Hello, and thank you for choosing Egypt Fun Tours for your vacation in Egypt. We are grateful for your decision to travel with Egypt Fun Tours and be assured that everyone at Egypt Fun Tours will do their utmost to guarantee that you have the time of your life.
We’ve put together some information for you that we hope will be useful throughout your stay in Egypt and on your vacation. Some aspects, such as personal spending money, should be used as a guide only; nonetheless, we are confident that you will find the material, in general, to be extremely beneficial.
Get ready for a Funtastic holiday!
From all the Crew at Egypt Fun Tours
Baggage:
Soft bags, suitcases, or frameless backpacks, along with a compact daypack or carry bag, are the ideal options. Externally framed backpacks are not recommended on the coach because they cause harm to other baggage. Keep in mind that if you take too much, you’ll have to carry it with you. Please restrict your luggage to no more than 20 kg. All bags must be no larger than 70cm x 50cm x 25cm in size.
What to Bring:
- Camera
- Hat and sunscreen
- Loose cotton clothing
- Daypack to carry your camera, bottled water, and souvenirs
- Money belt
- Sunglasses
- Comfortable walking shoes
- Medication – some prescription medicines can be difficult to buy in Egypt
- First aid kit – Imodium is recommended in case of an upset stomach
- Book to read on long Journeys
- Guide book
- Swimsuit and towel
- Sleeping bag (Only if your trip spends nights on the feluccas)
- Passport, visa, travel insurance, and air tickets.
Visas:
Visa requirements vary regularly, so double-check them before leaving.
Except for South African nationals, all western travelers visiting Egypt require a visa. The majority of nations may acquire a visa upon arrival at Cairo International Airport. These are accessible at all airport banks, which are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and for all flights. The fee for a single entry visa is USD 25. To guarantee that you may acquire a visa on arrival, you should call your local Egyptian Consulate.
Please make certain that your passport is valid for at least six months after your stay.
It is your duty to ensure that you have all of the necessary paperwork and visas. Egypt Fun Tours shall not be held liable if you are denied entrance due to improper documents.
There is now no departure tax to pay while leaving Egypt.
Health & Safety:
Any passengers on Egypt Fun Tours tours must have personal insurance to cover all medical and repatriation expenses. Please remember to bring your insurance coverage. On the first day of your vacation, the Trip Leader will ask you for your policy number and emergency contact information.
Although there are no mandatory vaccinations, it is advised that you get your tetanus, diphtheria, typhoid, polio, and hepatitis shots. Before traveling, please visit a medical professional to determine the necessary needs.
To avoid diarrhea, strict food and water cleanliness are required. Make sure the meal has been properly prepared, drink only boiled or bottled water, and remember that tap water created the ice cubes.
Protect yourself against bug bites and sunburn. It’s a good idea to keep bottled water in your daypack throughout the hot summer months.
Take extra precautions with your passport, credit cards, and cash; a money belt that fits beneath your clothing is a good idea.
Passengers aboard the felucca sailboats (Pharaoh’s Footsteps, Ultimate Egypt, Nile and Beyond, Egyptian Express, and Pyramids and Beaches) and those planning to climb Mt Sinai should bring a lamp.
Money:
It’s a good idea to cash up around $50 or similar at the 24-hour exchange banks when you arrive at Cairo airport. This will cover all of your expenses on your Cairo sightseeing day and provide you with some flexibility until you need to charge additional money. For budget excursions (Egyptian Express – Pyramids & Beaches), the Sheraton Hotel in Cairo is quite near to the Egypt Fun Tours hotel and offers better exchange rates than the airport. As for the rest of the groups (after the day tour ends on Day 02, the Tour Leader will drive the group to the nearest bank to change money), you will have the option to change money at a bank or a hotel on each trip.
Please keep in mind that exchanging travelers’ cheques in Egypt is complicated, and they can only be exchanged in Cairo. It is easy to exchange Egyptian Pounds for credit cards or real money, which can be done in most big towns.
