trips to egypt advice
 

my wife and i are on our fourth annual trip to egypt we have travelled all over doing a nile cruise each year (and doing it again this year) we have experience of luxor to aswan , cairo,alexandria,rosetta,dendara(on a day cruise not for the faint hearted),valley of the kings ,queens,artisans & nobles . we also have done numerous trips and tours, including hot air balloon trip at luxor(over the valley of the kings,spectacular at dawn). any help or advice needed we will do our best even down to recomending the boat for a cruise and a guide who has literaly become a valued friend in cairo.

Hi Davecutter73. You are exactly what we need. We plan to go to Egypt around December 2010 as I have been reading that it is a good month and not too hot. We were thinking of
flying into Cairo and hiring a guide there. I would be interested in your thoughts on length
of stay, best hotel for sites and I have read many reports on boat trips down the Nile. Are these done with others or only one to two people. I would be very interested in the name of
your guide. We were planning about 3 weeks. Do you think that is enough time to see Luxor,
Aswan Cairo? My husband is older and we would need some down town between days of
touring. I would greatly appreciate the name and number of your guide and any help
you can give. How far in advance would I have to reserve the hotel and guide? Would I need a
different guide to go to Aswan. (I don't think that we will fly). Thanks in advance for all of
your help. Johanna

Johanna
May I suggest that you take a 7 day Nile cruise to begin with.
This travels from Luxor to Aswan and back again. We have used the "Emilio Domina Prestige" 4 times now and find this cruise boat clean and the service and atmosphere is fun and friendly. This trip includes many excursions which you can research by going on the web site. It will give you details of the itinerary. This is well paced although you will have early morning starts. You will be glad of this as it is the best way to avoid sight seeing in the heat. Aswan is very beautiful and an extra excursion whilst you are there visiting "Kitchener's Island", is the bird watching tour. Very cheap but most relaxing, we always do this trip. Also if you are up to getting up at around 3am to travel 3 hours by coach into the Saharah dessert, you can pay extra to see the fantastic Abu Simbel. This extra excursion cost around an extra £70 each but well worth it. I figure that if you have travelled this far then you may as well go the last leg. If you are interested you can send your email and we would be all too glad to send you copies of our newsletters from the last 3 years to give you an in depth idea of what's in store. Then I would reccommend a week in Luxor as there are many more things to see and you can book your own trips with a rep and take things at your own pace. Then you may wish to go to Cairo for a week. We can give you the email of our trusty guide and friend. email [email protected] Aladin is a really top class guide who will tend to your needs. We have found that the quality of guides in Cairo is a little "hit and miss". You may wish to go to Alexandria for a few days but be warned that it takes around 3 hours by road going and can take a little longer coming back to Cairo.You can get full information in our newsletters and we would be more than willing to mail them to you. Details of the hotels are included.

I would recommend the comfortable beds in Cairo "Soffitel le Sphinx". Just like snuggling into a bed of marshmallows. You can get a pyramid view room and if you request a balcony as well you will be in their best rooms as there are only approximately 4 in the hotel. If you wish to stay nearer to coptic Cairo you could stay in "the Nile Hilton" which I don't need to tell you is as expected, exceptional. You can have room service in the evening which is exciting to sit on the balcony, eating you dinner and watching the busy world go by. They give the finnishing touches with room service, a flower on each tray. Also you will see how prestine the staff dress, porters etc. We stayed at the Movenpick in Alexandria, which is another classy hotel. To be honest, if you book any 5 star hotel you will become either queen of the Nile or feel like you are the pharoah. The people are so welcomming in Egypt. Show them respect and respect for their beliefs and you have a friend for life. We always tell people, that on their first visit, that they are welcome and on the second visit you are a friend, which is a friend for life. We have made some really great friends in Egypt and find them such lovely people. Enjoy!

