Hiring drivers in Egypt
Jun 23rd, 2008, 09:30 AM
#1
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Hiring drivers in Egypt
This is sort of a followup to the post on Abu Simbel.
Assuming we fly from Cairo to Luxor and stay 2 days. Can a car be arranged from from Luxor to Aswan, from Aswan to Abu Simbel and then either back to Luxor or directly to Hurghada (5-6 people, who want to travel together but without additional group members), or should it be arranged in advance?
Does anyone know how much it might cost for an air-conditioned good condition vehicle and driver?. If we want a tour guide in Luxor, Aswan and/or Abu Simbel, would we hire the guide first, and he would hire the driver, or the other way around?
How long is the drive from Luxor to Aswan, and then from Aswan to Abu Simbel?
Lastly, can we hire a driver to take us from Abu Simbel back to Aswan or Luxor (if we decide to return to Cairo/Alexandria for diving), or directly to Hurghada?
Assuming we fly from Cairo to Luxor and stay 2 days. Can a car be arranged from from Luxor to Aswan, from Aswan to Abu Simbel and then either back to Luxor or directly to Hurghada (5-6 people, who want to travel together but without additional group members), or should it be arranged in advance?
Does anyone know how much it might cost for an air-conditioned good condition vehicle and driver?. If we want a tour guide in Luxor, Aswan and/or Abu Simbel, would we hire the guide first, and he would hire the driver, or the other way around?
How long is the drive from Luxor to Aswan, and then from Aswan to Abu Simbel?
Lastly, can we hire a driver to take us from Abu Simbel back to Aswan or Luxor (if we decide to return to Cairo/Alexandria for diving), or directly to Hurghada?
Jun 23rd, 2008, 01:27 PM
#2
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From Luxor to Aswan I would either fly or take a train. The train is cheap and reasonably comfortable, and that's what I'd do. Or you could take a short cruise if you have time; that's a great way to see the temples along the way and have a nice, relaxing trip, but it takes at least 2 nights. I would guess it's at least a 3-hour drive from Luxor to Aswan (it's about 200 miles but not so great roads for much of the way).
For the trip from Aswan to Abu Simbel, I flew, and since it's over 4 hours drive, I think that's the best option unless you are planning to spend the night in Aswan. The backpacker route is to take a bus, which is possible, but if you want to arrange a car/van, do it through a travel agent in Egypt. I suspect that it's possible, though I wouldn't do it; there's an escorted convoy that leaves before dawn daily, and I think any car would have to be in the convoy.
It's pretty cheap to hire guides through an Egyptian-based travel agency, and you could arrange both guides and transport at the same time. They can also help you with the logistics of travel.
You will definitely have to fly from Aswan to Hurghada. But since you're going to all the basic tourist destinations, I don't understand why you wouldn't just have a travel agency organize a private tour that includes all your transport and hotels, etc. You'll certainly save money even if you go the upscale route.
For the trip from Aswan to Abu Simbel, I flew, and since it's over 4 hours drive, I think that's the best option unless you are planning to spend the night in Aswan. The backpacker route is to take a bus, which is possible, but if you want to arrange a car/van, do it through a travel agent in Egypt. I suspect that it's possible, though I wouldn't do it; there's an escorted convoy that leaves before dawn daily, and I think any car would have to be in the convoy.
It's pretty cheap to hire guides through an Egyptian-based travel agency, and you could arrange both guides and transport at the same time. They can also help you with the logistics of travel.
You will definitely have to fly from Aswan to Hurghada. But since you're going to all the basic tourist destinations, I don't understand why you wouldn't just have a travel agency organize a private tour that includes all your transport and hotels, etc. You'll certainly save money even if you go the upscale route.
