Flight of
the Egypt Air Company from Malpensa to
Having
checked in online and having only hand luggage, only at the Malpensa Gate,
before boarding the plane I was asked to show my passport and plane ticket.
Keep in
mind that if you come from
Time zone
Entry visa:
mandatory, to be requested at the Consulates and the Embassy of Egypt or, only
in the case of tourism, directly at the airports upon payment of 25 US dollars
or equivalent amount in euros. Payment must be made at the Bank inside the
Airport, located near the Immigration Desk. The visa is thus obtained to be
presented at the aforementioned desk. After receiving the completed immigration
card, the staff will paste it on your passport and stamp you on entry. Another
opportunity is to obtain an E-visa, before leaving, by connecting to the
website: https://egyptian-visa.com, and paying 25 USD, by credit card. In this
way, you get the actual E-visa to be printed and presented to the immigration
office of the airport, thus obtaining the entry stamp in the country.
In the case
of entry into
Tourists
who spend their entire holiday in the
Attention
is drawn to the fact that the Egyptian authorities do not allow exceptions, and
those who do not hold an ordinary tourist visa will in no way be able to access
other areas of the country, even in case of need. In certain circumstances,
this could limit the possibilities of assistance to fellow countrymen.
At the
Languages
spoken in
Religion in
Egyptian
currency: Egyptian pound.
Once I
arrived, at
At
From Luxor
Airport, located approximately
In
The Oasis
Hotel rented me a bicycle in bad condition at the price of 50 EGP per day
Exchanging
money in
In all the
attractions of
By bicycle
I went to the
Next, I
went to the
From the
town of
Then I
continued by bicycle for less than
1. Habu
Temple III, 80 EGP;
2. Ramessus
Temple III, 80 EGP;
3. Nakht
and Menna Amenemopet, 60 EGP;
4. Rekhmire
and Sennofer, 40 EGP;
5. Ramose,
Userhet, and Khaemhet, 60 EGP;
6. Dir Ek
Madina
7. Khokha
(Nefer - Ronpet, Nefer - Sekheru, Dhutmosi), 40 EGP;
8. Seti Temple, 40 EGP;
9. Khonsu, Userhet, Benia, 40 EGP;
10.
11. Pashedo
Tomb, 40 EGP;
12.
13.
Cartar's House, 80 EGP;
14.
15. Qurnet
Murei, 40 EGP;
I continued
to the right on my bicycle, pedaling for scarce
So when I
arrived at the ticket office, I bought a ticket at the price of 200 EGP for the
From here I
took the electric train that for the price of 4 EGP, round trip, took me to the
real entrance of the
Before
entering the
Instead, it
is allowed to take photos without flash and videos with the smartphone, inside
all the tombs.
After
visiting the Valley of the Kings, I covered
From here,
still by bicycle, I went to the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut. The entrance
ticket, which costs 100 EGP, must be purchased at the ticket office located
From here
you can take the electric train which for the price of 4 EGP, round trip, takes
you to the actual temple, overcoming
From here,
always by bicycle, I went to the Mortuary Temple of Ramsesse III, located in
the
Then I
traveled, by bicycle, the road for about
Remember
that in almost all the Tombs and in almost all the aforementioned
Once back
in El Gezira, I easily found the public ferry to the eastern shore of
The
To reach
There are
several departures per day. I took the last train at 7.15 pm. The ride lasts
approximately 3 and a half hours. I bought the first class ticket the same
morning at the price of 90 EGP. Second class was sold out. If you want, you can
also buy the ticket on the train and stay (paying a small supplement) and stand
(if there is no room) as the locals often do.
At the
Aswan Railway Station, at 11.00 pm, David, the owner of the David Hostel,
picked me up for free.
In Aswan, I
slept at the David Hostel (booked via booking.com), located on Unnamed Road, in
the southern suburbs, (Tel: +20 128 360 0001, priced at 85 EGP per night, for a
dorm bed, with fan , shared bathroom, WIFI, shared kitchen, free tea, free pick
up from the train station David, the owner speaks excellent English.
David
rented me a mountainbike for 50 EGP.
