Question re: Egypt trip in Oct

Gene,
annemargaret asked a question about Abu Simbel on July 9 titled "Fly or drive to Abu Simbel". There are lots of comments that will answer your questions about going there and about drivers. Too many for me to repeat. The latest comment is dated July 11.

Re a visa, I went to the Egyptian consulate here in Los Angeles to drop off and pick up my passport to obtain my visa for Egypt. You can mail it in also. The online application, I don't know about. Maybe it wasn't available them (early 2019). Tour groups use a service that I consider to be ridiculously expensive. I would get the visa myself. Mailing in my passport worried me, hence my going to the consulate myself. That isn't possible for everyone, so I would go online if that is an option. If not, send by mail. You have to include a prepaid mailer for return of passport. The visa will be entered in your passport, unless things have changed.

Also, I am confused. Are you arranging everything yourself, or are you going with a tour group (your question about tour group visa service)? If with a tour group, they usually have arrangements made for Abu Simbel even if it is an optional visit that you can do or not. However you go, definitely do it! It was worth the extra cost of air fare for us, many times over!

Weather...we were there in February and weather was perfect. I don't know about October. My guess would be warmer than February, but not unbearable like May-Sept. If you are doing a Nile cruise, that was one of the best things we liked about our trip (we went with Trafalgar Tours...very pleased with everything).

Have a great time. You will love Egypt!

There is no need to waste any time and hassle getting an Egyptian visa in advance, for a normal tourist visit. You get it on arrival. All you do is go to a booth, pay $25 cash, and they put a sticker in your passport. It takes virtually no time (I suppose there can be a line, but there wasn't one when I visited). That's all it is. That's your "visa". It's really just a $25 entry fee.

Good info, Slate. I forgot about that!

I was in Egypt last October. Temperatures were well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit every day. It hit 112 the day we were in the Valley of the Kings.

I'll leave it to you to decide if that's unbearable. I suppose since we managed to bear it, it was not quite unbearable, but it was pretty unpleasant.

It sounds as if you are making your own arrangements, not taking a tour? If you are going to be in Egypt for 8 days taking two days for a visit to Abu Simbal by car is a lot of time to lose from your trip. It can be a long, hot dusty drive with not much to see except desert. Much better and cheaper, when you add on hotel cost, to fly down for a day. Do not think about using a regular Egyptian taxi, string and sealing wax come to mind! Much better to organize a hire car with driver. On one of my trips to Egypt organized by the Field Museum, I had their agent in the US organize me an overnight trip to Alexandria through the agent in Cairo. I had an air conditioned Mercedes, a driver and guide and stayed at a nice hotel and all meals were included. The guide worked with my interests to visit the sites I wanted to see. I can’t remember what the cost was but I do know that I felt it was money well spent to visit a place I had wanted to see.

It will be hot in October - about 90f in the daytime. With low humidity it is bearable. Keep hydrated! Wear loose, light clothing, preferably cotton or linen, and a hat with a brim to cut down eye glare and to protect your neck. Wear good sunglasses. The sun is fierce and you need to use a good sunscreen and lots of it. Wear sneakers as it’s dusty everywhere and broken pavements are common. It does cool down at night to about 70f so a sweater is useful, especially as air/con is usually set to really cool temps. Probably will feel hotter in Cairo because of buildings, traffic. etc.

Safety. Be sensible, you will obviously stand out as a tourist and you will no doubt be hassled at sites by vendors. Do not make eye contact with them (this is where sunglasses come in handy) just keep walking and ignore them. At most say “La shukran” - no thank you, and keep moving. They are annoying rather than hostile. Tourist Police are at all sites and adept at moving on problem makers. Security police are at all major sites. Egypt has a tipping culture, carry list of low currency notes. Expect to tip a camel or horse rider posing at the pyramids, do not take a photo of an Egyptian without asking permission first. Do not photograph military or police installations. On one trip someone went to take a photograph at a check stop and the atmosphere changed from friendly and chatty to watchful in a second. The tour leader stopped him as he tried to get off the bus with camera in hand and defused the situation. On the whole the Egyptian people are friendly and welcoming and are fully aware of the importance of tourism to the economy. Follow basic caution and common sense that apply in any country, do not flash money around, do not take expensive jewellery with you, learn some basic greetings and you will be fine.

Just read my journal for my first trip tonEgypt which was in late September and note that the temperatures in Luxor, Aswan and Abu Simbal were over 40c - or well over 100f,……I remember I used cotton neck scarves containing silicone beads that expanded in cold water and worked to keep me reasonably comfortable. Tied them around my wrists as well! Really helped at the Valley of the Kings.

Thank you all for responding to my inquires..

Hi Judy.. thank you for that wonderful response.. Yes, I am arranging everything myself.. I have a Conference in Istanbul, and I thought it was a perfect side trip to Egypt while I was in a neighboring country..
My flight to Cairo arrives at 3AM - so plan is to wait 4 hours in the airport and take 7AM plane to Aswan... and from there hire a driver to take us to Abu Simbel and stay overnight there.. I don't know if I can handle another fight that day to Abu Simbel...
Next day go back to Aswan, and possibly do a Nile Cruise to Luxor.. (anybody know how to arrange that??)
Stay 2-3 days in Luxor and then fly to Cairo - spend 2-3 days and return home...

Hi Slate.. How did you manage not having any line getting a visa at the airport??? Were you the first one off the plane and got on line before anybody else on the plane?? If this is the norm... maybe I'll just get the visa when I land..Are they open 24/7?

