The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Omar El Galla is the first Egyptian to travel a total of 6,500 KM by bike all around Egypt in 65 days! And that is only the start of what he has set out to do.

Omar was just 11 years old when his father bought him an atlas, and he immediately realised that he was only experiencing a small part of the world; there was so much more out there to be explored and discovered.

He started by trying his hand at various sports, and by the age of 15 he focused more on track events and specialised in the 100m and 200m sprint races. At that time, his goal was to compete in national and international tournaments, and take part in training camps abroad to help him travel the world. Unfortunately, in 2007, Omar experienced a severe back injury. For his back to recover, doctors advised a long period of rest. This gave Omar an opportunity to focus on graduating from college and starting a career. He saw this as a chance for him to save up money with the aim of eventually using these savings to travel the world.

Omar got the chance to travel to South America for two months in 2013 and said that he had the opportunity to get to know the people living there and explore different cultures.

On September 27, 2018, Omar started his cycling trip around Egypt; his goal was to cycle 5,000 km in 50 days. This eventually turned into him cycling 6, 500 km in 65 days. He said that “it is not just a cycling trip, it’s an experience.” During his journey, Omar had some rules: he would not pay for any accommodation. He either had to camp or rely on strangers to host him. He also had a budget of 50 pounds per day. Omar believed that this experience would help him mentally and physically.

He started from Cairo and cycled to Domyat, Port Said, Ismailia, Dahab, El Gouna, Alexandria, and many other places.

For his next journey, Omar will ditch his bike and take a more “Forrest Gump” approach; he will be running from Abu Simbel to Alexandria, starting on March 15th! If he succeeds, Omar will not only the first Egyptian to cycle across Egypt, he will also become the first Egyptian to run across Egypt.

We are certainly cheering him on!