Worldstar Travel - Egypt Travel Specialists

We would like to welcome you to Egypt. Our Egyptian Representatives are here to assist you in enjoying your holiday to the full, please feel free to call them for any advice or assistance that you may require. For those of you visiting Egypt for the first time, we hope the following points may be of some help; your Tour Manager will advise you of any further information regarding your itinerary.

Language

Arabic is the official language. English is the predominant foreign language and French is widely spoken.

Climate

Egypt has one of the hottest and sunniest climates in the world. Summer (May - October) is hot and dry, and whilst the temperatures can reach 45 degrees, the heat is less taxing than elsewhere because of low humidity. The temperature increases as you travel from north (lower Egypt) to south (Upper Egypt). Winter (November - February) is dry and mild with mostly sunny days and temperatures ranging between 13 and 21 degrees Celsius. Rain is rare, except on the coast, and is virtually unknown in Upper Egypt.

Clothing

Whilst shorts / beach wear are acceptable on board the ship and in hotel grounds, we ask that ladies avoid wearing scanty clothing during the excursions and whilst in town as this is a predominantly Muslim country.

Should you also wish to enter a mosque or church, it also advisable to cover your legs and arms.

Please also note that if visiting Agha Khan Mausoleum in Aswan, both ladies and gentlemen are asked not to wear shorts.

It furthermore advisable that when going on early morning excursions or evening visits to the Sound & Light shows, that you take a cardigan or jacket as temperatures can drop quite dramatically.

Comfortable and sensible shoes are not an option on the excursions, they are a must! It is also advisable to wear comfortable flat shoes when walking in the towns as the pavements are not always even.

Customs Regulations and Photography

Occasionally on arrival you may be given a Customs Declaration Form which requires to you list all cameras, jewellery, cash, travellers cheques and electronics. You are normally required to produce this on your departure, but not always.

Video cameras are noted and may incur a fee for entry. Many attractions will charge you an additional entrance fee should you choose to take your video camera in with you.

Please note that you are not permitted to use flash photography in many tombs and temples to protect the ancient monuments. There are also restrictions on photographing airports, military sites and government buildings.

Currency

The local currency is the Egyptian Pound which is devised into 100 Piastres. Prices may be shown in either Pounds or Piastres i.e., LE 2.00. Please ensure that you exchange enough money to carry you through the interim stops. An exchange receipt is issued for the amount of hard currency exchanged which you are advised to retain until the end of your stay. Bank rates tend to be the same throughout hotels and cruises.

Money changers are everywhere and it is best to change money in Cairo before embarking on your Nile Cruise in Upper Egypt. Before departing Egypt, be sure to use any excess currency or exchange it at a city bank. Surprisingly, shops at Cairo Airport do not accept local currency and limited exchange facilities are available.

Please note that it is sometimes difficult to convert your Egyptian currency on departure, so please exchange small amounts at a time.

Payment at Hotels / Cruise

All extras, such as drinks and laundry, should be signed for the bills settled at the end of the stay. Payment can be made in either local currency or by credit card such as Visa, American Express or Master card.

Travellers cheques should be converted into local currency with the bank first. Personnel cheques and Euro cheques are not accepted.

Please be aware that if you wish to use your credit card to settle your bill, some hotels/ cruises reserves the right to levy a 4% charge for banker’s fees.

If you pay in local currency, your exchange receipts may be required to show that the amount being paid was obtained legally.

Once you have settled your bill, any further incidental expenditures will have to be paid for in cash (local currency).

Newspaper and News

The news in English is broadcast on T.V. every evening on Channel Two at 8:00PM (10:00 PM during Ramadan). English newspapers and magazines are available at most hotels, book shops and news-stands, although they may be a few days out of date. The local daily newspaper in English is also available - the Egyptian Gazette.

Laundry

An efficient laundry service is available at all your hotels and on board. Lists and charges can be found in your room or cabin or details can be obtained from Reception.

