The hotels used on this tour are rated at the 3- 4-star level in Egypt. Local star ratings may vary from international standards but we ensure that we use some of the best hotels available at the level stated. Accommodation is based on twin or double en-suite rooms with air conditioning.  The tour starts at the Jaz Pyramids Resort located in Giza 15-20 minutes from the Pyramids.

Address: Jaz Pyramids resort, Alexandria Desert Rd, Giza Governorate, Egypt

Hotels: The hotels listed below are the ones that we frequently use on this tour. We reserve the right to substitute these hotels with ones of a similar standard.

Cairo: Jaz Pyramids Resort

Aswan: Basma Hotel

Luxor: Lotus Hotel

Hurghada: Gravity Hotel & Aqua Park Hurghada

Felucca Sailboat: This tour features an overnight felucca cruise.  Feluccas are very basic traditional Nile sailboats and are a fun and relaxing way to travel down the Nile River. You sleep on the deck of the boat (mattresses and some blankets are provided but we suggest that you bring a camping sheet, blanket or light sleeping bag during the winter months of November-February). 

Airport Pick-Up and Transfer:

Your tour includes a 24-hour airport meet & assist service from Cairo International Airport – your arrival and departure airport-hotel transfers and all other transfers.

On arrival in Egypt our representative will meet you before passport control. They will assist with visa formalities and then help you with your luggage and take you to your hotel.  Please inform us of your flight details (date of flight, flight number, arrival time and name of travellers) at least 10 days prior to your arrival for the confirmed arrangement of your transfer.

Your airport transfers are only included on the first and last day of the set tour itinerary unless you have booked any additional accommodation with us either before or after the set dates. If you make your own arrangements for additional accommodation at either the beginning or the end of the tour then you will need to arrange your own airport transfers on these days. 

In Egypt, we use AC minivans/minibuses/coaches, many of which are fitted with speed limiters, and all are inspected and checked daily.

Flight upgrade from Cairo to Aswan:

Upgrade your journey to flight from Cairo to Aswan for only £150 GBP per person including extra night hotel accommodations instead of 14 hours bus ride. Please note, the flight from Cairo to Aswan will depart either on Sunday evening or early Monday morning depending on availability.

Distances

Please find below the distances between the sights visited in Egypt and the approximate driving times. We will always strive to take a short break every few hours to enable passengers to stretch their legs, purchase snacks and use wash facilities during long drives.

Aswan – Luxor: 247 kms – 3 hrs
Cairo – Aswan: 982 kms – 12 hrs
Aswan – Abu Simbel: 309 kms – 3.5 hrs
Luxor – Cairo: 735 kms – 9 hrs
Luxor – Hurghada: 298 KMs – 3.5 to 4hrs

Tipping is also very much a part of Egyptian culture and customs, and many people you meet along the way will expect and make it clear they are waiting for a tip. To make it easier for you to budget and to remove much of the stress and hassle of tipping lots of people as you go along, we collect US$55 a ‘Tipping Kitty’ at the start of your time in Egypt.

Your guide will manage this as the tour goes along and ask one or more of the group members to assist and make some of the payments. The kitty provides tips for a wide range of people you’ll meet along the tour including hotel porters, train and station staff, drivers, site guards, local reps etc. your satisfaction with and appreciation of the service they have provided.  Again, you should not feel obliged to.

Your Egyptologist guide is not included in this kitty and you may tip them at the end of your tour subject to tip any particular amount, and should consider your personal budget. As a guideline, approx. US$6-10 per person per day would be appropriate.

Egypt- passports should be valid for at least six months after your departure from the country. Please do not bring an almost full or almost expired passport. Visa arrangements are the responsibility of the traveller, and requirements are subject to change by the local authorities. We recommend that you contact your closest Egyptian consulate or embassy for current information about your nationality.

