Practical Information

Passport

Remember to check the expiration date of your passport if travelling internationally. Many countries require your passport to be valid for at least six months after the date of your scheduled return.

Visa

Egypt

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally need a visa to enter Egypt. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/africa/egypt
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/egypt
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/egypt/entry-requirements
• USA:  www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Egypt.html

If you are obtaining your visa online, please ensure you have a scan of your passport ready. The file size should be small and ideally saved as a JPEG or PDF otherwise you might not be able to load it on the visa application.

You will need to provide your host’s information on the application – please use the following details:

South Sinai Travel
79 Merghany Street
Cairo
Egypt
Telephone: +20 22418 7310
www.southsinai.com
salwa.ibrahim@southsinai.com

Please note, Egyptian officials have requested tourists carry a copy of their passport with them while in the country. Please also note, some prescribed medicines are controlled substances in Egypt.

Vaccinations and Health

There are no mandatory vaccination requirements. Recommended vaccinations are tetanus, typhoid, hepatitis A. Although not usually advised, other vaccinations to consider include rabies and hepatitis B.

There is evidence that Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS) is spread by contact with camels.  This trip includes a camel ride to Monastery of St Simeon, which is undertaken at your own risk; we suggest that you visit the Travel Health Pro website which includes information about the virus.

Local Time

Egypt's time zone: Africa/Cairo (UTC +02:00)

Electricity

Egypt's electricity: Plug types C (two round pins, European standard) and F (two round pins) – 220V, 50Hz

Money

Egypt's currency: The official currency is the Egyptian pound (EGP), though US dollars are also widely accepted

ATM Availability

There are ATMs in many parts of Egypt. Credit cards are accepted in most hotels, restaurants and tourist bazaars. It is also possible to purchase larger items such as carpets with Visa, American Express and some other major cards.

There is no limit to the amount of foreign currency that can be brought into the country, and we do not recommend you pick up Egyptian currency prior to departure.

Money can be changed on arrival at the airport or at local banks/exchange offices. Any hard currency, including British pounds, euros and US dollars can be exchanged. Additionally, US dollars can be used to pay in Egypt; however, you usually receive change in Egyptian pounds. Your tour leader can assist with exchanging money throughout the tour. When you leave Egypt, it is possible, though not always easy, to re-exchange Egyptian pounds into foreign currency. It is easiest to try to budget wisely to avoid having too many Egyptian pounds at the end of your tour.

Extra Expenses & Spending Money

Optional excursions
Prices are per person and in US dollars as this is the most stable currency used in Egypt, but excursions can be paid in any hard currency (including British pounds and euros). Payment cannot be made in Egyptian pounds. When booking and paying for these tours locally, a three percent charge will be added for all card payments. The flight to Abu Simbel is to be requested with Exodus at the time of booking your tour. We will then check availability. Unless indicated otherwise, the below prices are based on a minimum of six people taking part and are subject to change. Please note that prices include entrance fees, guide, private transport and police permissions.

Cairo (minimum six travellers)

• Sound and light show, Giza: US$48 – this does not run every day
• Citadel and Mohamed Ali Mosque: US$40
• Coptic Cairo including Coptic Museum: US$38
• Trip to Sakkara and Memphis: US$66
• Entrance fee to go inside Great Pyramids: US$30
• Grand Egyptian Museum: US$65

Aswan (minimum six travellers)

• St Simone Monastery: US$36
• Sound and light show at Philae: US$52
• Abu Simbel flight excursion: from US$435. The flight must be requested with Exodus at the time of booking your tour. If you do not request the flight at this time, we cannot guarantee seats will be available if trying to book locally. Flight timings vary but the flight duration is approximately 45 minutes. The length of time in the temples depends on the Egyptair flight schedule and is not controlled by Exodus. It should however be longer than an hour.
• Abu Simbel road excursion: from US$175 (book locally). Depart Aswan at approximately 4.30am for the 3hr 30min transfer to Abu Simbel. The temple visit itself takes around two hours. Depart at approximately 10am and arrive back in Aswan at around 1.30pm.

Due to local regulations, guides are not permitted to enter Abu Simbel temple with you but will provide information outside, allow you free time to explore, and arrange a meeting place for afterwards.

Luxor (minimum six travellers)

• C.E Luxor Animal Hospital: Free (closes at 4pm)
• Sound and light show, Karnak Temple: US$52
• Entrance for additional tombs on the West Bank: approximately US$18
• Additional visit to the West bank – Mednet Habu Temple, entrance to Valley of Queens and Deir El-Medina: US$45
• Dendarah and Abydos: US$70-US$90 (for post-tour accommodation)

Tipping

Baksheesh is part of Egyptian life, and small tips are expected by most of the people working in the tourism industry (drivers, hotel staff, railway porters, restaurant staff etc).

Tipping kitty: To simplify this process, the tour leader will recommend a tipping kitty. They will explain this at the start of the trip, and will collect the suggested sum from those who wish to participate. Your tour leader will then take care of all the tipping on behalf of the group. While your participation is highly recommended, it is not compulsory. Tipping could be in US dollars, British pounds or Egyptian pounds. Your tour leader can provide details of the distribution of the money as required.

• For groups of 12 or more, the suggested contribution is US$65 per person.
• For groups of fewer than 12, the suggested contribution is US$70 per person.

Tour leader: If you feel your tour leader has performed well over the course of your trip, you may want to show your appreciation of their services. The sum you choose to give is entirely personal, but as a guide, about US$4 per person per day would be reasonable. The tipping kitty explained above is entirely separate from any contribution to the tour leader.

Sustainability and Impact

At Exodus, we thrive on travel, and we firmly believe our adventures should help destinations thrive too.

As a certified B Corp, we aim to take a ‘nature positive’ approach across our adventures, including carbon and waste reduction, animal welfare and support for rewilding and conservation. We also seek to contribute to local communities, providing economic opportunity and empowerment.

• Learn more about our Thriving Nature, Thriving People plan, including our commitment to rewilding 100 square metres for every Exodus traveller

• Read about the work of the Exodus Adventure Travels Foundation.

• Find out how you can travel more sustainably here.

Important Information

Water safety

This trip includes time by a lake, river or sea, where there may be opportunities to swim. You should always seek local advice before deciding whether to swim. Open-water or wild swim spots should be treated with extreme caution. Information on how to keep yourself safe while swimming is shown here.

Binoculars and drones

We do not recommend taking binoculars or monoculars into Egypt as on occasion these have been confiscated either on arrival or within the country. Drones are also forbidden. 

This trip goes near an area deemed unsafe to visit by the UK government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whose advice we follow when operating our trips. While our itinerary doesn’t go to these areas, you should familiarise yourself with your local government’s advice if you are planning any pre- or post-trip travel. Any independent travel to areas currently against your local government advice is entirely at your own risk and unlikely to be covered by your travel insurance.