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A popular downtown club that hosts live music and DJs every night, has a very decent drink and bar menu and good atmosphere. The website is great for directions (!) and listings. A top venue that hosts live music nearly every night.
It’s worth saying that, despite the name of the club, the music on offer is not all jazz!
www.cairojazzclub.com/
197, 26th July St.Agouza
+202 3345 9939
Google map: bit.ly/urs2Qj
What to tell the taxi?
197, 26th July St. Sphinx square
* Alip is our Been there local for Cairo. Her page is here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/cairo-local-alice-allsop.jsp and you can follow her tips directly here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/alip
The church of Saint Samaan is beautiful and any visit to it will be a moving one. The huge cave that holds the church has been carved out of the Moqattam hills that overlook Cairo on the eastern edge of the city.
Moqattam is home to a large Coptic Christian community who collect the city’s rubbish and sort it by hand for recycling. There are various charity projects running in the area to help this marginalised community make a fair living. The Association for the Protection of the Environment (APE) is one of them, and they can organise visits into the area to see the church and their workshops where they produce recycled paper and cloth goods.
www.garbagedreams.com/
www.ape.org.eg/
cavechurch.com/home/index.asp
* Alip is our Been there local for Cairo. Her page is here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/cairo-local-alice-allsop.jsp and you can follow her tips directly here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/alip
Egypt may not be known for its beer, but if you visit Egypt you may want to try a local Stella (not Artois) during the course of your stay. If you want to drink it where the locals drink, then you’ll need to find a ‘baladi’ bar (‘baladi’ roughly translating as ‘local’ in Egyptian). Some of these bars are real ‘spit and sawdust’ places, but they’ll all offer you a beer and a glimpse into drinking beyond your hotel bar. The Stella Baladi Map will help you find your way around.
www.stella1ofus.com/category/stella-nightlife/baladi-cairo-bar-map/
* Alip is our Been there local for Cairo. Her page is here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/cairo-local-alice-allsop.jsp and you can follow her tips directly here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/alip
There are so many restaurants in Cairo with international influences that you could easily visit for a week and not sample any traditional Egyptian food, but you’d really be missing out.
If you are out and about exploring in Cairo and want a quick, cheap and filling meal then Egyptian fast food is the way to go.
Cheap, simple dishes that are popular are ‘koshary’ (with its layers of rice, macaroni, pasta and lentils this is a carb-overload, but very filling and served with a little tomato sauce and with lemon and spicey sauce on the side) and ‘shawerma’ (marinated kebab meat served in a wrap or roll). You should also try falafel (‘tameya’), stuffed vegetables (‘mashi’) and 'fuul' (fava beans) which are often served in round flat bread ('aish baladi').
Arzak and Gad are both chains of Egyptian fast food restaurants. There are branches of both all over Cairo and they serve Egyptian fast food (and 'traditional' fast food of burgers and fries if you're feeling less adventurous).
Most restaurants will have a counter where you place your order, pay and are given a receipt. Take this receipt over to the serving counter to pick up your food. Some branches will also have a second 'back' room with table service, AC and bathrooms.
www.arzakegypt.com/home.asp
Maadi Grand Mall, 12 Road 257, Maadi, Cairo, Egypt
+20 2 5195282
Google map: bit.ly/v7Qcdo
Gad restaurants: bit.ly/ttEkNY
There are so many restaurants in Cairo with international influences that you could easily visit for a week and not sample any traditional Egyptian food, but you’d really be missing out.
Starters that you should look out for include dips like babaganough (aubergine) and tahina (sesame) which will come with the round Egyptian flatbread known as ‘aish baladi’ (in many places this will arrive steaming to your table as it is probably cooked on site). You should also try falafel (‘tameya’) and stuffed vegetables (‘mashi’).
A classic main you might try is ‘molokheya’, which is a broth made with greens that is often served with a meat and rice. Many places will serve a range of grills including ‘shish tawook’ (chicken), ‘shish kebab’ (lamb) and ‘kofta’ (minced meat on a skewer).
