Introduction
The mythical, the miraculous and the chaotic everyday. The Sphinx, the Nile, ancient Luxor, the pyramids - Egypt's cultural scope is glorious. But the lively energy if modern Egypt is facinating too. Here the past has shaped the present and the present increasingly imposes on the past.
It's not just the Pharaonic monuments that have drawn travellers to this country since long before the birth of Christ - it's the legacy of the Greeks, Romans and early Christians, and the profusion of art and architecture accumulated from centuries of successive Islamic dynasties.
'Nowhere are there so many marvellous things...nor in the world besides are to be seen so many things of unspeakable greatness.' -Herodotus, 5th century BC
Geography:
Hacking a whopping square chunk out of Africa's northeast corner, Egypt stretches over more than a million square kilometres (386102 sq mi). More than 94% of the land area is barren desert, which has induced 90% of the population to squish into just 3% of the total land area, the fertile Nile Valley and Delta. Egypt borders Libya in the west, Sudan in the south, the Mediterranean Sea in the north, and the Red Sea and Israel in the east. The eastern region, across the Suez Canal, is Sinai. This region slopes up to the high mountains of Mt Katherine (Gebel Katarina at 2642m/8666ft is Egypt's highest point) and Mt Sinai. Along Egypt's Mediterranean coast there are countless white-sand beaches, many developed as tourist resorts but some still pristine and isolated. North of Cairo the Nile splits into a series of tributaries that flow into the Mediterranean.
Destination Facts
Capital: Cairo
President: Hosni Mubarak
Prime Minister: Ahmed Nazif
Government: republic
Time zone: GMT +2
Area: 1001449
Population: 77420000
People: Egyptians, Berbers, Bedouin, Hamitic Arabs and Nubians
Languages: 91% Muslim, 9% Christian
Currency: Egyptian Pound (E £ )
Major industries: Oil and gas, metals, tourism, agriculture (especially cotton), Suez Canal revenues
Major Trading Partners: USA, EU, Middle East
Daylight Saving: From last Friday in April to last Thursday in September
Country Dialing Code: 20
Getting There
The best time to visit Egypt depends on where you want to go. Generally speaking, winter (December to February) is the tourist high season and summer (June to August) is the low season in all parts of the country except on the coasts, and to a lesser degree in Cairo. Hotel prices reflect this. Weather-wise, June to August is unbearable almost anywhere south of Cairo, especially around Luxor and Aswan, where daytime temperatures soar up to 40\*C. Summer in Cairo is almost as hot, and the combination of heat, dust, pollution, noise and crush makes walking the city streets a real test of endurance. On the other hand, a scorching sun might be exactly what's wanted for a week or two of slow roasting on the beaches of southern Sinai, the Alexandrian coast or the Red Sea - just be prepared to fight for hotel rooms with locals on their summer holidays and Gulf Arabs escaping the even greater heat in their home countries. When visiting somewhere such as Luxor, winter is easily the most comfortable time. Cairo isn't quite as pleasant, with often overcast skies and chilly evenings, while up on the Mediterranean coast Alexandria is subject to frequent downpours resulting in flooded, muddy streets. Even Sinai's beaches are a little too chilly for sunbathing in January. The happiest compromise for an all-Egypt trip is to visit in spring (March to May) or autumn (September to November). Throughout Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, many cafes and restaurants are closed during the day, while bars cease business completely for the duration. Offices also operate at reduced and very erratic hours.
Getting there and away
There is a variety of good options for getting to Egypt, with good connections between Cairo and many European cities. Flights from elsewhere can be expensive and it's worth looking at making your way to Egypt via Europe, as this is often a cheaper option than flying direct. Most travellers come into Egypt through Cairo, although people are increasingly disembarking at Alexandria, Luxor, Aswan, Hurghada (Al-Ghardaka), Marsa Alam and Sharm el-Sheikh. These airports are serviced by a number of smaller carriers and charter companies with direct connections to Europe. Other connections from elsewhere in Africa and the Middle East include buses from Libya, Israel and Jordan, and ferries from Jordan, Cyprus, Saudi Arabia and Sudan.