In the
morning at 6.00 on a mountain bike I traveled
Here,
starting from
Once I
visited the
From there
I traveled
From there
there is a public ferry which shuttles all day between
Once I arrived
in Gharb Aswan, I rented a Camel at a cost of EGP 100 round trip, plus a tip of
15 EGP, to cross the Desert and reach the Monastery of San Simeone (45 ').
Entry price: 60 EGP.
Once back
in Gharb Aswan, I went to the Ticket office, to buy a ticket to visit the Tombs
of the Nobles at the price of 60 EGP, which allowed me to visit the following
Tombs accompanied by a Guide:
1. Tomb of
Sarenput II;
2. Tombs of
Mekhu and Sabni;
3. Tomb of
Harkhuf;
4. Tomb of
Sarenput I;
Once I
returned to Aswan by ferry, I went to one of the money changers located on
Kornish Al Nile Road and exchanged currency at the following exchange rate: 1
Euro = 18.35 EGP.
Then I
reached the ferry dock for the
In the
Then by
bicycle I went to the
Then,
always by bicycle, I visited both the
Once back
in
Afterwards,
I entered the nearby Coptic Cathedral, where I attended a wedding. To enter it,
the military checks your backpack and asks you to show your passport.
To reach
Wadi Halfa in Sudan from Egypt, there are 2 alternatives: take a daily bus from
Aswan (cost 300 EGP), or the ferry (cost 350 EGP) departing only once a week
and precisely on Sunday between 13.30 and 5pm, which takes about 18 hours to
reach Wadi Halfa.
Keep in
mind that although it seems illogical, there are no buses or ferries departing
for Wadi Halfa from Abu Simbel, even if this is the last city before the border
with
Having
arrived in
So I had
David, the owner of the David Hostel, take me for a price of 40 EGP over (25
EGP tip), at 3.00 at night to the office of the Bus Company, located
Then around
4.00 am I was taken by minibus to the Aswan Bus Station, located in the
northern suburbs of
After 3
hours the bus arrives in
To reach
the aforementioned
The ferry
crossing of
Once the
Egyptian customs formalities have been completed, get back on the bus and thus
reach the
Time zone
Tourist
entry visa: required, to be requested at the Embassy of Sudan in
Complete
and fax the visa application form.
Attach a
passport valid for at least (6) months.
Attach
two passport photos.
• Rates: €
70.00 Italian passport. They can be paid in cash by bank transfer.
• The
presentation of the visa takes place through the Sudanese tourist companies and
its issue takes place through the Ministry of the Interior of Sudan - Section
"Borders and Foreign Citizens".
• The Visa
can also be presented through Italian tourist agencies such as: I Viaggi di
Maurizio Levi etc ...
The
expected time for issuing the visa is two to four weeks.
As can be
seen from the documentation listed above, obtaining a tourist visa for
Therefore I
decided to get the
Then I went
to the Sudan Embassy in
Keep in
mind that another place where it is easy to get a visa easily is
Languages:
Arabic (official language) and English (vehicular language).
Religion:
Sunni Muslim, with Christian and animist minorities.
This leads
to the immigration office of
Keep in
mind that the foreigner (holder of an ordinary passport) is required to declare
his presence to the competent authority (Alien Registration Office) within
three days of his entry into the country in the following cities: Khartoum,
Porto Sudan, Dongola, Wadi Halfa and the land border post of Qustul between
Egypt and Sudan, by presenting a photocopy of the passport, that of the visa
with the entry stamp, a specific form completed and 550 SDGs in cash. I
registered in about 1 hour, here at the Qustul land border post between
Please note
that the aforementioned registration occupies one page of the Passport.
Once I got
the entry stamp in the country and the one for the visa registration, I had to
undergo the control of my backpack, obtaining a badge that allowed me to exit
customs and reach my bus.
There I had
to wait another abundant hour before all my traveling companions were
minitively checked by the Customs staff, all the gigantic luggage and goods.
Before
getting on the bus you can change money on the black market at the following
exchange rate: 1 Euro = 72 SDG, 1 $ = 66 SDG Please note that the official
exchange rate at the time of my trip was as follows: 1 Euro = 49, 8441 SDG, 1
USD = 45.0856 SDG
From the
Qustul border post, the Bus proceeds on a perfectly asphalted road in the
middle of the desert, heading south for about
Keep in
mind that all the paved roads I traveled in
Keep in
mind that throughout my journey I met very few checkpoints, but no one ever
checked my passport.
