I love writing blogs for clients. Not only do you usually get enough space to have some fun, you typically have some pretty exciting points to hit. My current role allows me to write a lot of SEO optimized blogs, including ones focused on animals. I can’t believe I get paid to write about giraffes.
8 HISTORICAL SITES OF EGYPT
Egypt’s culture and historical sites have held our attention and sparked our imagination for thousands of years. Its colorful myths, all-powerful pharaohs, burial rituals, and reverence for cats are irresistible to everyone from children to retirees. And nothing captures our interest more than the epic, iconic monuments that Egyptians erected over the course of its millennia in power.
Egypt is on many people’s bucket list. From pyramids to grand temples and lavish tombs, these are the must-see sites of this can’t miss destination.
LIGHTHOUSE OF ALEXANDRIA
The lighthouse of Alexandria was a spectacular 350-foot-tall watchtower that was the most famous and advanced lighthouse in the world. Built during the Hellenistic period around 280 BCE, it was perched on the island of Pharos in the Port of Alexandria. Topped by a massive statue of the sun god, the lighthouse was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. An elegant technological marvel, virtually every other future lighthouse maintained the same basic design.
Several earthquakes and the ravages of time destroyed the lighthouse, all signs of it lost to the sea. Until the 1990s, when a large collection of stone blocks and statues from the lighthouse were discovered deep in the waters of the Port of Alexandria. After the discovery, the Egyptian government protected the ruins by turning them into an underwater park open to divers.
GIZA PYRAMIDS AND GREAT SPHINX
The four Giza pyramids and Great Sphinx are among the most impressive, memorable structures in history. These icons of ancient Egypt were built 4,500 years ago during the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom. They were the eternal resting places for the nation’s great pharaohs, who expected to rise as gods in the afterlife. The pyramids are spectacular tombs built to memorialize and prepare the pharaohs for eternity and contained everything the god kings would need to thrive after death.
The Great Sphinx joins the pyramids on the Giza plateau. The reclining limestone statue has the head of a man, the body of a lion, and the unreadable expression of the Mona Lisa. The Sphinx’s nose is missing, but no one is really sure why. Rumors abound that Napoleon Bonaparte had his men destroy it with a cannon during his French campaign in Egypt.
VALLEY OF THE KINGS
From the 16th to 11th century BC, tombs were cut out of the bedrock of the Valley of the Kings in the desert outside of Thebes. These 63 tombs, which contained up to 120 rock-cut rooms each, were created for the pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom.
These lavishly decorated tombs, painted with detailed scenes from mythology and royal life, were filled with treasure. From gold and clothing to mummified remains, Egypt’s ruling class were interred with an eye to meeting all of their wants and needs in the afterlife. The most famous resident of the Valley of the Kings was Tutankhamen, whose miraculously intact tomb was uncovered in 1922.
LUXOR TEMPLE
Luxor Temple’s Egyptian history goes back over 3,400 years. A part of the ancient city of Thebes, it was the coronation site of kings and pharaohs from the new kingdom through at least Alexander the Great. The complex has contributions from many of the most recognizable names of antiquity. It consists of structures commissioned by Amenhotep III, Alexander the Great, Tutankhamun, Ramesses II, and even the Ancient Roman and Holy Roman empires.
TEMPLE OF HORUS AT EDFU
The temple of Edfu on the Nile in upper Egypt is one of the most intact shrines in the country. It was built between 237 and 57 BC during the Ptolemaic Kingdom. Its lavishly decorated walls have inscribed texts and painted scenes covering religion, language, myths, and vivid interpretations of the legendary conflict between Seth and Horus.
KOM OMBO
This unusual temple was mostly constructed during the Ptolemaic Dynasty in the first and second centuries BC. The complex is cut perfectly in half, with mirroring sides dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek and the falcon god Horus. It has completely equal billing of religious facilities, royal courts, and other rooms for both deities.
ASWAN HIGH DAM
The Aswan High Dam, the world’s largest embankment dam, was erected over the Nile in the 1960s. Near the border with Sudan, it was created to control the annual flooding of the Nile. Ancient Egypt relied on this annual event, but the unpredictability of the Nile flooding proved to be very challenging in the modern world. The dam created the artificial Lake Nasser, which forced the relocation of Aswan‘s ancient structures.
