Southalltravel.co.uk Wins The Best Consolidator Award 2009 by Kenya Airways

In what is seen as another leap forward, the UK based Southall Travel has recently bagged the ‘Best Consolidator’ Award for 2009 from Kenya Airways, one of the most renowned air carriers in Africa. Mr. Bruce Watson, Sales Manager UK and Ireland, Kenya Airways presented the award to Mr. Jaymin Borkhatria, Director of Sales, Southall Travel at an agency-appreciation lunch and awards ceremony organised by the airline at the Simpson’s-in-the-Strand, London. Also present at the event were Ms. Salina Hussein, the Key Account Manager for Southall Travel at Kenya Airways, and the representatives of some of the distinguished travel agencies in the country.

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The Cairo factor....

The ‘Mother of All Cities’, Cairo offers its visitors some of the most unforgettable charms of the world. The magnificent pyramids at Giza and the awe-inspiring sphinx capture the imagination. Colourful history lessons come alive at the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities where one gets to behold the much acclaimed Tutankhamen gold in the Tutankhamen galleries and the mummified pharaohs in the Royal Mummy Room. The grand Hanging Church dazzles with architectural brilliance. Another major crowd puller is the ‘City of the Dead’, a humongous burial site.

The shopping experience at the Khan al-Khalili bazaar is unparalleled. Here, one may share coffee with the local merchants and indulge in spicy local gossip or engage in robust bargaining to pick tremendous deals. Check out divine healing at Bab Zuwayla’s southern gate. Inside the gate, one may do well to climb the looming minarets of the Mosque of el-Muayyad and take in a bird’s eye view of the city.

Cairo also has Memphis, supposedly the world’s first royal city. There are lots of picturesque areas like Old Cairo, Coptic Quarter, and Islamic Cairo, which together with the commanding citadel, give a museum like appearance.

Cairo vacations mean treating your eyes to such sightseeing wonders during the day and watching gyrating belly dancing during the night. Sounds interesting? Call your travel agent to locate cheap flights to Cairo for a memorable vacation.

Dreaming Egypt

Egypt, the ‘land of the pharaohs’, makes for a dreamlike vacation. Assail your senses with a trip to the much celebrated Giza pyramids and the Sphinx. The haunting Egypt Museum overwhelms with its myriad treasures, most notably the Tutankhamen memorabilia and the mummies of the 11 most powerful pharaohs. One may go on a long hike up the iron clad Mt. Sinai and be rewarded with the beauty of a glorious desert sun rise. Stealing glimpses of Berber and Bedouin lifestyles is possible by taking a camel safari to one of the six Western Desert oases. A captivating sight of rock formations worn dazzling white by howling winds greets the visitor at the White Desert.

The Valley of the Kings, the resting place of kings, queens, and nobles, is another famed attraction. Another equal, if not more intriguing spot is the immense necropolis called ‘City of the Dead’. Spend a morning exploring the mesmerising Temple of Karnak in the picturesque Luxor, a city richly steeped in the cultural legacy of the pharaohs. Head to the serene town of Aswan to catch the last remaining traces of Nubian culture. A French colonial ambience can be recaptured at Alexandria, where nineteenth century architecture and patisseries dot the city.

Gourmets can gorge on the best of Middle Eastern and International culinary delights. Egypt is at its liveliest during the night, when fun and frolic spills out on the streets and does not stay confined to discos and night clubs. With more and more flights to Egypt being offered from all major UK airports, reaching this exotic destination is getting simpler by the day.

The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities

The Museum of Egyptian is must to watch if you are planning holidays to Cairo. The Egyptian Museum in Cairo, is home to an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities. There’s around 120,000 items, on display and the remainder in storerooms. So if you want to feel Cairo culture and it’s history don’t forget to visit the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo.

The Royal Mummy Room of the museum contains 27 royal mummies. The most attractive location of Cairo was reopened with a slightly curtailed display of New Kingdom kings and queens in 1985. There you will see all the historical mummies, never expected anywhere in the world. Mummy of Queen Hatshepsut is one of the popular mummies in display there now days.

Ground floor and first floor of the museum contains a wide collection of ancient belongings. The ground floor of the museum is the extensive collection of the papyrus and coins used in ancient world. The numerous pieces of papyrus reveals several languages used in ancient Egyptian. You will be able to see all coins used in ancient Egyptian trade. You will see artifacts from the final two dynasties of Ancient Egypt on the first floor. It includes items from the tombs of the Pharaohs Tuhtmoisis III, Tuhtmosis IV, Amenophis II, Hatshepsut, and Maherpen, and also many artifacts taken from the Valley of the Kings

The museum is an antique collection of ancient stuff. You will love to see it on your visit to Cairo. The museum will attract you more if you are coming from UK. It is a perfect destination as per the taste of Brits. They love to see such unique things and admire it too. Cairo is full of many interesting locations. Just take your flights to Cairo and enjoy the unique creation of ancient Egypt. The museum is waiting for you. Go and see it.

Cairo Information and flights booking

Cairo, also known officially as al-Qahirah is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Middle East and Africa. The city is considered to be the heart of Egypt and is home to more than 16 million people approximately. With a range of historic attractions to offer and no dearth of cheap flights to Cairo, this city has become one of the magnetic tourist destination attracting travelers from various parts of the world. The city boasts the awe-inspiring pyramids of Giza which dominate the skyline of the city’s periphery. The Cairo Museum has the astonishing gold of Tutankhamen and other exquisite artifacts of ancient time

Find more information on booking hotels and flights to Cairo at Southall Travel, top travel company in UK.

List of Cairo National Public Holidays

Here is the list of Cairo National Public Holidays:

New Year's Day - January 1st
Coptic Christmas - January
Coptic Easter - March / April
Sham an-Nessim - March / April
Sinai Liberation Day - April 25th
May Day - May 1st
Liberation Day - June 18th
Revolution Day - July 23rd
Wafa'a el-Nil - August 15th
Coptic New Year - September
Armed Forces Day - October 6th
Suez Victory Day - October 24th
Victory Day- December 23rd

Let’s Fly to Cairo

On a budget holiday, we turned lucky to have found some cheap flights to Cairo and a budget hotel to spend 6 nights contentedly with this magical city! The hotel was surprisingly a cheap hotel located in the upscale area of Zamalek.

As soon as our flight to Cairo landed we witnessed a noisy, chaotic place full of traffic, buzzing with clamorous and somewhat excited voices of hawkers. Surprisingly, the feeling was short-lived and was soon replaced with the sound of mosque prayers.
The following days saw us infused with an invigorating energy, an excitement and exhilaration engulfed us every day as we rushed through a maze of narrow streets of Khan al-Khalili bazaar, pored over astonishing gold of Tutankhamen in the Cairo Museum, explored the Nile island of Gezira, “walked like an Egyptian” under the tall, awe-inspiring pyramids of Giza and relaxed in some of the city restaurants, puffing leisurely on a sheesha while watching the life of the city whirl past.