Valuables

We strongly advise you to keep all valuables in the safety boxes provided at the Reception desk. Never leave them unattended in your room or cabin. This includes Travellers Cheques, cash, credit cards, passport and your air ticket which should be retained for departure.

The hotels and cruises accept no responsibility for the loss or damage of any valuables left unattended.

Tipping

Tipping in Egypt is called baksheesh. Salaries are low and baksheesh is regarded as an essential way of supplementing income.

It is for this reason that cruises have set up a system by which passengers either hand in the suggested amount of LE45 to their Tour Manager who will distribute all tips accordingly to drivers, porters , temple guards, felucca sailors etc. Passengers may handle the tipping themselves. Your Tour Manager will be able to advise you how much and when to tip as you go along.

Generally it is accepted that customers pay a tip directly, to the waiter serving, of 10% of the total bill. This is, of course, entirely at your own discretion and should only be paid if you are satisfied with your service.

In Egypt you will be expected to tip many people including your tour guides, drivers, waiters, porters, hotel concierge, guards in museums and tombs, and shoe minders in mosques. Please try and keep cool about this and don’t let it spoil your holiday.

US dollars in small denominations are very useful for tipping.

Phoning Overseas

Most Hotels have international line services - your Tour Manager will advise you of the nearest one. Please note, however, that international call rates are generally more expensive than European rates; the telephone operator should advise you of the charges on request.

Shopping

Egypt offers a wide variety of interesting souvenirs; gold and silver jewellery, brass and copperware alabaster, leather goods, hand-made rugs and carpets, papyrus and wood work.

Your Tour Manager will be able to best advise you of where to shop to ensure good quality and value.

Bargaining is a way of living in Egypt. So we do highly recommend you to bargain.

Postage

Stamps can be obtained from souvenir shops selling postcards. Mail usually takes about 8 days to the U.K. and 14 days to the United State and Australia.

Please hand any postcards or letters that you would like to post to the Reception desk.

Transport

It is very easy to hire a taxi at reasonable rates. Remember to set the price before the journey and carry the correct change if possible. The price you set will include the tips, so do not be persuaded by the driver to pay more at the end of the journey!

The horse carriage is also a reliable means of transportation at Upper Egypt, although their prices tend to be higher than a taxi - again the same rules apply to setting the price in advance.

Smoking

It is not forbidden to smoke inside restaurants and in any enclosed public areas of hotels.

Medical Assistance

If you need any medical attention please contact your Tour Manager or Reception who will call an English speaking doctor for you. Pharmacies throughout Egypt sell most of the appropriate prescription and non prescription medications.

In Sickness and in Health

Whether you have visited Egypt before or not, you may well be aware of the infamous "gyppy tummy" or the "pharaoh’s curse". We would of course like your holiday in Egypt to pass without so much as a mere hiccup, let alone the debilitating "curse". With this in mind, we have completed these notes preferring prevention to cure.

One of the first things to point out is that not only are you coming to a different climate, but a completely new way of life! Your holiday ahead can at times be rather intensive. There are many temples and tombs to explore and not much time to do it in! Although we do try to avoid the heat of the day as much as possible by early starts, it is nonetheless possible to dehydrate without even realising it.  Please therefore ensure that you always carry a sun-hat, sunglasses and a bottle of mineral water with you, even on the shortest excursion. Don’t wait until you feel thirsty - sipping water regularly is far better than gulping it down when your mouth begins to feel dry.

Any liquids taken during the day are best if not too cold – you may feel like having an ice cold drink, especially after an excursion or while sitting in the sun, but your stomach is bound to object! Alcohol! Is also not recommended to drink alcohol during the day and if you must have ice in your drink, please try to limit this to evenings only when the temperature is naturally lower.

Rest and relaxation are also a good part of any "prevention scheme". A good night’s sleep, and where possible, a day time nap is as good a preventative as any. Be careful, however, not to fall asleep in the sun!

