A solo trip to Egypt was in my mind from last 2 years..In 2011, when I decided to visit this land of fantasies, this country became paralyzed by series of riots and demonstrations due to the changing political situations. Tourism dropped there rapidly because of the advisories issued by various countries worldwide and I also decided to postponed my programme for Egypt. Meanwhile, when a fried, living there in Cairo, left Egypt in coming months, I cancelled my plan entirely.
Then a day came in 2012 when I booked a return flight to Cairo. I am in a habit of using flight search engines to get cheap air tickets to various possible destinations and I do it at least once in a month to know about any cheaper deal. I always set some targets to decide whether I should buy that ticket or not? For example, To Bangkok I want to spend 10000 INR, To Europe 25000 INR, To Middle East 10000 INR , on a return ticket departing from Delhi.
In the last quarter of previous year when I was searching for the cheap flight tickets, I found a good deal to Cairo on Saudi Arabian Airlines. In fact, it was an amazing deal and I couldn’t expect any cheaper price than that. I immediately booked that flight of Feb.25, 2013 including the return ticket on March 11, 2013.The total ticket cost was 15845 INR and due to having a credit card from the particular bank I again got 1250 INR discount on that price.
After booking my flight, I started preparing for this trip. I went through some blogs, articles and web-pages on Egypt to have a clear idea about what to visit there in 14 days. Finally, I decided to visit Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel, Sharm-El-Sheikh and Suez. But after the suggestions from some friends, I skipped Sharm-El-Shiekh for any future trip and included Hurghada in my itinerary.
Next move was to get an official leave and approval letter. Approval letter from the employer is required to get a tourist visa to Egypt during the visa application process. Getting 15-days Earned Leaves was not a major issue, so I got 15-days leave and, in a month got the approval letter also.
I was really worried about the visa approval. I had only 70-80k INR cash in my bank accounts and I thought it was not sufficient for 15-days visa approval. I went through the various forums, but did not get any satisfactory answer. Then my friend Priyanka gave me a big relief. She had already visited Egypt one year back and at the time of her visa approval, she also had almost the same amount in the account. So, after completing all the documentation formalities and online accommodation bookings in Egypt, I applied for a tourist visa to Egypt. It was approved in three days for 30 days single entry. Now, I could officially enter in the land of pharaohs.
There was no direct flight between Delhi and Cairo. My Saudi Arabian Airlines flight was a connecting flight via Jeddah with 40-minutes stop-over at Riyadh. At check-in counter, I requested the customer service representative to allot me a window seat, if available and he accepted this request. Unfortunately, both the window seats allotted by him did not allow me to click the clear picture from the B-777s aircraft in both legs of flight. Still, I managed to get some shots from the aircraft. Flight departed from Delhi on its scheduled departure time.
It was my first flight towards the western side of Delhi and also in day-time, so I really enjoyed the views from the window. Being an Air Traffic Controller, what interested me more in the flight information displays were the maps rather than the entertainment programmes. So, I usually played with the the maps, compass, front and below cameras of the flight entertainment system. I also tried to locate Indus River while flying over the Pakistan, but I am not sure, that big river identified by me was really Indus or not. The Arabian Desert and water bodies looked amazing from the plane.
Since, I had a restricted Economy ticket, I did not expect any hospitality in the flight except the water. But as flight continued moving to Jeddah, I was amazed by the hospitality of the airlines. From Delhi to Riyadh, they offered juice, tea, coffee, lunch and then snacks. From Riyadh to Jeddah, they again offered a snack with juice.and from Jeddah to Cairo, again a dinner with juice.
Last year, I went to South East Asia by Air Asia and did not get any service despite of the same ticket price bracket. This is the difference between a low cost airlines and a full-service carrier. So, my learning from this trip is that if you get the same price bracket with a full service carrier, then better to go with that. However, it is not possible always and for cheaper flight tickets, we have to rely on the low-cost carriers only.
My connecting flight from Jeddah to Cairo was within two hours of my arrival at Jeddah. I was really worried about it as I never went through a connecting flight and did not know anything about the time required for a connection. But that flight reached Riyadh on time and after 40 minutes stop-over at Riyadh, it again departed on time. That gave me a big relief.
In the Delhi-Jeddah flight, there were lot of fellow Indians traveling in the air, many of them are working as low-skilled workers in the Middle East. So, all the Flight Stewards were also talking in Hindi. It was my first experience, when Air Hostesses were talking in Hindi by themselves. Even during my domestic travel in India, I never saw such scenes.
After landing at Jeddah Airport, all the connecting passengers again went through a security check. This time they took out my small scissor from the hand baggage. Jeddah Airport is near to Makkah, the most sacred place of Muslim religion. So, it was crowded with the people that day, who came there for Haji Umrah.