Davecutter73. I have a question. You suggested the Nile cruise first from Luxor to Aswan.I think that we will be flying from NY nonstop to Cairo. I think it would be better to visit
Cairo when we arrive. How would we travel to Luxor from Cairo if we didn't want to go
by plane? I am happy to know there are several hotels where we can see the Pyramids.
Thanks for all your help. Johanna

Dear Johanna
We have only travelled by plane between Cairo and Luxor. Egypt Air have very comfortable seats with ample leg room. All soft drinks are free onboard during the flight. This journey only takes approximately one hour and is pleasurable. There are trains if you prefer. I don't know how long this journey is but you could email our guide for further information. Although he is based in Cairo, he is able to arrange any excursions you may be interested in. By the way the 7 day cruise starts and finnishes in Luxor.

johnanna, the only other realistic way of traveling Cairo to Luxor/Aswan, besides air, is the train as davecutter73 mentioned. We took the overnight sleeper train in August 2008. It leaves around 8 p.m. from Cairo and arrives in Aswan early in the morning (unless it's delayed on the tracks, as ours was, but we didn't know until we woke up in the morning). We love train travel, so really enjoyed the trip, and preferred it to waking at 3 a.m. for the flight that was otherwise available to us. The sleeper train is designed for tourists, and is wildly different from the "day" train and the "sitting" train. The rooms are for 2 people. When you enter, it's set up for sitting and they serve you dinner. We had heard the food was awful, so we brought our own. After dinner, the seats convert to beds, which are actually very comfortable. I loved waking up in the morning and watching the landscape go by. If you need a quiet room with no disturbances to sleep, then the train probably isn't for you. I can sleep anywhere, and as I said, love train travel, so it was great for us. The train is nice enough, much much nicer than I expected, but definitely not "luxury".

Hi Dave, Can you help recommend a specific ship for the Nile Cruise? We've never taken a cruise anywhere. Some of them seem a little cheesy with the night time entertainment and such. Are there any with private or small group excursions so we're not in a huge tour group?

Hi Davecutter73.
Could you please make us right decision. My son's who is 15 years old got an invitation from his friend's family to go with them to Egypt for the 2-3 weeks since they will be there for the whole summer. They have a relatives there. My son got very exsited about this trip. My son is Jewish and this family are muslims. Their plan is to stay in relative house in Alexandria, do some sightseeing and go for one week to SharmEl Sheikh resort on the Red Sea and stay there in the hotel. While there they will do some tours, like be on the boat for diving, ride on cars with tour in dessert. My son will fly with them to Egypt and then should fly back to US by himself. What do you think about all this idea? How safe is this? Is water safe there? I’ve heard that traffic in Cairo is very dangerous. Any other concerns? Mom of my son friend said that my son will be with them all the time and she look after him like he is her son.
Thanks,
MAriya

There is absolutely no reason not to let your son go -- would you let him visit with this family in the US? If so, then let him go to Egypt with them!! Traffic in Cairo is unbelieveable, but so is it lots of places. I don't expect him to be running in and out of cars. When we were there, you had to be cautious (very) crossing streets, but as long as you were cautious, you were find. As for being American and Jewish, so are we, and it was not an issue at all, ever. When you ask about the water safety, not sure what you mean. Sharm El Sheikh is a world-class diving/snorkeling resort destination, one of the most popular in the world. Sorry, but I think you're overthinking this.

Davecutter73,

Thank you so much for your quick reply!!! I'm sort freaking out about this trip occasionally :) and every word of encouragement especially from person who was there is very helpful! I meant drinking water

Mariya

Actually, I'm not davecutter, who hasn't replied yet. I'm just another American who traveled there with my young adult children and two of their friends (they were in their 20s at the time, though). Glad to help, though.

