Egypt, Jordan and Israel
Replies: 11 - Last Post: Feb 5, 2012 2:25 PM Last Post By: fear_rua
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Hi, I have a month free from the 20th of March until about the 23 of April.
Thinking hitting the main destinations in Egypt... Cairo, Alexandria, Dahab.. the pyramids etc etc and then into Jordan via the Taba-Eilat crossing into Jordan to see Jerash, The dead sea and the like and then into Israel for Tel aviv, Jerusalem, Nazareth... and then back into Egypt to fly home from Cairo.
Would this be over ambitious?
and what sort of budget would I need if I will be travelling by buses, trains and ferries. and staying in hostels.
Thanks in advance.
Thinking hitting the main destinations in Egypt... Cairo, Alexandria, Dahab.. the pyramids etc etc and then into Jordan via the Taba-Eilat crossing into Jordan to see Jerash, The dead sea and the like and then into Israel for Tel aviv, Jerusalem, Nazareth... and then back into Egypt to fly home from Cairo.
Would this be over ambitious?
and what sort of budget would I need if I will be travelling by buses, trains and ferries. and staying in hostels.
Thanks in advance.
2
It's doable if you limit yourself to the main sites, but you'd be rushing a bit.You could split it in two weeks in Egypt, doing Cairo and the Nile valley sites (it's even possible to throw in the White Desert, see my 11-days trip in 2001: http://www.molon.de/travelogues/Egypt/2001/ ). No Alexandria, no Dahab, because you have no time.
We have done a two weeks trip to Jordan in 2009, but you might shorten it by taking out Aqaba and perhaps the desert castles:
http://www.molon.de/travelogues/Jordan/2009-10/
One week in Israel could be enough to visit Jerusalem, Nazareth and Tel Aviv. The West bank is probably much more interesting than Tel Aviv.
3
Taba/Eilat will take you from Egypt into Israel. You can go straight through to Jordan but that will mean 2 sets of fees and bureaucracy. It may be easier (though a little expensive) to take the Nuweiba ferry straight to Aqaba.I'd be inclined to leave out Israel given your time available and what you'd like to see. Jordan is quite a bit more expensive than Egypt but Israel is significantly so. You can stay probably stay for four or five days in Egypt for the price of a night in a hostel in Israel. If you are on a budget I'd be inclined to spend a couple of weeks seeing the main sights in Egypt, then a week making your way through Sinai, maybe with a few days on the beach, followed by a week in Jordan which is enough to see the most popular sights, particularly Petra and Wadi Rum.
Or alternatively just focus on Egypt and spend four weeks exploring different areas. You have the Nile, the desert and the beach and there is plenty to keep you occupied. It will also be easier on your pocket.
4
Thanks both of you for your quick replies! I suppose it would be best for me to leave out Israel. I should hopefully be spending the summer there anyhow.@itchyfeet38 would you say that 3 weeks in Egypt and 1 in Jordan would be enough time not to feel rushed?
Also, I'm looking at budgeting about 1000 usd for the trip. Would this be enough?
5
Perhaps 9 or 10 days in Jordan would be better. If I were you I would have a last possible date you want to enter Jordan by then see how you're going.As regards the budget we probably spent at least twice that but we didn't always stay in the cheapest places. We did some diving. I don't know what public transport costs (we were driving our own car) but I would say that you can probably comfortably get by on $25 a day accommodation and food in Egypt. Jordan I would say more like twice that. You may be able to get by on less though. I'm sure there will be people on the forum who can give you better information on that side of things.
6
If you do visit Israel/Palestine, Bethlehem is a far nicer place than Nazareth, to be honest, and just as significant in religious terms. It's also much closer to the other places you're planning to go. In fact, if religious motivation is what is driving you, I think you would be better off going to Bethlehem and Tiberias (which would allow you to visit the Sea of Galilee and the Mount of the Beatitudes) than Bethlehem and Nazareth.As for Egypt, certainly the Nile Valley sites are more important than Alexandria and Dahab, but if you give yourself 4 days in Cairo, 2 in Luxor, preferably another day probably based in Luxor to visit Abydos and Dendara, and at least one day in Aswan, everything extra is extra, so to speak, and the trip can be as much longer as you want to make it. You could very easily spend a month in Egypt and still have huge amounts of places and things you haven't seen - I certainly did, the first time I came here.
8
Thanks for all your advice! I think perhaps I will just stick to Egypt so to not to be rushed, and it seems like it will be cheaper.Although the violence on the news today is a little discouraging.
10
I wouldn't worry too much about the violence - I've been in Egypt during and since the revolution and it's very localized. Stay clear of the protest sites - mainly Tahrir Square - and it's unlikely you will be affected.One positive, is that with so many skittish tour groups staying away you'll face less crowds and get cheaper prices.11
#10 - Falaki square and the area south of it is actually more of a problem than Tahrir most of the time. Mostly in Tahrir there have been peaceful protests, while with some exceptions the most violent confrontations have been happening in the streets off Tahrir and Falaki and occasionally in Falaki itself. Of course there have been occasional raids of the security forces into Tahrir and also some complaints of molestation of women during the larger demonstrations there.Basically, anywhere north of Talaat Harb Square / Muhammad Sabri Abu Allam street or east of Muhammad Farid street should usually be fine.
Edited by: fear_rua after getting east and west mixed up.
