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Types of Travel to Egypt
by Jimmy Dunn
We receive any number of emails from individuals
who wish to travel to Egypt, but have no idea what sort of tours
or holidays are available. Actually, people go to Egypt for many
different reasons and for many different types of vacations. And
vacations to Egypt do not have to fall under a specific type of
travel, as many visitors mix and match various types of travel.
Classical Holidays to Egypt
The classic tour of Egypt is mostly Pharaonic
(Ancient Egypt), though most of the time this will also include
some religious and Islamic  sightseeing. The most common classic
tour is usually 10 to 14 days, and generally includes Cairo, Luxor
and Aswan, though not particularly in that order. Classical tours
are often arranged with, or without a Nile Cruise.
Typically, such a tour will begin in Cairo, as
that is the major airport where most tourists enter Egypt.
However, tours of the Cairo area are frequently split between the
beginning and end of the trip. For example, a tour might cover the
Giza Pyramids (Great Pyramid), as well as Saqqara (Step Pyramid)
and even the Egyptian Antiquities museum on the first day of the
tour. Then, after traveling to Luxor and Aswan and returning to
Cairo, tours will often visit the Citadel and Khan el-Khalili
market in Islamic Cairo and the churches and Coptic museum in Old
Cairo. Of course, the tours may not be in this specific order.
After the first day or two in Cairo, such tours
usually move on to either Luxor or Aswan, usually by air but
possibly by train. However, other forms of travel are often
arranged, including bus travel. If this is the case, the bus may
stop at antiquity sites along the way, such as some of the
antiquities near the Fayoum. The next leg of the tour usually
begins in either Luxor or Aswan.
Luxor is often arranged as either a one or two
day tour. In the morning, or one day of a two-day stay, the tour
visits the West Bank where many monuments and tombs are to be
found, including some of the finest in Egypt. This usually takes
place in the morning in order to avoid the heat of the afternoon.
Then, one afternoon or one day will be reserved for the east bank,
where the Luxor and Karnak temples are located, as well as the
excellent Luxor museum. Other activities might include a visit to
the local bazaar.
For Aswan further south in Egypt, a day tour is
usually sufficient for many, and may include visits to Elephantine
Island, St. Simeon's Monastery, the unfinished Obelisk, the Nubian
Museum, the High Dam and Philae Island, though time may not permit
most standard tours to visit all of these sites. However, a
frequent addition to the standard classical tour is the temples at
Abu Simbel. This will usually add a day to the Aswan tour. Most
tours fly to Abu Simbel and back in one day, leaving some of that
time open to expand on the visits to Aswan sites. Other less
common tours may bus to Abu Simbel, possibly with a stay in a
local hotel there.
If, after Cairo, a tour first ends up in Luxor,
the next destination will usually be Aswan, or if Aswan is the
first stop, the next destination will usually be Luxor. The most
common forms of transport between these two destinations are tour
bus or Nile Cruise boat. While one may take a train or even fly
between the two destinations, this is usually not done due to the
antiquity sites such as the temples of Kom Ombo and Edfu, which
are located between the two cities.
Religious Tours
One might say that there are four different
types of Religious Tours. The first type might be considered
Islamic tours, but this is outside of the scope of most
westernized tours. While westerners frequently visit a few ancient
mosques, they usually do not plan an entire tour around Islamic
monuments. The other three types of Religious tours include the
Holy Family Route, the Exodus Route and unstructured religious
tours. Unstructured religious tours simply have no grand plan,
such as following the Holy Family or Exodus Route. On the other
hand, they may present a more balanced survey of all religious
sites in Egypt, including those of both the Holy Family and Exodus
Routes. Simply put, the Holy Family and Exodus tours attempt to
follow the routes of these holy journeys, while unstructured
religious tours may cover a spectrum of religious sites including
those on both the Holy Family Route and Exodus Route. In any
event, many such religious tours can and often do include visits
to the most important pharaonic sites such as the Pyramids and the
Egyptian Antiquity museum. Furthermore, unstructured religious
tours and the Exodus tours will often include the Sinai, so even a
short beach stay might be included.
Adventure and Specialty Tours
Adventure and specialty tours are very often
combined with a classical pharaonic tour, though they need not be,
and in some specific cases, rarely are. However, some specialty
tours are in fact classical tours with a twist. These types of
tours very considerably and we cannot probably name every variety
possible. However, they include:
Golfing Tours
Golfing tours almost always include a classical
element. This is not a traditional tour at all, so it is difficult
to say what the normal tour will include. However, most usually
they include one or two courses in Cairo, then perhaps Luxor and
possibly the Red Sea coast or the Sinai. Many such tours are set
up for a morning or afternoon of Golf, with the remainder of the
day spend sightseeing. However, getting in a round of golf in
Egypt does not necessitate taking a golfing tour. A round of golf
may be arranged at several locations on a classical tour, or for
that matter most any other type of tour, as there are now a
variety of courses spread out over Egypt.
Fishing Expeditions
One may, of course, fish most anywhere along the
Nile, and visitors will see Egyptians doing so even on the bridges
and banks in Cairo. However, of growing popularity, as well as
being unique, is Lake Nasser fishing. Here, one may find some of
the largest fresh water fish in the world, and there are regular
fishing expeditions. Because Lake Nasser is just south of Aswan,
fishing expeditions to the area may include some classical
sightseeing, though often they will not.