Hi Lane... was this temperature during early Oct or late Oct??

Hi Lesley.. thank you for the advise.. You mentioned.. "Much better to organize a hire car with driver. On one of my trips to Egypt organized by the Field Museum"
Was Field Museum a tour operator?? - Does arranging private driver has to be done in advance, or can it be done once I get to Aswan ?..
BTW, thank you about the weather.. I expect to be hot.. good advise on cooling neck beads... put it on my list to order from Amazons...
And re: Safety... with Gaza conflict at the border.. any worry about violence or bad actors spilling over to Egypt side??

If anybody can give some insight into arranging a Nile cruise... I would very much appreciate it.. thank you...

My dates were between September 26 and October 8.

Gene,
I believe the Field Museum referred to is the one in Chicago. I don't know how they made the arrangement for the drive to Abu SImbel, but it sounds like they were arranging the trip as well. Perhaps a travel agent could give you some help? Lots of people on this forum recommend Djed Tours, who, from what I read here, do a variety of levels of tours.

Agree with other posters. Get visa at airport, there was no line, have $25 cash, it could not have been easier.
Contact Go Luxor tours (just google). Michael will drive, arrange tours wherever you want to go. And yes, it will be hot in October (we went October of 2021), but less crowded than peak season which is November to March.
My photobook;
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZbqEi9TkLDCq9EYU6

I agree with Tammie to hire a private company to handle your travel instead of relying on taxis. She has had good experience with Go Luxor. I have had good experiences with Djed. There are many other reputable companies. They are generally happy to arrange as much or as little as you want.

The private companies vet their drivers. You don't know what you are getting with a taxi. Also, you pass through a lot of checkpoints as you travel on Egyptian highways, and it always appeared to me that all transportation had to have some kind of pre-clearance to get through checkpoints. The driver would flash some kind of card or say something to the security guard, and the guard would check through some kind of pre-printed list on a clipboard. I don't know how that would work with an unscheduled taxi.

We were there Oct 18-31 a few years ago. The weather was warm but not unbearable. We were comfortable with short sleeves and long pants. It will be warmer in early October.

The eVisa is basically a tourist tax and should not be a problem. It's $25 cash as well as I recall, and you just go up to a counter at the airport and get it. (When we traveled with Djed, a representative met us at the airport gate. We handed him our passports and $25, and he handled all the visa stuff for us.)

You will hear differing viewpoints about security. Terrorism is always a risk, but I don't plan my life around it. Generally, if you stick to the main tourist areas -- Cairo, Giza, Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel, Alexandria, Hurghada -- you are reasonably okay. I think the State Department has some more serious warnings about the Sinai and the western desert.

Hi Tammy and Marie..
Thank you for the suggestions..
I just emailed the Go Luxor Tours and DJed tours and asked for estimates.. cross my fingers..

I did tons of research on eVisa vs. visa on arrival - it seem visa on arrival is so much simpler.. so that's what I'll do.. thank you all for giving me that suggestion..
And thank you Marie about the weather headsup.. we'll be going around the same time in Oct this year.. good to know that it won't be 120' every day..

I will be following an itinerary close to this travel blogger on this link...
https://www.walkmyworld.com/posts/egypt-itinerary-7-days
It's an excellent written trip report and the author planned the trips without any tour operators. He seem to have arranged all the trip using local drivers with his negotiations skills....
Are quote from the tour operators firm? or is there room for negotiations... I would never try to haggle in US, but I heard Egypt is little different.. I don't know if that applies to tour operators..
thank you..

And thank you Marie about the weather headsup.. we'll be going around
the same time in Oct this year.. good to know that it won't be 120'
every day..

The weather was definitely warm, and warmer as one headed south. It may have been in the low 90's in Aswan and Abu Simbel, but it don't remember being uncomfortable at any point. (I am much more miserable in the humid Georgia heat right now than I ever was in Egypt.)

I will be following an itinerary close to this travel blogger on this
link... https://www.walkmyworld.com/posts/egypt-itinerary-7-days It's
an excellent written trip report and the author planned the trips
without any tour operators. He seem to have arranged all the trip
using local drivers with his negotiations skills....

That's an excellent write up. However, I would still lean toward hiring someone to take care of all the logistics. The minimal extra cost will save you a lot of hassle and worry.

There were just so many instances on our trips where I was thankful not to have to deal with touts, scams and haggling --- and there is a lot of it in Egypt. For example, when we decided on the spur of the moment to take a camel ride at the Great Pyramid, our tour guide was able to negotiate it for us. The price that was negotiated was the price we paid; we didn't have to pay extra to get off the camel at the end of the ride; we weren't left stranded in the desert, etc. When touts would approach us, our guide would talk to the touts. If he/she thought the price was unreasonable, we would just keep going; if the price seemed fair, our guide would tell us.

Are quote from the tour operators firm?
or is there room for
negotiations... I would never try to haggle in US, but I heard Egypt
is little different.. I don't know if that applies to tour operators..

I think the reputable operators are firm. Djed seemed to price things fairly. Their quote came in at about the same price I had calculated for making all the arrangements on my own. Haggling is expected in the markets. Not so much with tour operators and restaurants.

