Going to egypt any info please

skinnyboy

Hi there me and my girlfriend are heading to egypt for two weeks from the end of july,this will be our first trip there and wanted a change from the usual spanish resorts,so do anybody have any info good and bad please?and do's and dont's thanks in advance

Sin City

skinnyboy wrote: »

Hi there me and my girlfriend are heading to egypt for two weeks from the end of july,this will be our first trip there and wanted a change from the usual spanish resorts,so do anybody have any info good and bad please?and do's and dont's thanks in advance

What part are you going to ?

I had a split holiday (back in the day) with one week in Luxor with all the culture etc and another week in Hurghada on the red sea for the actual beach part and night life. In Hurghada there is a small island which is like a tropical paradise, but cant remember the name of it

skinnyboy

Sin City wrote: »

What part are you going to ?

I had a split holiday (back in the day) with one week in Luxor with all the culture etc and another week in Hurghada on the red sea for the actual beach part and night life. In Hurghada there is a small island which is like a tropical paradise, but cant remember the name of it

Nabaq bay is the name of the area,i think its about ten minutea shuttle ride to the main areq where bars restraunts are.

Sin City

skinnyboy wrote: »

Nabaq bay is the name of the area,i think its about ten minutea shuttle ride to the main areq where bars restraunts are.

What part of Egypt is it in?

Sin City

Here you go
Things to do in Nabaq bay

http://www.tripadvisor.ie/Attractions-g303855-Activities-Nabq_Bay_Sharm_El_Sheikh_South_Sinai_Red_Sea_and_Sinai.html

skinnyboy

Sin City wrote: »

Here you go
Things to do in Nabaq bay

http://www.tripadvisor.ie/Attractions-g303855-Activities-Nabq_Bay_Sharm_El_Sheikh_South_Sinai_Red_Sea_and_Sinai.html

Thanks sin city,yea i recognise that sharm el sheikh name,as i said im going not knowing what to expect ha thanks again

Sin City

skinnyboy wrote: »

Thanks sin city,yea i recognise that sharm el sheikh name,as i said im going not knowing what to expect ha thanks again

Its meant to be lovely but its had its troubles aswell, from terrorits attacks to shark attacks in the last couple of years

There is a program on discovery about the shark attacks
Here is the Wiki account

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Sharm_el-Sheikh_shark_attacks

skinnyboy

Sin City wrote: »

Its meant to be lovely but its had its troubles aswell, from terrorits attacks to shark attacks in the last couple of years

There is a program on discovery about the shark attacks
Here is the Wiki account

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Sharm_el-Sheikh_shark_attacks

yea ive bein told about the shark attacks but im not a big swimmer so that should be ok,terror attacks lovely,but sure anywhere u go there is a possibilty of it happening.

Sin City

skinnyboy wrote: »

yea ive bein told about the shark attacks but im not a big swimmer so that should be ok,terror attacks lovely,but sure anywhere u go there is a possibilty of it happening.

That was a few years ago, Id say a one off
Your not in Sharem el Sheik just close to it so I wouldnt worry

skinnyboy

Sin City wrote: »

That was a few years ago, Id say a one off
Your not in Sharem el Sheik just close to it so I wouldnt worry

Ah right i see thanks again for the infromation

Balmed Out

I went before sept 11th and I hear its not as friendly as it used to be and far more difficult to backpack around. I have heard people say that the Egyptians can be insulting and agressive towards western women. When I travelled around Egypt I found the people to be kind, friendly and sexist. Try to see how many camels you can get for your girlfriend.

An awful lot of hecklers trying to sell you this and that, just be good humored and say maybe later and they will leave you alone.

Be respectful of local customs. That means try to keep knees and elbows covered for men and more again for women. Certain areas like the resorts, bedouin villages, siwa are a lot more relaxed.

Its a cheap country but alcahol where found is as expensive as Ireland.

If smoking a sheesha/ hooklah get a plastic tip first.

When going to the Pyramids be aware that the surrounding neighborhoods are dodgy and if going by public transport half the other customers are actually trying to get to sell you stuff/ rip you off before you arrive.

Mosques, bazaar area (khan al kallili), city of the dead, shanty towns are all amazing to see though last two may now be dangerous.

If your going to sinai dahab was my favourite. Preferred it to any of red sea resorts. From Dahab a must is to spend a night or two chilling with the bedouin in ras abu galloum. Sleeping on the beach, snorkelling in the best snorkelling area egypt has and relaxing with the locals is an experience. When we went we spent 3 or 4 nights and were the only tourists there.
http://bedouinfestival.com/2013/04/10/abu-awda-camp-ras-abu-galloum/
Gies you an idea of the place.

Luxor and particularly Karnak were very impressive. Of all the monumental sights and temples of Egypt I felt Karnak to be the most impressive.

The likes of Mersa matrou and Alexandria are fun and interesting if only to see women swimming in full islamic clothing but mainly as stopping off points to Siwa which was amazing. 14 years ago it was a little village in an oasis with a dozen tourists and no electricity. Everything is mud bricked and theres an old village that was a few stories high when there was a lot of rain or something so that today it looks like it melted. The oasis has fruit growing everywhere, an oracle and hot and cold springs. May be different now.
The oasis is an expereince in its own right but also the launch pad for some fantastic expeditions in the dessert. Its also possible to score some horrible date wine here, if youre dying for a drink.

counterlock

In terms of currency, I've been told its best to bring a split between US dollars, sterling and Euros. Is this right?

Meathlass

counterlock wrote: »

In terms of currency, I've been told its best to bring a split between US dollars, sterling and Euros. Is this right?

I would just bring Euros. Why would you waste money converting to £ and $ as well.

PaulKK

I was there for 2 weeks a few years ago, we stayed in the Sultan Gardens which is between Naqab and Sharm.

First things first, end of July is going to be unbelievably hot. We went in June and it was 48 Celsius, so bear that in mind and prepare for it.

Buy lots of bottled water for your room and DO NOT put it in the fridge.
Loads of people get upset stomachs and its from drinking water thats 3/4 degrees when its 40+ outside.

We visited Naqab and Sharm at night, Naqab is quieter and more upmarket I would say, but not as much to do at night there.

Sharm itself was busy, plenty of places to eat and have a drink. I would go down there just for the experience if I were you.

Even though it was all inclusive we still went out for dinner ever few nights, as we found the food to be fairly repetitive, as I've found in all inclusive places.

We did the day trip to Cairo by plane, I found it great, good value too, I think it was 90 quid each, you go to a Mosque, see the pyramids, and visit the museum etc, we got to quad bike in the desert for free to as part of the deal.

Yes the men seem sleazy, I felt safe there but my fiance said she would not like to be walking around alone.

They have security checks everywhere, metal detectors at the hotel entrances and road blocks ever 2km or so on the roads with guys holding machine guns.

All in all it was a great holiday though, I stayed by the pool all the time though, as when at the beach there is coral all along the coast so you have to use a jetty type thing to go straight in to deep water so you dont damage the coral/yourself.

Oh and re currency, I would change a small amount at the airport in Dublin so you can buy your visa in egyptian pounds when you arrive (its cheaper) and change the rest after that in the airport over there.