In general, the official advice is that all nationalities obtain their Egypt visas in advance, as we cannot guarantee that you can get them at the airport. An online e-visa is available through https://visa2egypt.gov.eg/eVisa/. Please do not use any other website as there are many scam sites offering Egypt e-visas.

In practice, however, many nationalities (including British and European, Australian, New Zealand, and USA) can and do obtain their visas on arrival at Cairo airport. The process is much quicker and simpler, the cost is currently US$25 p/p and must be paid in hard currency (i.e., GBP, USD or EUR) – you’ll be given change in local currency if necessary. There are no forms to fill in and you don’t need to bring passport photos.

Visas are issued at one of the bank desks in the immigration hall before you get to passport control. Our representative will have met you by this stage and will assist with the process.

All African & Indian nationals, and some others, will need to obtain their visas in advance.

For further information on your visa requirements, please your local Egyptian embassy/consulate

The local currency in Egypt is the Egyptian Pound, often denoted ‘LE’. The Egyptian Pound can vary significantly in value against the British Pound, but sticks fairly close to the value of the US Dollar. You do not need to arrange to bring any Egyptian Pounds with you to Egypt, as change facilities are available in all the hotels, airports and banks. You should try to obtain and keep hold of small denomination notes or coins on you during the tour as these are useful for toilets, tips and small purchases. ATMs are readily available in major towns and some local shops will accept VISA/Mastercard or Amex, but may charge fees of up to 10% – check before you pay. Travellers cheques are not recommended as they cannot be changed in many places now, and can incur high fees.

While in Egypt you will need sufficient funds to cover meals not included in the itinerary, drinks, snacks, souvenirs and personal expenses such as laundry. These should generally all be paid for in Egyptian Pounds. You may also need to pay for the tour Tipping Kitty and site Entrance Fees while you are in Egypt. Payments for these may be made to your tour guide in hard currency (USD, GBP, EUR) at the start of your tour. 

It is difficult to recommend a level of personal spending money which will suit everyone as this can differ greatly, but as a guideline, we would suggest allowing USD 25-35 per person per day as a minimum. Allow more if you plan on doing lots of shopping, or buying many alcoholic drinks.

Budgeting

Please note that entrance fees to sights and optional activities are not included in the tour price. Optional activities are not operated by Timeless Tours and may require a certain number of attendees to run. Your guide will be happy to inform you further about the available optional activities at the start of your tour. 

Entrance Fees

Egypt – please allow approximately US$140 for all entrance fees for the sights visited on this tour. Your guide will be happy to collect payment for all the entrance fees at the start of the tour, and pay them for you as you go along if you wish. 

Cairo

Giza Pyramids/Sphinx — EGP 700

Sakkara Pyramid — EGP 600

Egyptian Museum — EGP 625

Aswan

Philae Temple — EGP 550

Komombo Temple — EGP 450

Luxor

Luxor Temple — EGP 500

Hatshepsut Temple — EGP 440

Valley Of the Kings — EGP 750

Karnak Temple – EGP – 600 

Optional Activities

Please note that Optional Activities are not operated by Timeless Tours.

Hot-Air Ballooning — 145 USD

Abu Simbel — 130 USD

Nubian Dinner — 57 USD

Health and Vaccinations:

You should ensure you are fully insured for medical emergencies including emergency evacuation and repatriation. Recommended vaccinations and other health protection measures vary according to the country you are visiting and where you are travelling from. We recommend you contact your GP/medical practitioner or a travel clinic for current information on vaccinations needed for your destination.  You should ensure that you are up to date with vaccines and boosters recommended for your normal life at home, including for example, vaccines required for occupational risk of exposure, lifestyle risks and underlying medical conditions.

In addition, additional courses or boosters normally recommended for the countries in this region are:

Egypt: Tetanus, Typhoid, Hepatitis A

Note: We are aware of some places in Egypt using ‘black henna’ instead of pure brown henna. Black henna contains a chemical dye PPD (paraphenylenediamine) which can result in severe allergic reactions and resultant scarring. To be safe we recommend avoiding any henna tattoos while in Egypt unless you are certain they are using pure brown henna.

