Egypt

Is the following plan possible:
Day 1: Fly from Luxor to Sharm, visit St. Catherines, at night climb Mt. Sinai
Day 2: Climb down, go to Nuweiba, catch the ferry to Aqaba

If possible then, are there any places where our backpacks could be kept for the night while we climb Mt. Sinai?
What is the best way to get to St. Catherines from Sharm?
What is the best way to get to Nuweiba after climbing down from Mt. Sinai?

Stayed one night in Mut in the Bedouin Oasis Village in the tranquil Dakhla Oasis. The owner could not do enough of good things for the two of us. The price included generous dinner and breakfast. We even had a fresh squeezed guava juice for desert and a delicious sugared pommegranate. After the dinner he fire was lit especially for us since my husband and I were the only two travellers staying there that night. The next morning the fire was lit again only so the bread could be toasted for…

Can one taxi at Cairo Airport seat 4 passengers or will we have to take two separate taxis? We are a family of 4. Same question for Aswan airport.

I read that if you catch the sleeper train you can only pay in USD or Euro. I will only have AUD and Egyptian Pounds. Is the other cheaper train service a nightmare even in first class? The young travel agent I'm booking my airfare with said it was a horrible experience and that she wouldn't do it for the return journey. Since I'll be travelling by train both ways I'd like a second opinion. I am travelling on a 100 Egyptian pound a day budget.

Also is it possible to get a train from Luxor all the…

Hi all. Heading to Egypt in Feb and just wanted your opinions on the budget accomodations listed in Lonely Planet Egypt 2006.

Any great ... any not recommended.

So far looking good to me is Lialy, Luna & Ismailia House. On a absolute max budget of 80 Egpytian pounds but really more like 40 for most nights.

I know some include a pickup from the airport which is great and the other things I'm looking for is a communal area to meet other travellers, clean, friendly, helpful and central location. I…

I placed this question on the 'Jordan' branch, but it only got one partial reply; so I'm hoping that by puting it here, it might get a fuller response, please.

Can I readily exchange Australian Dollars for local currencies in Egypt, Jordan, and Israel.

If not, is there a preferred currency that I should take? (eg; $US, etc).

Thank you,

Marty R (Australia)

If I remember correctly, one can buy duty-free stuff (tobacco, alcohol, etc) even already inside Egypt (like, in Cairo downtown), but within a specific period of time after arrival - is it 24 hours or 30 days? You go to a store and they make a mark in your passport. I did it myself way back, but I was told then it was for 24 hours only and later read somewhere it was 30 days, hence the question.

This question is not about buying alcohol in Egypt, it's about using duty-free long after clearing…

We want to warn any drivers who are planning to drive from Aswan to Abu Simbel in your own vehicle against a corrupted tourist police in Aswan. We went to register ourselves for the early next day convoy to Abu Simbel and were taken by one of the policemens to the next door tour operator offices, who announced that the registration will cost us 40 pounds each plus twenty for the police who will lead the convoy - total 100 pounds. We were trying to explain that we were not aware of any costs…

Hey Travelers -
We're looking to go to Egypt and have happened across this tour agency called Egypt 7000.

Has anyone hear of this tour agency? Has anyone worked with them before? Any insights or experiences are greatly appreciated.
cheers

I am planning on going to Egypt for the first time and I have already bought my flights, arriving in Cairo on Dec 29 and leaving Jan 22. My original plan had me seeing the sites on the Nile and possibly Alexandria. I plan on skipping the Sinai, I live near the beach and I don’t need to do that on vacation. Though there are hundreds of things I get out of travel, three big ones are seeing ancient archeological sites, seeing how different people live and seeing countries/people/events that…