Oh, drinking water. Well, bottled water is cheap, so we lived on it. I think a giant bottle (of which we drank several a day each) was $1.00 (we only bought in shops, not at tourist sites, unless we were desperate)

sf7307 has given good advice. It would be a shame if your son was to miss out on this fantastic offer. I wish I could have gone to Egypt at his age. In Egypt, tourists are very safe as the tourist police monitor your movements to ensure that you are protected. We only have to walk out of the hotel in Cairo and get into a car with our friend who was our guide, and the security asked him for proof that he was a legitimate guide. The vehicles that are used for tourists are safe and have to have the British standard. However the locals do not have to meet this criteria. Egypt caters for kosher meats and the bacon is "beef bacon", so I don't see it being a problem between cultures. Not being muslim is not a problem in Egypt. We have known bars to be open serving alcohol to tourists, even during Ramadan. Not that this will apply to your son. What I really want you to understand is that they are really warm, helpful, friendly and caring people. Alexandria is at the most northern tip of Egypt and sits on the Mediterranean sea. There are many good fish restaurants. Cairo is 3 hours away by road. A shorted road journey is that of Rosetta where the famous stone was found. Montazzah Palace and gardens. Alexandria is the holiday destination of Egyptians, and the home to Fort Quaitby. This is the site of one of the ancient wonders of the world "The Pharos Lighthouse". Sharm is just another resort, man-made with clean hotels. Buy bottled water to drink. The greatest fear you should have is sun protection. Get plenty of a high factor sun lotion and I reccomend some after sun with mosquito repellent for the evenings. The best advise we can give is that you educate your son in keeping hyrated and sun burn free. The other advise is for him to enjoy this beautiful country, and for you to relax and allow him to do so.

lijudy
Don't worry about the "cheesy" entertainment on the cruise. We go on the "Emilio Domina Prestige". The cabins are comfortable and clean and the guides are second to none. The service is helpful and friendly. You will come back to your room from dinner feeling excited to see what towel sculpture has been constructed on your bed. If there is a larger group they usually split them up into managable groups. You are able to spend time looking around at your leisure at all sites, after having the guided tour. You will be able to hear the guide as they make sure that everyone is included. I wouldn't recomend having a smaller group as I don't think you would benefit from the extra expense. We have guides in other places in Egypt which sometimes take just the 2 of us but there really is no need for this on the cruise. The most important thing is the quality of guide and the ones on the cruises are well trained and educated. Usually have some qualifications in ancient egyptology, and in tourism. Any thing that you wish to see or know about will be facilitated if you discuss this with the guides. Yes some of the entertainment is a little "cheesy" but we don't take part in the bingo, but you can just go onto the deck, feel the warm Egyptian breeze and drink a beer or glass of wine and talk to the friends that you have made on the cruise. Look this cruise boat up on the net. ENJOY!! Happy sailing.

linjudy
We recommend some entertainment is a must. We find that "Galabaya" night is fun. Don a Galabaya once and you will want to take many more home with you. Very cheap between £7-15 depending how decorative you want it to be. You can buy them on the boat, either from the shop or from the passing small boats that will throw them up onto the cruise boat. If you like them you can throw your money to the men in the boats, or if not, throw the garment back. I must admit this is fun as many have fallen in the Nile which does not faze them at all. Once worn you will want to wear them every night after a shower. My partner always buys many as she wears them at home. I would also recommend the cocktail night which provides free cocktails. You can disappear to the deck at any time that you have had enough. We also like to watch the whirling dervish and the nubian folk dancers at Aswan. Some belly ancers are worth a viewing but in our experience this can be a little hit and miss. Go on give it a go and walk like an Egyptian.

Thanks for your offer of advice. I have been to Egypt before as a young backpacker - fascinating (eye-opening) experience. My husband has never been. We have 2 weeks and are trying to cover the "classic" experiences, but I'd be delighted to discover something new as well. We are planning a 3-4 day Nile cruise between Luxor/Aswan, Abu Simbel, 2 full days in Cairo, 1 in Luxor, and 1 at Giza. Our agent has proposed 2 days in Alexandria, but apart from the Four Seasons (which we can't afford), none of the hotels there seem to be favourably reviewed, and there seems to be only 1 "must see" sight (Catacombs) - do you think it is a worthwhile addition to our trip (given the 3 hr ride each way), or is it better to add the extra days somewhere else? If we do go is the train safe (our agent says no)? Also, for the Nile we have the opportunity to take a dahabiya sailing boat that holds only 16 people rather than a traditional cruise - have you done this or spoken to people who did?

