Egypt Travel Tips

[Barbara Radcliffe Rogers]

Does anyone have recent on-the-ground experience in Egypt? I'm looking specifically for information on pracitcal issues: getting a visa at Cairo airport, safety, dining in Luxor and Aswan, best ways to see the major Nile Valley sites (cruise, land-based tours or separate day trips with guides?) and info on the beach resorts.

Many thanks!

Barbara

[Ed Wetschler]

Barbara, my experience with questions like yours is that some tour operators or tour guides or other Egyptians will chime in soon, but meanwhile, my own two cents:

• The Egyptian Tourist Board in NYC  -- egypt.travel -- will answer your question about the visa; call [phone].
• Safety: The hotels are safe to a fault; returning to your hotel after a day's sightseeing at the Egyptian Museum (where I'd gladly spend a week, if I had the time) or the pyramids and sphinx (surprisingly close to downtown Cairo) is like going through airport security. What's more, if you're on a tour bus, that quiet, smiling Egyptian near the front seat, the one with a body like Barry Bonds', is probably a security guy, and he takes his job of protecting tourists very seriously.
• Safety, part 2:  Be damned careful if you walk around Cairo. It's not just that men will hit up on you; it's that Cairo has the worst drivers in the world. Yup, in the world, and I'm not trying to be dramatic here.
• Nile Valley sites: Visitors love to see the two temples at Abu Simbel at dawn. For good reason, too; the word "monumental" may have been coined there. Catch is, the way people do it is by getting up at 2 a.m. to take a 4 a.m. flight from Cairo. If there's a better way, please let me know.
• Nile Valley, Part 2: I strongly, strongly recommend a Nile Valley cruise, because there are magnificent sites and sights all along the route, and each is surprisingly unique. Mind you, this cruise ship recommendation is from someone who normally abhors cruising.
• Luxor: If you skip the cruise (sigh) and just fly south to Luxor, where the cruises tend to end, you will of course see the two extraordinary temple sites that are right in this small town. There's a grand old hotel, too, where Agatha Christie stayed; highly recommended. It's The Winter Palace.
• The Valley of the Queens is near Luxor. It doesn't do much for me.
• The Valley of the Kings is also near Luxor. The tombs and their extraordinary painted walls are, for me, the highlight of a trip to Egypt. That's right, even more so than the pyramids and sphinx, which are pretty darned good themselves.   
• If possible, see this movie -- Cairo Time -- first: http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Cairo-Time/70124185 . Romantic times ten -- but truthful, too.

[Ahmed Khattab]

HI Barbara

first of all i want to thank you for your interest in my country Egypt and i want you and the others to be sure that Egypt is very safe for tourism and what is going on these days is just some objections from the protestors and the tourists are very safe

as for the questions you are asking about you can get the visa at Cairo airport and if you book any organized tour you will be able to see all the places you want and your guide will tell you where to go and when to go  also he will give you some advices how to deal with the Egyptians

i am telling you these things because i used to work as a tourist guide for more than 15 years and i have a degree in Egyptology and now i own my own travel agency and we arrange all types of tours till this day in every place in Egypt

if you want me to help you in any thing concerning tours in Egypt or even in any information concerning Egypt please feel free to contact me

this invitation is for every one not only Barbara

my company is called Scepter Travel and the main office is in Cairo and we have a branch in Luxor and another in Hurgada

our website is www.sceptertravel.com

our E-mail is [e-mail]

my personal E-mail is [e-mail]

skype- ahmed.sabry.khattab1

i wish you all merry Christmass and i hope 2012 will be better than 2011

warm regards

Ahmed Khattab

[Sam Scribe]

Ahmed, what did you think of Wetschler's comment about having to get out of bed at 2 A.M. to catch a flight to Abu Simbel. Is there a better way to do it?

[Ahmed Khattab]

Hi Sam

concerning the early flights to Abou Simble let me first tell you that we always take the early flights from Cairo in order to be able to reach Aswan to embark the Nile cruise and complete the tour since the tour to Abou Simble is always a part of a package

as for the other ways to visit Abou Simble you can do it from Aswan since we have two ways to go there

the first is to fly from Aswan and we have like 6 flights every day in different times

the second way is to go on land but in this case you will get out of bed very early because the security convoy leaves Aswan at 4 am and another one at 4.30 am

some times we ask for a special convoy to our clients and we pay the fees for that so it is a matter of organization

[Lynne Sullivan]

Ahmed, thank you for your reassuring and wise advice on visiting your country. I was there before the protests and want to visit again next month, but an Egyptian friend, living  here in the U.S., suggested I wait a year. Honestly, I prefer to go when fewer tourists are roaming about. Your comments have rekindled my wish to visit soon.

