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Egypt |
Facts about country
| Capital | Cairo |
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Population |
67 Million |
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Main Languages |
Arabic |
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Electricity |
2 Plug System 220 Volts 50Hz |
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Currency |
Egyptian Pound |
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Exchange Rate for US $ as of May 2001 |
3.85 LE per 1 US$ |
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Safe to Drink Tap Water |
No |
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Size |
1001449 sq km |
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Transport |
Train, bus, minibus, boat (ferry), taxi, plane |
| Cash Machines (ATMS) | Yes |
| Credit Card Usage | Yes |
| Religion | Muslim + Christian |
| Measurement System | Metric System |
Recommended Budget per Day in US $
| Total Budget per Person | Accommodation | Meals | Transportation | Other |
| 25 $ | 5 $ | 5 $ | 5 $ | 10 $ |
Main things to See (we give descriptions only on places we visited)
| Things to See | Visited | Brief Description | Recommend (10 is best 1 is don't bother) |
| Cairo | Y | The life and blood of Egypt, by far the largest city 12 to 16 million people live there. The main sites are the National Museum, Citadel, the Bazaar, many mosques and more. The national museum is huge and one could spend easily a day in there. | 8 |
| Giza (Pyramids) | Y | Right outside Cairo where the Pyramids and the Sphinx are located. This of course is the must see in Egypt. However it is not a must see to go into the Pyramids. It costs more than the entrance fee to the whole site and inside the Pyramid one gets to walk though just an empty tunnel. | 9 |
| Luxor | Y | The Valley of the Kings and Queens are across the Nile form Luxor. This is where the famous burial site excavations are. In town is the Luxor temple and right outside the city is the Karnak Temple. | 8 |
| Aswan | Y | What makes Aswan famous is the Aswan dam. This is a not a must see, but if you are there a while take a look. | 5 |
| Dahab | Y | The hippie sanctuary in Egypt. It is dirt cheap to eat and sleep here. There are also inexpensive scuba diving and snorkeling activities. You can also do some hiking at Mt. Sinai. | 6 |
| Abu Simbel | Y | The Great Temple of Abu Simbel and the Harthor Temple is there. They had moved these temples out of the way from the rising waters caused from the building of the Aswan dam. This is the absolute must see and is well worth the trip! | 10 |
| Port Said | Y | Present surprise for us when we visited. Actually has a nice board walk. The Suez Canal starts here on its way up to the Mediterranean Sea. Very hot and humid. | 5 |
| Alexandria | N | ||
| Dakhla Oasis | N | ||
| Sidi Abdel Rahman | N | ||
| Marsa Alam | N | ||
Popular activities and Tours (Being not included does not mean they do not exist)
| Hiking / Trekking | X |
| Scuba Diving | X |
| Historical Sites | X |
| Sightseeing tours | X |
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Ballooning |
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Bungy Jumping |
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Safaris |
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| Boat tours | X |
| Fishing | X |
| Horseback riding | X |
| Canoeing | X |
| Camping | |
| River Rafting | |
| Sky Diving | |
| Abseiling | |
| Surfing | |
| Windsurfing | |
| Kayaking | |
| Sailing | |
| Mountain biking | |
| Roller blading | |
| Motorbike | X |
| Sand boarding | |
| Snorkeling | X |
| Water Skiing | X |
| Others |
Feeling and Opinions on Egypt
We spent a lot of time in Cairo, trying to get Visas for other countries. Which was too long for us. Egypt is a land where you will be constantly be harassed by touts trying to offer you something. However the ancient sites makes it all worth it. Abu Simbel was easily our favorite. In Luxor it was just too hot to do much. One tomb sort of looked like the next tomb in the Valley of the Kings and Queens. In Dahab one do Scuba Diving courses really inexpensively, however make sure you choose the right store. If one can put up with the hassels, Egypt is well worth traveling in.
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Maren & Kirk