Egypt is a country that mustn't be ignored. (Shutterstock)

It's not to be visited without thorough research and an idea of what you're getting yourself into first, but for those adventurous and open-minded travellers out there, Egypt is a country that mustn't be ignored.

There are, of course, plenty of luxurious resorts, nice beaches, swanky restaurants and cruise ships.

But then again, you can find those things anywhere.

And if you'd like to truly experience this Middle Eastern country planted on African soil, you'll bypass the opulent digs and stay in the two- and three-star hotels with clunky air conditioners and questionable washrooms and you'll feast on pigeon and pitas like the locals.

After all, it isn't a first-world country, so leave your expectations at the door and dive in headfirst.

For many North Americans, the first sign of culture shock is going to be a religious experience.

Approximately 80% of Egyptians are Muslim, which has immediate implications for attire, food and drink, and day-to-day life, including five calls to prayer daily.

Non-Muslim females in particular are bound to draw an unexpected amount of attention, sticking out like sore thumbs without the traditional hijab or head-to-toe coverings -- a nearly impossible task for non-locals to pull off in the often 40C+ heat.

Unnerving, yes, but also incredibly fascinating. And just think: You'd be missing that experience if you were sun tanning on a cruise liner.

The majority of Egypt's topography is dry and desert-like, though there are certain spots -- along the Nile River, farmlands in the country's south, and on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the North -- that boast lush flora and fauna or even jungle-like conditions.

The big cities -- Cairo, Aswan, Luxor -- are filled with impoverished slums, garbage, dust and stray animals, but sprinkled with modern, well-kept business and tourist districts. The disparity between classes is alarmingly blatant.

But of course, you don't go to Egypt for the scenery or the cityscapes.

You go for the history, and in that department, this country is abundantly wealthy.

The Great Pyramids and the Great Sphinx of Giza, located on the outskirts of Cairo, are likely the country's best-known features and though they are crawling with tourists, they are well worth your time. When standing at their bases, the magnitude of these ancient sculptures has the power to make you feel so tiny it's confounding.

But though the pyramids and sphinx are must-sees, they also steal the spotlight from some of Egypt's other buried treasures.

A visit to Aswan in the south, for example, is highly recommended.

Here, you'll find many of the locals consider themselves more African than Middle-Eastern, descending from an area called Nubia.

Though Aswan offers many attractions of its own -- including sailboat, or felucca, rides up the Nile and a hidden gem, if you can swing it: dining with Nubians in a household buried deep in the jungle -- it also serves as a base camp for treks south to the absolutely remarkable Abu Simbel temples.

The temples, threatened in their original location by the creation of Lake Nasser following the construction of Egypt's High Dam, were cut into more than 1,000 blocks and pieced back together in a new location which, when you see the size and detail of the stone carvings, is almost more incredible than the monuments themselves.

The trip from Aswan to Luxor is easily broken up by visits to two magnificent temples -- Kom Ombo and Edfu -- where thousands of hieroglyphics tell the tales of life in Ancient Egypt.

You'll find yourself wishing you'd taken enough vacation time to stay two weeks in the temples alone: one to stand under the pillars in awe and the other to try and decipher the meanings of these historic emblems.

When you arrive in Luxor, you'll quickly learn it's home to Egypt's most fantastic attraction -- the Valley of the Kings. If you had only one day to spend in the country, it should be spent here.

An archaeological treasure, the valley boasts dozens of hidden tombs of Pharaohs -- some of them unsettlingly deep underground -- still ripe with colourful paintings miraculously preserved to honour the mummies once hidden there.

The valley is also home to one of the most renowned tombs ever uncovered, that of King Tutankhamun, or King Tut, who ruled Egypt at the age of nine. His mummy is still inside the tomb, which was discovered in 1922 with all of the treasures still there, unlike most of the other tombs, which had been raided by time they were discovered.

On the other side of the valley is the impressive temple of Hatshepsut, one of Egypt's longest female rulers.

Once you arrive back in Cairo, it's worth going to see the Egyptian Museum and the Citadel, which is the original walled city and houses a beautiful mosque -- women, note: you must be covered -- as well as the military museum.

If you have time, visit Coptic Cairo and its Hanging Church, home of the city's much-smaller Christian-Egyptian population, and the Khan el-Khalili market, where you'll experience the true pressure of Egyptian salesmen and likely walk away with a mountain of scarves.

With Cairo being as large as it is -- about 20 million people -- it's inevitable you'll be travelling across the city by car or local transport at some point.

For those with weak stomachs -- be forewarned, you will need anti-nausea drugs; the only apparent rule on Cairo's streets is that there are no rules, or lanes for that matter.

For a complete change of scenery, head to Alexandria, which is accessible with a three-hour, non-nauseating drive from Cairo and borders the Mediterranean Sea.

Here, you'll tour the underground maze of catacombs, which offers a refreshingly different type of hieroglyphics: Egyptian drawings heavily influenced by Greeks and Romans. You'll also be able to test your palette with local seafood, a change of pace from the copious amounts of beef and poultry you'll have stomached in the south.

The sites named here are only the beginning, as Egypt is rich in culture and history and nearly everything is worth seeing, if you have the time and can stand the heat.

If you travel the country via bus, train, felucca, car, or any other form of local transport, you'll see the real Egypt and as disconcerting as it may be at first, Egypt will see the real you.

Immerse yourself and leave the beaches for your next trip to Mexico.

JENNA.MCMURRAY@SUNMEDIA.CA