Thread: Best time to Visit Egypt?

I am planning on going to Egypt next year, and I was wondering when it would be best to go (good weather, less crowds, etc). I plan on seeing some dancing and doing some costume shopping as well. I also would like to take some lessons.

I am also torn between going with a big tour group or going on my own. This will be my first visit. Do you all recommend a tour group or do you think it would be better to go on my own? Just as a side note, I have traveled to West Africa (Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Burkina Faso) on my own, so I am not afraid of a lil third world action!..g.:

< Burkina Faso>.w.: :Awhatchutalkingabou :Aohmy:

Originally Posted by Sashy

< Burkina Faso>.w.: :Awhatchutalkingabou :Aohmy:

A very cool place. Is bordered by Mali, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire and Niger. I spent a week there just wandering around.

I think the best time to go is spring or autumn. Summer is way too hot and it can get pretty cold at night in the winter.

If you're going for the first time, personally I'd recommend going with a good specialist bellydance tour - otherwise you can miss out on so much and also Cairo is so full on you might find it a bit much.

The first time I ever went (in 1980) I went on my own and it was pretty intimidating. I saw a lot of dancing - it was a real peak time for cabaret clubs - but didn't know where to go to find good costumes and I know I missed out on an awful lot of other things.

the second time I went (just a few years ago) I went with Farida Adventures www.faridaadventures.com and it was just fantastic - we did everything a bellydancer could ever want to do.

We saw loads of great shows, had a front row table at Dina's show, went shopping at all the top designers as well as the Khan el Khalili, saw the tannoura, had a party night with live musicians and great folkloric dancers at Yasmina of Cairo's apartment and and and....it was just brilliant!

Since then I've gone back on my own and twice again with Farida - Farida gave me the confidence and knowledge to go on my own but I also get something new every time I go with Farida. I can't recommend them highly enough

Are there any dance tours where wives/husbands are also welcome to join? I'm very interested in this thread because I'm planning to go to Egypt next year. I'd love to take a class, see an amazing show (as many as possible), buy a costume - but also go with my wonderful other half and see all the sights as well. I found a great tour but she only takes dancers. The non-dancer tours don't do any dancer stuff at all and I'm not sure if I could fit it in during free time.

I keep thinking about meeting up with a group tour in Cairo because it is so much fun to go with a group to the dance shows. Somethings I don't need a group . . . I can do lots in Cairo on my own with a good taxi driver, but costume shopping can also be more fun if you have a bunch going together. The Nile cruise (Luxor to Aswan) is something I still haven't managed to squeeze in (although I have been to Luxor for a few days), so I am trying to decide whom I will torture by making them do it with me if I can't hook up with a tour, LOL!!

Originally Posted by cbarros

I keep thinking about meeting up with a group tour in Cairo because it is so much fun to go with a group to the dance shows. Somethings I don't need a group . . . I can do lots in Cairo on my own with a good taxi driver, but costume shopping can also be more fun if you have a bunch going together. The Nile cruise (Luxor to Aswan) is something I still haven't managed to squeeze in (although I have been to Luxor for a few days), so I am trying to decide whom I will torture by making them do it with me if I can't hook up with a tour, LOL!!

Catherine
I have not done the Nile cruise yet,so if we ever coincide in dates for going to Egypt let me know.I`m not fond of tours,though.I already have non-dancing related friends in Cairo with whom i spend some days with.

..g.:

Not in the summer is nice. :)

Winter can be cold in the north, but I like chilly weather so that works for me. Makes it much easier to dress modestly, as well ;)

I am not a tour group person, but it always sounds like folks who do the dance tours have fun, and they also have a built-in social group. But I have always traveled alone or with a tried and true companion, and much prefer that. I definitely think it is a matter of personal taste and choice. I have gone to Egypt alone, with a cousin, and with my mom.

