Egypt Travel Planning – General Planning

My travel planning for Egypt started two months before the trip. I used only the Lonely Planet Guide and ignored any other articles about Egypt from the internet. I considered that the guide book offered me enough, well-synthesized information to plan my trip. I could choose the places in the guide book where I wanted to go for two months – tourist places, UNESCO heritage sites, as well as off-the-beaten-track places.

Egypt Travel Planning – Fixed Plans

Before leaving to Egypt, I had booked/ contacted/ written / messaged:

– my car, which I booked a few days before buying my flight tickets (I haven’t paid for it though, it was a ‘pay at location’ booking, so I was a bit nervous they wouldn’t have a car for me)

– my flight ticket, which I bought almost two months in advance

– several Couchsurfing contacts who could have helped me with information, accommodation, and phone calls if anything happened to me in Egypt during my stay

– several Couchsurfing requests accepted in Alexandria, Luxor, Aswan, and Hurghada (I messaged my hosts before the departure to Egypt as I knew I wouldn’t have time for messages during my stay in Egypt)

– a collaboration with a traditional desert camp in Siwa Oasis (at the border with Libya): here I wrote about Shamofs Camp a in exchange for free accommodation

– a two-day safari in the White Desert near Farafra Oasis

Egypt Travel Planning – Intentions, but nothing fixed

When I traveled to Egypt, I wanted to do/ go to the following places (but I hadn’t fixed dates for them):

– stay in local, traditional camps as much as possible and enjoy their elaborately Oriental style)

– explore local fortified mud-brick villages (ksar, or qsar) and the oases in the New Valley (somewhat parallel to the Nile Valley)

– enjoy a feluca ride along the Nile (in Cairo or in Aswan/ Luxor)

– witness a camel market at Birqash (near Cairo) or at Daraw (near Kom Ombo)

– smoke shisa – ok, maybe just for the sake of a photo

– find awha / local coffee shops in Cairo or Alexandria and sip on a coffee there

– camel ride to the top of Mount Sinai and then come back on foot to St. Catherine’s Monastery

– snorkeling, maybe even try diving, in the Red Sea while in Dahab or Hurghada (maybe with one of my Couchsurfing hosts who were diving instructors)

Egypt Travel Planning – Final Result

The final result of the trip to Egypt, where I stayed for two months, is a series of ….. travelogues. Enjoy your reading and let me know your opinion about Egypt. Which is your favorite place in Egypt? Why?