Egypt

Introduction

It was very fast decision to go to Egypt. I had a few unexpected days off. I went to Polish travel agency Orbis and bought one-week excursion to Egypt. I did not pay too much because it was last minute promotion. Next day I was on a board of a plane to Hurghada. I spent on the beach only one day. Sightseeing took me another six days. Luckily I met some Poles in Hurghada. They were focus on sightseeing too. It was very nice to travel with them.

Hurghada & EL GOUNA

Hurghada is a very tourist town. There are some mosques there. I visited the biggest one. I had to take off my shoes before entering the mosque. We went to El Gouna this day too. This is a private town. The town is near Hurghada. It is very pleasant and clean. We saw beautiful Arabic buildings. It was excellent excursion for the very first day.

LUXOR (THEBES)

It took about 5 hours to get to Luxor from Hurghada by a coach. We visited Karnak, the Colossi Of Memnon, Temple of Hatshepsut and papyrus factory. We traveled from the east bank to the west bank of Nile by a boat. It was a very interesting excursion. You must see all these places.

Cairo, Giza

We left Hurghada at 3.30 am and arrived to Cairo at 11.00 am. It was very tiring to travel 8 hours by coach. Firstly we visited Egyptian Museum in Cairo. There are so many old and interesting exhibits in the museum. I think it not enough time to see all of them during one time. We spent only 2 hours in the museum. Next we visited Giza. It was great experience to see one of the Seven Wonders. Pyramids and Sphinx were built thousands of years ago. You must see them for yourself to feel their greatness.

Coral Reef

Egyptian coral reef is one of them most beautiful in the world. As far as I know only Australian reef is more fascinating. The reef is very exotic for people from the north part of the Earth. It is a good idea to buy an underwater camera. You don’t need to worry about poor swimming skills. The reef is about 1-2 meters below see level. Snorkeling is quite enough to admire the reef. The coral, colorful fish are unforgettable.

Safari

It was another interesting excursion. We went to a desert by jeeps. There were a few stops during the excursion. First we saw a mirage. It was very realistic. Then we went to Bedouins village on the desert. A guide told us many interesting stories about Bedouins’ life. There are about 1 million Bedouins in Egypt. They live on the desert. Their conditions of living are very primitive. Their conditions of lives have not changed for ages. In the evening we saw sunset on the desert and took part in Bedouins party with singing and dancing.

Useful Tips

• ONE OR TWO WEEKS IN EGYPT? Definitely two weeks. You have enough time to visit all interesting places and enjoy your time at the seaside.
• SIGHTSEEING. I presume you spend your holidays in Hurghada. I recommend seeing Luxor, Giza, Cairo, Aswan, Coral Reef, and Safari.
• CAIRO. Buy two days excursion. You will have enough time to see all attractions in the capitol of Egypt and neighborhoods.
• HOW TO BUY CHEAP EXCURSIONS? Go to local travel agencies. They sell excursion 30%-50% cheaper then your national agent.
• HAWKERS. This is the biggest disadvantage of holidays in Egypt. You cannot walk in peace even one minute. Everywhere local businessmen and salesmen attack you. They treat you as an unlimited source of money. At the beginning they introduce you to see their shops, travel agencies etc. Then you are given free tea or coffee. They show you their products and recently encourage you to buy something. You do not need to buy anything but you waste a lot of time. Well you must accept their business style and must be tough in saying NO. Anyway it helps you to be more assertive in the future.
• SNORKELING. It is a good idea to buy snorkeling equipment in your country or Egypt. You can rent the equipment from tourist agency but the quality is not good.
• DIVING. You can join diving course in Egypt. It usually takes one week. The cost of the course is about USD300. You are provided with the equipment.
• BUSINESS NEGOTIATIONS OR HAGGLING. If you want to buy something cheap you need a lot of time for negotiations. It usually takes half an hour. Good price is about 50% of first price – remember it.
• STOMACH PROBLEMS. To avoid any stomach problems follow the rules:
• Don’t drink tap water. ONLY bottled one.
• Check hygiene standards of restaurants before you make an order.
• Don’t eat too much local cuisine at beginning.