Ok... So after multiple inquiries to tour guides and figuring out my options, I chose to go with Niles Cruise the first morning we arrive in Aswan..
Originally, our plan was to go from Aswan to Abu Simbel and stay overnight - I inquiered with 15 tour operators, and they range from $150 USD to $440 for two people.. Surprisingly, Djed was the highest...
Luckily, we just had Amazon Prime day - and they had 20% off for Viator experiences.. I snagged a Niles River Cruise for around $300pp that includes Abu Simbel trip along with optional Luxor balloon trip (I think it's $35 extra)...
Now, there were lots Cruise options out there, all with same itinerary... I have no clue the difference between $600 cruise and $300... I am crossing my fingers that this is a good choice.. One thing for sure, it solved many of our logistics problems...

So far our itinerary is We arrive in Cairo at 3AM.. we immediately booked a flight from Cairo to Aswan that day leaving at 7AM.. We arrive Aswan at 8:20AM at which time, Cruise arranged a pickup at 830AM at the airport...
So far so good.. and we sail for 4 days... and then we haven't figured out the rest yet..
We still have a week leftover on our trip.. Is there more to see in Luxor after the Niles River Cruise??
Does people recommend staying around Luxor for few more days or go directly to Cairo?..

Our cruise ends with Valley of Kings, Temple of Hatschepsut and Colossi of Mermon...and then we disembark..
Is there more to see in Luxor that I should stay extra in Luxor??
We'll be traveling back to Cairo/Giza to experience the great pyramids... We'll have 3-5 nights in Cairo/Giza depending on how many days extra we'll spend in Luxor
Besides the pyramids of Giza and Pyramids of Dahshur and Saqqara ,any other sites of interest to fill our day??

Appreciate all your help.. especially Marie, with your great insight and information....

As a side note - I got annoyed with Egypt Air pricing scheme - I was about to book a flight from Cairo to ASwan via Egypt Air - price quoted was $47 (that was via Google flight) - once I hit buy, it took me to Egypt Air website where the price jumped to $147... is this some sort of scam?? not happy.. but bought the tickets anyway (had no choice at this point).. Luckily there was a Business Class tickets for $30 more, so I bought that instead which allows Lounge Access - it may be helpful, since we'll be stranded in Cairo airport for 4 hours until our 7AM flight to Aswan...Anybody know if Lounge is 24hours?? - We'll be needing lounge around 3AM...

Gene,
In Cairo I highly recommend the Egyptian Museum. You could spend the whole day there, it is so full of ancient Egyptian artifacts. And the Coptic Christian section in the oldest part of Cairo has lots to see regarding a particular period in Egyptian history. After our tour was over and we had a full day extra, we returned to both of these and don't regret a minute spent there.
There is also the Alabaster Mosque of Muhammad Ali in the citadel area. A local guide would probably give you a good tour, and perhaps a visit to the Sultan Hassan Mosque and Madrassa. Cairo has so many historic threads to follow...ancient Egypt, early Christian churches,and Islamic sights. A tour of the pyramids at Giza and the Sphinx will take a good half day, so with your extra days in Cairo you could visit most of what I recommend.
Cairo has lots and lots to offer! You will enjoy yourself so much!
Have fun!

It sounds like you’re working hard on the arrangements and will have a great trip. I did Egypt with an Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) trip and they were amazing and good value. Dealing with local agents directly, as you are, is a bit harder but I’m sure will work well. Luxor is well worth two full days but more than that might get repetitious. Liked Aswan a lot. The Old Cataract Hotel there is the best hotel I’ve ever stayed at anywhere in the world, no exaggeration. Cairo is chaotic but tons to see. Marriott in Zamalek is good. TripAdvisor Egypt forum has a lot of expert advice.

Does people recommend staying
around Luxor for few more days or go directly to Cairo?.. Our cruise
ends with Valley of Kings, Temple of Hatschepsut and Colossi of
Mermon...and then we disembark.. Is there more to see in Luxor that I
should stay extra in Luxor??

The west bank of Luxor -- the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut, and the Colossi of Memnon -- will take an entire day.

You will need half a day for Karnak and Luxor temples on the east bank. Both are essential to see, I think. There is plenty of other stuff to keep you occupied for at least another half day on the east bank. There is a nice souk/market, and a small museum. We also enjoyed a sunset felucca cruise on the Nile.

If you are looking for an interesting (and long) day trip out of Luxor, you could arrange a trip to Abydos and Dendera. Abydos is very significant in Egyptian history and mythology. Dendera is newer (from the Ptolemaic period) but very beautiful. I am glad that we chose to do it.

I enjoyed the balloon ride more than I expected. Although it is significantly cheaper than a balloon ride in Cappadocia (Turkey), $35 seems a bit on the low side. I would double check that price.

We'll be traveling back to Cairo/Giza to

experience the great pyramids... We'll have 3-5 nights in Cairo/Giza
depending on how many days extra we'll spend in Luxor Besides the
pyramids of Giza and Pyramids of Dahshur and Saqqara ,any other sites
of interest to fill our day??

I regretted not spending more time at Saqqara on my first visit. (We made up for it on the second visit). Ideally, I would do half a day at the Giza pyramids, half a day at Dashur (maybe less if you don't like climbing inside pyramids), and a whole day at Saqqara. It's very interesting to see the progression and later decline of the pyramids -- from the Step Pyramid in Saqquara to the Bent and Red Pyramids at Dashur to zenith of the pyramids at Giza and then the subsequent decline with pyramids like Userkaf at Saqquara. The Imhotep Museum and the Serapeum at Saqqara are also worth a visit.