Thanks

[Ahmed Khattab]

Lynne,many thanks for your lovely words that make me feel pleased and make me glad that there are some people love our country like you

also many thanks for the people you met in your first visit to Egypt because they succeeded to give you a good image about Egypt

when i was studying in the faculity of tourism in Cairo university one of our professers told us to know if you succeed or not as a tour guide to give the tourist a good idea about your country is to find some people from your party ar your group as we say here want to come again to Egypt

this words were always in my mind for 15 years when i was working as a tour guide and now when i have my own travel agency i always say these words to the guides who are working in my company

it does not mean that i do not work as a guide but i do like 4 tours only a year to be a break from the office work

you can not imagine how happy i feel when i share some of my knowledge about my country with some people and you find the people interested in that

if you are comming to Egypt next month if you want me to help in arranging your tour feel free to contact me and if you are doing your tour on your own contact me before you come to meet you and i am ready to be your guide in Cairo

wish you a merry christmass and happy new yearthis a photo of me with an American group taken in 2010

[Keith Kellett]

I didn't want to respond to this one at first, because I haven't visited Egypt for several years and the situation there is ever changing. But, when Ahmed mentioned the ways to get to Abu Simbel, he didn't mention the Lake Nasser cruise boats.

 

Are they still operating?

 

Although it's rather dated now, my account of our Lake Nasser cruise is at http://www.justsaygo.com/travel-stories/beyond-the-cataract-nile-ri..., if you're interested.

 

Cordially,

Keith

http://travelrat.wordpress.com

[Ahmed Khattab]

Hi Keith

i didn't mention the cruise ships in Lake Nasser because i was writting about the way that most of the tourists are interested to know about which is the over day tour to Abou Simble but as for the cruise ships in Lake Nasser they are still working but these days we have only one cruise ship doing this tour because the number of tourists in Egypt is very low but when the number increases for sure the rest of the cruise ships will work again but you must not forget that such tour will take 4 days so those who want to do this must make there holiday longer

[Tarek Abdel Halim]

Hi Barbara, hi every one,

 

My name is Tarek Abdel Halim. I work as a tour guide and egyptologist like Mr.Ahmed Khattab. Based in Cairo, I have been taking tours for about 15 years. I wholeheartedly agree with my colleague Mr.Khattb; Cairo is absolutely safe. The tourists are never a target in Cairo as well as the whole of Egypt. If any happens to the tourists, you will certainly hear of it back home. Here in Cairo the locals take care of the tourists as they know that tourism is one of the biggest industries in Egypt.

The disturbacnes are just around the Ministry of Interior and the Egyptian Parliament which are quite far from all the sights of Cairo such as the Pyramids, Saqqrara, Memphis, Dahshur, Old Cairo, Coptic Cairo, the Grand Bazaar .....etc. Although the Ministry of Interior and the Parilament are near the Egyptian Museum, even the Museum itself is safe too. I'm so happy to tell you that since the Revolution broke out last January, I have never stopped taking tours in and around Cairo. It's just been a little quiet.

Here are just some of my the tours I have taken over the last six weeks :

- Dr.Jonathan Melunsky from the UK

- The Maxwells from Australia

- Mrs.Sylvia Walters and Mrs.Ann Barrett from the UK

- Mrs. Kristin Clemmensen owner of ViaTours in Norway

- Mr.&Mrs.Mohamed Rashid from India

- Mrs.Lisa Colquitt and her family from the USA

....... and many others

 

My piece of advice to every one is to do the sights with a registered, licensed tour guide as the Egyptian guides have degrees and know what they are talking about. It will be my pleasure to show you around Cairo. You can see my website where you can see all the tours I take in and around Cairo and get a lot of details.

http://www.ToursByLocals.com/CairoEgyptTourGuideService

 

This invitation is extended to all members of Tripatini.

 

If you have any question, you can write to me. Here are my e-mails :

[e-mail]

[e-mail]

Have a nice day every one.

Tarek

 

 

[Barbara Radcliffe Rogers]

Many, many thanks to all of you who have responded so helpfully! We have been forced to postpone our trip for a few months (not out of security fears but because of an unexpectedly heavy work schedule), and will certainly have a better experience because of your help and advice!

Barbara

[Ahmed Khattab]

you are most welcomed

[adel taha]

Hi Barbara,

I wish you happy day and sending you all Love from Egypt....I wanna give you just a peaceful note.....if you wanna come to Egypt , just wait after Jan25 and then we will see what's going on.

I will be happy to support you  of what you want and need.

The King.,