Living in Cairo can be an extremely stressful experience. Weekend breaks with family and friends are an ideal way to de-stress and Egypt has plenty of options for every kind of weekend break, no matter what your interests are, or how hot or cold the weather is.
If relaxing on a beach with a book or building a sand castle is your idea of a holiday, you can choose from a range of options. Ain Sukhna is the closest beach retreat from Cairo. If you opt for Alexandria, you can also catch up on some Greek history while visiting the catacombs, the Roman Theater and the museum. The Bibliotheca Alexandria is definitely worth a visit and the kids may love the planetarium.
Marsa Matrouh is a bit of a drive away, but has the calmest lagoons and softest sand of all the beaches that I have visited in Egypt. Halt midway, at the International memorials in Alamein where soldiers from all over the world who died here during World War II are buried.
If you have even the slightest interest in diving and snorkeling, Sharm el Sheikh, Dahab, Hurghada, Nuweiba and Taba offer a range of diving spots of varying difficulties. There are PADI institutes at these areas which can train and certify you for dives. But do check their credentials and equipment before entrusting your life in their hands. While these spots may seem a bit of a distance from Cairo, you can easily drive there Thursday evening and be back by Saturday evening. Some of these towns have their own airport and you have the option of catching a domestic flight from Cairo. If you book in advance, its easy to get Cheap Flights to travel within Egypt.
Whether you are a history buff or not, you cannot leave Egypt without doing the mandatory Luxor-Aswan Nile cruise. There are 3, 4 and 7 day options to this cruise and cruise ships to fit a variety of budgets. Normally all meals, entry tickets, transport and guide fees are included in the package and this is a convenient way to visit all the main Pharaonic monuments in Egypt
If sailing is not your thing, but you still want to catch up on some history, then a 2 day trip to Luxor (the largest open air museum in the world) is a wonderful appetizer. Spend one day on each bank. The East Bank has the must-visit Karnak Temple and Luxor temple. The Luxor museum is exceptional: uncluttered, well lit and with short printed descriptions to accompany most of the major pieces, it is easy to navigate on your own.
On the West Bank you can choose between the Valley of the Kings, Queens, Nobles or Workmen and visit underground tombs that are beautifully decorated. Deir el Bahri (Hatchepsuts Temple) is a popular attraction as are the Ramesseum and Medinat Habu.
If you have an extra day free, you may like to make the trip to Abydos and Dendera where the reliefs and construction are in much better condition than those in Luxor.
There are direct flights from Cairo to Abu Simbel, but in case they are booked, you can fly to Aswan and then travel by the 4am or 11am convoys. The original temple itself was a marvel, but combined with the international relocation effort to higher ground, it makes the very existence of these temples nothing short of a miracle.
If you would like to get back in touch with nature, then desert camping is an option that you could explore. Egypt has 5 Oases in the Western Desert, Bahariyya, Farafra, Dakhla, Kharga and Siwa. Follow basic precautions when offroading or camping in the desert. Always travel in more than one car. Have someone familiar with the desert in your group. It is very easy to get disoriented when you can see the horizon 360 degrees around you. Carry enough fuel, food and water.
Having a good guide to the desert, will make the difference between you enjoying your camping trip and wanting to return again and again. Sleeping in a 5 star can never be compared to sleeping under a million stars with the occasional shooting star or comet.
If a quick day trip to an oasis is all you have time for, then Fayoum is the place for you. Bird Watchers will revel in the multitude of birds which hover around Lake Qaroun. Fayoum also has a number of hotels and eco lodges, if you would like to spend the night. The water wheels, ancient Pharonic temples and pre-historic fossils at Wadi Hitan are just some of the sites you can visit at this oasis.
The Sinai Plateau offers hiking and trekking opportunities aplenty no matter what difficulty and stamina level you are looking for. From the Colored Canyon to Gebel Musa (Mount Moses).