ABU SIMBEL
The most famous site impacted by the creation of Lake Nasser was Abu Simbel. One of the most spectacular sites in all of Egypt, it consists of two gigantic rock cut temples flanked by four colossal statues of a seated Ramses.
They were carved into the crimson stone in Aswan overlooking the river Nile in the 13th century BC. The two massive, seated figures, as well as smaller statues of Ramses’ children and wife at his feet, are some of the most iconic artworks in Egypt and the world.
The entire complex was moved in 1968. It took an incredible engineering effort to relocate the relief carving from its original position, which would have been flooded during the creation of Lake Nasser.
VISIT EGYPT WITH YMT VACATIONS
The best way to see the sites on this list of Egypt’s tourist attractions is on a guided tour, like our Ancient Egypt and the Nile River Cruise. Take away the complication of planning a trip that covers hundreds of miles across deserts, rivers, and millennia.
Instead, let YMT Vacations handle the details so you can enjoy the journey. Our tour combines a land tour with a Nile River cruise. Enjoy Egypt’s historical sites on a journey that covers everything. From creation myths to Cleopatra, the last pharaoh of Egypt. From the Luxor Temple Egypt to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, and beyond!
SOUTH AFRICAN ANIMALS
South African animals are some of the most iconic wildlife in the world. It’s home to nearly 300 mammal species, 450 reptile and amphibian species, and almost 850 different kinds of birds. This southernmost nation in Africa is a dream destination for animal lovers. South Africa is the best place in the world to the see legendary “Big 5” and countless other incredible animals.
BIG 5 ANIMALS IN SOUTH AFRICA
The Big 5 African animals are what people think of when they hear the word safari. Lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants, and Cape Buffalo make up the Big 5 because they are the most sought-after safari sightings.
LIONS
African lions comfortably sit at the very top of the food chain. These apex predators often live in prides of 15-30 individuals. Two to four adult males join numerous lionesses and young cubs in a highly social extended family. Lions also live in groups of just males or females, or as solo nomads.
Within prides, male lions patrol and defend their territory. Lionesses do most of the hunting, pursuing their prey as an effective, coordinated team. They often separate individual animals from their larger herd, corralling them towards other members of the pride. Because lions have poor stamina, they prefer a swift ambush to a long chase. Lions will stay concealed before lunging at the last moment to make the kill.
What all lions prefer, however, is free food. They will eat carrion or steal meat from other predators, whose only hope is to outrun or avoid the larger and stronger lions. Males can weigh up to 500 pounds, and big females have been known to tip the scales at 300.
CAPE BUFFALO
Cape Buffalo, or African Buffalo, are massive, famously ill-tempered members of the bovine family. This distant relative of the domestic cattle is known as one of the most dangerous animals in Africa. They are aggressive and fearless when their herd is threatened and can charge at up to 35 miles per hour.
Cape Buffalo live in herds made up of calves, females, and one or more dominant males. Smaller sub herds of bachelor buffalo linger around these mixed herds, remaining on the outskirts until mating season.
The dominant bulls tolerate these other males because the bigger the herd, the better. Cape Buffalo rely on the strength of the group for safety, sticking close together when predators are nearby.
When Cape Buffalo herds are attacked, they mob their predators. Adults will break from the herd to aggressively hurl themselves at any lion, leopard, hyena or crocodile that they deem to be a threat. Cape Buffalo have been known to chase lions up trees and not let them down for hours at a time.
RHINOCEROS
The mud-loving, near sighted, double-horned rhinoceros is one of Africa’s most fascinating animals. The two African subspecies, white rhinos and black rhinos are both grey. Black rhinos weigh between 2,000-3,000 pounds, and white rhinos vary between 3,000-7,000 pounds.
Rhino skin is incredibly thick yet sensitive. Mud is the rhino’s version of sunscreen, bug spray, and self-care all in one. From a young age, rhinos wallow around the edges of waterholes, rivers, and even large puddles to cover themselves with protective mud.
When a rhino senses a threat, its first instinct is to charge. Because their vision is poor and their charging instinct strong, they have been known to attack rustling trees and boulders when startled.
Rhinos have a symbiotic relationship with oxpeckers, small birds that can survive just on the parasites on a rhino’s skin and face. Along with pest control, oxpeckers also act as the rhino’s alarm system. Perched on the rhino’s back, oxpeckers alert their large friends to danger in the distance.
