i spent october traveling there, its a lot to answer, i was there for round about 3 weeks.  i spent the day in cairo traveled to diving village close to marsa alam on an internal flight, spent 8 days diving, really recomend it i used red sea diving safari and thought it was really good value for money great food and location, but it was quiet in the dessert basicly so if you want to dive and party sharm maybe a better idea.

from there i took the night bus to aswan, it is an experiance i guess but does depend how rough you want to go, the bus was pretty grim but then thats what makes experiances, all i will say is remember i was a guy traveling, and altho your with your partner you may have grief on the bus.

aswan is great, definately get the hotel to organise a trip to abu simbel.  from here train to luxor, train is fine. hot air ballon, get a boat to the west bank and hire a taxi for the day to show you around.

internal flight back to cairo, bus to alexandria for a dive in cleopatras city and the ruins of the light house, from there back to cairo for the museum and into the dessert for a few days.

amazing place but it can be stressfull as well, if your going soon the heat must be insane.

if you want more info, a lonely planet guide or simply a look at some pics let me know, otherwise have a cool trip
peaky, May 25, 2009 @ 20:28

I was there in January for 2 weeks. I loved it! I went on a tour mainly for convenience & because I was traveling with a female friend who was not willing to go on our own. Having been there, I'd say you'd be fine in Aswan & Luxor with no tour group & it might be preferable because if you like a particular site, then you can stay longer. You will need to be prepared for some serious bargaining if you plan everything on your own. The tombs in Valley of the Kings are amazing, as are the temples & pyramids. I did the desert oasis loop from Aswan through the white desert and back up to Cairo. If you do that make sure to ask how long you are actually in the desert camping because on my tour that part was way too short and we instead wasted time "relaxing" at some hotels in the oasis towns.



Finally, if the flights from Geneva are too expensive, check from Milan & Rome. Good luck.







Brooklyn, May 25, 2009 @ 21:38

the barganing does become a pain!

thats true about the flights, i flew alitalia connected zurich to rome, rome cairo, was really cheap compared to the other companies.

going middle of summer, take a hat and a ton of sun cream
peaky, May 26, 2009 @ 10:39

Hotels? I woudl recommend expedia and make sure you read reviews. Go for min. 3 stars (= 1 star in CH).

I was in Egypt last year and didn't take a tour, we decided to do it our own and what an adventure....!!! :w00t:

Must see places? Cairo,  Aswan, Luxor,Valley of the King/Queen, Abu Simbel definitely.

What's safe/ not safe?

As a Western woman expect to be looked at all the time. Though you do not have to cover your hair, I would recommend covering your skin, long sleeves and long skirts to avoid attention. It is not mandatory of course but it will make life easier for you. It gets easier overtime, wearing sunglasses for some reason seem to help. Frankly, unless you stay at a resort, expect to be stared at if you wear shorts or show bare arms or legs. That's just the way it is there, and you get used to it.

Food? Delicious but watch out!

If you buy fruits, wash everything you eat twice and bring medication for upset stomach.

If you get sick from food (common there) you can buy such medication for roughly 1 CHF at the local drugstore. 

Driving?

I would not recommend it at all, unless you can manoeuvre a jeep in the desert that's fine but not in any major city. In Egypt people "honk" to signal they're turning. There is no such thing as "signaling". Taxis are very cheap on the other hand.

Any other recommendations?

Be open-minded, yet careful and everything will go well!

Yes, a very important one at that: Bring toilet paper with you!!!  :)

Everywhere you will go, public bathrooms and even restaurants/hotels, they will remove toilet paper from rolls and will sell you "squares" by the door. So basically...you'll pay every time you want to use the washroom.

Bring gifts like pens, (highlighters) and little things like that, they really appreciate it.

Expect to tip for everything. 1 to 5 Egyptian pounds.

Feel free to send me a message if you have more questions!

Enjoy Egypt, it is a wonderful place to visit!

Lunali:)
Lunali, May 28, 2009 @ 01:29

very good point toilet roll is esential, take a few rolls as if your traveling you may not see a shop selling them for a while, if in a hotel with a roll take it before you leave.

food, i found limited, red wine was surprisly ok, and i think i read somewhere that a glass or two of red kills 90% of food poisoning bacteria.  not sure if its true but im willing to follow that rule ;-)

I used hostels and paid a franc or two sometimes as much as 10 francs for a night, but found them generally ok, its not the best but again its the experiance.  loonely planet go by there recomendations, and its easy enough to just rock up with out anything booked.

aswan i arrived at 5 in the morning and the bus drive took me around the city to find a hotel and asked for a fiver.  generally there not bad people just very money orintated
peaky, May 28, 2009 @ 10:35