From Jeddah, the flight to Cairo again took-off at scheduled time. The landscape after Jeddah was very beautiful. We flew over the desert, where I saw the center-pivot farming in the desert and then most of the time we flew over Red Sea. I could easily sea the ships sailing on the Red Sea. After sometime it became dark outside.
With lot of excitement and expectations, I landed at Cairo International Airport about 9:00 PM. I only had cabin-baggage with me, so straight went to Immigration. It was very smooth process. After withdrawing some local currency at an ATM, I came out from the airport to haggle with the taxi drivers in Egypt and then I reached in the heart of Cairo, Downtown to spend next 14 days to search out the cheap ways to travel in Egypt for a backpacker.
During 14-days stay in Egypt, I travelled to Alexandria, Cairo, Giza, Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel and Hurghada. I visited many temples like Karnak, Luxor, Abu Simbel, Philae, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Dendera, Abydos etc, did snorkeling in Red Sea at Hurghada, walked along the coast of Mediterranean Sea in Alexandria and explored the Pyramids of Giza, Dahsur and Sakarra. It was a great trip and I really enjoyed every moment of the trip. One by one, I will share all the experiences, plans, cost-effective tips etc in my subsequent posts. So, Let us enjoy our travel moments and celebrate our lives on the Road.
Related Posts
How to Travel from Aswan to Abu Simbel?
Hidden City Ticketing: Pay Attention While Booking Cheap Flight Ticket
An Evening in Alexandria at The Coast of The Mediterranean Sea
Snorkeling in Red Sea near Hurghada, Egypt
Saqqara : First Ever Stone Building of The World Built in a Necropolis
The Pyramid Complex of Giza : Ancient, Mysterious and Everlasting..
Hi ,
I just bought tickets to Egypt but got stuck in the visa document requirements . The embassy requirement includes a letter from a tour operator in Egypt with the detailed itinerary, and contacts on their letterhead. I planned the trip myself and planned to take a guide once there if required. Just wanted to understand your visa experience and did you provide any such documents . Would be great if you can share your visa process journey in brief. Thanks
Thanks for your many blogs. I enjoy reading the details you provided.
I am planning a 3 weeks trip to Egypt in Oct. 2021. I saw one of your blogs looks like you are going from Aswan toward Luxor. Is it better to start from Aswan towards Cairo? I am taking the route from Cairo to Aswan. Do you have any suggestions?
Hi, It’s not necessary and depends on your preference. There is no particular advantage. You can start your journey in either direction.
Thanks for your reply.
Hey, this is a great blog, thanks for sharing your experience
Thank you for visiting this blog. Happy Travels. 🙂
Hi
From where you got Egyptian Pound ?
I withdrew in Egypt from the ATMs.
Hello Friend, I love your blog. It is very informative.
Can you help me on how to look for cheapest flight? I tried makemytrip.com, cleartrip.com and etc. The prices on these sites usually never go down. 15K for two way is indeed the cheapest one can ever find to Egypt.
Please share your secret way to look for cheap international tickets.
God bless you
Regards
Munnag
Hey, this is very useful information on Egypt, thanks!
Do you think it would be safe to travel to Egypt as a solo female? Did you see many solo travellers while there? I am wondering if I should book my travel through a tour, if it is going to be too unsafe for a single female. Any suggestions?
Hi, I believe it’s a perfectly safe destination for the solo female travellers with basic safety precautions. However, my observations are that Egyptian males, taxi drivers, guides are too flirty towards a solo female traveller. 🙂
I love traveling so want to know about how strict is Egypt immigration they ask so many questions or easy to clear immigration and how much visa cost it’s on arrival or we need visa before departure how’s local people in cario any kind of scam with tourist or they love indian or tourist
Hi, Immigration is a smooth process at Cairo Airport. You need a pre-approved visa. People are friendly, but you may find the vendors pushing for the guided tours. Some basic precautions and you can enjoy the city very much.
Excelent blog mate! I’m heading to Cairo on January 11th. Quick question – do you have any experience in extending your visa in Cairo for example? I read somewhere you can extend it for 2 months (some have even claimed to get upto 6 months). Any idea if this is true?
HI, I have no idea about visa extension. 🙁
Hi,
Thank you for creating a website with lot of information.
I am visiting Egypt from 4th Jan-7th Jan. I just have a query. Where did you exchange the currency (Rupee to Egyptian Pound)? Did you take Egyptian pound from Indian bank or exchanged at Cairo airport or somewhere else? Where do you recommend to exchange the money?
If possible, can you please have this (currency exchange) section on your website? It will really help tourists like us from India
I would really appreciate your time in helping me out. Thanks in advance.
Regards,
Mikhail
I actually do not change currencies during an International trip. I normally withdraw money from the ATMs using the International Debit Cards. I am doing this from many trips now. But, if you want to exchange Indian Rupees with EGP , do it in India only (Very few banks or agents have EGP in India, I think) . You may not able to find the good rates for Indian currencies , while in Egypt.