LEOPARDS
African leopards are strong, athletic, and intelligent. They are perfectly adapted to survive and thrive in the unforgiving world of the South African savanna.
Leopards are masters of concealment. Their light fur and dark spots help them remain hidden in the tall grasses, trees, and riverbanks where they stalk their prey. Leopards hunt at night, ambushing and overpowering prey with their powerful jaws and tremendous strength. The strong swimmers have been known to watch prey for hours from the muddy banks of rivers and watering holes.
Bugs, birds, and small mammals are all part of leopards’ diets, but they can also take down much larger animals. When they do kill a heavy animal such as a springbok or zebra, leopards have to be careful with their leftovers. They drag their kills up trees, carrying up to 200 pounds of meat high into high branches well beyond the reach of other predators.
ELEPHANTS
The biggest land animal in the world, elephants are the genius gentle giants of South Africa. Males stand between 10-11 feet tall and can weigh more than 15,000 pounds.
Because of their size, elephants have no natural predators. However, they are in constant battle with heat and the blazing African sun. Like rhinos, they coat themselves in mud to protect their thick yet sensitive skin. In addition, elephants use their floppy ears like fans, flapping them to stay cool.
Elephants use their trunk to smell, breathe, touch, and communicate. Their trunks are capable of extreme precision and gentleness. They can crack open a peanut, wipe their eye, or pluck a single berry from the top of a 23-foot tree. Their trunks are also able to function like a snorkel—very useful during a swim.
An elephant’s sense of smell is more than four times as powerful as a bloodhound’s, and is particularly fine-tuned to the smell of angry bees. African bees are one of the few things that elephants fear. The infamously aggressive “killer bees” can fly inside an elephant’s trunk to sting them—which is certainly something an elephant will never forget.
OTHER ANIMALS IN SOUTH AFRICA
The Big 5 makes up just a tiny fraction of South Africa’s magnificent wildlife. Funny, fast, or fierce, you’ll want to keep your eyes peeled for even more uniquely South African animals found across the country.
CHEETAH
Cheetahs are the fastest animal in the world. They can run at 60 miles an hour, making the sleek and slender cat one of the most formidable hunters in Africa. Their tall legs, deep chest, and long tail help are perfectly adapted for extraordinary speed and agility. These big cats can reach a full sprint in fewer than three seconds, and turn and stop just as quickly.
Male cheetahs are far more social than females. Males often live in groups made up of brothers and unrelated males they meet along the way. These groups share prey, offer one another affection and protection, and are usually healthier and larger than solitary males. Females, on the other hand, want nothing to do with other cheetahs. They remain alone except during mating season and the first two years of their cubs’ lives.
HIPPOS
Hippos are big, bad, semiaquatic herbivores that range in size from 2,800 to 3,300 pounds. They spend most of their lives in and around the water, typically only leaving at sunset to graze for hours on up to 150 pounds of grass at a time.
Despite spending the lion’s share of their time underwater, hippos don’t float and can barely swim. When a lake or river is deep enough to submerge in completely, they sink and either walk or bound along the bottom.
Most hippos live in schools of about 30 males, females, and calves ruled over by a single dominant male. These alpha bulls viciously defend their territory, their hierarchical position, and their right to breed. They are violent fighters, using their teeth to slash and stab other males, crocodiles, or the poor unsuspecting animals who wander onto their banks for a drink.
PENGUINS
African Penguins, also known as Cape Penguins, are delightful little birds that live in colonies along the rugged South African coast. They are around two feet tall and weigh just about 9 pounds.
African penguins don’t fly, but they are powerful swimmers who catch and eat up to a pound of squid, anchovies, and sardines every day. Their sharp beaks are excellent weapons, used in hunting and self-defense. The risk of a nasty pecking is one of the reasons that visitors to South African beaches are encouraged to give these tuxedo-clad cuties a wide berth.
GIRAFFE
Towering at a height of 14-19 feet, giraffes are the tallest mammals in the world. Perched on 6-foot-long legs, they stride through the savanna in search of treetops rich with luscious leaves. They eat hundreds of pounds of greenery each week, which is also their main source of water.
