Hi Deb,
Planning a trip to Egypt next year. I've read alot of posts and have lots of ideas of what will work for us. Just wondering if you have any suggestions as to private drivers we could hire. I'm not sure where you are living exactly but we plan to visit everywhere so I'm checking several cities.

Thanks,
Lily

tiptop

Yes, I know a number of private drivers. One I use is Ayman; he has his own private A/C car, and his cell phone here in Cairo is 010-518-9445. I live in Maadi, a suburb of Cairo. Generally speaking, you should plan on spending LE 25 (US $1 - LE 6.2 right now); drivers are plentiful and it's fairly inexpensive - but drivers who hang outside of the major hotels will charge LE 40 or so. Don't use them - they'll also want to take you to gift shops where they get a cut of the sale as well. Where are you planning to visit?

I meant to say a taxi is about LE 20 per hour, and a private car about LE 25 per hour. (The point I left off was PER HOUR) Still, $35 a day for a private driver is not too shabby - and you don't have to worry about parking!

Thanks Deb,
I will call your guy in a month or so. My husband suggested Egypt, and as neither of us has been there we really don't have any real plans set yet. Any suggestions are welcome. I love planning and really don't want to do a lot of organized touring. Having said that, I've been reading about the small Nile cruises and they would be nice maybe for the 3 or 4 day jaunts. Also, we would like to stay a couple days on the Red Sea. We aren't scuba people but would love to be able to see it! ANY suggestions you have are welcome, especially as to drivers that we can trust. Of course the main attractions are a must but really we like to explore places on our own (paying someone to take us of course).
Lily

We will be coming between Mid-May and mid-June 2005.

Hi Lily,
We went on a Nile Cruise in March and really enjoyed ourselves. Come earlier to mid-May than mid-June if you can - upper Egypt really starts cooking (temperature wise) from May through September. Our ship was the Oberoi Philae through SeeEgypt - at the time, it was the only ship with balconies, which we really loved for sitting outside our cabin watching life on the banks of the Nile. You do stop at all the major sights en masse with your group, but we always asked what time we should meet, and where, and we went off to explore on our own. I don't need to hear an explanation of EVERY SINGLE column inside a temple Plus I had done a whole lot of reading beforehand (I highly recommend Eyewitness Travel Guide to Egypt.) For staying on the Red Sea, everyone here seems to go to Sharm El Sheik on the Sinai Peninsula and Movenpick seems to be the hotel of choice. I don't dive, but I hear all the major hotels have experienced divers and can easily arrange a daytrip for you. Of course you will want to go to the National Museum in Cairo and see the treasures from King Tut's tomb. If you want to see real mummies (not just the cases), it's worth the small extra fee for the Royal Mummy room. BTW, I'm happy to share whatever I can to help make your experience memorable! Debbie