Thread: Getting from CAI to Sharm el Sheikh........ id 90 or rev tickets.........g

Thanks for the info. MAD is Madrid. Wide open to ATL where we live. CAI to JFK ok but heard it can be tough. Are you saying we should get an ID 90/zed on AF from ATL? We may wing it to SSH from CAI and see if we can get on standby. Sounds interesting regardless. Will contact your guide for Cairo. Thanks for the info. I don't enjoy the planning of these things much,...................

I live for the travel planning!
AF zed low CAI/CDG (about $65 each) you can catch the CDG/ATL DL flight for your backup (if you don't get the CAI/JFK DL) on the same day you arrive CDG--you have to go out to the tkt desk and check in then re-enter to DL gates but it only took us an hour total w/carry-ons
If the PM function is working, I can help via phone or email if you want.
I have alerted Abdo in Cairo to take good care of you. Fayoum is his hometown--if it interests you, that would be an off-the-beaten-path trip.

Hi there,

You are very helpful. I will be honest, I am very overwhelmed with all the planning. We just got back from Australia for our wedding and that was a huge planning event from the States. We just bought a house and moved in 6 months ago so I am pooped with details. I am beginning to get a feeling that getting to ,from and around Egypt is going to be time consuming and a bit of an ordeal. I was very excited up until yesterday and now I am having doubts. If we get in on the 26th at 3.15pm and leave on the 5th at 0110am that only gives us 8 full days to see Cairo and go diving. I am an avid diver and have heard so many tales of the Red Sea that I can't go to Egpyt and not dive. However I need to see ancient monuments also. Weeding out the must sees and the information is what is driving me crazy. I have been told that 2 weeks is what one really needs to see the highlights. We could go another time if that is the case. However, we have talked about this a bunch and would love to go but it means planning down to the minute and it is a 3rd world country. Any thoughts? How long have you spent on your visits?

kate

We went with nothing planned/set but the Cairo hotel and guides in CAI and LXR.
We bought ID 96 for $30 each way (that's the min) from CAI for both ASW and LXR (only used one LXR)--no commitment there!
We took Zed low AF for backup $94 each (sorry not 65) Used both. Then used DL home.

You can contact guide in LXR last minute. Hassany Moresy--his contact is in my Egypt stuff. You can refer to us or I can email him to introduce you.His guide was Abdou and he was excellent.
We decided the night before to book him fo Dendera and Abydos (3+ hrs outside LXR) Awesome day.
You need at least one full day in Valley of Kings
One full day hanging around Luxor--2 main temples there and the new museum is wonderful. Karnak Temple is a few hours to do it right.You cna pick a hotel with help of Tripadvisor (we stayed Sheraton w/points) There are Accor Hotels--The Pavillion is decent--good lcoation--great rates.
You can get transport w/Hassany to Aswan w/sight stops on the (not sure price)
Aswan for 2-3 nights if you include day trip to Abu Simbel on Lake Nasser
You can buy on sight or arrange in advance. We had small netbook (PS--internet is $$$$ at hotels) use cafes--local sim card is probably a good idea if you didn't already get one in Sharm.
The 2 wk (too much in my book) would likely include 7 night cruise (long!!) and a visit to Alexandria (not on my list) I've done the 8 day whirlwind and 11 day very relaxed. 8-9 days can cover almost every important place. first one was group (never again) and the second was mostly private.
Some aspects of Egypt are way below third-world. The people are quite nice in general.Vendors can be REAL pests--just completely ignore them.

I realize you have to be sooo burned out w/planning the wedding--what a chore that must have been.

You can do parts of Egypt like we did,m Cairo and Luxor--we have to go back for Aswan (my fave city) and Abu Simbel. I know now we can just land CAI, head south and book stuff when we arrive (maybe short dahabiya cruise in advance--sailboat to Luxor)
We are so fotrunate tobe able to fly for so little--it's worth breaking the trip up to make it less pressure. Once you have a grip on the way it all works there, it's easier to return knowing what you already know and what you want to do!

here's a good 3 day tour of highhlights in CAiro--same guide we used--they did a lot of touristy things we wouldn't care for , but they had a great time. (She's right--Abdo's uncle is a trip!)
Excellent driver and guide in Cairo: Abd elHamid Ellahamy - Cairo Forum - TripAdvisor

I'm not seeing flights breaking down as of this point--there are so many seats for end April and returning in that first wk of May--lots of business elite space--both directions
maybe I didn't get your dates right?

We were planning to go April 25 or 26 and coming back on the 5th or 6th of May however the JFK flights look pretty booked and we need to leave out of JFK for CAI. There are spaces but this volcanic activity is a risk and European flights are not back to normal yet and if we couldn't get out of CAI direct we would have to go zed through AMS or MAD and that could be tricky. We don't want to be stuck somewhere for a few days - ouir company is not very forgiving for that happening...The consensus here with our employees is to avoid Europe and any region near it for at least a couple of weeks. Also,we are now S3C on DL mainline due to the merger with NW and us being sold to Skywest. No S2s on your carrier. Gone are the good old days/// for now.