I would also budget a day, or maybe a day and a half, in Cairo. The mosques, the Citadel, the market, and the Cairo Museum would be my top picks. We also enjoyed eating Koshary at Abu Tarek in Cairo. It's dirt cheap and yummy.

Hi Judy.. yes.. we are thinking about Egyptian museum.. - I also heard Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) has begun a limited trial visits program for certain completed areas... Does anybody know how the GEM trial visit work?? and what part of the museum is accessible??
Thank you Judy, for those recommendations.. quick question.. Do you recommend staying in Giza with a view of the pyramids or stay in Cairo?? Not sure which area offers most efficient stay.. I did hear, the traffic from Cairo to Giza can be very difficult....

Thank you Slate, for those hotel recommendations.. we may look into Marriott if we decided to stay in Cairo vs. Giza.. not sure yet which is better... that night view of the pyramids from Giza hotel is tempting though..

And thank you Marie, for those suggestions.. Yes, I believe we'll be doing East Bank of Luxor on Day 3 of our cruise.. That Felucca cruise seem fascinating.. Do I go through with tour operator as well? or can I hire them off the dock?
Did you hire tour company for pyramids?? or did you Uber to pyramids?? just curious what the correct strategy is..

As a side note.I have to figure out a travel from Luxor to Cairo, once we disembark from Niles cruise... I looked into Egypt Air again.. and they did the bait and switch again.... The advertised price was $38 on google flights.. and once I clicked to purchase, the ticket price shot up to $158... This is extremely annoying.. and I don't know if I can trust a company that try to scam people like this...
This time, I looked into different options, like overnight train (horrible review... and not one of the people say they were able to sleep...)
Second option is overnight bus.. There are two different companies.. Go-Bus vs. Blue Bus.. Go-Bus seem more popular.. and they offer Business class seats (which is a must for overnight bus)... Blue bus is economy seats only, but it stops in Giza (if I decide to stay in Giza) and their trip is only 8.5 hours vs. 10 for Go Bus..
Air plane is ideal, but that price bait and switch is not making me feel all that confident...

I thought Egyptair was fine for that route. My tour company arranged all that so I have no experience of their ticketing prices and handling of individual travelers. $158 actually doesn’t sound like a bad price for a reasonably long domestic flight on an airline that has pretty much of a monopoly on it. I would never take an overnight bus in Egypt, no matter how comfortable a seat was advertised, because of road safety concerns.

Gene,
To answer your query about Cairo hotels...We went on a "Wonders of Ancient Egypt" tour through Trafalgar, so had no hotel choices. At the beginning of our trip our hotel had a great view of the pyramids, so we were in Giza I guess. While there we saw the Collosus of Ramses II, the step pyramid at Saqqara, the Spinx and the Giza pyramids. It was one of the big international chains (Hilton Ramses?) Very nice. (In places like Egypt, Turkey, China and Kenya I would only opt for that type of hotel, unlike in Europe, where they would be my last choice.) I think staying there to visit those sights made it easier, traffic-wise.
After our cruise we stayed in another fancy chain hotel in Cairo, near the river and not too far from the Egyptian Museum, if I remember correctly. It was after the 7 day Nile cruise that we saw the museum, Coptic Cairo, the mosques and citadel, so that probably mitigated the traffic problem as well. Just my guess.
Our flights within Egypt were all through our tour, so I can't comment on prices, but Egypt Air was a fine airline and I have no complaints about our inter-Egypt flights (Cairo to Luxor, Aswan to Abu Simbel and back, and Luxor to Cairo). To be honest, I am glad we flew to Abu Simbel rather than spending so long on a drive there and back. This was during our cruise, so we stayed on the boat that night which was docked at Aswan.

We don't generally do group tours, but I was very happy not having to plan or arrange anything for this trip, but many others on the forum do well with making their own arrangements. Their advice here is probably right on point, so you should do well on your own also.
(By the way, I read somewhere, probably here, that some websites show different prices on their USA page than on their "local" page.
Alternatively, Google flights is probably showing the lowest price, and maybe your day or time is what reflects the price difference. As Slate says, $158.00 doesn't seem too much for the distance involved. I wouldn't call it a "bait and switch." I doubt if they control which algorithm Google uses to show their flight info.)
We absolutely loved Egypt. It remains one of the best trips we have ever taken. (Between us we have been to more than 25 countries.) Have a wonderful time!

Hi Judy.. yes.. we are thinking about Egyptian museum.. - I also heard Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) has begun a limited trial visits
program for certain completed areas... Does anybody know how the GEM
trial visit work?? and what part of the museum is accessible??

They have been saying for years, since 2019 if not earlier, that the GEM will have trial visits and will have a grand opening in six months. Five years later, I am still waiting. I am not saying that they don't have limited trial visits now, but .... I will believe it when I see it.

Do you
recommend staying in Giza with a view of the pyramids or stay in
Cairo?? Not sure which area offers most efficient stay..
I did hear,
the traffic from Cairo to Giza can be very difficult....

Stay in the place where you are planning to spend the most time. Yes, traffic in Cairo is unreal.

Thank you

Slate, for those hotel recommendations.. we may look into Marriott if
we decided to stay in Cairo vs. Giza.. not sure yet which is better...
that night view of the pyramids from Giza hotel is tempting though..

We stayed a Mena Marriott in Giza with a view of the Pyramids. You won't be able to see the pyramids at night unless they are having a sound and light show, but you can certainly see them in daylight.

If you stay in downtown Cairo, I would recommend a high end hotel.

