tinydancer

I cannot believe anyone is booking any travel to Egypt NOW!

I guess if you don't keep up with the news life is just a bowl of cherries.

MissGreen

I found I didn't wear my hat a lot. I found the sun very different from that at home in Australia.

Axel2DP

>>I found I didn't wear my hat a lot. I found the sun very different from that at home in Australia.<<

You mean the sun is more intense in Australia?

Casual_Cairo

tinydancer - where are you getting your news? FOX? There is more to the story and there is no problem with coming to Egypt now....although I'm sure they don't show it that way. Many - many - many tourists have been here since the revolution and are returning to say it is fine, safe, and a wonderful time to come. They have zero to gain from telling you this - do you think they are still lieing to you? I mean, while I don't necessarily agree across the board, I can understand why people would say that business owners and guides would lie to get people to come to Egypt because they need the business - but when a tourist goes home and explains that everything is fine or even better now with fewer tourists to navigate around in the Museum or at Giza, why would that ring untrue to you?

MissGreen

Axel... yes exactly. I also found the heat to be humid despite everyone saying it was a dry heat. I didn't wear sunscreen (yes I am bad) and I never got burnt. I did get a little pink at times but no different from back home in my Australian summers of up to 40 C (100F).

ggrace

Thanks for the advice Fodorites. We're really looking forward to our adventure and counting down the days.

Cameronase

How about the civil disturbance? has it completely died down?

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Casual_Cairo

<<How about the civil disturbance? has it completely died down?>>

Not completely died down, but it does not need to be a bother for tourists. A tourist has no need to be in *Tahrir Sq on Friday day. Plan your trip around avoiding Tahrir Sq on Friday if you are uneasy about that, but having said that, there are certainly tourists that are wanting to see it and be in the middle of it, and they leave saying, "WOW! What an experience."

If you are uneasy about Tahrir, probably it is best to avoid the Museum on Friday. Unless you are super confident and adventurous, have a good guide that knows the city with you most of the time. The sites are still very empty so it's still a great time to see them. There is LOADS to see other than the Museum in Cairo, and it is available 99% of the time, so no need to miss it either, if you can be flexible with your schedule to some degree (if need be).

*Friday in Tahrir Sq you might find thousands of Egyptians protesting peacefully.

Casual_Cairo

<< I also found the heat to be humid despite everyone saying it was a dry heat.>>

I agree whole heartedly. Only those from very humid climates would call this a dry heat in the summer. We get plenty of humidity in my opinion. I'm from Washington state - a nice dry place. (It may rain, but the humidity level in the summer is nil)

ggrace

We will be arriving in Cairo late on a Friday evening. Our hotel is the Talisman. We will be touring Giza, Saqqara and Dashur on the Saturday and Cairo on the Sunday. At this time, I'm not concerned. However, we can make adjustments to our itinerary if necessary.

nola77382

Chiming in about food and drink: Egypt had the best food I've ever eaten on a vacation (up there with Peru, New Zealand and Italy). I'm really picky but everything I ate for two weeks was delicious! I loved the Tahina, Babaganoush, grilled chicken, fish dishes, tagens--it was all outstanding! The bread was crazy delicious. I avoided yoghurts sitting out on breakfast buffets but ate cheese. None of us had any stomach problems. We took probiotics two weeks before going and while we were there. We brushed with bottled water (I relaxed this rule at the Old Winter Palace since we'd been in Egypt 8 days by then) and only had ice cubes at the Mena House or OWP. We ate at Sofra and Jewel of the Nile in Luxor--both outstanding and cheap.

About the heat--I'm from New Orleans and live in Houston. The Egyptian heat was delicious compared to what I'm used to--very dry usually with a nice breeze. I wore a hat and used sunscreen on my face all the time. I let my arms be sunscreen free a few days and they're nicely tanned. I would have burned without the hat and sunscreen.

Giza, Sakkara and Dahshur will take you out of Central Cairo: Take lots of water--it's hot out there (even in March). Cheers.

Grcxx3

<<About the heat--I'm from New Orleans and live in Houston. The Egyptian heat was delicious compared to what I'm used to>>
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Ditto!!!!

ggrace

I live in Canada. For me, winter is 6 long, very cold months. I am looking forward to the heat!

layanluvstotravel

ggrace--- we will also be in Egypt in July and were thinking about going to Luxor. We've heard it will be boiling hot (and that's from Egyptians). Anyway, how do you plan on handling the heat? Do you know if the evenings are cooler?

sf7307

We were in Egypt in August 2008. Cairo was hot but bearable. Luxor was almost unbearable, actually the hottest I have ever been. We started our sightseeing at 7 a.m., and quit by lunchtime. We spent the rest of the day at the lovely pool at our lovely hotel (the Steigenberger). One day we decided to go out sightseeing again after "siesta" so we would have the next day entirely free, and wow. We went to Karnak Temple, which was actually our very favorite of all the antiquities we visited in Egypt, but HOT is not even the word for it. Broiling is more like it. We survived, but it's not something I would recommend -- we didn't have a choice as to when to go.

ggrace

We visited Death Valley in California a couple of years ago in July. It was 125+ F or 50C. So, we're abit experienced with heat. We'll probably do most of our sightseeing in the early and late hours, and be poolside or in the shade during the day.

sf7307

Poolside IN the shade is a perfect way to spend the afternoons!

jahlie

You might consider taking along a travel umbrella. My friend did when we traveled to Egypt last month and although the sun wasn't at it's hottest...it came in handy in Luxor. Luxor and the Valley of the Kings/Queens seemed to have a relentless sun...an umbrella might look stupid but it's works. I'd say travel in the early morning (the light is nice too) but still, take along your own traveling shelter.

As for food - only one of the four of us had a problem and it was brief. We ate out all the time - we only ate dinner at a hotel one night (Moghul Room at the Mena House - fabulous) - and found the food good, service great and atmosphere...well, that's what it's all about. Zamalek in Cairo is a leafy green neighborhood and will be a respite from downtown Islamic/Coptic Cairo - if you stay at a hotel there. I'm sure Upper Egypt is heating up as we speak, so precautions there are important. Get our as early as possible and plan on lazy afternoons.

I can't begin to tell you how excited Egyptians are about the possibility of freedom in their future. We all were infected with the energy and I hope you enjoy Egypt as much as we did.