Cheap, simple dishes that are popular are ‘koshary’ (with its layers of rice, macaroni, pasta and lentils this is a carb-overload, but very filling and served with a little tomato sauce and with lemon and spicey sauce on the side) and ‘shawerma’ (marinated kebab meat served in a wrap or roll).
For dessert you might try ‘om ali’ which is pudding rice, bread and raisins in sweetened milk.
If you're visiting the Khan El Khalili you'll be hounded to visit one of the many cafes on the main square, but venture in and you'll find the Khan El Khalili Restaurant (and Naguib Mahfouz Cafe). This is an excellent restaurant with attentive service and good food. A real haven from the hustle and hassle outside. They accept credit cards (a rarity in Egypt), and in the cafe area musicians play traditional music.
Khan El Khalili Restaurant and Naguib Mahfouz Cafe
5 Sekket al-Badistan
+20 2590 3788
To find the restaurant, stand in the main square of the Khan El Khalili (Midan Hussein) and face the row of cafes. Take the narrow street to the right of the cafes which goes slightly downhill (not the street that goes beside the mosque). Keep going past all the stall holders who will try hard to get you to buy from them. The street will widen slightly and you will see a metal detector in front of a door on your right (this is more obvious then the restaurant sign next to it!) and then you will know you are in the right place.
Google map: bit.ly/rXvhFQ
* Alip is our Been there local for Cairo. Her page is here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/cairo-local-alice-allsop.jsp and you can follow her tips directly here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/alip
Abou El Sid serves traditional Egyptian food and all their restaurants (there are branches all over Cairo) are decked out to fit the theme. Abou El Sid serves alcohol and shisha.
www.abouelsid.com
157, 26th July Street, Zamalek
Google map: bit.ly/sVzIvC
* Alip is our Been there local for Cairo. Her homepage is here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/cairo-local-alice-allsop.jsp and you can follow her tips directly here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/alip
The National Protectorate closest to Cairo is on the fringes of the southern city suburb of Maadi, built during the 1920s and now home to a large number of expats. Wadi Degla is an ancient river bed that was gouged out of the rock 60 million years ago, leaving marine fossils and dried waterfalls behind in this desert landscape.
Walk between the high cliffs along the flat valley bed, or take a quick scramble up the right-hand side of the Wadi just after the gate. From the top of the cliffs you get views over the southern and eastern parts of the city, stretching over to the pyramids. At the weekend you’ll share Egypt’s ‘Grand Canyon’ with walkers, joggers and picnicking families.
Get the Metro to El Maadi station and then take a taxi. Ask for Wadi Degla in Zahraa el Maadi. You may need to specify you want the Protectorate, as there is a sporting club housing an Egyptian premiership football team called Wadi Degla as well! Look out for the brown signs to follow when you are on the Autostraad.
Wadi Degla costs 5LE to enter and is open from sunrise to sunset. Bring plenty of bottled water, and don’t forget your binoculars.
The Citadel and the mosque of Mohamed Ali gaze over the dusty city by day and shimmer beautifully in green and gold at night. There is much to see and do in the Citadel complex (it has several museums and re-furbished buildings to visit) but the highlight of a visit really is the view you get over the city.
On a good day you can spy the Cairo Tower and the pyramids in the distance, but don't feel disappointed if the Cairo smog puts their form out of reach as your eyes will be kept busy picking out the colour and movement of daily life as it flits across the grey canvas of the city below you. You can see the cars glistening as they drive along the Autostrad road, and this silvery streak through the city almost looks like a branch of the Nile. See if you can spot the different historic minaret styles that give a clue to the date of each mosque’s construction in he surrounding area.
If you can visit the Citadel on a Friday then do so: although you aren't able to go inside the Mohamed Ali mosque during Friday prayers, you can time a visit to experience the striking sounds of the call to prayer as it rings out across Cairo. To be looking out from the Citadel when the call to prayer goes out in the city of a thousand minarets is breathtaking.
