we just spent a week in Egypt and got home 2 weeks ago. We had planned a trip to Cairo and Giza but canceled because of troubles there. We did however spend a couple of days in Luxor and had an amazing visit, everybody was charming, we saw no trouble and felt safe for the entire trip. We are considering a return trip to Luxor in October. We travelled into the Sohag region to the Temple of Seti at Abydous and to Dendara Temple near Qena. Both were truly amazing and very quiet. The situation is desperate for many locals because tourists are staying away. We travelled with a fantastic local guide and private driver and appreciated seeing the 'real' Egypt. There was a strong police presence around the area (mainly tourist police) and check points on roads.
I think it pays to be respectful and dress appropriately outside resorts. There are many Muslims in the area but they are moderate, also many Coptic Christians.
For me, the worst experience was running the gauntlet of the tourist stalls where everyone was begging you to buy. I would have loved to bought from everybody but bought from none because of the hassling.
If we wanted a guide book or similar our guide dealt with it for us. We loved the Luxor area and will be back, whether we visit Cairo will be dependent of the circumstances at the time.
Our trip was not a cruise but a cheap last minute trip to Hurghada on the Red Sea and we arranged the Luxor trip through a company called Tours from Hurghada who have a web presence.:) Our guide, Mohammed, was amazing!
Egypt in 2014?
in Africa & Middle East
Posted · Edited by susan191052
spelling
we just spent a week in Egypt and got home 2 weeks ago. We had planned a trip to Cairo and Giza but canceled because of troubles there. We did however spend a couple of days in Luxor and had an amazing visit, everybody was charming, we saw no trouble and felt safe for the entire trip. We are considering a return trip to Luxor in October. We travelled into the Sohag region to the Temple of Seti at Abydous and to Dendara Temple near Qena. Both were truly amazing and very quiet. The situation is desperate for many locals because tourists are staying away. We travelled with a fantastic local guide and private driver and appreciated seeing the 'real' Egypt. There was a strong police presence around the area (mainly tourist police) and check points on roads.
I think it pays to be respectful and dress appropriately outside resorts. There are many Muslims in the area but they are moderate, also many Coptic Christians.
For me, the worst experience was running the gauntlet of the tourist stalls where everyone was begging you to buy. I would have loved to bought from everybody but bought from none because of the hassling.
If we wanted a guide book or similar our guide dealt with it for us. We loved the Luxor area and will be back, whether we visit Cairo will be dependent of the circumstances at the time.
Our trip was not a cruise but a cheap last minute trip to Hurghada on the Red Sea and we arranged the Luxor trip through a company called Tours from Hurghada who have a web presence.:) Our guide, Mohammed, was amazing!