That Felucca cruise
seem fascinating.. Do I go through with tour operator as well? or can
I hire them off the dock?

Actually we did a felucca cruise in Luxor three times, twice through Djed and once a straight hire off the dock. The Djed feluccas were pre-planned and included a very nice dinner. For the straight hire, we were staying on the west bank and didn't have much of anything to do one evening. We strolled down to the dock, and decided on a whim to take a quick felucca cruise to Banana Island. Banana Island isn't much to write home about. They have banana trees, a crocodile, some monkeys, and a lot of overpriced fruit juice. We still enjoyed it, though.

Did you hire tour company for pyramids?? or
did you Uber to pyramids?? just curious what the correct strategy is..

Would definitely hire someone for the Pyramids. It's one of the most heavily touristed sites in the world (for good reason), and every tout and huckster wants to take advantage of it. A guide (or a trustworthy driver) is worth it just to keep the touts at bay.

Also, if you are thinking about Saqqara, keep in mind that it is a huge site. You pretty much have to have a car, either a guide or an all day Uber, to get around.

As a side note.I have to figure out a travel from Luxor to Cairo ...

Flying is the most common way to go, and the only way I have ever gotten from Luxor to Cairo. I don't have anything else to suggest there.

Hi all...
Thank you for all those fabulous suggestions..

I took all your advise... and settled in the following..
I'll be done with Niles Cruise on Oct 16... now looking at Egypt Air - the prices are $158 for that date....Doing some research, the Egypt Air prices go down as dates become closer.. for example, looking at flight from Luxor to Cairo for July 31 is $48 etc.. totally opposite of western pricing..
My plan is once we disembark from cruise, we'll spend one day in Luxor.. and fly out to Cairo next day... hopefully price will fall to more "reasonable" level.. (LOL to "reasonable"..but Google keep saying that's high for that particular route...) - if not I have option.. book a business class overnight bus to Cairo... AS long as I won't get stranded in a desert.. I'll be good...

That leaves 5 nights to stay in Cairo... original plan is to split that up (3 nights in Giza and 2 in Cairo) - but more I think about it.. Giza is not too far from Cairo.. and Uber is cheap enough that if I want to visit Cairo from Giza.. it won't be too difficulty..and besides.. it'll be better than keep moving hotels in midst of our Cairo stay..
So I finally booked my 5 nights on 4 star hotel...relatively new hotel next to Pyramid entrance..
as a matter of fact, right next to Mena Marriott...

Marie.. I looked up the pricing for Mena Marriott.. they are asking $490 a night..I mean.. I don't mind splurging once in a while.. but spending that much per night made me gulp a little ..
Instead, I booked a hotel for a fraction of that - and they offer free pick up service from the airport.. hotel offers their own tours.. so I may take that offer, if price is reasonable...
BTW, I booked a hotel via Booking.. and they won't charge until the check in at the premise.. usually, Booking publishes what the price will be on local currency the hotel will be charging.. but this time, it only shows USD.. is it possible the hotel will be charging my credit card in USD at the time of check in??
Or is it because EGP inflation is so high.. that it is impossible to know what the final EGP will be in 3months??
If anybody have experience on this, please let me know..

As far as Giza pyramids.. the hotel is a walking distance to the entrance... Can we just walk to the entrance, pay the entrance fee, and then hire camel rides up to the Pyramids?? Can I accomplish same thing with Camel vs. having Uber to take me to various pyramid plateaus?? I don't know how big the pyramid complexes is.. whether car is absolutely necessary...
BTW, what is the fair price for camel ride on the Giza pyramid ground???

Also, do ATMs in airport charge ATM fees?? If not, any Egypt bank recommendations, that are trustworthy and do not charge inexorbitant ATM fees??

Thank you Marie, Judy and Slate, for your latest recommendations.. Can't tell you how helpful that is planning this complex itinerary.. I'm still not done yet.. but 85% complete.. still have to figure out Luxor accomodations and logistics..

That leaves 5 nights
to stay in Cairo... original plan is to split that up (3 nights in
Giza and 2 in Cairo) - but more I think about it.. Giza is not too far
from Cairo.. and Uber is cheap enough that if I want to visit Cairo
from Giza.. it won't be too difficulty..and besides.. it'll be better
than keep moving hotels in midst of our Cairo stay..

Cairo and Giza are part of the same metropolis. It's hard to tell when you have left one and entered the other. I agree to choose one for your stay and not try to split accommodations.

Marie.. I looked up the pricing for Mena Marriott.. they are asking
$490 a night..I mean.. I don't mind splurging once in a while.. but
spending that much per night made me gulp a little ..

Ouch! $490 is more than we paid at the Old Cataract in Aswan, which is as pricey as it gets. When I was shopping around in 2019 for a 2020 trip, Mena House was $175/night, and the Ritz Carlton was $200/night. I don't blame you for looking for more affordable accommodations.

hotel offers their own tours.. so I may
take that offer, if price is reasonable...

That would definitely be worth looking into.

possible the hotel will be charging my credit card in USD at the time
of check in??

I dunno.

Or is it because EGP inflation is so high.. that it is
impossible to know what the final EGP will be in 3months??

Inflation and the Egyptian Pound (unlike the Turkish Lira) were pretty stable when I was there a few years ago. Don't know what the situation is now.