Towns like Port Said, Suez, Damietta and Rosetta are great options for picnics from Cairo if all you have is one day off each week.
If you are interested in Monasticism and Coptic History, the monasteries of Upper Egypt and Wadi Natrun are worth a visit. While it may be more difficult to organise permits to visit Upper Egypt on your own, Wadi Natrun is a day trip from Cairo. Just be sure that you don’t visit during one of the many fasts in the Coptic calendar, otherwise you may just find everything closed.
Egypt offers a wealth of travel opportunities for every kind of traveler. There are tour agents who can manage every aspect of your travel, so you don’t have to worry about anything. With a little planning, you can ensure that you recharge your batteries in different locations regularly, to help you face the coming week in a better frame of mind.
Karishma Pais (Kim) is an expat trailing wife in Cairo. She has a Masters Degree in Human Resources and Behaviour. She consults on HR projects, delivers intercultural training at the CSA, counsels new and experienced expats, writes for several magazines – online and offline, she runs whazzupcairo@yahoogroups.com and whazzupcairo@googlegroups.com among other activities. Her Social Commentary and blog about life in Egypt can be read at http://whazzupegypt.blogspot.com
Pictures are by her and her husband Brajesh Bajpai
Published in The Oasis, April 2009 issue and desicritics.org
Showing posts with label Sinai. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sinai. Show all posts
Monday, April 13, 2009
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Snow in St Katherines (Sinai)
It snowed recently on the highest peaks of the Sinai Peninsula. A very knowledgeable friend explained how snow was more useful and valuable than rain in these areas.
Rain rushes down, causing soil erosion, flash flooding, erosion of top soil, among other problems.
When it snows, and the snow then melts slowly, as it happened this time, the melting snow percolates at a much better rate into the water table.
Baraka Gardens are a mountain and desert garden retreat in this peninsula. They sent out a wonderful mail titled "Snow in Egypt - Blessing for Gardens". I reproduce the text here below:
Blessing for the mountain gardens of Sinai
The previous winter there was very little snow and rain, and many of the trees in the mountains, including one of only 8 ancient mulberry trees, died as a result. The winter of 2008-09 was even worse – there was no precipitation at all, throughout the winter months and we had to think about the worse. Then the mild spring weather turned into what winter should have been like from the beginning; on the morning of 1st March the town of St. Katherine and the mountains were covered in snow, a sight people had not seen for a decade.
The snow in some patches will remain in the high mountains for another week or so, but
most of it started melting right away, forming streams and water falls, soaking into the ground and replenishing the water table. The timing couldn’t be better – it is the beginning of spring and wild plants just as much as fruit trees were literally dying for a little water. Within a few days the dry shrubs came back to life with little flowers appearing and filling the wadis with the scent of mountain herbs, and planting of new crops is under way in the gardens. This
spring will be very special, just like these few winter days were, and there are a number of natural water pools, springs and streams where water will be plentiful throughout the summer till next winter.
See images of this winter: http://www.st-katherine.net/winter-2009/
Learn about the Jabaleya gardening traditions and our garden retreat:
http://el-freish.com/
See other mountain garden retreats: http://baraka-gardens.com/
Information about St. Katherine and the region: http://st-katherine.net/
Please feel free to forward this email to others.
Thank you,
Zoltan
Rain rushes down, causing soil erosion, flash flooding, erosion of top soil, among other problems.
When it snows, and the snow then melts slowly, as it happened this time, the melting snow percolates at a much better rate into the water table.
Baraka Gardens are a mountain and desert garden retreat in this peninsula. They sent out a wonderful mail titled "Snow in Egypt - Blessing for Gardens". I reproduce the text here below:
Blessing for the mountain gardens of Sinai
The previous winter there was very little snow and rain, and many of the trees in the mountains, including one of only 8 ancient mulberry trees, died as a result. The winter of 2008-09 was even worse – there was no precipitation at all, throughout the winter months and we had to think about the worse. Then the mild spring weather turned into what winter should have been like from the beginning; on the morning of 1st March the town of St. Katherine and the mountains were covered in snow, a sight people had not seen for a decade.