There is no nearby metro station, so you will have to take a taxi to the Citadel. Try to take a "white" taxi as these have meters, which mean you avoid any confusion over payment. Ask for “gamaa Mohamed Ali” (Mohamed Ali mosque) or “il all ail qalla” (Citadel)
Bab Zuweyla is in the heart of Islamic Cairo, but actually marks the Southern gate of the old city (Bab meaning “gate”). The gatehouse has been restored, but the original arch and towers remain inside. You can enter the building to see the old gate, swing mechanism (including what are claimed to be the earliest examples of ball bearings in the world!), pottery and other fragments found by archaeologists. The main reason to visit, though, is to climb the gate towers to get a great view over this historic district of Cairo.
Your first pause for breath is at the top of the gate, where you can walk around at roof-level and peer down onto the streets below as boys cycle with balanced racks of bread on their heads, and women hang out their washing from the windows or on roofs that are also home to the family goat or pigeon coop. Then climb the dark and narrow spiral staircase in either of the two towers, to the first or second balcony and even braving the final few metal rungs if you have a head for heights and nerves of steel. Up here you can see the Citadel and Al-Azhar park, and can continue to marvel at daily life as it goes by like a busy scene in Where’s Wally.
Sharia Mu'ezz li-din Allah Darb al-Ahmar
Google map: bit.ly/vmYJBz
You'll easily spy the Revolving Restaurant if you are in downtown Cairo and look up - it's the tall building on the Nile which looks like a UFO has landed on top of it. It's not nearly as futuristic once you've made the ear-popping lift journey up to the 44th floor, but it is just very sleek.
If you really want to splash out then you can have dinner in the restaurant, but a more affordable way to enjoy the view of central Cairo is by having a drink in the bar on the floor below the restaurant. They have a minimum charge, but two or three drinks will usually meet it.
The best time to go is just before sunset as you'll see the sun going down behind the pyramids, and the city lights coming alive.
1089 Corniche El Nil, P.O. Box 63 Maglis El Shaab, Garden City 11519, Cairo, Egypt
+ 20 (2) 2791-7000
Google map: bit.ly/u89og6
This is an old-school museum, built between 1897 and 1900 and stuffed with the golden treasures of pharoahs and the hordes of archaeological finds tracing Egyptian civilization over more than 5,000 years. The crowds tend to beeline for the golden, lapis-encrusted face of Tutankhamun and his other sumptuous funerary objects that made such a splash when they were discovered and later toured the world. It would literally take months to see everything on display, but don't miss the Palette of Narmer, a symbol of the original unification of Egypt more than five millennia ago. The best time to visit is in the afternoon, after the crowds thin.
Open daily 9am to 4.45pm (closed Friday 11.30am to 1.30pm) but the guards clear the Tutankhamun galleries at 4.30pm
Midan El Tahrir Cairo 11557, Egypt
+202 5782448
Google map: bit.ly/jqImuN
It's a Victorian era hotel, built by Thomas Cook in 1886, and has not been overly modernised. It was used by passengers of the flying boat era, though I don't know if they stopped overnight or just for lunch. Now it is just 'old school': extensive gardens, grand piano in the bar, peace and quiet. Best position on the Corniche. Timeless.
If you don't mind that Tony Blair had a suite there, its worth a couple of nights.
Corniche el Nile Street, Luxor
+20952380425
Hotel website shortened: bit.ly/dRizgG
Google map: bit.ly/k0kxZA
Nice not for profit people who put you in touch with providers, direct with no middleman. You save money and the locals still do far better.
No financial risk as you pay when you arrive; visit local houses, cruise on a felucca, visit the sights with proper guides who know what they are talking about.
They are based in Germany, but the website is all in English. Also, you can get to Luxor on Easyjet from London, and they can pick you up if you don't fancy the train.
The Egyptian Centre for Culture and Art has its base in a 1930's corner building and live music performances take place in a smallish (capacity 80 max) but double height room with a balcony. The acoustics are extraordinary and the atmosphere intimate. We saw a vibrant and inspiring performance of 'zar' ritual music by the Mazaher ensemble and afterward we shared a refreshing khakadee (hibiscus) drink with the tamboura player, who was 87!