As far as Giza
pyramids.. the hotel is a walking distance to the entrance... Can we
just walk to the entrance, pay the entrance fee,

You can. The distance should be okay if you are in reasonably decent shape (i.e -- be prepared to get your 10,000 daily steps in and then some). Our guide advised us that the touts are pretty overwhelming outside the hotel and at the entrance to the Pyramids. If you are willing to deal with the touts, then it should be doable.

and then hire camel
rides up to the Pyramids?? Can I accomplish same thing with Camel vs.
having Uber to take me to various pyramid plateaus??

We hired a camel to take us for a ride to the scenic side of the pyramids and back. I imagine that you can negotiate a ride anywhere you want. (EDIT: I just reviewed my photos and didn't see any camels on the east side of the pyramids.)

I don't know how
big the pyramid complexes is.. whether car is absolutely necessary...

The Giza pyramid complex is not huge. We drove from the pyramids to the sphinx and from the sphinx to the camels, probably because we already had a van and driver, but I think you could walk it.

BTW, what is the fair price for camel ride on the Giza pyramid
ground???

We paid maybe $25 (?) per person plus a tip for two camels and one guide. Our guide negotiated everything. The prices may have changed since then, and so you might want to look for more recent data.

I thought the camel ride was a blast and loved every minute of it. My friend who was with me was glad she did it but decided that camels weren't her thing.

Also, do ATMs in airport charge ATM fees??

My understanding is that ATMs are heavily regulated in Egypt, and fees should be the same everywhere. Not 100% sure that's true. Also, we went to a local bank in Luxor to get small bills (which you need a lot of for tips), and it was fine.

still have to figure out Luxor accomodations and logistics..

I can offer some advice/experience there when you are ready.

Since you asked about accommodations in Luxor ....

We stayed at two radically different accommodations in Luxor, both of which we enjoyed.

On the first trip we stayed at El Nakhil, one of many small and inexpensive hotels on the west bank. It was simple but clean and comfortable with good Wi-Fi. Our room face a small garden, and there was a pastoral view of sugar cane fields from the restaurant deck upstairs. The west bank has a quiet village vibe, without a hint of the touts and general circus atmosphere of the east bank. It was quiet, peaceful and relaxing. There was an inexpensive ferry to the east bank when we needed it. The bonus is that it was only $30 a night, including breakfast. We liked it very much, and I would stay there again.

On the second trip we stayed at the Winter Palace on the east bank, not because we didn't enjoy the west bank but because all of our planned activities were on the east bank. The Winter Palace was hands down one of my favorite hotels ever. Built around 1920, the Winter Palace was the home for Lord Carnavon during the Tutankhamun excavations, and basically the hotel hasn't changed since 1920. With big hallways and staircases, huge oriental rugs, and lavish gardens, I felt like I was stepping back into another time where I would not have been surprised to run into Howard Carter or Agatha Christie. It was simply magical. (Oh, and if you exit via the back entrance instead of the front entrance, you will get a glimpse into a non-touristy part of Luxor. We loved the back entrance.)

The downside of the Winter Palace is that the prices will likely be similar to Mena House in Giza.

The bottom line is that you have multiple good options for accommodations in Luxor, depending on your preferences.

Hello everyone, there is new update to my ever searching for perfect Egypt itinerary.. LOL...

As I have posted previously, I still haven't booked anything post Niles River cruise... original plan was to stay one night in Luxor post cruise and either fly or take a bus to Cairo the next day..
Wasn't really looking forward to taking a 10 hour overnight bus (not to mention my wife's back) .. and the price for flight from Luxor to Cairo remain absurdly high (I know as Slate and Judy mention $158 doesn't feel that high.. but relatively pricing in Egypt to everything else... it was hard to swallow.. especially when price normally goes for $40... ) - besides the timing of flights early in the morning would take most of our time away from Luxor the next day..

It took me numerous Youtube videos and research to finally came up with better solution...
AFter the cruise - we will be taking GoBus to Hurghada and spend one night in All inclusive resort (not sure which one yet.. but there seem to be many in Hurghada - if anybody have any suggestions, I would appreciate any tips..)
it's only 4hour bus ride from Luxor and we'll arrive in Hurghada at 630PM.. just in time for dinner..
Plan is for relaxation in Hurghada by the pool or even Red Sea.. and next day. we may do ATV desert ride or even snorkelinng in Red Sea.. - it'll definately give us a different Vibe than ancient temples of Luxor and Aswan and Abu Simbel...
Our flight out of Hurghada is not till 1030PM.. so it'll give us whole day to do Hurghada activities..
We'll arrive Cairo around 1130PM from Hurghada where our hotel shuttle will pick us up.. and spend 5nights in Giza (So that'll be 4 full days in Cairo -which seem like a perfect amount)...
Best of all, the flight is only $60 PP..and the bus is only $5 pp - and the logistic schedule is perfect.. we'll spend more than 24 hours in Hurghada, which should be plenty...

Special thank you to Marie, who answers every one of my questions... you have no idea how helpful that is.. and it gives me encouragement to keep inquiring about tweaking my itinerary..
Of BTW, Marie, I did look up Winter Palace Luxor you recommended.. they only have Junior Suite available w/bed and breakfast option for $1588 USD for one night stay... LOL..

P.S. - Oh and another thing I found out.. When I booked a hotel via Booking.com, the price shown was in USD and not in EGP.. Booking.com states it is Egyptian law that any booking by a foreigner must be paid in USD or Euro... only local citizens can pay in EGP..

Ok, been traveling so just reading the latest. Am I understanding that after your cruise, you will spend no time in Luxor? That would indeed be a shame. I have not been to Hurghada, but it’s just a big tourist area on the water, which you can do anywhere else. Egypt is all about its ancient sites, and you will miss Karnak, Luxor museum if you do not spend time there.