Getting around
Egypt has a very good system of public and private transport. Domestic air travel is clearly the quickest way to get around and flights can be surprisingly cheap depending on the time of year. Otherwise the transport options include buses, trains and boats, and even camels, donkeys and horses. Buses service just about every city, town and village in Egypt. Deluxe buses travel between some of the main towns such as Cairo, Alexandria and Luxor, as well as around Sinai. Travelling by servees (service taxis) is one of the fastest ways to get from city to city. Service taxis are either microbuses or big Peugeot 504 cars that run intercity routes. Although trains travel along more than 5000km of track to almost every major city and town in Egypt, the system is badly in need of modernisation (it's a relic of the British occupation) and most services are grimy and battered and a poor second option to the deluxe buses. The exceptions are some of the trains to Alexandria, and the comfy tourist and sleeping trains down to Luxor and Aswan - on these routes the train actually is the preferred option rather than the bus.
Visa:
Most foreigners entering Egypt must obtain a visa. The only exceptions are citizens of Guinea, Hong Kong and Macau. There are three ways of doing this: in advance from the Egyptian embassy or consulate in your home country, at an Egyptian embassy abroad or, for certain nationalities, on arrival at the airport. This last option is the cheapest and easiest of the three. Visas are available on arrival for nationals of all western European countries, the UK, the USA, Australia, all Arab countries, New Zealand, Japan and Korea. At the Cairo airport, the entire process takes only 20 minutes or so. No photo is required. Nationals from other countries must obtain visas in their countries of residence. Processing times and costs for visa applications vary according to your nationality and the country in which you apply.
Weather
Egypt's climate is hot and dry most of the year. During the winter months - December, January and February - average daily temperatures stay up around 20° C (68° F) on the Mediterranean coast and a pleasant 26° C (80° F) in Aswan. Maximum temperatures get to 31° C (88° F) and 50° C (122° F) respectively. Winter nights only get down to 8° C (45° F), a very Egyptian version of chilly. Alexandria receives the most rain, with 19cm (7.5in) each year, while Aswan is almost bone-dry with just 2mm annually. Between March and April the khamsin blows in from the Western Desert at up to 150kmph (93mph).
The mythical, the miraculous and the chaotic everyday. The Sphinx, the Nile, ancient Luxor, the pyramids - Egypt's cultural scope is glorious. But the lively energy if modern Egypt is facinating too. Here the past has shaped the present and the present increasingly imposes on the past.
It's not just the Pharaonic monuments that have drawn travellers to this country since long before the birth of Christ - it's the legacy of the Greeks, Romans and early Christians, and the profusion of art and architecture accumulated from centuries of successive Islamic dynasties.
'Nowhere are there so many marvellous things...nor in the world besides are to be seen so many things of unspeakable greatness.' -Herodotus, 5th century BC
Geography:
Hacking a whopping square chunk out of Africa's northeast corner, Egypt stretches over more than a million square kilometres (386102 sq mi). More than 94% of the land area is barren desert, which has induced 90% of the population to squish into just 3% of the total land area, the fertile Nile Valley and Delta. Egypt borders Libya in the west, Sudan in the south, the Mediterranean Sea in the north, and the Red Sea and Israel in the east. The eastern region, across the Suez Canal, is Sinai. This region slopes up to the high mountains of Mt Katherine (Gebel Katarina at 2642m/8666ft is Egypt's highest point) and Mt Sinai. Along Egypt's Mediterranean coast there are countless white-sand beaches, many developed as tourist resorts but some still pristine and isolated. North of Cairo the Nile splits into a series of tributaries that flow into the Mediterranean.
