Traveling Huntleys

Inspiring travel stories, tips, and guides from a couple exploring the world one destination at a time.

Africa

Kom Ombo, Egypt

by Leave a Comment

Kom Ombo is nestled along the eastern bank of the Nile in southern Egypt. It is a remarkable site that offers a glimpse into the rich tapestry of ancient Egyptian history. Unlike many temples that honor a single deity, Kom Ombo is unique in being a double temple, dedicated simultaneously to Sobek, the crocodile god, and Horus the Falcon, the sky god. This dual dedication is evident in the temple’s symmetrical design, with duplicate courts, halls and sanctuaries reflecting the importance of both gods in the region’s spiritual and cultural life.

Kom Ombo double temple Ptolemaic columns rising above the east bank of the Nile at golden hour, Egypt
[Read more…] about Kom Ombo, Egypt

Valley of the Kings, Egypt

by Leave a Comment

Valley of the Kings in Egypt is a desert valley on the west bank of the Nile, opposite modern Luxor, where pharaohs of the New Kingdom chose to be buried in hidden rock‑cut tombs instead of towering pyramids. From the 18th to the 20th dynasties, roughly 1539–1075 BC, it served as the principal royal cemetery for most of the great kings of this era, along with some queens and high officials. The valley lies beneath a natural pyramid‑shaped peak called al‑Qurn, which likely reinforced its symbolic connection to rebirth and eternal life. After Dendera Temple we traveled to the Valley of the Kings.

Valley of the Kings arid desert landscape beneath the pyramid-shaped peak of al-Qurn, west bank Luxor, Egypt
[Read more…] about Valley of the Kings, Egypt

Karnak Temple, Egypt: Amun-Ra, the Great Hypostyle Hall & the Avenue of Sphinxes

by

Flying from Cairo to Luxor takes just under an hour, but the journey feels like crossing millennia. Luxor was ancient Thebes — the capital of Egypt’s New Kingdom pharaohs for nearly five centuries — and from the air you can begin to see why they chose it: the Nile cutting a narrow band of green through absolute desert, the cliffs on the west bank where they carved their tombs into the rock, the temples rising on both sides of the river below. Karnak was the first thing on the agenda, and nothing quite prepares you for the scale of it.

Karnak Temple, Egypt
[Read more…] about Karnak Temple, Egypt: Amun-Ra, the Great Hypostyle Hall & the Avenue of Sphinxes

Cairo, Egypt: Ancient Wonders, the Grand Egyptian Museum & a City That Never Sleeps

by

Flying into Cairo from Amman felt like crossing into a different world entirely. Jordan’s ancient desert landscapes gave way to the sprawling gray-brown expanse of Africa’s largest city — more than 23 million people packed into the valley of the Nile. We had read the statistics, but nothing quite prepared us for the sensory reality: the haze of exhaust and desert dust hanging over the skyline, the wall of sound from traffic that never stops, and the particular thrill of realizing you are standing in a city that has been continuously inhabited for over 6,000 years. Pharaohs built monuments here. Napoleon invaded here. Somewhere beneath the chaos and the pollution, that layered history runs very deep.

Cairo, Nile River, Egypt
[Read more…] about Cairo, Egypt: Ancient Wonders, the Grand Egyptian Museum & a City That Never Sleeps

Cape Town, South Africa: Cape Point, Boulders Beach & the Cape Winelands

by

Last Updated: May 2026

Cape Town was our base for the entire Africa trip — we flew in through Johannesburg, used the city as our hub between the safari legs, and flew home from here. It is one of the most beautiful cities we have ever visited. The setting alone is extraordinary: Table Mountain rising over the city, the Atlantic on one side and False Bay on the other, and miles of dramatic coastline stretching in both directions.

Cape Point Nature Reserve, Cape Town, South Africa
[Read more…] about Cape Town, South Africa: Cape Point, Boulders Beach & the Cape Winelands

Stellenbosch, South Africa: Wine Tasting in the Cape Winelands

by

Last Updated: May 2026

After Botswana we flew back to Cape Town and drove east into the Cape Winelands. Stellenbosch sits about 30 miles from Cape Town in a valley framed by mountains — a Dutch colonial town settled in 1679 with a Mediterranean climate of hot dry summers and mild wet winters that makes it one of the great wine-growing regions in the world. We spent two days here exploring the estates before flying home, and it was the perfect decompression after the intensity of the safari.

Thelema Mountain Vineyard, Stellenbosch, South Africa
[Read more…] about Stellenbosch, South Africa: Wine Tasting in the Cape Winelands