Travel Tips

Egypt is a fantastic travel destination, but the society, culture and the climate are differently than yours. For good preparations to your travel you find for this reason here some practical travel information about Egypt.

Alcohol

Egypt has good quality beers such as Stella and Sakkara, reasonable white and red wines, such as Omar Khayam and Obelisque, which come from the delta. Egyptian beers and wines are available everywhere. 

Climate 

A warm & dry country, the temperature of Egypt varies from North to South. Most tourists visit the country from September to April. Summer is warm to very warm, especially in Upper Egypt in June and July. In the winter as soon as the sun has set it can feel very cold because of the contrast in temperature. Rainfall is quite rare in Upper Egypt, but you can expect a little rain in the winter months in Cairo and the Delta. A strong dry wind known as the Khamsin blows in March or April from the Western desert, spreading fine particles of sand over everything it touches. The winters in Egypt remain warm allowing pleasant travel all year round. 

Customs

How to go through the Egyptian Customs? 

- If you have more than the duty free allowances or if you have prohibited or restricted goods, go into the RED channel and declare them to an officer in the customs declaration. 

- If you have nothing more than the duty free allowances and no prohibited or restricted goods go straight through the Green Channel unless asked to stop by an officer. 

Your Exemptions

- Personal Effects. 

- New partial items of value not exceeding 100 Egyptian pounds. 

- One liter of alcoholic drinks, Plus 200 grs. Cigarettes or 25 Cigars or 200 grs. Of Tobacco. 

- Medals, rewards and the like which have been won in international sporting events. 

- Furniture, equipment, personal effects and cars, which have been temporarily exported from Egypt if the owner's original locations are in Egypt. 

- Photographic machines, typewriters, calculators, radios, cassette recorders, video, tape players, video cameras, personal jewelry and ornaments ...etc, which are usually accompanied by tourists or Egyptian immigrants for use during their tours. Customs officers have to register the accompanied items in their passports on arrival. 

Food & Water

All our tours including breakfast, full board during Nile Cruise and on the basis of half board (have breakfast and diner) in Sharm El Sheikh. Hurghada except Dahab with breakfast only. The beverages are not included. In the hotels and the Nile cruise the food is generally served in open buffet. Eating in the hotels is not the typical Egyptian food; there is however sufficiently good restaurants which have a wide choice, for this you get tips of our employees in Egypt. 

Always drink the bottled mineral water it is available everywhere, tap water for showering & brushing teeth is ok, drink a little bit fine, but not glasses of it.

Guide Books about Egypt

The Rough Guide Egypt

Egypt (Lonely Planet Country Guide)

Egyptian Arabic (Lonely Planet Phrasebook)

Nile Insight Pocket Guide (Insight Pocket Guides)

Health

Upper Egypt can get pretty hot in summer months. Exposure to high temperatures can leave you vulnerable to heatstroke. You should avoid excessive alcohol or strenuous activity when you first arrive in a hot climate. Don't rely on feeling thirsty, drink nonalcoholic beverages and especially water as much as possible to avoid heat exhaustion and heatstroke. Beware of salt deficiency, as well. Use a hat and sunscreen with as many factors as possible. Also please beware of diarrhea. Do not purchase the food which are sold on the streets, do not drink tap water, Always drink the bottled water. Bring good antibiotics with you against tourist diarrhea. Regarding the Vaccinates you must consult in your country on current vaccinations needed for Egypt. 

Language

Arabic is the official language spoken by all Egyptians. When Arabic spoken in the streets, it's like a dialect & differs great deal from classical Arabic. Although English is very widespread, people will appreciate your taking time to learn a few words and phrases. In Sharm and Hurghada many other European language are spoken such as French, German, Italian and Russian. 

Money 

Sufficient funds are required to cover your personal expenses such as the meals which are not included in your tour package, beverages, and entrance fees if it is not included in your package, laundry, phone calls, and souvenirs and shopping. 