There is no requirement to exchange currency or limit the quantity of foreign cash that can be carried into Egypt. Changing Egyptian pounds to Jordanian Dinar is simple, however, converting Egyptian pounds into hard currencies is more complex and results in a low exchange rate. As a result, try to budget carefully so that you don’t wind up with too much Egyptian cash after your vacation.
It’s a good idea to let your bank or credit card company know if you’re going to Egypt. Banks and credit card firms have been known to block cards when clients withdraw cash in Egypt for security concerns, believing the transactions to be fraudulent.
The Egyptian Pound (LE) is the country’s monetary unit, and it is split into 100 Piasters (pt). The following is a list of currently in circulation banknotes and coins:
- Banknotes: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 LE
- Coins: 10, 20, 25, 50 pilasters
- Approx exchange rate: (Aug, 2021)
- 1GBP = 18.50 LE
- 1USD = 15.55 LE
- US Dollars cash is also widely accepted so carrying cash in small denomination notes is helpful.
Arriving in Egypt:
Cairo and Luxor:
If you’re receiving a visa on arrival, you may receive one from one of the banks in the arrival hall before heading to immigration.
Your vacation includes a meet and greets service as well as a transfer to the hotel with our local agent. (If we don’t have your arriving flight information, we won’t be able to provide this service.)
Cairo:
If you arrive at Terminal 1 or 2, a representative from Egypt Fun Tours will be waiting for you inside the airport before you go through immigration.
If you arrive at Terminal 3, a representative from Egypt Fun Tours will be waiting for you at the foot of the steps, after immigration but before you retrieve your bags.
If arriving during the day, the trip from Cairo International airport to the Egypt Fun Tours hotel takes around 1 hour, and if arriving at night, it takes about 30 minutes.
Luxor:
Before you walk through immigration, the Representative will be waiting for you and will assist you with the requirements. Depending on traffic, the trip from Luxor International Airport to Egypt Fun Tours hotel/cruise takes around 30 minutes.
At both airports, banks are open 24 hours a day, so you may exchange money no matter what time of day or night you arrive.
Day 1: This is a joining day with no activities planned, so you are free to arrive whenever you like. Check-in is usually from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Some planes arrive late at night, and if this is the case, we highly urge that you secure pre-trip lodging so that you are well rested before the start of the journey. Clients coming in the middle of the night and waiting in the lobby until noon to check-in are not welcome at the hotel. It’s best to obtain a good night’s sleep following your journey so you can experience and explore on your first day.
If you do not have hotel reservations, we will not be able to transport you from the airport in the middle of the night. After clearing immigration and customs, we’ll meet you at the meeting location at 9 a.m. If you intend on spending the night at the airport rather than booking a pre-night hotel, keep in mind that the amenities are not especially excellent.
The Tour Leader will meet the group at the hotel at 7:00 p.m. for a trip briefing. The Trip Leader will provide details on the schedule, sight seeing, optional tours, and meals at this location.
For guests who have bought a multi-day trip package, the Trip Leader will also collect a photocopy of their passports.
They’ll also examine your travel insurance and collect the local payment portion of your trip fee in $US cash or sterling equivalent (see below).
A board with trip information and the name and phone number of the Trip Leader may be found in the hotel’s reception area. If you arrive a few days before your trip, feel free to contact the Trip Leader for suggestions on things to see and do in Cairo, as well as assistance on any difficulties.
Starting Address:
An arrival transport from the airport is included in the trip fee as long as we have your incoming flight details and you are staying at the Egypt Fun Tours hotel where your tour begins.
A board with trip information and the name and phone number of the Trip Leader may be found in the lobby of your hotel. If you arrive a few days before your trip, feel free to contact the Trip Leader for suggestions on things to see and do in Cairo, as well as assistance on any difficulties.
Please note that if the designated hotel is not available on certain days, the trip will be accommodated at a hotel of at least comparable quality.
