Getting Around Egypt

If you have to travel by car from Alexandria to Cairo ALWAYS use the Desert road known as (attaree essahrawi) you'll pay a toll of 5 LE . It is 200 km and you probably make it in 2 hrs to your destination. It is 3 or even 4 lane highway very empty. NEVER use the Agriculture road (attaree aseraee) other wise you'll find your self stuck behind a donkey or some heavy vehicle or worst having an accident with a bicycle

Update April 2010: I traveled by bus and the Desert road is not as good as it used to be due to reconstruction. It is being upgraded for the entire 200 km. it is currently a 2 lane highway in each direction. It is still efficient but not as smooth as it used to be. I think the toll has increased to 5 LE. Looks like it will be much better with lots of bridges are under construction.

I was tempted to put this tip in the warning section but than I thought It was a hilarious experience that made my trip memorable. I had a miserable experience (I thought at the time) due to different factors that gathered at the same time.

We arrived late at night around 2 am. Things appeared very upbeat and promising when the Passport Officer said " let do the Non Egyptian passports first" I thought to my self wow Egyptian hospitality when you need it. Thanks you. After whizzing through passport being the first one to be stamped, I felt grrrreat.

Things started to collapse very quickly. I was prepared for a cold winter weather with layers of clothes only to be confronted by a warm weather. The airport had no bag conveyor built. We had to wait in a small hall and people started smoking after being smoke deprived in the plain. Soon I felt very uncomfortable due to the choking atmosphere in the room and the heavy stuff I was wearing not to mention the big number of people who started to crowed the room.

After a long wait, bags started to arrive out side the hall. we had to wait until all bags were stacked on top of each other. we where allowed to charge, every body for him self trying to find his elusive bag. You can imagine the situation. I bit it was very funny for any one who was fortunate enough "NOT to have a dog in the fight" :-)) . Of course getting to you bag was not easy, Before that you had to squeeze your self out of a tiny door along with the 200+ fellow passengers in order to sift through the mountain of bags until I was lucky enough to find it. You can imagine how happy I was when I finally got it. I had to squeeze my way back into the Smokey room to finish my custom procedure, this time the tiny door was jammed with passengers, bag and wheels all thrown into the mix . but clearing customs was very efficient and fast once you got to the officer

The airport was far away from the city. There was a shared taxi for which I paid a hefty 50 LE. I got a very lousy seat which was probably the worst part of the night.

The Airport receives very limited number of low cost flights from and to destinations in the Middle East like Sharjah, Kuwait City, Jeddah, Bahrain, Riyadh and starting (mid-May 2010)from Dubai. The deals are not bad. It is a nice alternative to have as an entry point to Egypt. Only if the flight arrivals and departures have better times.

Looking back, I'd really do it all over again and won't mind flying through Asyut again. I would just pack more sense of humor. People at the Airport were very friendly and what they lacked in equipment the sure compensated for by effort and friendliness

Aladdin Khalifa [aladdin@ask-aladdin.com]

This tour guide created an experience for us that was beyond our expectations. We had a personal guide and driver anywhere we wanted to go. He is trustworthy and affordable. We recommend him without reservation.

Hundreds of tourists climb Mt.Sinai everyday. Most of them start around 2am and wait at the top for the Sunshine. I personally think that going and being with such big group doesn’t give you the real feeling of the mountain. Nature lovers won’t appreciate it, either. When I climbed, I started my ascent at 4am and the path was free of all tourists. It was quite and serene. We went up with a travel guide ofcourse(50egp) and didn’t need a camel. We saw the sunrise though not from the peak but somewhere near the peak and it wasn’t bad. 7am and I could see hundreds of people descending the mountain and my god I would never want to be part of that group. I was alone on the mountain peak and could see cigarette butts, blankets and other stuff and was so glad I avoided that crowd.
Views from the top where spectacular. But, I do not think this is the real Mt.Sinai as described in the Bible.

One might think that Egypt is a big NO NO for the disabled, but it is not!! A lot can be done to give also our disabled fellow people the holiday of their life time!

Take a look at his article:

http://www.traveltodayegypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2658

Here is a link to the online schedule for Egypt Air, from which you can look at flight times both domestically (from city to city inside Egypt) and internationally (from cities in Egypt to cities outside of Egypt and vice versa). It is very easy to use.

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Megypt

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The cheapest way to travel to Luxor from Cairo is by sleeping trains. Sleeping trains start from Giza. You need to fax your request to prior to your journey and they will confirm your reservation by email. You need to make the payment and collect the tickets from the Sleeping train office located inside Ramses station.The price is 120 US$ including dinner & breakfast for 2 persons one way from Cairo to Luxor in 1st Class double cabin. All the sleeping trains departs from Giza station. Reservation offices open every day all the week (except Friday) from 9:00 AM till 02:00 PM. Overall the train journey is quiet comfortable and hassle free. The coach attendant are very friendly and helpful.

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As my wife fears planes, I decided to connect Luxor and Hurghada by land. It was a wise decision, since it was quick, pleasant and safe. My wife and kids had the chance to feel what I lived in the war of Angola - Being part of a military column. The tanks and weapons around us gave us a feeling of security, a purpose that the Egyptians, till there discreetly, cared everywhere and every time.

The brief crossing of the desert in the air conditioned vehicle was a good aperitif for the Sinai.
And we saved money.