Destination Facts
Capital: Cairo
President: Hosni Mubarak
Prime Minister: Ahmed Nazif
Government: republic
Time zone: GMT +2
Area: 1001449
Population: 77420000
People: Egyptians, Berbers, Bedouin, Hamitic Arabs and Nubians
Languages: 91% Muslim, 9% Christian
Currency: Egyptian Pound (E £ )
Major industries: Oil and gas, metals, tourism, agriculture (especially cotton), Suez Canal revenues
Major Trading Partners: USA, EU, Middle East
Daylight Saving: From last Friday in April to last Thursday in September
Country Dialing Code: 20
Getting There
The best time to visit Egypt depends on where you want to go. Generally speaking, winter (December to February) is the tourist high season and summer (June to August) is the low season in all parts of the country except on the coasts, and to a lesser degree in Cairo. Hotel prices reflect this. Weather-wise, June to August is unbearable almost anywhere south of Cairo, especially around Luxor and Aswan, where daytime temperatures soar up to 40\*C. Summer in Cairo is almost as hot, and the combination of heat, dust, pollution, noise and crush makes walking the city streets a real test of endurance. On the other hand, a scorching sun might be exactly what's wanted for a week or two of slow roasting on the beaches of southern Sinai, the Alexandrian coast or the Red Sea - just be prepared to fight for hotel rooms with locals on their summer holidays and Gulf Arabs escaping the even greater heat in their home countries. When visiting somewhere such as Luxor, winter is easily the most comfortable time. Cairo isn't quite as pleasant, with often overcast skies and chilly evenings, while up on the Mediterranean coast Alexandria is subject to frequent downpours resulting in flooded, muddy streets. Even Sinai's beaches are a little too chilly for sunbathing in January. The happiest compromise for an all-Egypt trip is to visit in spring (March to May) or autumn (September to November). Throughout Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, many cafes and restaurants are closed during the day, while bars cease business completely for the duration. Offices also operate at reduced and very erratic hours.
Getting there and away
There is a variety of good options for getting to Egypt, with good connections between Cairo and many European cities. Flights from elsewhere can be expensive and it's worth looking at making your way to Egypt via Europe, as this is often a cheaper option than flying direct. Most travellers come into Egypt through Cairo, although people are increasingly disembarking at Alexandria, Luxor, Aswan, Hurghada (Al-Ghardaka), Marsa Alam and Sharm el-Sheikh. These airports are serviced by a number of smaller carriers and charter companies with direct connections to Europe. Other connections from elsewhere in Africa and the Middle East include buses from Libya, Israel and Jordan, and ferries from Jordan, Cyprus, Saudi Arabia and Sudan.
Getting around
Egypt has a very good system of public and private transport. Domestic air travel is clearly the quickest way to get around and flights can be surprisingly cheap depending on the time of year. Otherwise the transport options include buses, trains and boats, and even camels, donkeys and horses. Buses service just about every city, town and village in Egypt. Deluxe buses travel between some of the main towns such as Cairo, Alexandria and Luxor, as well as around Sinai. Travelling by servees (service taxis) is one of the fastest ways to get from city to city. Service taxis are either microbuses or big Peugeot 504 cars that run intercity routes. Although trains travel along more than 5000km of track to almost every major city and town in Egypt, the system is badly in need of modernisation (it's a relic of the British occupation) and most services are grimy and battered and a poor second option to the deluxe buses. The exceptions are some of the trains to Alexandria, and the comfy tourist and sleeping trains down to Luxor and Aswan - on these routes the train actually is the preferred option rather than the bus.
Visa:
Most foreigners entering Egypt must obtain a visa. The only exceptions are citizens of Guinea, Hong Kong and Macau. There are three ways of doing this: in advance from the Egyptian embassy or consulate in your home country, at an Egyptian embassy abroad or, for certain nationalities, on arrival at the airport. This last option is the cheapest and easiest of the three. Visas are available on arrival for nationals of all western European countries, the UK, the USA, Australia, all Arab countries, New Zealand, Japan and Korea. At the Cairo airport, the entire process takes only 20 minutes or so. No photo is required. Nationals from other countries must obtain visas in their countries of residence. Processing times and costs for visa applications vary according to your nationality and the country in which you apply.
Weather
Egypt's climate is hot and dry most of the year. During the winter months - December, January and February - average daily temperatures stay up around 20° C (68° F) on the Mediterranean coast and a pleasant 26° C (80° F) in Aswan. Maximum temperatures get to 31° C (88° F) and 50° C (122° F) respectively. Winter nights only get down to 8° C (45° F), a very Egyptian version of chilly. Alexandria receives the most rain, with 19cm (7.5in) each year, while Aswan is almost bone-dry with just 2mm annually. Between March and April the khamsin blows in from the Western Desert at up to 150kmph (93mph).
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