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First:
General Tips
1-
Entry Visa:
Visa
requirements for entry to Egypt
There are two types of Egyptian visa:
-All Nationalities are
required to obtain a tourist visa for Egypt. The visa will cost you
around 18-20 U$D For Europeans, Americans and Australians and can be
purchase on arrival at Cairo airport.
-Visitors who entering Egypt at the overland border post to Taba to
visit Gulf of Aqaba coast and St. Catherine can be exempted from
visa and granted a free residence permit for fourteen days to visit
the area.
-Visitors who coming in a quick trips from any Egyptian's port and
have only few hours they exempted from visa.
-
Other Nationalities are advised to contact their local Egyptian
Embassy for up to date information
on current regulations.
Citizens of the following countries must obtain a visa from the Egyptian
Embassy or consulates abroad in
their destinations before
entering Egypt AS:-
1. Arabian Countries:
Palestine, Lebanon, Tunis, Morocco, Algeria, Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, Mauritania.
2. European Countries:
Bosnia And Herzegovina ,Commonwealth countries (Russia – Maldives –
Armenia – Georgia –
Kazakhstan – Uzbekistan – Tajikistan–
Azerbaijan, Kosovo.
3.Asian countries:
Turkey, China, Afghanistan, Philippines, SriLanka, Thailand,
Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh,
India, Iran, Israel, Magnolia Vietnam.
4.African:
All
countries need a visa except Guinea , Conakry.
2- Cairo Airport & Customs
Cairo
airport is located 20Km to the south east of the centre of
Cairo. The trip to, or from, the airport should take around 30 - 45
Minutes. So you have to leave your hotel at least three hours before
your departure time!
There
are two Terminals at Cairo airport. You must tell your travel agent
or your guide which terminals you will come through in case you are
an individual traveller .
Terminal 1: Egyptair
domestic and international flights.
Terminal 2: International
Airlines.
Others airport:
Alexandria airport is served by Olympic Airlines and Egyptair. Luxor
Airport now has direct flights from several European cities via Air
France and Lufthansa. Hurghada Airport is also serviced by Lufthansa
while Sharm el Shaykh Airport receives charter flights from Germany
and France...
Customs:
The visitor is permitted to enter the country with 250 grams of
tobacco, or 50 cigars, one liter of alcohol and personal affects.
Animals must have a veterinary certificate attesting to their good
health and a valid rabies certificate.
Cairo International Airport is one of the few airports that has a
duty free shop upon arrival and departure.
3- When To Visit?
As
the summer months are quite hot, most travelers prefer to visit
during the winter months. Coming between the two seasons, March to
late May and September to late November, can help you to miss most
of the tourist rush.
4-
The Weather
Egypt's
weather commonly warm or hot, and nights are cool. Egypt has only
two seasons: a mild winter from November to April and a hot summer
from May to October.
The
average annual temperature increases moving southward from the Delta
to the Sudanese border, where temperatures are similar to those of
the open deserts to the east and west. In the north, the cooler
temperatures of Alexandria during the summer have made the city a
popular resort. Throughout the Delta and the northern Nile Valley,
At Aswan, in the south, June temperatures can be as low as 10° C at
night and as high as 41° C during the day when the sky is clear.
5- Health
Evidence
of Yellow Fever and Cholera immunizations is required from persons
who have been in an infected area within six days prior to arrival.
These immunizations must be recorded in the International
Certificate of Vaccination, the WHO card, issued by the World Health
Organization. This document is obtained from authorized doctors in
most countries. Persons without the proper immunizations are subject
to a 36-hour quarantine at Cairo airport.
-Do
NOT forget to bring your prescription medicine! It may be generally
available in Egyptian drug stores, but it may be called by a
different name. So, to avoid confusion and problems bring them with
you.
6- Water:
Don't
drink the tap water! It is okay to wash, shower and clean your
teeth with it, but not advised to drink. Mineral Bottled water is
cheap and in everywhere.
7- Electricity :
The electricity current is 220 volts, 50 Hz, and uses Two round-pronged
plugs. North American and other non 220-volt users are advised to
bring a converter! If you are coming from the UK, you will need an
adaptor for your plugs (these are available here)
8-
Currency
·
The Egyptian Pound (LE ) or (EGP) is Divided into 100 Piasters .In
Arabic it is called Genaeh Foreign currencies can be change
at any bank most of the banks are open from Sunday to Thursday
Also ATMs
Are available everywhere.
*The Exchange Rate Now
is
1 U$D = 5.40 L.E
·
Note:
Don’t
change your $, £ or English pounds until your arrival to Egypt
–
the conversion rate is far better here!
**Also
try to carry with you some Egyptian money during your tours as some
places that you will visit deal only with Egyptian pound
9- Culture,
Customs:
-
Egypt is a Middle Eastern country and has Middle Eastern
customs. Whether Muslim or Copt, the Egyptians are deeply
religious Also the family relationship is very strong
- In
general, Egyptians are most accommodating and they will go out
of their way to help you and respond to any questions you
have...
