Egypt

Egypt is a two-part trip. The Nile Valley, from Cairo down to Aswan, is where the temples and tombs are. The Red Sea coast, on the other side of the Eastern Desert, is where the reefs are. They are different countries in feel and they need separate planning; most people do one leg of each.

The classic route is three nights in Cairo, a flight to Luxor, three or four nights on a boat to Aswan, a run down to Abu Simbel, and a flight out. That covers the major sites without repeating a drive. Cairo to Luxor by air takes about an hour; by road it takes most of a day, and there is no good reason to do it.

Heat decides when you go. From May to September, Luxor and Aswan sit above 40°C almost every day, and 45°C is normal in July and August. The Valley of the Kings is cut into a bare limestone valley with no shade, and the tombs themselves are hotter than the air outside. People are hospitalised there every summer. If those months are your only window, do the Red Sea and leave Upper Egypt alone.

Expect to be approached constantly at the major sites. Touts, camel handlers and unofficial guides at Giza are persistent and part of the experience. A firm, polite no, repeated, works. Carry small notes for tips, because almost every small service comes with an expectation of one.

When to go

Months	What it is like
Oct-Nov	The best stretch. Luxor and Aswan sit at 28-33°C by day, Cairo around 27°C, and the light is good. Nile cruise boats are full, so book ahead.
Dec-Feb	Peak season and the coolest weather. Luxor days are 22-25°C, which is ideal for walking a site, but nights drop to 5-10°C and boat cabins and desert camps get genuinely cold. Cairo is grey and hazy. Christmas and New Year prices are the highest of the year.
Mar-Apr	Warming up fast and still comfortable in March. This is khamsin season, when hot southerly winds carry sand for a day or two at a time, cutting visibility and occasionally grounding flights.
May-Sep	Upper Egypt regularly passes 40°C and often 45°C in July and August. This is a genuine health risk, not a discomfort. Sites open early and shut in the middle of the day for a reason. Cairo is a little cooler but humid and polluted. The Red Sea is the one part of Egypt that works in summer, with water around 28-29°C.
Year-round	Red Sea diving runs all twelve months. Water is coolest in February and March at about 22°C, when you want a thicker wetsuit, and warmest in August and September.

Before you go

• Most visitors need a visa. An e-visa or a visa on arrival is available to many nationalities; check yours well before flying. If you fly into Sharm el-Sheikh and stay in South Sinai, a free entry permit may cover you, but it does not allow travel to the rest of Egypt.
• Tipping is constant and expected for small services. Keep a stack of low-denomination Egyptian pound notes; it removes most of the friction of a day out.
• Do not drink the tap water. Bottled water is cheap and everywhere. Take rehydration salts; heat and stomach upsets are the two things most likely to spoil a week here.
• Ramadan shortens site and museum hours, closes many restaurants in daylight and makes the hour before sunset chaotic on the roads. Its dates shift by about eleven days a year, so check before you book. Nile cruises still run.
• Domestic flights between Cairo, Luxor, Aswan and the Red Sea are short, cheap enough and save entire days. Use them instead of long drives.
• Photography rules vary by site, and some tombs charge a separate camera ticket. The Valley of the Kings entry ticket covers a set number of tombs, with Tutankhamun and Seti I ticketed separately.
• Women travelling in Egypt should expect more street harassment than in Morocco or Tunisia. Covered shoulders and knees are the practical norm outside beach resorts, and it makes visiting mosques straightforward.