Instead other Arab-influenced dishes such Moroccan are popular. Luxor does not have any specific vegan or vegetarian restaurants. However, the various Moroccan dishes such as vegetable tagine are vegan (just verify with the waiter that it contains no animal stock or butter). It is a wonderful vegetable stew in a tomato sauce.

Luxor is also known for its wonderful local spice market. I stopped at one market in one of the alleyways near the main street (recommended by my local tour guide). I purchased about 15 to 20 spices and herbs, in addition to local Hibiscus leaves for tea. All of the spices were from Egypt and other parts of Africa. When I arrived home, I did a google search for Egyptian and Middle Eastern recipes. I have been using my spices and herbs ever since, in soups, vegan entrees and stir fries. The dried Hibiscus leaves make a wonderfully potent tea which you can sweeten with vegan sugar.

Our tour group went sailing on a small boat on the Nile, passing by various landmarks and residences.

You make new international friends when you travel, another great benefit. I had the pleasure of being invited to meet a local Egyptian family in their home. Their son had been chatting with me in a gift shop during the day and had then extended the invitation. The experience of visiting a local family in their home was something that a tour company could not provide. I met siblings, parents, and grandparents. Their door proudly displayed images of their nation and their faith. The hospitality of the family was evident as they provided me with food and hugs.

In Cairo itself, I had a good dining experience. The restaurants’ main staples are those hummus, various spreads and warm pita bread. The restaurant also was able to make a vegan tagine of vegetables for me, as a moment’s notice.

During the evening, my tour group visited the ancient ruins during the light show performance.

We flew to Cairo in the morning. Again, I was very pleased with the veggie-friendly dining options in Cairo. There is actually a very veggie-friendly restaurant in town called “L’Aubergine”. Anywhere you dine, it is possible to order the vegan pita bread, hummus, fava beans, and usually the veggie tangine.

Sightseeing was phenomenal! Finally in Cairo, must-sees are the Grand Pyramids of Giza (spend an extra $5 to go inside for a once-in-a-lifetime experience but only if you are not claustrophobic), the sphinx, and the huge Egyptian Museum.

Along the way, there are so many touristy options. I recommend a visit to an Egyptian carpet-making factory(you can practice weaving with the staff), a perfume/essence factory(purchase essences for poor memory, sinusitis, stress, etc), a papyrus paper factory.

One afternoon we journeyed to a town just about 30 minutes from Cairo called Saqqara. The oldest pyramid called “the Step Pyramid” resides here, upon which the Grand Pyramids in Giza were based.

This was absolutely the “trip of a lifetime”!! I completely enjoyed my sightseeing and dining experiences in vegan-friendly Egypt!