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What is the easiest affordable way to travel from Cairo to Israel with a stop at Mt Sinai with a 5-year-old?
Planning to be in Cairo the first week of April 2009, and would like to find the best affordable way to travel over land to Israel with a stop at Mt Sinai.
This would be one adult with a 5-year-old, arriving in Israel erev-pesach.
I would like to find something affordable, maybe even public transportation, as long as it is safe and comfortable.
Arieh: From Cairo to Israel on a camel? It must be more than 500 km… that is a long way to travel by camel. That would take a month, no?
Ok, I've got it planned for you.
First you want to purchase your tickets from Egged going Jerusalem to Eilat. This is such a popular route that is one of the only ones that allow advance reserved seating. Do this here:
http://www.egged.co.il/Eng/main.asp?lngCategoryID=2771
I suggest you buy round trip if you are going to have a good world cell phone because you can call ahead and change the times if need be.. or spend a little more and purchase 1 way.. no big deal.
Secondly, for vias, you need to arrive in Eilat early in the morning (or have stayed over night). The only alternative requires you to turn in your passports to the Egyptian consulate in Eilat (with having taken photos at a nearby drugstore) and waiting 24 hours or more.
I would bring some passport sized photos of you and your kid with you, but I don't know of them being required there (for some reason they didn't do this last time my friend went).
Anyhow, here is the consulate info:
68 Afraty Street
Bna Betkha, Eilat
Tel: (7) 597-6115
The place is NOT open on Friday or Saturday for religious reasons. So you must arrive early Sun-Thur and expect delays. The reason you do this is because you need a mainland Egyptian visa to leave Sinai.. otherwise you only get a free visa at Taba for East Sinai only.
After your taxi ride from the bus station to the consulate, you need another taxi to the Taba border crossing.
From here you will emerge in Egypt and immediately be hounded by people offering rides. At the MOST give them like 40 cents (2 Egyptian pounds) to take you around th corner to the East Delta bus station.
The bus station is very cheap and easy but its not clearly visible from the border, its just around a bend.. less than a mile.
From here you would purchase bus tickets to Dahab. Dahab is very nice, cheap and close proximity to Mt Sinai. I recommend Bisbhishi, its a small village with some nice rooms (well nice for the price) and they have a tourist office located across the street in the back of the Sphynx hotel.
Info:
http://www.bishbishi.com/
Their excursions cost about 150 EP (about $30) and are either overnight (for sunrise) or during the day (sunset). They are very long and require a decent hike up a hill. It can be cold and windy up there (even in April) so either dress warm and bring snacks.. or expect to be somewhat hungry in your blankets that smell of camel dung.
When you arrange your trip and lodging also talk to them about your plans to go to Cairo. You can either use their minibus service or a regular bus from the station (minibus can be slightly cramped and unsafe at night but has less stops and quicker). Either way expect 6 to 10 hours (depending on traffic, stops, checkpoints/inspections in Suez etc) to arrive in Cairo.
The buses are looong travels but pretty comfortable (comparable to Israel's buses but a bit more dirty)
From there I recommend some of the nice cheap bedouin run hotels. One is called Bedouin Village near (its near Tal'at Harb Square I believe). Bishbishi or your hotel in Dahab can also recommend things.
I would purchase an Egypt Lonely Planet book before you go (its expensive there) as it will give you all bus schedules and hotel info.
Have fun! Enjoy yourself in Dahab (lots to do) and Cairo (even more to do.. I fell in love and stayed waaay longer than I had hoped).
Take a bus back to Taba from Cairo or to Dahab for a few days of unwinding from city life.
2 Responses to “What is the easiest affordable way to travel from Cairo to Israel with a stop at Mt Sinai with a 5-year-old?”
Leave a Reply
February 11th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
By camel guided by the Bedouin.
I really would not recommend travelling through the Sinai these days unless you speak fluent Arabic and tell them you're not Jewish.
References :
February 11th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
Ok, I've got it planned for you.
First you want to purchase your tickets from Egged going Jerusalem to Eilat. This is such a popular route that is one of the only ones that allow advance reserved seating. Do this here:
http://www.egged.co.il/Eng/main.asp?lngCategoryID=2771
I suggest you buy round trip if you are going to have a good world cell phone because you can call ahead and change the times if need be.. or spend a little more and purchase 1 way.. no big deal.
Secondly, for vias, you need to arrive in Eilat early in the morning (or have stayed over night). The only alternative requires you to turn in your passports to the Egyptian consulate in Eilat (with having taken photos at a nearby drugstore) and waiting 24 hours or more.
I would bring some passport sized photos of you and your kid with you, but I don't know of them being required there (for some reason they didn't do this last time my friend went).
Anyhow, here is the consulate info:
68 Afraty Street
Bna Betkha, Eilat
Tel: (7) 597-6115
The place is NOT open on Friday or Saturday for religious reasons. So you must arrive early Sun-Thur and expect delays. The reason you do this is because you need a mainland Egyptian visa to leave Sinai.. otherwise you only get a free visa at Taba for East Sinai only.
After your taxi ride from the bus station to the consulate, you need another taxi to the Taba border crossing.
From here you will emerge in Egypt and immediately be hounded by people offering rides. At the MOST give them like 40 cents (2 Egyptian pounds) to take you around th corner to the East Delta bus station.
The bus station is very cheap and easy but its not clearly visible from the border, its just around a bend.. less than a mile.
From here you would purchase bus tickets to Dahab. Dahab is very nice, cheap and close proximity to Mt Sinai. I recommend Bisbhishi, its a small village with some nice rooms (well nice for the price) and they have a tourist office located across the street in the back of the Sphynx hotel.
Info:
http://www.bishbishi.com/
Their excursions cost about 150 EP (about $30) and are either overnight (for sunrise) or during the day (sunset). They are very long and require a decent hike up a hill. It can be cold and windy up there (even in April) so either dress warm and bring snacks.. or expect to be somewhat hungry in your blankets that smell of camel dung.
When you arrange your trip and lodging also talk to them about your plans to go to Cairo. You can either use their minibus service or a regular bus from the station (minibus can be slightly cramped and unsafe at night but has less stops and quicker). Either way expect 6 to 10 hours (depending on traffic, stops, checkpoints/inspections in Suez etc) to arrive in Cairo.
The buses are looong travels but pretty comfortable (comparable to Israel's buses but a bit more dirty)
From there I recommend some of the nice cheap bedouin run hotels. One is called Bedouin Village near (its near Tal'at Harb Square I believe). Bishbishi or your hotel in Dahab can also recommend things.
I would purchase an Egypt Lonely Planet book before you go (its expensive there) as it will give you all bus schedules and hotel info.
Have fun! Enjoy yourself in Dahab (lots to do) and Cairo (even more to do.. I fell in love and stayed waaay longer than I had hoped).
Take a bus back to Taba from Cairo or to Dahab for a few days of unwinding from city life.
References :
did it myself with extended week in south egypt the same season last year… pesach will be nuts in Sinai though.. spring break for them.. so plan accordingly (overbooking is common but also more resorts are open but may be noisy with partying youth)
email bishbhishi and ask them for info they will respond… and you can call the consulate with questions