Visa and MasterCard can be used for cash withdrawal from ATM of the National Bank of Egypt, Banque Misr and others. Outside the main cities cash advances are often impossible, so keep some cash handy suits your expenses. 

The unit of currency is the Egyptian pound (L.E.), which is divided into 100 piasters. Pound are issued in notes 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 piasters are issued in notes of 25 and 50 as well as coins of 5,10 and 20. 

Novels

- Death on the Nile - Agtha Christie. 

- The English patient - Michael Ondaatjie. 

- Ramses: the son of the light - Christian Jacq. 

Photography 

Egypt is full of opportunities for great photography. It is allowed in many of the historical sites; however, flash is banned in most of the tombs. At an increasing number of the historical sites, the government charges fees for photography and taking videos. It is forbidden to photograph bridges, railway stations, anything military, airports and other public works. Signs are usually posted. Ask first if you want to take photos of people and respect their decision 

Shopping in Egypt

Egypt is fabulous for shopping and offers a wide collection of shopping such as: 

Papyrus, Perfume, Gold, Silver, Spices, Cotton products, Galabaya's,

Handicrafts, Hand made Carpets and Souvenirs. 

Time

Egypt time is 2 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). And operates Daylight Savings Time (+1 hour) from the last Friday in April until the last Friday in September. 

Tipping

Tipping (baksheesh) is a way of life in Egypt and is often an essential way to supplement very low wages. Tipping is usually expected in restaurants and should be around 10% of the meal. Tipping for a service is dependant on the service provided, and how well it is performed .and also you usually tip the housekeeping, porters, helpful site guards, the tour guide & the representatives. Remember; if you are not happy with the service provided to you don't tip. 

Travel Insurance

We strongly recommend and advise that you obtain travel insurance. Policies are available to cover loss or damage to luggage, medical emergencies that your regular insurance might not cover when you are overseas, travel interruption, trip cancellation and unforeseen expenses if you have to cancel your trip. 

Visa

Non-Egyptian visitors arriving in Egypt are required to have a valid passport. Entry visa may be obtained from Egyptian Diplomatic Bodies abroad or from the Entry Visa Department at the Travel Documents, Immigration and Nationality Administration (TDINA). It is, however, possible for most tourists and visitors to obtain an entry visa at any of the Major Entry Ports of Egypt upon arrival (Canadian, American and European community passport holders) for USD 15.oo per passport. Please check with the nearest Egyptian Consulate for specific details and regulations relevant to your nationality. 

Citizens of the following countries are required to have a pre-arrival visa: 

Afghanistan, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bosnia

Herzegovina, Chechnya, Chinese, Croatia, Georgia, India, Indonesia,

Iraq, Iran, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kirghizia, Lebanon, Macau, Macedonia,

Malaysia, Moldavia, Montenegro, Morocco, Pakistan, Palestine, The

Philippines, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Sri-Lanka, Tadzhikistan,

Thailand, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and all African

countries. 

N.B:. In the event of visa refusal at the port of entry, Egypt Unexpected will not be held responsible for passenger not holding the correct entry visa. 

Voltage & Electricity

Electrical current is 220 volts AC, single phase, and 50 hertz. Wall sockets are the round, two pin European type (though for some strange reason the socket holes are often too narrow to accept European plugs). Bring adapter plugs and transformers if necessary. 

What to bring

- Hat. 

- Sunglasses. 

- Scarf for head and shoulders for the ladies. 

- Comfortable clothing. 

- Sweater, jackets, coats and umbrella for the winter travel (Alexandria, Cairo and night time desert can be quite cold and rainy in winter months such as December, January, February). 

- A torch for the tombs and temples. 

- Your prescription medications. 

- Good walking shoes. 

- Swimsuits if you are planning to swim. 

- A sleeping bag is required for the Felucca between Aswan and Luxor - White desert if those are included in your tour. 

N.B:. Do not wear shorts and sleeves attire to the religious places in

Egypt. Dress quite conservatively at your visits to mosques, churches,

synagogues and bazaars. Especially women should be more careful about

that. In places less used to tourists, you should even more careful.