General: Egypt > Reviews > Backpacking in Egypt

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Value for Money
Shopping
Nightlife
Ease of getting around
Family Friendly

Advantages:	Cheap, amazing things to see
Disadvantages:	Hassle factor

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I spent 5 weeks in Egypt a couple of years ago. We did more or less the standard route, getting off the beaten track a little. Cairo - Alexandria - Siwa - Farafra - Luxor - Aswan - Abu Simbel - Hurghurda - Dahab.

Egypt is not just all about the pyramids and the Valley of the Kings, although these are obviously not to be missed.

I highly recommend going east. From Alexandria on the Med, you can go south to Siwa, which is an oasis town in the middle of the desert near the Libyan border, where donkeys remain the main form of transportation. The people here still live a traditional lifestyle. Women are fully covered from head to toe, and apparently do not speak to any man other than family until they are married (including the husband to be!)

It is becoming quite touristy now but you do have to be reasonably dedicated to get that far out, and as a result it's a peaceful haven compared to Luxor or Cairo. You can swim in the hotspring that Cleopatra bathed in, although be warned that if you do, whatever you wear will become permanently a rusty orange colour! From Siwa you can do some great trips into the desert. We hired a 4wd and a driver to take us on a 3 day trip through the desert to the oasis town of Farafra, where we caught a bus to take us through to Luxor.

The other great place to hang out for awhile after you've had enough of the desert and the touts and the general hassle is Dahab. Again, it's becoming touristy but it's a fabulous place to chill out in after all the dust of Egypt. We had scheduled 2 days, stayed for 6, and had to drag ourselves away. You can sit by the ocean on piles of cushions, with amazing fruit cocktail concoctions, which all becomes addictive. There's amazing snorkling and diving and if you can drag yourself away from the cafes there's plenty to see and do along the coast lines and into the desert.

If you're a woman, be prepared for comments if ever you're on your own without any men. However, whilst the hassle factor is quite high, I never felt threatened during my stay in Egypt. Learning a few words of arabic helps ("empshi" means Go away!).