Hi Tammy,

Our cruise will be spending two days in Luxor hitting Valley of the Kings, Luxor temple, Karnak and other places.. So I think we'll be covering most of top spots via our cruise tours..

Original plan was to spend one day in Luxor after Niles River Cruise, but I just couldn't get the itinerary to work if we decide to spend one night in Luxor after the cruise.. The timing of next day flight to Cairo was very early, so we would only have only 1/2 day of enjoyment in Luxor..
The bus to Hurghada perfectly matches our disembarkation, and flight to Cairo from Hurghada next day, gives us 1.5 day in a beach resort..This will be our relaxation day at a beach, getting ready to hit Cairo the next day..

We did Egypt in Jan 2022 and loved it. We did a group tour, which is the only way that I recommend doing Egypt.

I lived in Saudi Arabia for five years and have been to Egypt three times. I had Egyptian friends and I keep up with the local situation and politics in Egypt.

Group tours have an armed guard and other protections follow.

Group tours are relatively cheap, I recommend Gate 1 Travel.

Thank you Gene for posting this request. We had some time end Sept first part of Oct and was thinking of Egypt. Biggest concern is the heat? Does anyone out there know the best time? We interested in the nile cruise way - the smaller vessels. Has anyone heard of the Farah? Any input thank uou

Gene,
Your trip is approaching. I hope all your plans are decided upon and that you have a wonderful time! Just one last piece of advice (the teacher in me) It is the Nile River, not the Niles River. Thanks!
Have a great trip!

I visited Egypt in September. Yes, it’s hot — over 100 some days. But with pacing and a/c hotels, quite bearable. And the tourist crowds are a bit less then than at the height of the season in winter. I wouldn’t go in midsummer though.

Hi Judy..
Yes, finally.. all set for Oct trip..
I didn't mention this before, but our trip starts in Istanbul (we'll be spending 4 nights there.. )
On the fourth night we have redeye flight to Cairo (we'll arrive around 3AM)..
I booked a first class flight to Aswan that day - leaving 7AM.. so we'll be spending night in Cairo airport.. I purposely purchased the first class ticket to get access to Egyptair lounges (maybe get some sleep???) - the lounge review doesn't look so good.. but, hopefully, I can get a quiet corner to get some shut eye..
We'll arrive in Aswan around 830AM - where our Nile River (LOL.. almost spelled it Niles.. :) ) cruise operator will pick us up..
then 4 days cruising Nile River.. and from Luxor - take 4 hour bus to Hurghada.. goto all inclusive hotel.. I booked a desert safari in Hurghada via Viator for next day.. it includes dinner and camel ride.. etc..
Our flight is not till 10PM to cairo that day.. so that'll give us plenty time to explore safari etc..
and our hotel operator will pick us up from Cairo airport at 1130PM.. then spend 5 nights (4 full days) - exploring Giza pyramids, pyramid saqqara and as you mentioned previously, Coptic Cairo, mosques and citadel.. etc

Multiple people on this thread were advocating for group tours.. We usually don't do group tours.. we are independent travelers, so planning our own itinerary is half the fun (or stress.. LOL... )
Thank you Judy and all who contributed to this thread... it has been extremely helpful in figuring out the intricacies of Egypt travel.. Now I gotta figure out the Istanbul part.. (Ha!)

Gene,
Congratulations on getting your Egypt trip planned out. It sounds like you will get to do all that yopu want.
Re Istanbul...we did an Insight tour in Turkey a few years back. The Istanbul part was fascinating, as was the whole tour. Since we don't read or speak Turkic (sp?) we were glad to have a guide from our tour there to get us around town to the sights. However, we came in a day early and did some sightseeing on our own and attended Easter mass at the Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua. It was located on Istlakel Ave, a great street to wander and explore shops and places to eat. And the church is beautiful! Also, we took a cab to the Chora (Kariye)
mosque. It was a Byzantine church initially and has some wonderful mosaics. I would certainly go there again. We had a light meal at a nearby cafe. Saw very few tourists, mostly locals. Of course, the Hafgia Sofia is the #1 sight for a reason, and the Grand Bazaar is a treat also. I definitely would sign up for a tour for one or two of your days, but it is up to you. Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cistern....all worthy places to visit. They are popular for a reason! Our tour had us at 5* hotels with breakfasts there. Foods we relished in country were, apricots, tomatoes, and honey, in all permutations. There is a reason Turkey exports lots of food (esp. produce) to the rest of Europe!
Bon voyage and have fun!

I agree with poster geovagriffith. We had armed Egyptian guards on our tour. They work for the government and make sure their weapons are visible. Their presence is a deterrent to any violence against tourists from the U.S., UK and one other country. They also kept the aggressive touts away which was greatly appreciated.
In Cairo we stayed on the Nile at the Fairmont which was wonderful. We could see the pyramids in the distance.
Our hands down favorite site was Abu Simbel, so awesome! We went there on a riverboat that pulled up to the site. Our tour was with Odysseys Unlimited.
We went in January and did not have to deal with the heat that many other posters reported on.
Jackets and gloves were good to wear.
Having a guide who is an Egyptologist was a huge benefit too.

We just returned from Egypt.. as promised, here are several observations and mistakes..