1 Saad Zaghloul St. El Dawaween 11461 Cairo
+202 2792 0878
www.egyptmusic.org
Acapulco Joe's is the signature restaurant withing the Marriott, Renaissance Golden View beach hotel in Ras Um Sid, Sharm. It's a Mexican restaurant and you just have to try the golden beer battered prawns. Probably the best starter you will ever eat!
El Fanar St., Inside Renaissance Golden View Beach Resort - Sharm El Sheikh, Ras Om El Sid, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
+20 69 3664694
Google map: bit.ly/gDxBs1
Kiki's is a quaint restaurant in El Gouna's Downtown district. The ostrich steaks are to die for and the prices are very reasonable considering the quality of the food.
Inside Dawar El Omda Hotel, Kafr, El Gouna, Egypt
+20(0)65-3549702
Cairo - a visit during the Revolution
Two good friends invited me on a trip to Cairo last week - it wasn't expected or perhaps to be particularly reIished, but after some web-surfing, it looked possible so why not? The Egyptians seemed to want tourists like never before, the politics were clearly fascinating, the museums were open but empty and flights were cheap. It was our best decision for years.
Dusk fell as we landed. 10 GB Pounds for the tourist visa and we were on our way to our hotel, met by a friendly driver and suffering the incredibly dense yet never aggressive traffic of the Cairo roads. Our hotel, 16 floors up in an old central office block overlooking the October Bridge, was perfect as a location yet unique in its strange mixture of facilities – three single rooms had been booked, and we had three rooms, but each with four or five beds. The lift went only up to the 14th floor, also the office of the Egyptian Urology Association ... It was cheap, it had free internet, breakfasts, tea whenever required and a friendliness second to none. And from one balcony, we could see the Tahrir Square side of the city, or from another, a few tanks patiently waiting for the curfew to start at midnight. Time to get out and take a walk!
During the next days, we saw the pyramids in Giza and Sakkara, visited the Egyptian Museum, spent hours in the Islamic Quarter's market and soaked-up the Cairo atmosphere – dinners in local restaurants didn't even dent our wallets, the entrance fees were as expected, and the souvenirs in the Egyptian half of the market were high quality and reasonably priced. Yes, the pressure to take a tour with a guide who offered “friendship with extras not included” could be a pain but it was possible to resist, given a smile and the gesture of the right hand crossing the heart. And most importantly, everyone at the hotel promised us that we would be absolutely safe in Cairo, and that's exactly what it was – four days without incident, sometimes alone in the evenings, male or female, even in the smallest of streets. The whole of Cairo's population seems to be concentrating on only one theme – the revolution and their pride in being part of it and of being Egyptian.
Walk anywhere and smiles are everywhere. Every visitor seems to be greeted with a “Welcome!” and if possible, a stop to ask your feelings about their revolution. Tahrir Square is not only open but it's a blend of soldiers, tea-makers, youths and families that must be unique. Children are dumped on top of tanks by parent anxious to photograph this historical moment – if a group forms, it's most likely to be a Military Policeman in a discussion with the locals. Music is live, order is respected, and it's very likely to find groups of locals painting not revolutionary murals but renewing worn-out road markings, or tidying-up the streets or even brewing-up yet more tea for the patient soldiers on chairs next to their tanks. Tahrir Square is certain to become a future tourism magnet of Egyptian history, to be reverred as are the others...
For some days, we even began to understand more about the many positive aspects of Islamic life, (especially in this secular country where women seemed to be as free as men and to comment about anything and everything) and to note that every society didn't need alcohol to refuel their happiness - their humanity, humour and friendliness was dominant. We, a near comedy touring format of the Italian, the American and the Englishman (with a Russian joining in from time to time), felt stimulated by the many discussions in the cafés and the streets. Even then, we couldn't resist trying the local beer so our last evening was in the visitors bar of the Semiramis Hotel, overlooking Tahrir.