Sorry for the delay in answering you as I've been working long days. What you need to do is get a good guide book on the sights that you want to see, and research where they are. Giza is actually in Cairo. I would recommend "DK eyewitness travel guides EGYPT" ISBN 1-4053-1118-5 which is reasonably priced and very informative and interesting. Personally I think that the 3-4 days cruise is not long enough. You would probably be better going on the 7 day Nile cruise. Consider the heat and you will benefit from an early start and a well paced steady tour visiting temples and resting during the hottest part of the day. If you only do half of the cruise, you will not see as near as many sights. We have been to Egypt for the last 4 years and plan to go again in October. We still have many things that we want to see but have not managed before. We have travelled extensively throughout Egypt but have always started with the first week cruising the Nile, as we love it. We have never actually sailed on a dahabiya so cannot comment. The main thing for us is having a good guide whilst on tours and we always get this when we cruise on the "Emilio Domina Prestige". You can Google this boat if you like. The boat is clean friendly and we love the food and the towel sculptures left each night on your bed when you go and have dinner, are always a source of conversation and amusement. Each time we go to Egypt, my partner sends a newsletter to her friends. She has also sent them to a friend of a friend in America who stated that she enjoyed reading them. If you want to have a copy just send your email address for the full details and we would be glad to forward them to you. If you take the 7 day cruise you will not need to stay in Luxor as many of the sights are included such as Luxor and Karnak temples, the colosus of Memnon, The valleys of the kings and queens. You can visit the museums whilst docked, Luxor museum and the mummification museum. I wouldn't recommend spending extra money on the extra flight or hotel to and from Luxor or Aswan,when these are all included within the 7 day cruise. For your second week, I would recommend that you Spend 3-4 nights in Cairo and the rest at Alexandria. You can organise a trip to visit the Citadel of Salah Ad din , the Egyptian museum, Giza which will cover 1 day. You can also spend a day (or half day in real terms) visiting Memphis and Sakhara where you will see the step pyramid. Also you can go to Dashur to see the bent and red pyramid, with this tour. There is also the hanging church at coptic Cairo which has the Babylon fortress underneath, and you can visit the bazzars. I advise that you stay 2-3 nights whilst in Alexandria. We have done Alexandria on the day trip but be aware that it can take much longer travelling back to Cairo during the evening as the traffic during rush hour is very busy. There are many things to see in Alexandria. We visited the roman catacombs, the museum and Pompeii's pillar on a day trip but later returned for 3 nights to see Fort Quaitbey (the original site of the Pharos lighthouse, one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world), Montazzah Palace and gardens, and Rosetta. This is where the famouse Rosetta stone was found. There are also other places to visit in Alexandria which we have not yet seen. So if it helps, I would recommend in summary that you take the first week on a cruise and fly to Cairo to travel by road to Alexandria ( which overlooks the beautiful Mediterranean sea and is famous for fish restaurants) and then travel back to Cairo for the rest of your stay. If you need more information and a good guide you can contact our friend and guide at [email protected] he ois a great guide and friend. We first met him on a tour to Alexandria and he will organise a great itinerary in Cairo. We have only stayed in the Movenpick Renaissance in Alexandria which is a great 5 star hotel.

Sorry the last email was wrong it is [email protected] Sorry we missed out the s.

Also for you to remember when visiting Egypt for the first time you are a friend, and then the next time you are family. They are so warm and friendly. ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also we visited the library at Alexandria which was amazing with it's collection of books and it's architecture and exhibits.