In Wadi
Halfa I looked for a Hotel. There are a lot of them, but hardly identifiable as
the writings are only in Arabic. I passed 20 but they were all full. In the
end, 2 guys who made the journey with me by bus helped me to find a very basic
hotel, with sand floor, without sheets, with shared bathroom and without fan
and without air conditioning. I don't know the price because my traveling
companions paid for it, as did the dinner.
From the
Wadi Halfa Bus Station, I took the minibus to Dongola for the price of 200 SDG,
departing at 5.45 am, to reach the town of
The journey
took almost 3 hours.
The
aforementioned minibus left me in the eastern suburbs of Abri, on the A1 road,
near a petrol station.
From there
I took a taxi for the price of 100 SDG, to reach 5km further south, the boat
dock for
To reach
the ruins of the Ottoman Fort and the
Admission
to the
Once back
on dry land, I asked for a free ride to reach the petrol station, located on
the eastern outskirts of Abri, on the A1 road.
From there, minibuses run regularly from
sunrise to sunset to Dongola that stop on request wherever you want, but the
locals convinced me that there would be no minibus until the next day and so
they convinced me to take a private vehicle. to reach Wawa, located
In Wawa I
was dropped off near a shop on the main road. There I had to wait about 3 hours
to find a person who would take me on foot, walking for over
Once back
on the A1 road in Wawa, I waited about 1 hour before finding a minibus, coming
from Wadi Halfa and headed to Dongola. Fare: 200 SDGs. Duration: 2 hours 30 '.
The
aforementioned minibus ends its journey at the Dongola Bus Station, located in
the city center.
In Dongola,
I slept at the Almuallem Hotel, located 600 mt. west of the Bus Station, for
the price of 500 SDG per night, for a double room, with fan, air conditioning,
shared bathroom. The reception staff only speak Arabic, but you can find
someone who speaks English nearby.
From the
Dongola Bus Station, I took the Minibus to Karima, for the price of 150 SDG. I
booked a seat the night before, registering on the appropriate register, but
without paying. I was asked to show up at
The journey
lasted about 2h 30 '.
The
aforementioned minibus left me in the center of Karima, not far from the train
station.
From there
I took a tuc tuc for the price of 50 SDG, to reach
The visit
to the small
Then on
foot I walked for a few hundred meters in the middle of the desert until I
reached the foot of the Sacred Mountain of Jebel Barkal and the nearby
beautiful Pyramids.
While I was
visiting the Pyramids, the site clerk reached me and asked me $ 15 or $ 200 SDG
to visit the
From there
I walked for less than
In
From the
Merowe Bus Station, minibuses for Nuri leave from sunrise to sunset, when they
are full (a few minutes waiting). Cost of the ride: 10 SDGs. Duration: 15
minutes.
The
aforementioned minibus ends its journey near the roundabout in Nuri. From
there, to reach the Pyramids it is necessary to walk for almost
Usually the
pyramids of Nuri are guarded by guardians who ask you for a small tip for the
visit, but in my case there was no one and so I didn't pay anything.
After
visiting the Pyramids of Nuri, I took the minibus from the roundabout to the
Merowe Bus Station. Cost of the ride: 10 SDGs. Duration: 15 minutes.
From there
I took the minibus to Karima. Cost of the ride: 10 SDGs. Duration: 15 minutes.
I got off near the intersection on the main road near the Karima Pyramids.
From the
intersection in front of the Karima pyramids, minibuses and collective taxis
heading west pass from dawn to dusk, which also stop on request on the main
road in El Kurru (there is a road sign). From there you have to walk about
I took a
collective taxi that forgot to leave me in El Kurru, continuing further
bringing other people to their destination in the nearby villages and then took
me directly to the archaeological site of El Kurru demanding 200 SDGs from me.
From the El
Kurru archaeological site, I walked about 1km, until I reached the main road.
From there I waited almost 1 hour before a collective taxi stopped which, for
the price of 40 SDG, took me to the center of Karima.
From the
center of Karima I took a tuc tuc for the price of 20 SDG, to reach
In Karima,
I slept at Ahmed Mousa Homestay, located a few hundred meters east of the
Karima Museum, near Jebel Barkal (Tel: 0912585462), for the price of 200 SDG
per night, for a room with 4 beds all for me, with fan, shared bathroom. The
staff speaks some English.