This is a hotel that has seen Cameron, Westerwelle and other Heads come and go in the last few days as the world wakes-up to a newly emerging power in the Middle East – people.
In 18 days of revolution it had also had a few windows smashed (all cleared up by the locals next day) and witnessed the whole process from it's balconies facing Tahrir. And, of course, it has only seen the Heads, some regulars and the media teams as guests – the tourist market might now be slowly picking-up but it has been a very hard time for business. Are they crying over their books? Yes and no! A manager hoped that it will improve quickly and had great concerns for the staff losing their tips but could not hide his great pride in the Egyptian youth and military who made the revolution possible – he believes that Egypt, a country with such a high proportion of young people, can only benefit from the informed and energetic process that dared to protest and then surprised the world by the result of their peaceful actions.
As we walked across the square that evening, watching a few tanks lazily shutting-off the slip-roads to the bridge (whilst leaving enough back-roads open for any delayed traffic to find a way home), and then looking down on the whole scene from our hotel balcony, we wondered just how quickly the independent travellers would take to realise this gem of the "New Egypt “. One imaginative sign in English over the door of a restaurant seemed to sum-up our feelings – ”We have no branches!”.
Anyone who wants to see the wonders of the Old and New Egypts should jump on a plane or a ship soon...
Using Air Egypt, a reliable and friendly airline that's cheap at the moment, means that are suppoprting the Changes by keeping your cash inside the Egyptian economy... www. Egyptair.com or any of the agencies.
The White Desert tour from Cairo is a really amazing and different experience. It is a bit of a drive because you're driving from Cairo to the entrance for about 3.5 hours and then once you enter the park you have to drive through the Black Desert first, before you get to your first camp site about 90 minutes later. Saying that though, I have great confidence all those hours spent in a car traveling will prove to be worth it once you see the desert! The sunsets will really take your breath away and the desert's own character (mushrooms and other cool features) will really make some good photos and memories. It really is something different but not many people know about it.
There are a few companies in Cairo that organise tours to the White desert. We chose Select Egypt for 85 euro a person and that included all the food etc. It was probably the best thing we've done while being in Egypt and we've done a lot.
Google map: bit.ly/gnSamj
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farafra,_Egypt
Coming to Egypt, I’d expected the pyramids and temples, the Red Sea and St Katherine’s, even Cairo’s wonderful frenetic buzz. But not the desert! Egypt has an incredibly scenic and varied desert – full of fairy-tale rock formations, scarps and plateaus, petrified forests, dunes, caves, whale bones and sharks teeth, shells and fossils and an abundance of stunning views – even (or especially) at night under silent sweeping starry skies.
But the desert is also home to an astonishing wealth of man-made history. The earliest cultivation in the world is thought to have started not in the Nile Valley, but in what is now Egypt’s Western Desert, where Paleolithic and Neolithic grinding stones, arrows and cutting implements can be found (and left please!). Rock art (and a squinted gaze over lake and river like terrain) attest to earlier periods when the desert was green and watered. There are ancient Pharonic trading routes (some still littered with old pottery water vessels), Roman ruins (irrigation systems, fortresses, temples, tombs and houses) and even WWII memorabilia (a jeep and an aeroplane, as well as more prosaic food and fuel cans!). There are surprising trees and bushes, as well as interesting tracks to decipher in the morning, after desert foxes have checked out the camp overnight. The desert never fails to intrigue. The Bedouin guides, based in the oases, define themselves by their knowledge of the desert. The best of these are well-organised family operations, providing all your camping gear, food and drink, arranging connecting transport – or leading self-drive groups. With their strong traditions of hospitality, the food will be a highlight – local dishes, rustled up using fresh ingredients to great effect – tasting all the better around the campfire. Naturally discrete but quietly charming, they’ll share their stories with you around the fire – giving you privileged glimpses into this very different world. They carry satellite phones for back-up – but rely on their own networks for support when it’s needed. That’s how – a week into one trip – we managed to order, receive and fit a new gear box – with only a 24-hour stop! (Try that with your average break-down service…lucky if you get past “off-road, are we Madame?”). Each trip is individual – put together to accommodate your interests. Allow three days minimum – just a taster – or three months if you get hooked!