1) Airport ATM - they are mostly Euronet and it is a big ripoff.. Do not (unless it's emergency) use it.. I needed some quick EGP upon landing. and only Euronet is available... Took out 1000EGP - they charged 200egp fee.. that's 20%... ripoff.. luckily I used Charles Schwab and they reimbursed the 200EGP.. but still...

2) tipping.. bring lot of changes.. initially I was tipping $1-3 USD.. but it was getting expensive.. I had to break $20 USD bills multiple times to get enough changes just for tipping.. I then realized tipping half that amount would just as suffice.. Once I tipped someone 45Euro by mistake thinking it was 45EGP (it was a same color bills..and I didn't realize my mistake until too late.. ) yikes..

3) Air quality - dust everywhere, and I was coughing every day.. if you suffer from ASthma.. you may have hard time.. The air quality is not good.. I had to take shower 3 times a day.. I took shower everytime I go outside..

4) Learn how to negotiate... I only had $5 USD toward the end of my trip.. I went around the pyramids of Giza, telling Camel broker, I only have $5 - so can I get a camel ride to a plateau and back for $5.. it worked.. never ask how much.. just tell them, this is how much I have, and can you take me to "so and so"..

5) Antibiotics.. - bring them.. more specifically.. cipro works well with Traveler's diarrhea.. ask your doctor for Rx..

6) Nile Cruise - We learned tour operator don't own their own ships.. they just place their clients into any vacant ships that are available.. On our cruise, we only had one other couple that were with same tour operator.. So whatever picture you see on Viator showing the picture of the ship may just be a stock photo and may not be the ship you'll end up with.. just be aware. and these tour operators contract with tour guides on different cities like Luxor, Abu Simbel etc....

7) transportation.. - in Cairo, Uber is your friend.. embrace them.. they are cheap (30min trip may only cost $2USD) and are plentiful.. Our 50min Cairo airport ride was only $5, including early morning reservation fee...

8) sunshade is your friend.. bring hats especially the one that covers your neck.. - Luxor is very hot.. Cairo is more tolerable... the temperature difference between a shade and sun is around 20 degrees... and there are lot of breeze, so being inside a shade is very tolerable..

9) Two biggest memorable events - Abu Simbel and Pyramids of Giza.. words can't describe...

10) Safety.. never felt unsafe.. Unlike Europe, never worried about pickpockets.. some scams yes.. but never had to worry about somebody mugging me or pickpocketing me..
I was worried about the war being so close to Egypt borders.. but we felt very safe.. people are very friendly.... and egyptian police are every where..

I have so much more.. and I'll post more as I think more of them..

Gene, thanks so much for reporting back on how your trip went. Looks like overall things went well for you.

Gene, thanks for reporting back. However, I wish you had not gone the cheap route with Viator on your Nile cruise as it sounds like it was less than satisfactory. We went with Djed for our Nile cruise on a dahabiya and was a highlight of our trip. Glad you got to Abu Simbel also another highlight. Did you go by road or air?

Hi Marie, overall things went well. no major catastrophes.. LOL.. We did get a Whatsapp message 2 weeks prior to our departure that our Nile Cruise was cancelled.. yikes.. I had to scramble and thanks to Viator, we found another Nile Cruise with same itinerary...

Hi Tammy, I did look into Djed (and it was almost twice the price of our cruise).. As previously mentioned, most Nile Cruise has same itinerary and nobody knows which ship one will be assigned.. Perhaps dahabiya boat might have given us better amenities and dining experiences..
We really didn't enjoy the food on the ship.. and the water was a $3 per bottle.. same water that one can get outside for 10cents..
Our cruise did offer Abu Simbel tour- and yes.. we were picked up at 4AM for 3.5 hour drive thru Sahara... it was scary, because our driver was keep falling asleep and kept drifting to another lane... whew.. we survived that one..There were no other tourists when we first arrived.. so it was magical.. however, the operator only gave us 1.5 hour to immerse ourselves in Abu Simbel.. Felt rushed.. One magical thing about driving thru Sahara at dawn was amazing sun rise over the Sahara.. that was so cool... that was just as cool as Abu Simbel itself..
We also had Hot Air balloon ride over Luxor on our last day.. that was amazing..
We typically don't like Tours, because it feels very rushed.. Various attractions like Luxor temple, Karnak etc.. were like that.. after hot air balloon ride (Which began at 4AM) - we were whisked to see so many temples around Luxor.. that it was very rushed... they finally dropped us off at Go Bus station for our trip to Hurghada..
As previously mentioned, original plan was to stay overnight in Luxor and take plane to Cairo.. but we changed that to Hurghada due to various logistic issues.. we are so glad we did.. Luxor was very hot.. over 100',and as soon as we arrived in Hurghada, the temperature dropped to 80'.. and it has very different vibe.. better air quality.. more resort vibe..
We did Desert Safari in Hurghada.. and that was one of the highlights of our trip.. we recommend that trip.. The sinai desert near Hurghada is the same desert Moses trekked when escaping from Pharaoh.. so the history and majesty of the desert was all worth it..

As a side note, our plane to CAiro was suppose to be 9PM from Hurghada.. Soon as our Desert Safari dropped us off (he did get a flat tire on his way - so massive delay) we had to scramble to the airport... well our plane had 3-4 hour delay.. and didn't arrive in Cairo until around 2AM.. yikes.. We had arranged a driver thru our hotel for airport pickup... I didn't expect a driver to wait for us for 3 hours.. and yet, there he was holding up our sign...We did give him a fat tip after he dropped us off at the hotel..