If you have any issues in Egypt prior to the commencement of your journey, please contact the following contacts via phone:
- Mob: + (2)0100 8000 17 Hani Ahmed Tours Manager
- 0111 0012 353 Hatem Ahmed, Operations
- If you can’t get through on those lines, dial +2 01023419396 for Egypt Fun Tours’ emergency number in Cairo.
Pre and Post Trip Accommodation:
Please tell your agent at the time of booking if you require pre-or post-trip accommodations, as this may be pre-booked through Egypt Fun Tours. Unless a room becomes available immediately, most hotels will not assign your room until at least lunchtime, and it may be longer if the hotel had a high occupancy the night before.
If you are staying in a hotel before starting your vacation, you should decline invitations to visit specialty stores or participate in guided tours. Because these individuals are not affiliated with Egypt Fun Tours, we cannot be held liable for the services they provide. A trained Egyptian guide will accompany you on your Egypt Fun Tours excursion to all of the attractions listed on your itinerary.
Local Payment:
A local charge is included in the cost of your tour. This is paid in US dollars (or the equivalent in pounds) at the start of your trip (at the meeting on day one.) This is intended to cover part of the costs of conducting the trip while on the road. The Trip Leader uses a small portion of the money to pay any gratuities that are due while the party moves about for the length of the trip, such as bus drivers, local guides, hotel employees, felucca crew, and waiters. This not only saves you time and money, but it also saves you money because the Trip Leader is more trained to determine the appropriate tipping amounts. The remaining funds, along with what you have already paid, are utilized to keep the trip operating well. (It is not utilized to provide your Trip Leader advice).
Weather:
In the summer, Egypt may be quite hot, yet the environment is extremely dry. Upper Egypt (in the south) will be hotter than Cairo and the north, with temperatures varying from north to south. Although all cities can experience heat waves, average temperatures in Cairo vary from 15 to 35 degrees Celsius and 23 to 45 degrees Celsius in Upper Egypt. In the summer, temperatures in Luxor, Abu Simbel, and Aswan may reach 50 degrees Celsius. The winter and spring seasons are cooler, making them a more enjoyable time to visit.
Mt. Sinai’s peak, at 2,285 meters, maybe extremely cold and snow-covered in the winter. It may be quite chilly even in the other seasons, especially around daybreak, when the majority of visitors make the trip to the top. If you plan on making the ascent, bring warm gear with you, even if you just need it this one time. In the winter, gloves and a hooded jacket are recommended. The cold isn’t felt on the way to the peak; it’s only felt once you’ve arrived and are waiting for daybreak.
Temperatures:
Average daily temperatures in ºC:
Summer is from the beginning of May to the end of August (around 30 ºC)
Winter is from the beginning of November to the end of February (around 20 ºC)
Language:
Although Arabic is the official language of Egypt, English is commonly used in tourist areas.
Opening Hours:
The following hours are merely a recommendation because they differ from one business to the next.
Banking
Sun – Thurs 08:30am – 5:00pm Fri / Sat 08:30am – 5:00pm
Business
Monday through Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Shopping
Saturday through Thursday
9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
These are only estimates; some stores are open on Fridays and many are closed on Sundays. The hours may be extended in tourist areas. From 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m., certain stores may close for a longer length of time.
Shopping:
When shopping in Egypt, bargaining is a popular habit and an art. Aside from fixed-price stores, most business owners accept price haggling, with the initial quotation rarely being the final price. Gold and silver jewelry (particularly cartouches), brassware, alabaster, perfume, papyrus, spices, and cotton products are all popular commodities in Egypt.
The majority of our tours include an overnight train ride. While there is a bar on board and airline-style food and drink are available, it is quite costly. Prior to the voyage, the Trip Leader will drive you to a store where you may stock up on fruit, cookies, chocolate, beverages, and other necessities.