From the
center of Karima, in front of the Oil Energy petrol station, not far from the
railway station, I took the Inland Trasportation Company Minibus, bound for
The journey
took almost 3 hours.
The
aforementioned minibus ends its journey at the Atbara Bus Station, located in
the south-eastern suburbs.
From the
Atbara Bus Station, I took a direct bus to Shendi (Desk number 4) at the price
of 100 SDG, departing approximately every hour, to reach the Archaeological
site of
Officially,
admission to the Pyramids of Meroe costs $ 20, although with a little
negotiation I managed to pay 200 SDGs.
The
Pyramids of Meroe, located on the Dunes of the Desert are stunning.
Once back
on the main road, a truck driver gave me a lift for about
From there
I got on one of the many buses coming from Atbara and headed to
Fare for
Shendi: 50 SDGs. Duration: 1 h
The
aforementioned bus left me on the main road, in the south-eastern outskirts of
Shendi, about
In Shendi,
I slept in a Local Guest House, located
For those
who want to stay in a slightly more luxurious hotel, about
In Shendi,
through the Local Guest House where I stayed, with great difficulty I managed
to rent an off-road vehicle with driver and guide who speaks English for the
price of 4,000 SDG, to visit the Temples of Naqa and Musawarat. Apart from the
first
For the
Meroitic Temple and Lion Temple in Musawarat the caretaker asked me to pay $ 20
or 952 SDGs. Eventually after a long negotiation I managed to convince him to
let me in for free, giving him 150 SDGs as a tip.
For the
Amun Temple and the Leon Temple in Naqa, in theory the cost of admission was to
be $ 25, but being Friday, a day of prayer, there was no guardian on the post
office and therefore I did not pay anything.
On the way
back I was dropped off near a checkpoint on the Shendi -
Here I took
one of the many minibuses headed to
The
aforementioned bus ends its journey in the northern outskirts of Bahri,
approximately
From there
I took a minibus for the price of 5 SDG, which took me near the Bahri Souq.
From there
I took a minibus for 10 SDGs, which took me to the center of
Keep in
mind that
In the
streets around Al Kabir Mosque, in the neighborhood of Al Souq Al Arabi, there
are a flood of black money changers, which change money at the following
exchange rate: 1 Euro = 80 SDG, 1 $ = 72 SDG
In
In the end
I took a taxi which, for the price of 100 SDGs, took me to Hotel KH2, located
in Khartoum 2, two kilometers south-east of Al Souq Al Arabi and
Keep in
mind that in
In
Khartoum, I slept at Hotel KH2, located in Khartoum 2, two km south-east of Al
Souq Al Arabi and
From the
KH2 Hotel, located in
From
sunrise to after sunset, they depart from Jackson Bus Station, located just
south of the Al Souq Al Arabi neighborhood and
If you are
headed to Hamed el Nil Tomb in
Every
Friday (except during the Ramadam period), from 4.30 pm and until Sunset, near
the Mausoleum of Hamed el Nil, in
Precisely
for this reason it is also an understatement to define them as Muslims because
despite living in a cultural area marked by Islam they have always in fact,
even in a conflictual way with Islam, claimed their own particular path in the
search for Truth.
Those who
have the opportunity to participate from before the actual ceremony begins will
immediately realize that for the Sudanese it represents a real moment of
encounter and social life. The religious function is guided by the followers of
Sufism, through the use of litanies and dances. All those present, arranged in
a circle (the women must be in the second row), are involved in a crescendo of
religious singing to facilitate prayer to God. In the eyes of tourists, a very
suggestive atmosphere results.
Surely the
ceremony of the dervishis is an excellent example of how the idea of
community prayer can encompass multiple meanings, changing from place to
place, from religion to religion. It also makes us reflect the fact that the
function takes place inside a cemetery, just think of what cemeteries are and
represent in our culture, the places of silence par excellence.