Another thing is that as per the Customs Rule, in hard cash, you can only carry upto INR 5000 from India on an abroad trip (If I remember it correctly).
So, there are two options, either get a prepaid forex card issued by many banks now or travellers cheque from India.
Alternatively, change your Indian currency into USD in India. Carry out USD and again change it in EGP. But in requires the currency conversion twice.
I do have a post, how to manage money while traveling abroad. Search it on this website.
Hi solobackpacker!
I’m planning to visit Egypt on coming October. I came to know that photography is not allowed inside tombs, pyramids & temples. Can I carry my camera inside those places or have to leave it outside? If so, then where should I leave the camera? Is there any secured place to deposit my valuables?
Reshmi
Hi, It’s true that the cameras are not allowed inside the tombs and pyramids. You can carry them inside the temples. At some places they have secured lockers, for example, at the pyramids, but in that case, you have to left your camera at the entrance only and come back to entrance again to get your camera after visiting pyramid, so that you can click around. Another way is to leave your camera with the guard at the entrance of the Great Pyramid. He gives you a slip and after showing that slip, you can get your camera back. No charge, but it’s good to give him some tip. At the other tombs and smaller pyramids, you can carry your camera inside, just don’t click the photographs. 🙂
Thanks for the reply.
Hi Solo Backpacker,
Thank you for wrote your journey for others to read.
Let me know if you ever visit Indonesia.
🙂
Hehehe..I am coming there next month. Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Bali, Gili and Lombok. Where do you based? 🙂
My based is in Jakarta.
Let me know if you need any info.
Hi, Thanks. I have already booked my hotel in Jakarta. I will be there for 3 nights before going to Jogjakarta. Any suggestion regarding sightseeing is most welcome. No idea of sightseeing as of now, except the old town. Do you have WhatsApp or Facebook id, e-mail your number at info@solobackpacker.com . I would love to connect with you. Thank you once again. 🙂
Hello, can you please tell me how you move from one city to the next? What was your plan? How much did you spend in total? Is it worth it to do some tours or on my own? I am going to spend about 9-10 days in May
Hi, I was there for 15 days and used all type of transports (Buses, Trains, Planes) to move between the cities. So, for long distance, you can travel by the train, but since its fare (from Cairo to Aswan) is almost equal to an economy class flight, you can take a flight also. For Cairo-Hurghada or Luxor-Hurghada, you can travel by buse for 5-6 hours. Cairo to Alexandria is good by a train. For Baharia and Siwa Oasis, it’s better to take a hired cab. You can travel to the most places by own without a tour. Have a nice trip.
Nice blogs, I am planning to visit this Dec. and will cover most places you mentioned. We still have an additional day in Cairo. Any suggestions? We will visit Alexandria, Giza (nearby pyramid places as well)..
You can explore the streets of Islamic Cairo on your additional day, if did not plan it already. Give me an idea about your plan in Cairo to answer you exactly. 🙂
Thanks for these aerial view pics. They’re good, although not high def. I understand this is due to the plane’s window? I hope it’s also allowed to photograph places when I travel to Egypt.
Thanks for your great information, the contents are quiet interesting.I will be waiting for your next post.
With the your guidance, i have visited Angkor Watt and this time i want to visit EGYPT and i am very much sure again your TIPS will help me. Small Query: have you any tips about TASHKANT.
Hi Chaitendra, I have never been to Tashkant..Sorry, no tips 🙁
No problem, Thanks. I will follow your tips during my EGYPT trips. Any suggestion about air fare as its too high now. minimum fare is Rs.38,000/- 🙁
Yes, Airfare is pretty high these days..Last year, I got return ticket to Cairo in INR 14800..This year, prices aren’t coming down..Thanks to inflation 🙁 …Anyway, just keep trying..When are you planning to go? Have a look for Saudi Arabian Airlines airfare..you may get a good deal there.
I am sorry to keep asking you questions but I have the same exact itinerary in my mind. Can you please suggest some cheap hotels where you stayed in Cairo, Aswan, Luxor and Hurghada? Did you go to Hurghada from Luxor? If yes, how…bus, taxi, train?
I basically preferred to stay in the hostels…But got only in Cairo..In Aswan, Luxor and Hurghada, I stayed in the hotels and booked all them on the internet. I went to Hurghada by a SuperJet Bus. There are two company operating buses between Luxor and Hurghada. The bus from Superjet company leaves Luxor 7.00 AM for Hurghada. Another company bus also leaves around 7.30-8.00 AM. One bus is also there in afternoon.
Awesome .. Egypt has been on my bucket list for years and it is good to read that you made it there 🙂
Egypt is on my travel list and I so hope to make it there in the next 2 years 🙂
nice pics. (pivot farming)