Eating and Drinking:
Foul and Tamiya are typical dishes. Both are prepared from beans, with foul consisting of boiled beans combined with oil or butter and Tamiya consisting of crushed beans fried. Mahshee, which is veggies filled with rice and then cooked, and Kosharee, which is pasta and lentils topped with fried onions and a garlic sauce, are two additional popular vegetarian dishes. Meat dishes such as kebab (grilled beef), kofta (grilled meatballs), and chicken are popular. In Cairo, you’ll find all of the major international fast food companies.
In most restaurants, a 12 percent service fee plus a 5% government sales tax (GST) will be applied to your bill if it is not already included.
Being handed a cup of hibiscus tea is a widespread habit and a symbol of friendliness. A deep crimson beverage that can be served hot or chilled. There are plenty of soft drinks and fruit juices to choose from.
Alcohol is not permitted under Islamic law. However, in addition to local beers and wines, hotels and restaurants sell international beverages. Local Stella beer costs between 25 and 50 LE, whereas imported Stella beer costs between 50 and 80 LE. A local bottle of wine will set you back about 160-200 LE, while a spirit and mixer would set you back about 50-100 LE.
Most Egypt Fun Tours Egypt excursions include all breakfasts and, in some cases, supper. On the felucca or cruise trips on the Nile, all meals are supplied. You can dine like a king if you set up USD 15 a day for non-included meals. Drinks are not included.
Electricity:
Egypt’s electricity is supplied at a voltage of 220 volts and a frequency of 50 hertz. (You’ll need a normal European plug or an adaptor).
Feluccas:
Feluccas are ancient Egyptian sailing vessels that have been used for generations to transport people up and down the Nile. A felucca cruise is very soothing because it is a basic boat with no engine or contemporary amenities. Throughout the year, you sleep on cushioned mattresses (bring a sleeping bag) under a canopy for protection from the weather. The felucca crew is in charge of the cooking aboard the boat. Feluccas are still a popular mode of transportation for those traveling up and down the river.
You should be informed that the bathroom facilities on the Nile’s banks where we halt are, to put it mildly, inadequate. Leave the modesty at home and bring the toilet paper.
During the winter months, the river may be rather chilly, especially at night. It is even possible for it to rain! During these months, we recommend that travelers carry a jacket or a warm windcheater. The daytime temperatures are often comfortable throughout these months.
Extra costs in Egypt:
Entry costs are included in all Egypt Fun Tours tours. Many archaeological sites and museums, on the other hand, demand a camera fee. Flash photography is sometimes forbidden because it adds to the fading of delicate hues, particularly in tombs.
The following costs are intended merely as a reference and should not be considered final. While we try our best to keep this information up to date to ensure accuracy, we cannot be held liable for any pricing mistakes. Please keep in mind that not all of the admission costs listed below will apply to your trip.
Optional tours:
We have incorporated a variety of sightseeing and extra excursions on Egypt Fun Tours packages to provide maximum flexibility for interest and budget. The following is a list of Egypt’s optional excursions. Please keep in mind that some of the choices may not be applicable to your trip. At the first meeting, your trip leader will let you know which ones are accessible on your trip. A table of these can also be found in the brochure and on the website:
- Cairo Sound & Light Show $40.00
- Dinner Cruise and show: belly dancer, Dervish dance and live music $43.00
- Luxor East Bank (Karnak & Luxor Temple) $45.00
- Aswan Philae Temple (if not included) 50$
- Nubian village (if not included) 50$
- Nubian dinner 30$
- Camel ride $35.00
- Hurghada Giftun Island (including lunch) 50$
- Desert Safari (Quad bikes) $48.00
Transportation, guidance, and entry fees are all included in the above prices. Prices are given in USD and must be paid to the Trip Leader in Egypt. To operate the Mt Sinai optional, at least four persons are required.
Please be aware that some hotels may require a Gala Dinner on the following nights: Christmas (December 24), New Year’s Eve (December 31), and occasionally Easter. Please verify with your travel agent or directly with us to determine the amount of the supplement.
If you require any further information, please contact your agent or visit our website at www.egyptfuntours.com.
We wish you a wonderful journey in our lovely and welcoming country.
