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Luxor Temple
south saini
 pearymieds 9

General Info for Egypt.

Egypt is an Arabic country, but also stretches through into Asia, which is called the Sinai region. Egypt has two thirds of all the historical sites in the world and boasts one remaining seven wonders of the world - the Pyramids and Sphinx. Egypt has all year round sunshine, which makes it one of the best countries to visit for relaxation and sites. The Red Sea contains wonderful corals and fish, some you will never see anywhere else in the world. And all this is only five hours away, so what could be a better holiday destination?

Location North Africa
Local Time From end Apr to end Sep GMT + 2; from end Sep to end Apr GMT + 1 .
Capital City Cairo
Area 1,001,450 sq km (386,660 square miles)
Population 72 million
Language's) Arabic, English, French, Spanish

Dialling Code
Emergency 20 Police: 122 (Cairo), 22147 (Aswan), 960151-122 (Alexandria),
23929 (Suez), Fire 125 (Cairo), Ambulance, 123 (Cairo).
Driving Driving is on the left. International Driving Permit required.

Business & Currency
Currency Egyptian Pound (EGP 10 = £1.00)
Notes EGP 1, 5, 10, 20, 25, 50

Currency Import
Non-residents
Local Up to EGP 5,000 in bank notes
Foreign Unlimited, amounts over USD 10,000 must be declared
Note All passengers must have their Custom’s Declaration Forms stamped at Customs.

Currency Export
Local Up to EGP 5,000
Foreign Up to amount declared on arrival
C/C & T/C Credit Cards and traveller’s cheques are accepted. Exchange of foreign currencies is allowed at banks and exchange offices.

Opening Hours
Bank 08.30-1400 Sun-Thur
Office 0900-1500 Sat-Thur
Shops 0900-1900 Tue-Wed & Fri-Sat, 0900-2000 Mon & Thur (winter), 0900-1230 & 1600-2000 (except Mon & Thur) (summer)

Public Holidays 2007
Jan 10-11 Id ul Adha*, Jan 31 Islamic New Year*, Apr 10 Birthday of the prophet Mohammed*, Apr 25 Sinai Liberation Day, May 1 Sham El Nazism (Egyptian Easter), May 1 Labour Day, Jul 23 National Day, Oct 6 Armed forces Day, Nov 3-5 Bairam Feast* Sept for 1 month Ramadan.
* Dates vary according to the Moon.

Social Hints. Women should dress respectfully; a headscarf and long sleeves and trousers should be worn when visiting Mosques. However in the tourist areas i.e. Sharm El Sheikh, Tuba Heights etc western clothing is worn and generally accepted, although topless is forbidden.
Tipping Service charges are normally added to restaurant and hotel bills. However additional tips around 5% are customary, tips for taxis are around 10%.

Hotels. Hotels and holiday villages throughout Egypt are graded from 1 Star to 5 Star. However outside of the tourist areas the standard can be lower, 1 & 2 Stars are usually considered to be “roughing it”.

Climate. Apart from the Mediterranean coast, Egypt’s climate is nearly desert. The Winter period is between November and March, and in some areas particularly coastal areas, it can get very cold in the evening. It is advisable to take a warm jacket. However the days are magnificent. Summer is from April to October). April to June are comfortable months, whilst in June to August the temperature can reach 50 degrees Celsius so be prepared. There is very little humidity as the climate is very dry so things are more bearable.

Import Allowances
200 cigarettes or 25 cigars or 200grams of tobacco
1 litre of alcoholic beverage
1 litre of perfume or cologne
Gifts up to the value of EGP 500
Gold value over EGP 500 must be declared on arrival.

Prohibited/Restricted
Firearms, narcotics, drugs and cotton

Airports in Egypt
Cairo International (CAI)
Sharm El Sheikh International (SSH)
Luxor (LXR)

Contacts for Egypt

UK Tourist Office
Egyptian State Tourist Office
Egyptian House, 170 Piccadilly
London, W1J 9EJ
Tel; +44 20 7493 5283
Email; Egypt@freenetname.co.uk
Hours 0930-1630 Mon-Fri

Egyptian Embassy
Consulate of Egypt
2 Lowndes Street
London, SW1X 9ET
Tel; +44 20 7235 9777, 0906 550 8933* (visa enq)
Website; www.egyptianconsulate.co.uk
Hours 0930-1230 (Mon-Fri)

Passports & Visa Info for Egypt
The following details relate to holders of standard passports (requirements for children may be different), if any other type of passport or travel document is held, entry requirements should be checked with the relevant embassy or consulate.

Passports
Required, but NOT by the following;
Holders of a United States re-entry permit provided country of birth is Egypt
Holders of Laissez-Passer issued to Palestinians by Algeria, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab, Emirates & Yemen.

Passport Validity
Passports must be valid for 6 months beyond intended length of stay.

Passport Notes

Visas
The following DO NOT require a visa:
Nationals of Egypt
Nationals of Bahrain, Djibouti, Guinea, Jordan, (if holding a passport valid for 5 years) Libya, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates & Yemen
Holders of a re-entry permit
Palestinians holding a residence card provided that their stay outside Egypt did not exceed 6 months.

Air Transit
Required by all except those as noted above:
Persons continuing their journey to a third country within 24 hours without leaving the airport, provided holding confirmed tickets.
Nationals of Afghanistan, Iran, Lebanon, Philippines and holders of Palestinian documents may transit Cairo Airport, provided they do not leave the airport transit lounge and continuing by the same or first connecting aircraft.
Holders of South African passports must obtain a stamp in their passports form the consulate prior to travel to allow them to transit.

Entry Permits
Required by all alien residents; to be obtained prior to departure.

Vaccinations
Always check with your GP 6 weeks before you travel to Egypt, to discuss your vaccinations.

Compulsory Vaccinations
Yellow Fever, certificate if arriving from infected areas, example infants under 1 year. The following countries and areas are regarded as infected (air passengers in transit coming from these countries or areas without a certificate will be detained in the precincts of the airport until they resume their journey):
Africa, Angola, Benin, Burkina, Cameron, Central Africa Rep, Chad, Congo, Dem Rep, Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria.