Touring Egypt and Diving Red Sea
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neilstewart
Contributor
Hi.
I returned from a 14 day trip in September doing pretty much the same thing as you. I don't know if it is possible for you to turn it around a little. Are you flying with egypt air? There are a lot of cruises that go Aswan to Luxor or even Luxor to Aswan so could you change your dates? My advice would be to fly into Cairo and fly straight to Aswan overnight and embark nile cruise next day.
So Itinery looks like this
Day 0 arrive Aswan (it is only 60 minute flight and costs $60 from cairo)
Day 1 - Nile Cruise
Day 2 Nile cruise
Day 3 Nile Cruise
day 4 Disembark at luxor - Road transfer to Hurghada (costs $50 each - private aircon transfer - leaves 2pm takes 3.5 hours (p.s. you cannot fly Luxor to Hurghada))
Day 4 Cont. You might try to get a mini-safari here to see the better sites embarking that night for 4 nights, if not overnight and start daily diving next day.
Day 5 - diving
Day 6 - diving
Day 7 - diving
Day 8 - diving maybe morning dive only (remember you need 18 hours)
Day 9 take an earlyish flight to Cairo check into a Giza hotel - get a guided taxi from your hotel about $15 for three hours (this is enough to see the Pyramids at Giza - if you are ealry enough he could also take you to the Museum afterwards(Cairo museum is not an easy place it is very jumbled and to be honest has too much in it really to appreciate things but you must go see the mummies and of course the boy kings mask). You could also go see the light show over the pyramids in the evening 6.30pm. A nice way to do this is on camel.
Day 10 fly home.
Forget overnight trains and coaches you will hate them and the two internal flights you make will not break the bank and save you valuable holiday time.
We did it roughly this way, although our cruise was Luxor to Aswan (4 days - we just flew back to Luxor from Aswan on the 10.30 am flight), and in our 13 days we managed to pack in a weeks safari to the brothers, deadelus, elphinstone.
I love the diving so I was a bit sceptical about going to see the ancient sites, thinking I would rather just spend the whole 2 weeks diving. But I must say that this was the best Egypt trip that I have ever done at the 7th time of asking. It is very good indeed to combine both bits. The Temples impressed me so much more than I was expecting.
P.S. for your last message - you cannot cross the desert at night!!
Where are you from - any further info just ask
Regards
Neil
Neil
I returned from a 14 day trip in September doing pretty much the same thing as you. I don't know if it is possible for you to turn it around a little. Are you flying with egypt air? There are a lot of cruises that go Aswan to Luxor or even Luxor to Aswan so could you change your dates? My advice would be to fly into Cairo and fly straight to Aswan overnight and embark nile cruise next day.
So Itinery looks like this
Day 0 arrive Aswan (it is only 60 minute flight and costs $60 from cairo)
Day 1 - Nile Cruise
Day 2 Nile cruise
Day 3 Nile Cruise
day 4 Disembark at luxor - Road transfer to Hurghada (costs $50 each - private aircon transfer - leaves 2pm takes 3.5 hours (p.s. you cannot fly Luxor to Hurghada))
Day 4 Cont. You might try to get a mini-safari here to see the better sites embarking that night for 4 nights, if not overnight and start daily diving next day.
Day 5 - diving
Day 6 - diving
Day 7 - diving
Day 8 - diving maybe morning dive only (remember you need 18 hours)
Day 9 take an earlyish flight to Cairo check into a Giza hotel - get a guided taxi from your hotel about $15 for three hours (this is enough to see the Pyramids at Giza - if you are ealry enough he could also take you to the Museum afterwards(Cairo museum is not an easy place it is very jumbled and to be honest has too much in it really to appreciate things but you must go see the mummies and of course the boy kings mask). You could also go see the light show over the pyramids in the evening 6.30pm. A nice way to do this is on camel.
Day 10 fly home.
Forget overnight trains and coaches you will hate them and the two internal flights you make will not break the bank and save you valuable holiday time.
We did it roughly this way, although our cruise was Luxor to Aswan (4 days - we just flew back to Luxor from Aswan on the 10.30 am flight), and in our 13 days we managed to pack in a weeks safari to the brothers, deadelus, elphinstone.
I love the diving so I was a bit sceptical about going to see the ancient sites, thinking I would rather just spend the whole 2 weeks diving. But I must say that this was the best Egypt trip that I have ever done at the 7th time of asking. It is very good indeed to combine both bits. The Temples impressed me so much more than I was expecting.
P.S. for your last message - you cannot cross the desert at night!!
Where are you from - any further info just ask
Regards
Neil
Neil
neilstewart
Contributor
One other thought - There is a Road Aswan to Marsa Alam, the diving in Marsa Alam is better than both Sharm and Hughada in my opinion. When I was there the road was closed and I think had been for some time. If it is now open, which I doubt, you might think about building in Marsa alam diving instead of Hurghada. eg Fly straight into Luxor (int. airport) get cruise Luxor to Aswan, road transfer Aswan to Marsa Alam, Dviving in marsa alam (you can get day boats to Elphinstone from here), fly to cairo.
or
Fly into Marsa alam, diving, road tran to aswan, cruise, fly to Cairo.
Neil
or
Fly into Marsa alam, diving, road tran to aswan, cruise, fly to Cairo.
Neil
Hi neilstewart, thanks for this important reply.
It never cross my mind that to get from Hurghada to Luxor, I have to pass a desert. Omigosh... now I have to change my itinerary.
I cannot changed much at this moment as I have paid for a tour package that I have to stick to after my another dive tour package. The linking part is this part where I have to get from Hurghada to Luxor and then to Aswan via train to join them.
Now I may need to leave my dive package a day earlier just to get to Hurghada a day earlier to get a bus and trained to from Luxor to Aswan.
Thanks for the info...
Sveston
PS: HOpe that I can hear another alternatives...
It never cross my mind that to get from Hurghada to Luxor, I have to pass a desert. Omigosh... now I have to change my itinerary.
I cannot changed much at this moment as I have paid for a tour package that I have to stick to after my another dive tour package. The linking part is this part where I have to get from Hurghada to Luxor and then to Aswan via train to join them.
Now I may need to leave my dive package a day earlier just to get to Hurghada a day earlier to get a bus and trained to from Luxor to Aswan.
Thanks for the info...
Sveston
PS: HOpe that I can hear another alternatives...
Potapko
Contributor
sveston:
To the best of my understanding you were given correct advice. You cannot get overnight from Hurghada to Luxor by bus. The caravan wouldn't leave until the next morning. Your simplest option would be as you stated and leave your dive package a day early. Not the most pleasant but maybe most practical.
DP
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I did the nile cruise/hurgahda deal a couple of years ago and everything went very smooth and had a great time. It was a very LONG and uneventful ride from Luxor to Hurgahda. But the diving was very much worth it. Do you already know which hotel you will be staying at? Most hotels have a dive op located near the docks and go out for day tours (dive-lunch-dive-back). Hope you enjoy it as much as I did 
TheDivingPreacher:
I just borrowed this book "The Rough Guide to Egypt" and in there they specified the schedule of the bus from Hurghada to Aswan as 9.30am, 10.30pm, 11pm and 11.30pm, 8hrs from main bus station. Now I wonder whether this is a typo.
There are schedule too overnight to Luxor but again, am I skeptical...
Hope anyone who knows this could advised me...
justleesa:I did the nile cruise/hurgahda deal a couple of years ago and everything went very smooth and had a great time. It was a very LONG and uneventful ride from Luxor to Hurgahda. But the diving was very much worth it. Do you already know which hotel you will be staying at? Most hotels have a dive op located near the docs and go out for day tours (dive-lunch-dive-back). Hope you enjoy it as much as I did
Would love to dive in Hurghada too if I have not get myself into this tight plan now.
My concern is now getting myself to Luxor or Aswan so as not to miss the cruise that is already planned by my agent and paid by me.
Potapko
Contributor
sveston:
Certainly I am no expert. Writing from limited experience there. Do they not also give you contact information for the bus companies? So, i apologize if I am speaking through my hat, but hopeflly it is an up to date guide and you can make it without a problem.
TheDivingPreacher:
After much hair pullin and not able to do much work here except lookin through forums, I think the best way is to find out there. I got 2 days plus to do my checking and if I can't really get a convoy through the desert, i will just skipped a day...
Thanks
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