While somewhat rare, there are also deep sea
fishing opportunities in the Red Sea, though one must look around
to find them. Specifically, we know of deep-sea fishing boats in
Hurghada on the Red Sea Coast and Nuweiba in the Sinai.
Birding Tours
Bird watching has been more and more popular in
Egypt, as Egypt is on the migratory path of many species of birds.
While birds may be found throughout the Nile Valley and the Sinai,
the most popular areas appear to be near Aswan, and the Northern
Sinai. Bird watching around Aswan is almost always accompanied
with a classical tour, and may simply be an addition to a standard
classical tour. However, there are few ancient monuments in the
Northern Sinai, so these tours rarely involve a classical
component.
Nature Tours
Most commonly, nature treks occur in the Sinai,
and specifically in the mountainous region of middle southern
Sinai. Actually, such treks in the Sinai mountains are as much
spiritually oriented as nature oriented.
Simple Holidays
Simple holidays in Egypt are a European
tradition dating back over 100 years, when people would visit
Aswan and Luxor not for the antiquities, but simply to relax
around a pool in a nice hotel and watch the traffic slip down the
Nile. Obviously, it would be simple to include a classical element
to such holidays, but many people who come to Egypt for this
purpose have seen the sights before. They usually come for the
warm, dry climate and they include mostly mature adults and
families. A good example of a hotel that caters to these
vacationers is the Movenpick Jolie Ville in Luxor, which is a
complete resort including a golf course.
Beach Vacations
 We currently believe that more people come to
Egypt for beach vacations then for any other reason. This might be
a surprise to many who would believe that classical tours would
lead the pack. But for many Europeans, Egyptian beaches offer the
least expensive means of a sand and sea holiday. Traditionally,
the Sinai and Sharm el-Sheikh specifically was for wealthier
vacationers, while the Red Sea Coast and Hurghada provided the
low-end resorts. However, El-Gouna, just north of Hurghada, has
provided the Red Sea Coast with a high-end draw. While these
locations are packed with vacationers, a less frantic upper crust
vacation can be had in locations such as Soma Bay on the Red Sea,
or Taba on the Sinai. Less crowed budget areas include Safaga on
the Red Sea and Nuweiba and Dahab on the Sinai.
It is not uncommon for beach vacations to
include some classical or religious sightseeing. Many beach goers
in the Sinai will take some time to visit St. Catherine's
Monastery, as well as some of the other religious monuments
located on the peninsula. And from either the Sinai or the Red Sea
coast, visitors often arrange day or two-day tours to Cairo, Luxor
and/or Aswan.
Scuba Diving Vacations
Egypt's Red Sea has some of the best scuba
diving in the world, and people come from everywhere to explore
the underwater wonders, including pristine reefs and many
shipwrecks. Most destinations for scuba diving are the same as for
beach vacations. In Sharm el-Sheik, Taba, Dahab and Nuweiba on the
Sinai and El Gouna, Hurghada, Soma Bay and Safaga on the Red Sea
coast, one will always find dive shops as well as great places to
dive. We have also found that many, many people come to Egypt to
receive either initial or advanced diving training. Obviously,
scuba diving holidays can and usually do involve an element of a
standard beach vacation, and most everything pointed out above
about beach vacations can be applicable to a scuba diving
vacation.
The Importance of Add On Tours
What makes Egypt really special is the ability
to mix and match add-on tours. One may come to Egypt for a
classical pharaonic tour, but add a wonderful beach vacation to
the itinerary, or come for scuba diving and add a Kenya Safari.
Many tour operators are set up to provide almost an endless
variety of add-ons to their standard tours.
Add-on tours are most common for either
classical or religious tours. However, most any tour or vacation
to Egypt may have an add-on, and some add on tours end up being
complete tours for some people. Add on tours usually involve a
specific destination. They include:
Western or Eastern Desert
The Western desert is becoming more and more
popular with tourists. The current rage is the Bahariya oasis,
where the valley of the golden Mummies was discovered not too long
ago, and where new discoveries seem to be cropping up almost
continuously. However, the Siwa Oasis where Alexander the Great
visited the Oracle of Amun in 331 BC has been for many years a
consistent favorite among the oasis. While the Western desert is
sometimes the primary destination for tours, it is more often an
add-on for the more common classical tours. The Eastern desert is
virtually never a primary destination for tours.
The Sinai
The Sinai is often a primary destination for
beach vacations and even occasionally for complete religious and
trekking tours. However, it is also often an add-on, particularly
for religious tours, to various other tours for the same reasons.
 Jordan (Petra)
Add-on tours to Petra in Jordan are common, and
usually involve only a day or short tour from Egypt. Jordan is
very hospitable to tourists. Tours to Petra are most often an
extension of a classical tour.
Kenya
Surprisingly, more then a few people who come to
Egypt arrange for a Kenya safari, either before and or after the
Egypt leg of the trip.
Israel
In the past, Israel as often been an add-on for
Egyptian tours, and sometimes Egypt has been an add-on for Israeli
tours. Obviously the two locations go hand in hand when
considering a Holy Lands tour. However, with the recent political
problems in Israel, few tourists are scheduling this particular
add on.
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