Travel Insurance:

Travel insurance is compulsory on all of our tours and needs to cover personal accident & liability, medical expenses and repatriation, travel delay & abandonment. We also strongly recommend that you take out cover against cancellation and lost/stolen baggage. Personal medical insurance does not normally provide sufficient cover and is generally not suitable for travel on our tours. You will not be able to join your tour if you have not provided us with details of your insurance or if you arrive without cover in place (no refunds will be due in this event). 

If you plan to arrange a hot air balloon flight, or do some scuba diving during your tour, you should check the small print in your policy to make sure these are covered Please also check the maximum altitude that you will be reaching and that full cover including emergency evacuation is provided up to this altitude. 

If you are taking expensive camera gear or other electronic equipment with you then please check the coverage and the fine print of your policy to ensure that you have sufficient cover.

Luggage:

Suitcases, rucksacks or fabric hold alls are all fine to bring with you to Egypt. You should also bring a small daypack/bag to take out during the day. Your main luggage will normally be left in the hotel during your sightseeing trips – you will not need to carry it far, and there are nearly always hotel porters to assist.

Luggage limits:

There is no luggage limit for this tour. However, most airlines restrict you to between 20kg and 25kg for your hold luggage and between 5kg and 10kg for hand luggage. Please check with your airline before travelling to the airport.

Clothing:

Most of your time in Egypt will be in a hot climate. However, at night, and especially in the deserts, the temperatures can drop quite dramatically. So, you must pack for cool conditions. Formal dress (eg. suits & ties) is not required at the hotel restaurants. Long sleeves are recommended to protect from mosquitoes if you are on the felucca. Modesty rates highly in Egypt, especially for women, so to respect the local culture & 

people, please ensure all clothes are loose fitting and not revealing. Shorts (not hot-pants) are OK in tourist sites, as are T-shirts, but these should not show too much bare flesh (we suggest that your shoulders should remain covered). In the centre of Cairo, if you are visiting any mosques, legs and arms should be covered.

Other items:

If you will be travelling on a felucca then we recommend bringing a light sleeping sheet or sleeping bag liner all year round for comfort, and a light sleeping bag in the winter months (November to February). We also recommend you bring a sun hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, a basic first aid kit, toiletries, small towel, money belt, small torch, camera & charger.

Contacting home:

We recommend that you purchase a local SIM card upon arrival should you wish to stay in touch with friends and family back home. The Internet is widely available; however, it is costly to use within hotels and on cruise boats and may be unreliable. In case of emergency please contact: info@timeless.tours or call, WhatsApp or text message our Egypt office on +20 1003024950 / +2 01280211886 / +201284666462. UK:-+447585332251

Travel Advice

We are closely monitoring the latest travel updates to Egypt and follow the advice of the UK Foreign Office. For the latest travel advice from UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), please visit: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/egypt

Solo Travellers

We have many solo travellers joining our tours. Solo travellers will be roomed with another traveller of the same gender. If you would like a private solo room, please select a single supplement at the time of booking.

Time:

The time in Egypt is GMT plus 2 hours. Daylight saving adjustments have historically been applied in some years but not others. At present it appears that there will be no daylight-saving changes in Egypt 2016 and beyond, though this may change at short notice (with a resulting impact on flight times and schedules). Exact dates vary from year to year and sometimes the changes may be scrapped altogether.

Voltage:

Sockets are two rounds pronged and 220 volts (Type C). Universal adaptors are available in most airport shops if you don’t have one already. Standard European adapters will work fine, though sometimes they may feel a little loose in the sockets. All hotel rooms have electrical sockets where you can re-charge cameras, phones etc. Hair dryers are normally available on request from the hotel reception if not in your room already.
If you have US appliances (110 volts) you will need a voltage converter as well as a plug adapter.