Sunday, October 25, 2009

The Best of Egypt

Sharm El Sheikh Offers the Best of Egypt

Egypt is a very unique place with its pyramids, camels and vast deserts. Egypt is now very well developed with the Sharm el-Sheikh region being a tourist hot-spot. There you will find resort communities offering state of the art, luxury five star hotels that belong to the huge international chains, as well as smaller but with equal flair modern hotels.

From Sharm el-Sheikh you can get pretty much everything that you would want from what Egypt has to offer. There are desert safaris, camel and horse riding, water sports, diving, snorkelling, windsurfing and an array of other water sports. In the evening there is a casino, night clubs, and discos to keep you entertained. With so much on offer it would be difficult to get bored!

If you want to relax and soak up the sun then Na'ama Beach is easy to locate and offers all the tourist amenities one would want. You can choose to use the hotel facilities on the beach as many have their own private beaches where for a bit more money you can enjoy a drinks service, chairs and umbrellas for shade.

This region also offers the chance for you to gain a PADI diving license so you will be taught by professionals on how to dive correctly and if exercised correctly you will gain the certificate.

For those who love to shop you can find enjoy bartering in the local Sharm el-Sheikh shopping centre. There are some fantastic goods available to purchase from clothing, leathers, jewellery, books and pottery but do beware the locals can be very strong when it comes to their sales technique and it isn't unheard of for locals to not allow people to leave their shop until they have bought something.

In general Egyptian people are very nice and welcoming people. They take pleasure in sharing their history with others and will go out of their way to assist others.

Choice For a Holiday This Autumn




Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt - Choice For a Holiday This Autumn


Egypt has long been a country heavily dependent on tourism - a fact that is as much due to its great weather as the astounding and wondrous architecture of The Pyramids. Yet, over the past year the country has seen something of a resurgence on an international scale as the recession has caused many holidaymakers to avoid the Eurozone to get the most from their foreign exchange.

Data published from a recent Mastercard poll (at chroniclelive.co.uk) shows that Egypt came out tops among Mastercard users from across the Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa - and posited the notion that developing resorts such as Sharm el-Sheikh are also fuelling its popularity as a destination for cheap holidays. So what does Sharm el-Sheikh have going for it?

Sharm el-Sheikh is a city of more than 800,000 inhabitants on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula around 80 miles south of Mount Sinai. Since the early 80s the city has been subject to formidable, but well controlled developments in order to maximise its capabilities as a tourist area whilst not harming the natural surroundings. In September and October the average high temperatures peak at around 36 degrees Celsius.

The city sits on the Red Sea coast and boasts a famously rich underwater ecosystem. There are more than a thousand different species of fish evident in the Red Sea, as well as over 1,000 miles of coral reef to be explored. Subsequently, alongside scuba diving, Sharm el-Sheikh is home to a host of other water sports, including wind surfing, canoeing and sailing.

Sharm el-Sheik, and a number of other resort areas such as the Sinai's Nuweiba, as well as El Gouna and Soma Bay on the East Egyptian coast, are collectively known as the Red Sea Riveira. This ensures that each of the areas, much of which is National Park land, is subject to a number of laws to ensure marine life and the surrounding desert is protected and not poorly managed.

Aside from all the city has to offer, Sharm el-Sheikh is also in close proximity to Mount Sinai - a mountain of great geological and religious significance for tourists. The mountain itself is 2,285 metres tall and is situated by the highest peak on the Sinai peninsula, Mount St. Catherine. Its religious history is evident with the Monastery of St. Catherine, and both a mosque and Greek Orthodox chapel can be found at the mountain's summit.

Nile Cruise Egypt



A Luxury Nile Cruise boat is a highly appointed, floating, 5-star hotel, with most of the facilities of a normal 5-star hotel, including a relaxing sun deck and swimming pool. All your meals are included, though beverages and bottled water are not included. You will have your own en-suite, air-conditioned cabin (we book upper deck cabins wherever possible), and full use of all the boats facilities (restaurants, ships, sun deck, swimming pool, etc) We use several different cruise boats on the Nile, and we will inform you exactly which boat we will use enough time before your departure, as the boats shuttle back and forth on the Nile between Aswan and Luxor, with regular breaks for cleaning and maintenance. However, we regularly inspect to ensure they are of the same 5-star deluxe standard.