Esam Abdul Sayed: Bedouin Desert Guide (Western Desert, Egypt)
esamelsayed1@hotmail.com
+20 12 495 2362
www.desert5oasis.com
The deserts of Egypt are on the doorstep of Europe. Egypt is just a five hour flight from London and you can do it on the cheap with budget airlines from most regional airports. The Sinai is the best known desert in Egypt and it's getting much more popular. Mount Sinai is the 'feather in the cap' for most tourists, travellers and trekkers, but it's not the best peak going - not by a long shot. Give the jaded sunrise itinerary a miss and head for Jebel Banet, near St. Katherine's. Jebel Banet means 'Mountain of the Girls' and it is said that two Bedouin sisters tied their hair together here and threw themselves off the sheer north face. They were distraught at their father refusing to let them marry the men they loved. The peak itself stands on the perimeter of the High Mountain Region: you can look right out to the Wilderness of the Wanderings from here, where the Israelites are said to have spent forty aimless years (the modern day Et Tih Plateau). From Jebel Banet you can go down past the dripping waterfall of Sida Nugra to the El Karm Ecolodge in Wadi Gharba. This uses solar power to heat the showers, and it uses candles for night lights. The furniture is all made from oversized blocks of stone and wood that make it look like a slightly bizarre insertion of Flintstone graphics into real life. It's well worth staying the night and you can pitch a tent for LE15. Rooms are LE65. The next day I'd recommend you hire a camel to get back to St. Katherine's. Go via Naqb el Hawa or 'Pass of the Winds': this is the old pilgrim route to the Monastery of St. Katherine, and it's the time honoured way to approach it. You have to experience the long, loping stride of the camel and it's far better here than at the pyramids. This is camel trekking at its best. You need a guide to go trekking in St. Katherine's as part of tribal law and they're super easy to find. My tip is to go to the Desert Fox Camp - it's owner is a Bedouin man called Faraj and the guides he employs have the edge over ones elsewhere.
After Sinai I discovered the other deserts of Egypt. Everyone knows about Siwa and Bahariya in the Western Desert and it's a wonderful place to go: 100% recommended. But all the same it's old news and the real buzz frontier at the moment is the Gilf Kebir National Park. This is way down in the vast, empty south west of Egypt. You'll find a Great Sand Sea and the world's biggest meteor crater here. You'll also find an abundance of cave paintings from the neolithic era. These are one of the earliest sources anywhere in the world for the human experience in the desert. They're one of Africa's great cultural treasures. They depict trees, water and large animals, quite at odds with the surrounding environment. They gave rise to a myth of a lost oasis amongst locals, known as Zarzara: lush trees, waterfalls and birds of paradise were believed to be here, and many went looking. You can still see the whitewashed skeletons of people and camels who died in the hunt. Another thing to check out is Jebel Uweinat, a free-standing sandstone massif on the borders of Egypt, Sudan and Libya. This is topped by smooth, rounded peaks and it's dissected by deep, winding wadis. A 360 degree horizon opens up from the high points, with the silence unlike anywhere in the world: it's easy to feel something of the transcendental here. Coming to the Gilf isn't easy: this is real trailblazing adventure travel at the mo. You need permits to get here, and there's a mountain of bureaucracy to climb. But you won't have to have anything to do with it, fixers will sort it for you. If you're in Egypt get to Bahariya - you can get here by public bus in four hours from the Turgoman bus terminal in downtown Cairo (finding this needs a new post tip in itself!). In Bahariya you'll find people who know people. It can be pricey, up to $100-150/ day all inc. Before you go make absolutely sure your jeep is a good, modern one with no deficiencies. Gilf Kebir isn't the sort of place the AA visit. Also make sure you have enough supplies, mostly water. GPS is essential too and your guide MUST know how to work it. You'll have a police guard ride in the front of the jeep when you go: this is necessary as there have been reports of robberies from Sudanese groups in the area. If you're abroad you can try organising a safari through the following companies: www.zarzura.com/ or email Badawiya Safari at infao@badawiya.com. You can also try www.geographic-adventures.com and make sure you get this small pocket guide by Alberto Siliotti: //www.amazon.co.uk/Gilf-Kebir-National-Park-Pocket/dp/8887177848liotti:
Finally, there is Egypt's Red Sea Coast. At the moment, most folks go for Hurghada and other big resort towns, but the real thing to see is the Red Sea Mountains. This is a slice of Sinai from Sinai. The rock here is identical to the Sinai; both areas were part of the same crust until the Red Sea split them. You'll notice the same smooth domed red granite peaks and fertile green wadis. The area was explored briefly by the Royal Geographical Society explorer GW Murray in the 19th century but since then it's remained essentially untouched. This could be trekking heaven in the future and there are a number of peaks well worth a try: Jebel Gharib, Jebel Qattar and Jebel Shayib are amongst the best and their summits offer views across to the Sinai's main peaks, including Mount Katherina, Jebel Thebt and Jebel Sabbagh. You can even see the Hejaz of Saudi Arabia on a clear day (at night you'll see the Saudi coast in any weather, as the lights twinkle through the darkness). Aside from the scenery, you'll find giant leopard traps big enough to sleep in and isolated old hermit cells used by early Christians fleeing the persecutions. You'll find mysterious writing on the rocks and old tombs dotted on high west facing slopes. Bedouin tribes here include the Ma'aza, the Rashayed and the Ababda. All over the Middle East traditional Bedouin knowledge is being lost as it becomes less relevant to modern life, but here it is very much a survival necessity. They have no option but to maintain it. You'll see Bedouin hunting gazelles on the plains and digging down into the sand for water and of course you'll get the legendary hospitality for three and a third days in the remote areas. Culture here is much like it was hundreds of years ago. The downside of the Red Sea Mountains is access, and the police oscillate between saying you can have a permit and saying you can't go at all. It really depends on when you're there and how the situation is. Rely on unreliability. Check the situation out before you go with Hany Amr at desertaventures@tedata.net.eg and Ahmed Musa at pat@moussa.net. If you do manage to get into the mountains, they'll be able to help you sort guides too. Of course, you have the option of flaunting local law entirely and finding Bedouin who will take you into the desert hush hush, cloak and dagger: just remember you're taking a risk, for you and the Bedouin (and his tribe - the Egyptian police can be disproportionate when they want to be, especially to the Bedouin). For now, it's probably best to stick to other areas until the permit situation eases up, but just check if you're there. You might get lucky and the desert jewels here are fit to shine the finest crown of them all.
As a final few words I'd just say if you're going to the deserts of Egypt, do it in the transition from spring to summer. Summer is a bad time: you'll often be in the sun, so it won't be 'shade hot' it'll be serious blistering heat that'll feel over 50 degrees. Winter is cold - especially in Sinai and the Red Sea Mountains. Autumn can be lovely and it's the safest bet. Early spring is when the Khamaseen winds blow half of North Africa up into the sky: 'sandstorm season'. Around May is when the desert bloom comes out and a beautiful floral carpet spreads out over the sands. Hopefully, hopefully the Khamaseen will have died down. If so, it'll be perfect!
Some people I know recommend a pair of goggles if you're going in sandstorm season. In terms of equipment, the only thing I'd recommend 100% is a keffeyeh (the traditional Bedouin headscarf). You can use this for all manner of things - from a bivvy, to an arm sling and you can pull it over your head in a sandstorm.
Hope you enjoy the deserts as much as I did - good luck!
For the Sinai: www.desertfoxcamp.com/
For Gilf Kebir: www.zarzura.com/ and Badawiya Safari at infao@badawiya.com and www.geographic-adventures.com
For The Red Sea Mountains: Hany Amr at desertaventures@tedata.net.eg and Ahmed Musa at pat@moussa.net
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