Travel Blog

Marsa Matruh is a charming sea town on the way to Siwa Oasis. There are hardly any travellers so it is a great escape from the souvenir markets and accompanying hassle found in the more popular locations. The sea is a glorious light blue and by swimming at the (free) Hotel Beau site stretch of beach, you can avoid the hassle my girlfriend has swimming (fully clothed) at public areas. Trips to Agiba and Cleopatra beaches are well worth the trip (LE 2 in service pickup) though you are not permitted to swim at these places.

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Tourists travelling over a longer distance by car will probably find themselves in a convoy. This means all tourist buses and taxis have to travel together escorted by police cars, so police can see to their safety (and get money for it from the government). If there is not a fixed convoy to where you’re going, the police set up an ad hoc one: they’ll have one or more police cars precede your vehicle(s), preferably with flashing lights and blaring sirens.

For instance, travelling from Dakhla Oasis to Cairo, the police esocrted us from Asyut to Beni Suef. (it”s like driving around with a sign on your head saying “terrorists please don’t shoot HERE”, one feels so at ease). There are fixed convoys between Aswan and Luxor, Luxor and Hurghada, and Hurghada and Suez. I believe there is a fixed convoy between Cairo and Alexandria, and there used to be one from Aswan to abu Simble and back.

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Bus number 356 is a new and comfortable way to get to the centre of Cairo from the airport. It only costs 50 pst and is well worth that for air con, comfortable seats and lots of room.

The bus station behind the Luxor Temple no longer exists; the Upper Egypt Bus Co has a terminal and ticket office on Shavia Television virtually next door to the Saint Maria Hotel.

The bus station behind the Luxor museum (no 7) only has microbuses which since the “accident” are no longer allowed to take tourists. If you’re going south you have to be on a bus as part of a convoy or as we did, in a shared private hire service taxi with armed escort all the way to Aswan – EP60 for five of us.

There is no such thing as a “tourist ferry’ anymore. You can either take one of the many Felucca and Touts over or take the public ferry. Feluccas are charging from EP1-00 per person upwards, the same as the public ferry, more convenience but also more hassle on the human side.

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