All of the boats offer comfortable accommodation and have mainly twin bedded cabins all of which are air-conditioned and have private facilities. All of the cabins have panoramic windows affording views of the passing river bank. all the boats have added a fridge, internal telephone and TV with local and video channels. Suites are also available if you want to have that little bit of extra comfort.

These cabins are larger than standard berths and have a double or twin beds and are equipped with en-suite facilities, internal telephone, fridge and TV local channel. One of the pleasures of cruising is the food and your Nile cruise operates on a full board basis with buffet breakfast followed by lunch and dinner which can either be a set menu or buffet style. The only additional expenses are drinks, tips, souvenirs and optional excursions available on board. A credit system operates on board the boat whereby all extras will be billed to your cabin. There is limited money exchanging facilities on board, so it is advisable to ensure that you have enough local currency although your guide will allow time for a bank stop during your cruise.

The lounge bar is the perfect place to relax on comfortable sofas and enjoy a cocktail before dinner and entertainment in the evenings.

On the sundeck you will find a plunge pool with sun beds and towels, there are also chairs and tables in a shaded area where you can relax. The reception area has safety deposit boxes and there's even shop on board where you can buy souvenirs and essentials.

Tour Egypt for Ancient and Exotic Adventures




If you've ever dreamed of witnessing the magnificence of the Great Pyramids, standing in awe before the Great Sphinx, or reveling in the treasures found in King Tut's tomb, the magic of Egypt awaits you. You can tour Egypt for an unforgettable experience of a lifetime.

Whether you want to cruise the Nile in the style of Cleopatra or visit the Valley of the Kings, a Cairo program tour may be just the thing to fulfill your dreams. If your tastes lean toward adventure travel, a Cairo tour may mark the beginning of a journey that will include, for example, a diving excursion in the Ras Mohammed underwater nature reserve or a trek to a desert Bedouin Camp.

A Cairo museum tour will enchant you with the breathtaking antiquities of ancient Egypt, while retaining the services of a Cairo travel guide will allow you to experience the beauties and mysteries of a city from a local perspective.

If you have an interest in Egypt's ancient Holy Lands, you can travel Cairo and see the Red Sea and visit Old Cairo, where early Judaism and Christianity flourished.

While you're in Cairo, photo travel adventures await. You'll want to bring plenty of film - or extra storage cards for your digital camera - when you visit the Ben Ezra Synagogue, the Saint Serguis Church, the Great Citadel begun by Saladdin, and the Mohamed Ali Mosque, also known as the "Alabaster Mosque."

In Cairo, Egypt, travel can mean entering a time machine and visiting the sites of a wondrous and mysterious civilization, or enjoying very modern activities and amenities such as golf, cruises, and even bowling. You'd be doing yourself a disservice, though, if you didn't learn at least a bit about ancient Egypt before booking a Cairo, Egypt tour.

Some other things to know before you go:

* According to the U.S. State Department, a passport and visa are required to visit Egypt. Although renewable, 30-day tourist visas are available for US$15 upon arrival at Cairo International Airport, if you're arriving overland, you should obtain your visa prior to your arrival in Egypt.

* Egypt has close to 79 million residents, and Egypt's size is approximately three times the size of New Mexico.

* The official language of Egypt is Arabic, although French and English are widely spoken and understood.

* Egypt is bisected by the fertile Nile Valley, which spurs Egypt's economy.

* The currency is the Egyptian pound, and the exchange rate in 2005 was 5.78 Egyptian pounds per U.S. dollar.

Whether you're traveling for business or pleasure, with the right tour, Egypt will enchant and engage you, drawing you in to its ancient mysteries.



Vera Ristova

Vera Ristova - 08812