They travel in small same-sex herds of females and their offspring, or bachelor males. During mating season, males occasionally fight for the chance to breed. The males pummel one another using their long necks, with fights usually ending without injury to either. Giraffe births, on the other hand, are quite violent. Females give birth standing up, so the first thing a newborn giraffe experiences is a short free fall and very abrupt landing.
TAKE A SOUTH AFRICA SAFARI TOUR WITH YMT VACATIONS!
See the National animals of South Africa with YMT Vacations. Our South Africa Safari Tour is a dream come true for any animal lover. Spend a full day and a half on safari in Kruger National Park. See rare African penguins at Boulders Beach. Discover hundreds of species of birds at Birds of Eden, the world’s largest free flight aviary. Look out for dassies at Table Mountain National Park. This unforgettable journey will allow you to see these animals in their natural habitat, and promises to be one of the best vacations of your life.
IS THERE A REAL SOUTHFORK RANCH?
Glamorous magnets for drama, the impossibly wealthy Ewing family dominated television from the late 1970s through the early 1990s on the primetime tv series Dallas. Their constant scheming, backstabbing, cheating, and deception gripped viewers—350 million people around the world tuned in on November 21, 1980, to find out who shot J.R.—and one of the most popular characters was the opulent setting itself.
The Ewings were a fictional Texas oil family who loved money, power, and the legendary Southfork Ranch, their massive familial estate. Southfork Ranch, the setting of many of the most infamous moments from the series, was extremely real, however, and viewers have been eager to see it in person since the show’s earliest days.
WHERE IS SOUTHFORK RANCH?
Have you ever wondered where was Dallas filmed? Duncan Acres in Parker, Texas was chosen in 1978 by Lorimar Productions to stand in as Southfork Ranch, Dallas’s most important filming location. Once the show became popular, fans flocked to the ranch 25 minutes outside of Dallas, Texas. They hoped to catch the cast and crew filming the newest scandalous scene.
They were often disappointed, as all interior scenes were filmed at a sound stage in Los Angeles. Even so, Duncan Acres was so inundated with visitors that the owners decided to sell the property.
The new owners officially changed the name to Southfork Ranch, and opened the grounds and house to the public. It soon became a mecca to fans of television’s hottest drama. It’s estimated that in 1984, when the show was at its most popular, over 1 million fans came to Southfork Ranch.
Twenty years after its successful first run ended, Dallas remains a huge draw—and visitors continue to line up for tours of the ranch. The grand mansion and orderly grounds entice fans of the show who wish to get out of the city to see the real Texas.
HOW BIG IS SOUTHFORK RANCH?
The show makes the Ewing’s home seem as if it takes up about a third of the state, but how big is Southfork Ranch? The property, now worth approximately $6 million, covers over 300 acres. It includes the 5,900-square-foot Ewing Mansion, herds of horses and cattle, barns, a large event and conference space, and numerous other buildings.
SOUTHFORK GROUNDS
After you’ve seen the mansion’s many rooms, take a walk through Southfork’s stunning grounds. Fans of the show will love the pool. Though it may be a lot smaller than they’d expect because of the movie magic used in filming.
Everyone will appreciate the many acres of smooth lawn, the grand Texas live oak trees, the massive Texas Longhorns, and the friendly horses. You can book trail rides or horse-riding lessons to get the true experience. In addition, you won’t want to miss taking a picture with Jock Ewing’s grey Lincoln Continental—a true boat of a car measuring 19-feet from tip to tail.
CHUCK WAGON DINNER
What visit to a Texas ranch would be complete without a barbecue? Groups can sign up to enjoy The Chuckwagon Dinner. Eat traditional Texas barbecue with all the fixins’, served from the back of a wooden-wheeled chuckwagon. Nothing is better than delicious barbecue enjoyed to the sound of gently strummed campfire music and cowboy poetry—it’s a perfect Texas end to a perfect Dallas day!
EXPERIENCE A SOUTHFORK RANCH TOUR WITH YMT VACATIONS
If you’d like to see what all the fuss is about, join YMT at “The World’s Most Famous Ranch” on the Heart of Texas & New Orleans tour. Explore the grounds, tour the Ewing Mansion, and enjoy a delicious Chuckwagon Dinner at Southfork Ranch as part of your tour of Dallas.
diana cowgill 