Hey guys, just came back from this tour, mine was from the 5th-13th of June.

I was stressing about the Visa as well, it's INCREDIBLY easy to get. Pay 15 dollars at the Airport and you're done, they put it in and stamp it right there.

EXCHANGE YOUR MONEY EARLY. There isn't much of a chance later on, and it causes problems. 300USD would be more than enough for most people.

Weather was hot. Damn hot. The last day was around 42 celsius. You tend to start very early (7am) so the heat isn't so bad early on, but quickly gets very, very hot.

There are -no- restrictions on clothing until the last day, when you visit Mosques. Even then, if you are found to be wearing clothing that's too revealing, they have a cape for you to wear.

There are hair dryers on the boat and the hotels, but not the overnight train. But you can't shower there anyways so it doesn't matter.

The Hot air balloon ride wasn't an option when I went. I would recommend carrying both LE (Egyptian pounds) and USD, as USD can be used when haggling in many situations.

All in all, if you are considering this trip, just sign up for it. It is an experience you won't forget for a long time.

Hi there!! Im thinking on going on this trip this next september, I will be traveling by myself, Im a girl and Im kind of worried about how secure is the airport and the transportation from the airport to the hotel. Anybody has any advise on this? Would be appreciate it.
Thanks!!

Oh I forgot to ask about the nightlife for this trip, is there any clubs or bars to go to?

September can be a little on the hot side - the winter months of Nov - Feb are ideally the best time; avoid March as its the Khamsin season( sandstorm)April- May is going to be warm but not too hot ; avoid mid summer months of June- August unless you don't mind touring in 45-50 C in the shade temps.

Contiki Egypt is certainly different from the traditional contiki's that are encountered. The tour is more like a holiday/ cultural experience rathar than an organised pub crawl .
There are evening excursions to see the temples along the nile in the evening when the temps are lower.
As for nightlife most of the socialization on tour is mainly on the top deck on the nile cruise rather than in bars or clubs.

Check this out for the airport, it identifies all the things that are relevant. I do believe the new terminal 3 will be operational soon and aparently its going to be a very well organised and strictly policed terminal whereby you would not have the problem of touts.
http://connect.contiki.com/eve...12105522/m/484106014

There aren't really any clubs or bars. The night on the train there is just the club car, on the cruise there is a bar/lounge, but that's not formal. I suppose you could find one in Cairo, though most people just hung out at the hotel pool on my trip.

The airport is fine, it's not fancy but I never felt in danger. If you arrange for the transportation you'll be fine, otherwise the contiki documents should say how much a taxi should cost incase you don't meet up with the local guy. For the return they will either arrange for transportation or the hotel can call a taxi and will let you know how much it would cost.

On the overnight trains there isn't much to do except hang out at the club car.This video will give you and idea of the activities:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57pk14o-Qxs

This tour is certainly culture focused but its important to be kind of respectful and participants on tour should not be disruptive and disrespectful . This occasionally does happen and has been mentioned in this controversial topic:

http://connect.contiki.com/eve...7333/m/240106243/p/8

On that tour I suspect the "cool clique" really got carried away with their antics and Sherif or Amadeus would not have been impressed.

how much egyptian pounds do u think i would need for the 8 days just spending money not the extras

Jane , it really depends on what you would like to buy. I would suggest having a look at this site:

http://www.virtualkhan.com/

To have a general idea of what's available.
Initially maybe change 100 USD to Egyptian pounds which will get you approx 500+ EGP so start off with. Its best not to change too much as the exchange office can be reluctant to change EGP back to USD especially if you have smaller notes. Things are relatively inexpensive provided if you shop around wisely and bargain .

What kind of souvenirs did you buy and what did you want once you got back home?

Well the true question is how much does Drinks cost at each of the locations?, Hotel, Train, Boat.. Beers, Wine, and Drinks...

Thats the true way to gage how much your going to spend on the trip.. Anything else you want, you can always order on the internet...

Drinks at the hotel,cruise , train are actually a little overpriced for this country ,but still relatively affordable by Western country standard.From memory around the 4-5USD for a large stella beer.

Its best to buy as much duty free and bring it along for mainly the cruise and also the overnight train rides.

Souvenirs which I mainly bought were made of Lapis Lazuli, a typical cartouche made of silver as these were the only things of quality. The typical touristy souvenirs are not of good quality.

I took this tour last December and it was great. Its the best time to go because the weather is very nice but it does get pretty cold at night.

Something that no one has mentioned yet is the smoking issue. Everyone in Egypt seem to be a chain smoker, and you can smoke where ever you want. For those of us that don't smoke it is very annoying, my throat was pretty raw the whole trip. On the train the buses in cabs every thing reeks of smoke, It took a week to air our my suitcase when I got back home.

The food was really good on the boat and in the hotel. Everyone got a little sick on the trip but nothing serious enough to spoil the trip.

I had cash with me and you can change it at the airport at the hotel and even on the boat. I used my credit card to pay for most of the optional trips. Make sure you go on the Balloon ride and the Abu Simbul trips, those were both just amazing. The only optional trip that was lame was the light and sound show.

If anyone has any other questions about the trip drot me an email cg2017@gmail.com

All throughout the middle east, shisha smoking as well as tobacco smoking is the norm.It is very sociably acceptable and its present everywhere Shisha smoke is actually very pleasant.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...feature=channel_page

However most Egyptians also like to smoke cigarettes made of really cheap and poor quality Turkish tobacco or cloved cigarettes.These are very strong in nicotine flavour as well as smell.Most Egyptian cigarettes are well in excess of 16mg so if you do smoke certainly be aware as there aren't any local light cigarettes.

This is usually the cause of the lingering smell that is everywhere. Its like a stale unfiltered Lucky Strike, Camel brand cigarette or Indonesian Djharum , Udam Garam kretek ( cloved cigaratte)smell that lingers around.

I am going on this trip Sept 18th. There are 2 of us going...both blond, American women. I am concerned about safety and being accosted on the streets. Also, wondering how conservative to dress. Are shorts (not Daisy Dukes!) permissible and tank tops with shoulders exposed ok? I don't know how "conservative" one needs to be. Please advise...

There's no need to be paranoid at all , but its always better to dress on the conservative side.

Egypt is a safe destination for the middle east but its not like the UAE( United Arab Emirates)/ Oman level of safety- Where you can walk around by yourself and not get approached to buy stuff, get a few "funny comments".

Wearing a t shirt ( ideally green in colour- as its the islamic colour), light coloured jeans ( as the environment is very dirty)and a cap in public would be better.Also on the camel ride , its best to wear long trousers and also proper shoes. Camels have fleas and if you're wearing sandals, shorts you're certainly going to get bitten by them.

Anyone wearing green is sort of showing that they are open to islamic ideas, principles and vendors tend to be a little more respectful but they will still try to approach with the idea of selling stuff.

With being approached -it actually happens to everyone male and female everywhere.

Females should ideally not walk around by themselves as the attention can get a little overwhelming and also quite annoying at times.