We are always attempting to see new things when in Egypt. If you spend longer in Cairo and visit Alexandria you will see many thing that most tourists do not see. However you need to see the usual stuff first. This is one of the reasons that we keep returning. I guess it's a case of Egypt's in our blood.

davecutter73-my husband & I will also be in Egypt-Jordan September/October. We have 2 nights in Alexandria at the end-I will be celebrating a birthday there. Our guide Ahmed who I secured from this site has us staying at Helnan Paleestine (October 22-23) Can you reccomend a nice place to eat for a birthday dinner-Thank you so much-Chris

Most hotels have a variety of restaurants. Alexandria is famous for having good fish restaurants. We ate in "Elsarya" which is the place that King Farouk used to play cards. Our guide informed us that this is the best in Alexandria. They serve good food and the portions are quite big. You get a nice view overlooking the Mediteranean sea.

Thanks Dave-I have noted it-Chris

If you want a good guide whilst in Cairo contact [email protected] He can also arrange other trips for you in other parts of Egypt

Sorry the last email was wrong. [email protected]

a

hey dave,

my wife and i are taking a trip to egypt in may. we are going to visit cairo and luxor. i was wondering if you booked your tours before or after you arrived in egypt? should we try to book the tours before we leave or is it easy to get stuff done once you're there? we want to see the pyramids, valley of kings/queens, etc. any help would be appreciated. thx

Hello zebulan77
You can book trips once you get to to Egypt. I advise you to do some research before going and decide what areas you wish to visit. You can arrange trips at your hotel usually and book a car and a guide. Please remember that when in Cairo the quality of guide can be a little hit and miss. Do not hesitate to contact our friend and guide in Cairo. Aladin you can email prior to going to arrange trips with him [email protected] and he will take very good care of you. He will discuss with you your agenda and plan your tours to go at your own pace. Whilst in Cairo, I would recommend a day visiting The Citadel the giza pyramids and the sphinx and the egyptian museum. There are also other pyramids such as Saqqara's step pyramid and dashur's bent and red pyramids. Also Memphis which was once the capital of Egypt. This would make another interresting day of exploration. Some people like to visit The hanging church in Coptic Cairo which is built over a babylonion fortress. Luxor offers Karnak temple (great for the sound and light show), Luxor temple luxor museum and the museum of mumification. The valley of the kings which offers a ticket to visit 3 tombs. There is the opportunity to pay to visit 2 extra tombs on entry one of which is that of king Tut. The valley of the queens offers tombs and also nearby temple of Hatchepsut. Also you can see the Ramaseum and the collossus of Memnom. You can balloon ride over the valley of the kings at Dawn. Visit the valley of the Artisans and valley of the nobles. Most people do not get to see these tombs. Small but perfectly formed. Habu temple is another site that most people miss. You can go to Dendara and Abydos from Luxor by car to see even more sites. Hope this helps you to have a look at what is on offer and to plan a great holiday of exploration. One last thing take time out to enjoy a peaceful felluca ride on the Nile. Theses boats are so relaxing.

a

Do you know anything about Kensington Tours? I want to take my very fit 93 year-old Dad with me, along with my husband and nephew? Advice?

a

1

davecutter73
what is the best time of year to visit Egypt? We were thinking of going in Feb or March. What are your thoughts on going at that time? would the guide you recommend be available during this time of year? should we book his services in advance to make sure we get him?
Thanks, Mike V.

Yeah Dave, what do you think?

Ditto!!

We have in mind a long weekend in Cairo in February (flying from Europe). Would love to hear thoughts on that.
We'll be traveling with our 13 and 10 yo kids and so would also appreciate recommendations for "family" friendly accomodations in Cairo as well as any strong "do & don'ts" for kids in Egypt.

Thanks, in advance. :)

Where is Dave????

Maybe he's in Egypt.

hey with a name like Casual Cairo.... maybe you can answer some of these inquiries. what do you think?