To return
to
Near
Jackson Bus Station, Tuc Tuc cannot circulate and so I took a taxi, for the
price of 100 SDG, to reach the Hotel KH2, located in
The
following morning I went on foot, covering almost
From there
I took a taxi for the price of 120 SDG, to reach the Jackson Bus Station,
located just south of the Al Souq Al Arabi neighborhood and
From
sunrise to after sunset, they depart from Jackson Bus Station, located just
south of the Al Souq Al Arabi neighborhood and
From Souq Lybia, I took a tuc tuc at the price
of 80 SDG, to reach the Camel Market, which is held every Saturday from 7.00 to
14.00. Here you can see a lot of Camels all together. Admission is free.
Near the
Omdurman Camel Market, I took a minibus for the price of 5 SDG, to reach Lybia
Souq.
From there
I took one of the many minibuses headed to the capital which usually ends not
far from Jackson Bus Station. Fare: 5 SDGs.
However, I
got off shortly before, on Army road near
The
National Museum of Khartoum is very large and very complete. It is open every
day from 8.00 to 17.30, except Monday and Friday which is open from 8.00 to
11.30 and from 14.00 to 17.30. The entrance fee is 10 SDGs.
From there
I walked on
Then from the intersection of
From
From there
I took a taxi which, for the price of 100 SDGs, took me to the
From the
When I
arrived at Al Kabir Mosque, the most important in the capital, I asked a boy if
I could enter and he said yes and also allowed me to take some photographs.
From the Al
Kabir Mosque, I took a taxi, priced at 100 SDGs, to reach the Hotel KH2,
located in
From Hotel
KH2, located in
Before
entering the Airport Hall, you must undergo a security check, then you must
check in, then you must go to the desk where you get the exit stamp from the
country, then there is the security check with the scanner and then you have to
undergo another 2 hand baggage checks carried out on sight.
Egypt Air
Company flight from
Time zone
Entry visa:
mandatory, to be requested at the Consulates and the Embassy of Egypt or, only
in the case of tourism, directly at the airports upon payment of 25 US dollars
or equivalent amount in euros. Payment must be made at the Bank inside the
Airport, located near the Immigration Desk. The visa is thus obtained to be
presented at the aforementioned desk. The staff will paste it onto your
passport and stamp your entry. Another opportunity is to obtain an E-visa,
before leaving, by connecting to the website: https://egyptian-visa.com, and
paying 25 USD, by credit card. In this way, you get the actual E-visa to be
printed and presented to the immigration office of the airport, thus obtaining
the entry stamp in the country.
In the case
of entry into
Tourists
who spend their entire holiday in the
Attention
is drawn to the fact that the Egyptian authorities do not allow exceptions, and
those who do not hold an ordinary tourist visa will in no way be able to access
other areas of the country, even in case of need. In certain circumstances,
this could limit the possibilities of assistance to fellow countrymen.
At the
Languages
spoken in
Religion in
Egyptian
currency: Egyptian pound.
From Cairo
International Airport, there are several buses, which go to the center of the
capital, but with little time and having to go to Giza which remains on the
other side of the city, almost
From there
I took the metro to
On the main
road,
From the
Giza Metro to the Giza Plain, there are only
I got off
at the intersection of
The cost of
admission to the Giza Plateau is 160 EGP. To enter the Pyramid of Cheops is 360
EGP, for the pyramid of Chefren 100 EGP, while that of Menkaure was closed.
The
aforementioned archaeological site opens every day at
The Giza
Plain is full of cheaters who try to steal money from you in every way: who
tells you that the entrance is somewhere else, who tries to sell you fake
tickets, who proposes himself as a guide without having a title, ect .
The exit
from the
From there,
as I was in a hurry, I took a taxi for the price of 80 EGP, to reach the
From there
I took the metro to Koleyet El Banat (with a train change in Ataba), for the
price of 10 EGP. Journey time: about 45 minutes. Please note that there are
carriages dedicated only to women on the Cairo Metro.
From the
Koleyet El Banat Metro Station, I took a taxi for the price of 100 EGP, to
reach Terminal 2 of
Before
entering the Airport Check-in Area, you must undergo a security check with the
scanner, then you must check in, then you must fill out the form to leave the
country, then at the desk get the exit stamp from the country , then there is
another security check with the scanner.
Flight of
the Egypt Air Company from
My complete travel report
with map, photographs and videos is available at this link:
https://vivendosalendo.blogspot.com/2020/03/viaggio-seguendo-il-fiume-nilo-in.html
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