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BY SEA | BY LAND | BY AIR
It is much easier to travel to Egypt nowadays, because it is one
of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.
Air travel is not the only way to travel to Egypt, you can
also travel by land or by sea.
BY SEA
Cruising the Nile
This is a popular tourist activity, and so the quality and price of organised
cruises can vary.
At the top of the range, cruises can be booked through most of the major hotels;
others can be obtained more cheaply through numerous Cairo travel agencies, and
can cover full-day excursions through to a four-day sightseeing trip.
The most common means of transport up and down the Nile is by the ancient sailing
boats known as feluccas. A felucca ride can be arranged for a few hours and is
a peaceful way of seeing the Nile traffic and scenery. Sunset is the recommended
time to do this.
Commercial Ports
Alexandria and Port Said on the Mediterranean
Sea, Suez and Nuweiba on the Red Sea are ports of entry for
visitors.
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BY LAND
From Israel: Private
vehicles are not permitted to enter Egypt
from Israel; however may use public transport
and enter Egypt via Rafah on the northern
coast of Sinai or from Eilat o n the Red
Sea. Buses run regularly from Tel Aviv
and Jerusalem to the border at Rafah. The
border passengers disembark from the Israeli
vehicle, go through customs, and take an
Egyptian bus or taxi. There are no facilities
for issuing visas at the Rafah border.
In Eilat, Israeli buses are permitted to
enter Egypt and travel as far as Sharm
el Shaykh at the southern tip of the Sinai.
From Sudan: There is
a twice-weekly steamer that ferries cars
the length of Lake Nasser, from Wadi Halfa
in the Sudan to Aswan in Egypt. Information
is available from the Nile Navigation Company
Limited, Ramses Square ( in the train station),
and Nile Maritime Agency, 8 Quasr el Nil,
both in Cairo; and the Nile Company for
River Transport, 7 Atlas Building, Aswan.
All arrangements to enter Sudan, including
visas, must be made in Cairo. You must
have a valid passport and either a transit
or tourist visa to Sudan. If you plan to
pass through Sudan you must have a valid
visa for your next destination.
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By Air Travel
There is a variety of good options for
getting to Egypt, with good connections
between Cairo and many European cities.
Super-cheap holiday packages including
hotel vouchers can work out cheaper than
booking a flight independently, and you
can just chuck the vouchers away if resorts
aren't your style. Flights from elsewhere
can be expensive and it's worth looking
into flying to Europe first and then making
your way to Egypt from there, as this is
often a cheaper option than flying direct.
Egypt's national air carrier is EgyptAir,
and Air Sinai also has good connections
in Egypt. Most travellers come into Egypt
through Cairo, although people are increasingly
disembarking at Alexandria, Luxor, Aswan,
Hurghada (Al-Ghardaka) and Sharm el-Shiekh.
These airports are serviced by a number
of smaller carriers and charter companies
with direct connections to Europe.
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