The snow in some patches will remain in the high mountains for another week or so, but
most of it started melting right away, forming streams and water falls, soaking into the ground and replenishing the water table. The timing couldn’t be better – it is the beginning of spring and wild plants just as much as fruit trees were literally dying for a little water. Within a few days the dry shrubs came back to life with little flowers appearing and filling the wadis with the scent of mountain herbs, and planting of new crops is under way in the gardens. This
spring will be very special, just like these few winter days were, and there are a number of natural water pools, springs and streams where water will be plentiful throughout the summer till next winter.
See images of this winter: http://www.st-katherine.net/winter-2009/
Learn about the Jabaleya gardening traditions and our garden retreat:
http://el-freish.com/
See other mountain garden retreats: http://baraka-gardens.com/
Information about St. Katherine and the region: http://st-katherine.net/
Please feel free to forward this email to others.
Thank you,
Zoltan
Monday, May 19, 2008
Fustat Wadi el Gamal
1. hiring local bedouin experts
2. disposing sewage responsibly
3. selling camel dung to nearby farms and villages for eco friendly fertiliser.
4. they feed the camels corn and fuul from Cairo and pre-crack them so that they do not accidentally germinate and take root in the desert (not indigenous to the area)
5. they use simple camel drawn wagons for visitors who aren't comfortable sitting ON a camel.
The place is 850 kms away from Cairo, which means needing at least a 3 day holiday to even get a flavour of the place. 4-5 days would be better. Organising that leave is the problem :(
Read el Moro's article on the Fustat in Al Ahram, here. Its a bit outdated, but covers the basics.
For further details and pictures visit http://www.wadielgemal.com
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Transportation to St Catherine with prices
My friend- Ahmed- collected this information from his many trips to St Catherines.
As I go periodically to South Sinai (St Catherine and El Tarfa) I have found many means of transportation with different costs.
Sharq el Delta bus (Cairo – Suez—St Catherine ) :
2 buses daily from El Torgoman (Ramses) and then from Almaza Station (masr el gedida)
From Almaza they leave at 11.45 am and 2 am, tickets are for 30 LE
Description :
It takes a very long time as it passes through Suez first. Usually they have the worst buses on this particular route, so you may not be satisfied by the cleanliness of the bus. also they constantly keep stopping as the bus engine keeps giving trouble.
Any bus to Sharm el Sheikh :
Many buses leave from Cairo from different companies like El Gouna and super jet. They leave periodically at morning or at night, tickets range from 50 LE to 80LE according to time and company .
Description
Buses on this line are more brand new and with high level of maintenance. You can ask the driver to drop you at (Mafareq St Catherine or lagnet el mafare2 ) .
You should coordinate with a driver from St Catherine to take you from el Mafare2 .
Transportation from el mafare2 to St Catherine cost about 100 +_ 20 LE .
Here is a driver whose number you can call :
Shick Eid 0693470040.
This means of transportation is suitable if you are an individual and need to go there quickly and inexpensively with flexible time of leaving Cairo.
Car Renting :
As I go there periodically, sometimes I need to rent a car to be more flexible in time and transportation so I made a good deal with the car rental agency which I think is offering me a good price.
From the start of Cairo-Suez road to El Tarfa (25km before Catherines) by a car model 2007/2008 ( mainly Mitsubishi) for 400 LE (not including transportation inside Cairo which you can add 10 LE to 50 LE depending on the deal between you and the agency ) .
This means of transportation could be suitable for a group of 3 persons as it is faster, flexible as you can take rest whenever you want, you will have less waiting time at police check points and if u have heavy luggage, the car could take you from home to your final destination.
The owner of the agency I use, is called Adel and his number is 0103979759
Best of luck and hope you enjoy your coming vacations
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
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