Egypt

Egypt's history is impossible to ignore. An ancient heartbeat thumps through Giza's pyramids at dawn. The pyramids rise from the desert outside Cairo. Felucca boats drift quietly along the Nile. The streets of the capital buzz with markets, traffic and the smell of koshari cooking on every corner. Snorkel shark-filled Red Sea reefs, hot-air balloon over Luxor's Karnak temples, or haggle for silver in Khan el-Khalili's feverish bazaars. It’s a place where ancient history sits right alongside everyday life. Temples, deserts and riverbanks have been drawing travellers here for centuries.