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Travel Time to Egypt
Peak travel season in
Egypt runs from mid October to May, and this
is the best time to visit. As you will
notice, the tourist season is during winter
and spring, but this is also the high
season, and prices go up at this time of
year. Some hotels can be really
expensive, and because of this, I would
advise prior reservations for all
hotels before you come, even the budget
hotels.
From May until October,
the temperatures are fairly high, especially
in Luxor and the southern parts of the
country, yet summer offers a time to see
Egypt in relative peace and quite. It is a
huge advantage being able to see the tourist
sites without hassle from school children,
or from the crowds of tourists. Imagine,
piece and quiet to take photographs, without
strangers obscuring the view!
Although certain Cairo
hotels will fill up with many Arab
visitors in the summer, who would rather be
here than having to endure even hotter
weather in their own countries, advanced
bookings are rarely required, and a variety
of discounts are even offered, as incentives
to them who would brave the heat.
Another very good time to
visit Egypt is during the springtime. During
spring the weather is fairly moderate, but
try and avoid the “The
Khamsin wind1”
season that runs between March and April,
though it only takes a few days and you can
handle that so easily ... it is quite an
adventure! !!
The Khamsin wind is a warm wind
that blows in from the desert, carrying sand
and dust!
Some travellers will
avoid travelling to Egypt during Ramadan.
This is mainly due to the fact that alcohol
is not allowed during the month,
especially during the daytime! But another
reason could be that many of the restaurants
are closed during Ramadan, and all tourist
sites close one or two hours earlier than
usual, causing a shorter time for visiting.
But on the other hand
Ramadan is a lovely month in Egypt, as it
resembles a month-long festival. At
night all coffee shops are full of people
who will stay up till the early morning
hours. It is the time when Cairo (and the
rest of Egypt) never sleeps, the time when
all people go out to have fun.
Here I have created an
advanced clock, to tell you how many days
are left until the next Ramadan, in 2006.
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If you need
to know information about
Ramadan or Islam,
Click here  |
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Areas To be avoided:
When travelling through
Egypt, you should avoid certain
areas, particularly sites located in the
centre of the Nile Valley! About 20 years
ago there was rising tensions at these
sites, Islamic fundamentalists had targeted
tourists in order to destroy the tourist
industry and the economy. This was part of a
larger plan to bring down the government,
seize power themselves, and install the
political ideas of their own vision, a
vision which no more resembles the rules of
the Qur’an than the Inquisition resembled
the Christianity of Christ.
Some certain incidents
occurred during the '80s and the '90s, a
handful of events took place again targeting
the tourist industry. Without for a moment
trying to deny the reality of these events,
the situation has been blown out of all
proportion by the world's press, while the
situation in other countries with
flourishing tourist industries is
far worse, their incidents rarely make
headlines. But in Egypt, if anything
happens, it becomes front-page news! In the
mid '90s, a widespread, and harsh,
government crackdown campaign was
implemented to try and stop any threats to
tourism and visitors.
A trip to Egypt still
entails far less danger than a trip to
anywhere else in the world. During the
realm of the violence in the mid '90s, there
were certain areas appointed as not good for
tourists. These areas are located in the
centre of the Nile Valley, particularly
Minia, Asyout and Sohag. Unfortunately these
places happen to have some of the most
beautiful monuments in Egypt, like the
beautiful tombs at Bani Hassan in Minia, the
marvellous monasteries of Asyout and the
Temple of Abydos in Sohag. In time, all of
these sites will be fully re-opened for
tourists.
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If you still think that
you would like to visit these places as an
individual traveller, you can! However, be
prepared for a police escort with you, as
the police force will not let you travel
alone in these areas! I would suggest that
the safest, cheapest and most informative
way to visit these sites is through a
reputable travel agent. |
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