-
Egypt is a Muslim country, so please respect their faith. Many
things that you take as the norm, such as kissing and/or
fondling your partner in public, wearing revealing clothing as
topless etc., are frowned upon here.
-
For
Western women Try to wear a very Modest clothes to avoid anyone
bothering you
Don't try to kiss Any Egyptian women here who offers you a
services as your tour guide, or who deal with you in the hotels
or travel agents.
-
For couples feel free
to
walk
arm-in-arm or holding holds. (Same sex couples should be even
more discrete as homosexuality is far less accepted in
Egypt as it is in Western countries.
-
And please don't surprise if you see two
men kissing each other on the cheeks in
the street it is common cause this is the way Egyptian men greet
each others. they are not Gays at all
The
strange thing is a man kissing a lady hi
or
goodbye in the
street
10-
People in
Egypt:
Egyptians
are most accommodating and they will go out
of their way to help you and respond to any
questions you have.
-Here
you will find plenty of girls still wearing a
veil, it is common And The Egyptian
woman
is
well educated, and looked after by her parents
until she gets married. In Egypt 90% of the girls will keep
themselves virgins until they get married,
this is a common choice in the Middle East, as men
usually believe that this is a sign of morality. 95% of men
prefer virgin women to marry.
11-Tipping:
-Salers
in Egypt is very low so a lot of people who offers to you
services as at airport, hotels, transfers and
restaurants waiting that from you as they
are
depending very much on tips.
Egyptians are by nature courteous and gracious hosts
they even tipping each others.
-Hotel
and Cruise staff is another issue. On a Nile
cruise, the standard recommended tip amount is $5 per person per day
of the cruise - so for a couple on a 4-dayS
cruise that would be $40. This is normally
handed to the cruise boat reception staff in an envelope when you
check out, and then the sum is divided
between all the departments on the boat.
For
hotels: The bellman who carries your bags to and
from your room deserves at least LE5 per bag (more if they’re
really heavy!), and if the
doorman has helped you by getting a taxi for you, assisting with
directions and information, etc. the same, it would be nice
to give him LE10 or so when you leave.
-For
The drivers who assist you in your tours give
$5-10 per day.
For
the wait staff in restaurants give 10% or 15%
from the bill.
-For
the tour guides If you feel that the guide has been exceptionally
informative, knowledgeable and personable, If you have a
single guide for one full day' touring, then
the good tips that $10-20 would be a nice gesture.
it
is whatever you feel comfortable giving based on the quality
of the service you have received.
Please note, these are only suggested guidelines for
tipping At the end it is
a kind of appreciation.
Second:
Sightseeing Tips
Things You Should
Know to Make Your Visit More Enjoyable
-
-Admission
to all sites is payable in LE,
(Egyptian
pounds( so
make sure that you carry enough with you.
-
-No
use for the cameras inside the Egyptian
museum so you have to check in your camera in the
museum before entry.
-
There
is an additional fee for the Mummy room at
the mecums ,and to entry inside the great ,
second pyramids, and the solar boat.
-
-Don’t
use flash photography when photographing
ancient monuments
-
-Take a
lots of film or extra memory cards –
you'll want to take pictures of everything you see.
-
Don’t
take photographs of military areas.
-
6-carry
a lot of change during your visits. it can be useful
when tipping and bargaining.
-
For
ladies please wear long decent clothes, covering
legs and arms during your visits to the holly places as
Mosques&Churches.
-
Before
entry any mosques you have to take off your
shoes.
-
Please respect
the mosques, they are sacred places, and any attempts
of smoking, drinking, or sexual
behavior in or around a mosque will not be acceptable. As
Egypt is one of a just a few Islamic countries that
allow non-Muslims into their
mosques.
-
Wear
good walking sport shoes in visiting the
pyramids, saqqara, and in all desert
area.
-
Don't
take the local tour guides in the sites, Only deal with
the licensed tour guides.
-
Inside the pyramids it is quite a claustrophobic
experience so if you ok in this so go
on.
-
At
Luxor when you visit the valley of the kings or the westbank
in general try to have a lot of water with
you.
-
Avoid
to visit the mosques during the Friday prayer (as you can't
enter for visit )but you can after the prayer
end.
-
Avoid
visit old Coptic churches during Sunday&
Friday from 11 a.m :1
p.m as there are a mass hold.
-
Crime
is extremely rare but take care in case so don't go
with stranger to any unknown place, don'ny walk in dark
streets or in public area alone.
-
Don’t
climb on or touch any of the monuments.
-
Take
care in cross the roads as the driving system in Egypt
in the Right Not as U.K .
-
Don't
try the public transportation. Taxis are very cheap here but try to bargain as much as you can.
-
If you interest in
taking Nile cruise at
Aswan and Luxor I recommended to you the 5 stars Nile
cruise and be sure that all includes in prices as (All meals,
transportion, tour guide, all of your visites
to the sites there.
-
I
don't advice you
to overnight in a felucca there as it is more cheaper from the
5 stars one But you have to know that it has no beds or
bathroom if you like that so go ahead.
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