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Hello,

I am aware of the ongoing situation in Egypt and the fact that nobody here can tell how the situation will evolve in the coming months. As I understand it, currently the only immediate threat is near Rafah and northern Sinai. That is not to say that one shouldn't be careful at all times. Does anyone have any recent information to the contrary?

That being said, I planning a trip to Jordan for 13 days and would like to plan a side trip to Egypt. Most likely the length of my trip to Egypt would be 6-7 days. Is this enough to visit say Cairo and Alexandria or are there other places that besides Alexandria that are more worthwhile. If that is the case then I would most likely just limit myself to Dahab, Sharm, and Tabah. My concern with going to Cairo and some other places outside of Sinai is that it may be too rushed and thus a waste and would be better put off until another trip.

I would like people's thoughts on this please.

Thanks,
Kraig


"Even in Siberia there is happiness" -Anton Chekhov
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i was in egypt for 3 weeks in february and had an great time. i would go back tommorow, but i wouldnt bring my young nieces with me. what i'm trying to say: i think that the risk to be at the wrong time at the wrong place is very small and i'm quite happy to take it for myself, but not for others (and especially not for kids).

cairo is amazing and offers so much, you should spend at least 4 days there. i havent been to alexandria, so no first hand experience on that. but i think that with 7 days in egypt, you will have time to visit both cities without rushing too much.

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Hey Nathalie,

Thanks for the response. Good to know about the safety part. Where else in Egypt did you go?


"Even in Siberia there is happiness" -Anton Chekhov
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your most welcome.
besides cairo, i went to luxor, assuan and abu simbel and did a cruise on the nile between luxor and assuan. i finished with 5 days in sharm el sheikh.

luxor is fabulous if you are into old egyptian history (the temples and tombs are amazing). assuan also has a couple of interesting temples, but its main charm (at least for me) is the beautiful setting on the nile, surrounded by desert. its a great place to hire a felucca for a couple of hours to sail on the nile, or a small boat to visit one of the nearby nubian villages. also assuan has a good bazaar. if you choose to include luxor or assuan (instead of alexandria), with only 7 days, do fly between cairo and lxr / asw.

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I spent 9 days split between Cairo and Luxor in April and the only reason I would hesitate to return tomorrow is the heat :)

This was my 2nd visit to Egypt but I've yet to visit either Alexandria or the Red Sea resorts. Luxor and the general area around it remain my favorite place in Egypt as the scenery is wonderful and it is FAR more laid back than Cairo.

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I was in Egypt for a month in December. Flew into Cairo, did all the touristy attractions along the nile (Cairo, Alex, Luxor, Aswan etc.). Flew to Sharm to spend almost a month in dahab doing my divemaster cert. From Dahab, took a bus to the Israeli border, went to Eilat for a day, and then went to Jordan to do Petra and Wadi Rum. At no point did I feel in danger at all. Awesome awesome time. You'll notice a huge drop in tourism numbers because of how worried people are. Dahab in particular felt a bit of a ghost town, especially since there are so many restaurants and bars that are now empty. My friend went there in june, and echoed the same sentiment.

Nevertheless, I think Dahab has the cheapest diving in the world (and is good diving at that!) and the vibe there is just so awesome, especially for divers. I still miss my daily rooftop shisha+beer sunsets overlooking the red sea and the mountains of Saudi Arabia!


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Johnny Africa: NYC--->JHB
My Extensive Africa+World, Travel+Expat Blog
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