My husband and I are on a Hermes kick and would like to visit Crocodilopolis which is part of the city of Faiyum, about 230 k. from Cairo. We are seniors, well-travelled and intrepid, but we like a reasonable level of comfort (hostels and cheaper hotels are usually fine; independent bus travel preferred to tours) and try to avoid extreme heat. We are thinking of April/May or perhaps October/November.
Thanks for any advice you can offer.
Fayoum is only around 100 km from Cairo (not 230), so the obvious advice is to daytrip from Cairo. The local accomodation infrastrucure in fayoum is not that great. You can try the public transport from cairo but it is a rather hard way to travel. Once in Fayoum you have to hire a taxi to visit the area including the site of crocodilopolis. So consider the alternative to daytrip by taxi from cairo.
to get to Al-Fayyoum from central Cairo by public transportation you need to take the metro to Al-Moneeb which in the southern part of Cairo and than take the bus from there to Al-Fayyoum.
please double check this information, it has been few years since I have been to Al-Fayyoum.
good luck
My husband wants to know if it is possible to make this trip (from Cairo to Al-Faiyoum) by boat?
The shared taxis and micro buses still go from Al Moneeb and cost around 9 or 10 EGP ( one and a half dollars) per person. I think it is also possible to go from Ramses but there are much less frequent. If you make a day trip to Fayoum... Some microbuses drop you off at the pyramids on the ring road not far off from the Mena House Hotel.
It is not possible to go by boat. Fayoum is not on the Nile. You can hire a boat for a pleasure trip on Lake Quran. Cost is around 40egp per boat.
Fayoum town itself... Isn't much. There are the water wheels but that is it and it isnt the most beautiful of places. there is of course a souk and places to get food etc.... So you have all the basic infrastructure. Fayoum is a typical Egyptian town and more conservative than Cairo but I found the people friendly.
However the area around Fayoum is really beautiful and a great way to experience Egyptian country life. There is Lake Qarun. There are the ruins of Karanis and Qasr Qarun etc... The pyramids of Medium, The artist village of Tunis and Wadi Hitan nearby. You can travel around on the local microbus system which includes riding on the back of pick up trucks to most places.. Or you can hire a taxi for the day for around 100/150EGP
There are hotels in Fayoum . I stayed at the Palace Hotel. Which is basic but very acceptable. The rooms on the top are nicer but more expensive. The owners seemed to be religious types... But I found them very helpful..and kind to me. Making sure sure I got the ride buses to places and about a couple of weeks after staying there I visited Fayoum again and they let me use their phone to arrange a meeting with a local friend I had met and also helped over the phone as my Arabic is very basic and my friend only spoke Arabic. Even though I wasn't staying they allowed my friend and I visit my room as she was curious to see a hotel room. Which was very kind of them.
There are also a few hotels along Lake Quran such as the New Panorama and the Helen Auberge which Cairenes stay at for weekend breaks from Cairo. I have been inside the New Panorama and there is a pool and the rooms seem nice.
The foreigner rate is a bit too much IMHO but I found it very easy to bargain so I that I was offered the Egyptian rate which was very reasonable. Staff were polite and helpful.
And there are guest houses in the village of Tunis which is an Eco Artist village. And a very nice place to stay. I haven't stayed there myself yet...but next time I go to Fayoum I think I will.
The name of the guest house in Tunis Village is call Zad El Mosafer Ecolodge. Another Ecolodge has recently opened up after the Egyptian Revolution called (Kamreyat)) El Mandara which sounds very luxurious with private swimming pools.
If you google the names you can find their facebook pages and contacts as well as a few reviews and newspaper articles in the Egyptian press.