If you wish to sunbathe, again drink plenty of water and be sure to cover your head with a hat. It is advisable not to sunbathe during the middle of the day, the safest times being early morning or late afternoon.

A great number of people mistakenly blame the food for any illness they experience. Significant effort goes into ensuring the good quality of restaurants used. However, an enormous amount of food is on offer. Please feel free to enjoy it.

Even if you follow all the recommendation and you still succumb to the "curse", the best cures are rest, dehydration solution, lots of liquids, simple foods such as plain boiled rice and soup and the relevant medications such as "Imodium".  Av ery effective local medicine is available called "Entocid" but it should be pointed out that it contains an anti-biotic and it is therefore at your own discretion whether to take it or not.

In any case, if you are feeling unwell at any time, please do inform your Tour Manager or the Reception Desk who will ensure that the best care given to you.

Security and Safety

Occasionally the fundamentalist organization Gamaa Islamaya makes a threat against the Tourism Industry in an effort to destabilise the Egyptian Government. This has been going on for the last few years. For this reason we have compiled these travel advisory notes in order for you to feel more secure during your stay. These notes are not to frighten you in any way, but rather to make you aware of the type of precautions you should take in any country.

It is also worth mentioning at this point that the tourism industry in Egypt has suffered badly over the last few years mainly due to the Gulf crisis and war and the subsequent terrorist attacks and threats. It is for this very reason that most Egyptians, many of whom are connected to the tourism industry (a large part of the economy) do not want tourism to be affected once again. You will therefore find that a significant effort is being made by the security authorities as well as tourism authorities to ensure Egypt’s guests feel safe and avoid any type of attack.

Our programs are designed to avoid sensitive areas in any case and we have taken further steps with our local agents in order to tighten security on all hotels and cruises that we use. However, we do need your co- operation in order to ensure that these arrangements are effective and therefore ask you to observe the following points:

• Never leave belongings unattended in any public area or place. Please always check that you take your belongings with you when leaving your car or coach and upon your return from an excursion.
• At times it is possible to leave items on the car or coach during the excursion. Please check with your Tour Manager before you do so. Never leave items such as cash, Travellers Cheques or credit cards unattended at any time.
• Always keep valuables in a safety deposit box - do not leave them unattended in your cabin or room.
• Please dress modestly when walking in the towns - short skirts and shorts can sometimes cause offence and we must remember that this is a predominantly Muslim Country.
• Do not wander into the "back streets" of towns or into badly lit areas.
• Always stick to the well-populated tourist areas.
• At Esna. when visiting the temple, please go directly there and back to the ship again. The stall vendors have a justified reputation of being intimidating and aggressive.
• Never agree to go with any locals from the streets to "my uncle’s shop" no matter how friendly or charming he may appear to be.  You are putting yourself at risk, mostly to being "ripped off". It is safe to wander around shops located in the tourist areas. Please always follow the advice of your Tour Manager who can best advise you where to go for the best quality and value.
• Do not make private travel arrangements that neither Worldstar Travel nor our local handling agent can take responsibility for. You will be doing so entirely at your own discretion and risk.

Certain excursions are accompanied by security vehicles - mainly ones travelling quite a distance such as from Aswan to Abu Simbel.  The road to Abu Simbel is a military one, so coaches are accompanied only as far as the last check point, thereafter continuing alone as no vehicles can then pass on the road without military clearance.

Vehicles travelling between Luxor and Aswan are also accompanied by security departures twice daily from both cities.

If you are in doubt in any time, please do not hesitate to consult your Tour Manager or local handling agent for advice or assistance.

Australian Embassy in Egypt

World Trade Centre (11th Floor),
1191 Corniche El Nil
Boulac (Code No. 11111)
Cairo
Egypt

Telephone: 20-2 2575 0444
Fax: 20-2 2578 1638

Worldstar Travel wishes you an amazing journey through history