That said, a lot of things in Egypt are much easier with connections, and a seasoned 'insider' tour leader would certainly smooth things out. Like I said--not my style, I like to wander off and indulge my curious and/or loner tendencies when I please! I tend to like to lay low and blend in and observe when I travel anywhere. I will say the times I have gone to Egypt I have always been able to hook up with other dancers via sites like bhuz or the med-dance list (or local dancers I got to know better once we met up in Cairo!) to hang out with, catch a show, or shop. Overlapping your trip with a festival is an easy way to go alone but have some structure there if you want it. In both those instances it is possible to get a feeling of camaraderie without, well...having to be nice or with a group all the time!

I think if/when I decide to go to Egypt again I will try to hit one of the off-season Nile Group festivals, and then hang out a bit on my own or with friends after that.

I have no doubt that whatever you decide it will be wonderful (and of course we will want to hear every detail!).

Thanks guys! With my personality, I think it would be best for me to go without a tour group, but then again I really want to be able to shop and do all the 'belly dance insider' stuff. I have yet to find someone who is willing to come with me. (All of my friends think they'll be killed by suicide bombers ,r:; ) I am kinda nervous but I am thinking maybe I should just go alone and meet up with some other dancers in Cairo. I don't know...I have a few months to think about it. Keep the comments coming!!!!

<(All of my friends think they'll be killed by suicide bombers )>

ROFL..l;, ..l;,
You`re not alone in this.Most of my friends have exactly the same feeling whenever i go to Egypt.They almost want to make me sign a will..l;, ..c:: ..l;,

I think the best time to go is winter through spring.

I would really like to go for the Ahlan wa Sahlan festival but its in August. Has anyone been? Is it worth going in the middle of summer for?

I'm a bit of a loner too so when I go with Farida I always slink off on my own. Nepenthe I'm pretty sure they allow non-dancing partners.

oops. i mean june.

I totally agree with the loners here. When attending the Nile Group fest in November last year, there were lots of great things arranged for us, which was really nice, however I did sneek away from a galabaya party. I felt a bit guilty, until I bumped into other people who had also sneeked away (we all were in Mahmouds's in the Khan!).

So it sounds like maybe I should just do the group thing and just make time to sneak away...I'm going to look into some tour groups and weigh the costs. I am a little lazy, so I have another question. What are your tour group reccomendations?

I recommend Astryd Farah de Michele http://www.danceastryd.com/
She just started doing tours this year, I went in April...she pretty much tailored the trip for each individual so we could do the things we wanted to. Group activity including touring the museum, pyramids, and other sites plus the major dinner/dance shows, Tanoura show, and zar. She took us to the Khan el Khalili and showed us how to find the costumers there, Pharaonics, and Eman Zaki. If she knows beforehand what/who else you'd like to see she'll do her best to arrange it. She arranged both private and group lessons with the teachers we asked for. You're encouraged to go off wandering on your own if that's what you like and she limited the group size to under ten. My room mate and I spent as much time (or more) off on our own as we did with the group and we also did the Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor. Great fun! I'm not sure how Astryd would feel about including a husband/boyfriend, certainly doesn't hurt to ask.

Originally Posted by Sashy

Catherine
I have not done the Nile cruise yet,so if we ever coincide in dates for going to Egypt let me know.I`m not fond of tours,though.I already have non-dancing related friends in Cairo with whom i spend some days with.

..g.:

I KNOW . . . I keep trying to figure out how to get my dates to coincide with anyone, LOL!!! I do want to go at the time of the Nile Group but not for 100% dance . . . well, I like the idea of all the dance galas, but I cant bear the thought of being couped up in a hotel 24/7 and be in Egypt! Doing the Nile cruise is like being on a tour in a way, but you can decide how much you want to do.

ALSO, no way will I go to Egypt in the summer . . . I get enough heat here in Texas (although right now it is rain, rain, rain, hehe). I like late winter to early spring . . . it still gets warm enough during the day and I don't mind being a bit cold at night. Seriously, when egypt gets cold it is nothing as far as I am concerned . . . so says the woman who went to Ohio (for work) during January without a coat (layers, layers, layers) and thought "wow, COLD!!!" during the coldest winter she ever experienced . . . oh, then was landing in a snow storm in February! I wasn't the one who came down with pneumonia . . . I leave that one to the woman in the group who insisted on going outside to smoke! .w.:

Hi all, I just loved reading this thread as I am sooo excited about going to Egypt next year I'll be there in mid Febuary which will be at the end of their winter which suits me fine (bc I already experience enough heat). I'm perfectly happy to be going on a tour as I think I'd prefer a little structure bc of the fact I haven't done much travelling in third world countries, only Bali, 20 odd years ago.
It includes a 4 night Nile cruise plus dinner evenings in Cairo with dancing (including a folkloric night) and a few free days to explore or shop plus loads of touristy options. it also includes a 3 hour workshop and I plan to do a private lesson or two on my free days. On day 13 we wind up in Dubai for two nights and one fantastic day to top off two wonderful weeks of Egypt.

even more excited after reading Shira's post on another thread, Lucky girl.

Originally Posted by nejla

I would really like to go for the Ahlan wa Sahlan festival but its in August. Has anyone been? Is it worth going in the middle of summer for?

Just got back.... and boy, was it HOT. I think it's my last summer trip to Egypt. Our last day in Aswan was blistering and exhausting.

For anyone interested in going on a tour, I can't recommend Scheherezade Imports highly enough. The tour is very flexible, with some scheduled stops (seeing all the high points of Cairo) plus a bunch of ad hoc events (*many* shoe shopping expeditions!). Lucy Smith is a wonderful tour guide, and she's also a nurse, which came in handy for some on our trip. She's got great connections.

My hubby and I both speak enough Arabic to get around, and we've both been to Cairo several times, but chose the tour so we wouldn't have to make all the arrangements ourselves. We loved it.

Originally Posted by bintbeled

plus a bunch of ad hoc events (*many* shoe shopping expeditions!).

What...shoes??!!?? I don't know what you are referring too!
I agree. Lucy Smith has a wonderful itinerary that allows for the indiviudal who desires a group experience and also for the loner who needs or wants privacy. A totally fun trip.

~Lotus

I can also recommend going on Morocco's tours. She has tons of experience in leading tour groups. Even before she started leading tours to the Middle East, she led tour groups to the USSR back before the fall of the iron curtain.

I too tend to like having some private time on my own. I've never had a problem doing that when traveling with Rocky - I just let her know where I'm going and when I plan to be back, so that she knows not to worry if I don't show up for a group activity.

Rocky has arranged some wonderful experiences for her group in the past. For example, 2 years ago when we went on the Nile Cruise she arranged for us to have our own private show in Luxor of dancing by Khairiyya Maazin & Osman Balata, with live music played by the Musicians of the Nile.

Rocky is also great to have on your side in case something goes wrong. In 2000, on our Turkey trip, one of the group members had to be hospitalized in Istanbul with a brain aneurysm, and she made sure to get him excellent medical care as well as visiting him regularly in the hospital. In 2004, one of our group members broke her ankle when out walking at the pyramids, and again Rocky arranged high-quality medical care and visited her in the hospital.

Anyone going to Egypt soonish? I'm debating going, but I ssssooo don't want to go alone! I want to go with someone who knows what they're doing, and has experience there...I don't want to rely on locals, as I'm WAY too trusting and would probably end up beaten and left for dead in some Cairo alleyway!

Okay, so I'm paranoid...but also I wanna 'share' my trip with someone if I go....

I might end up just going to Hong Kong...much easier...anyone going there soon/live there? LOL!

<I don't want to rely on locals, as I'm WAY too trusting and would probably end up beaten and left for dead in some Cairo alleyway! >

Good Lord,girl!!!I`ve been there by myself several times without any serious problems.....other than being slapped on my butt by a youth while walking around Tahrir Square in full daylight

..l;,

I don't like shopping alone either....always need a voice of reason!

I'm just not a big fan of being in a foreign country all alone...I'd just rather have someone to talk to I guess....

Originally Posted by AmaraOmShazadi

I don't like shopping alone either....always need a voice of reason!

I'm just not a big fan of being in a foreign country all alone...I'd just rather have someone to talk to I guess....

I can understand that completely. Sometimes it is just more fun to share as you go . . . even on non-dance related activities. Somehow showing the pix around to your friends later isn't always the same . . . they don't get the real flavor of being there.

As for Hong Kong, I managed 3 business trips last summer and brought back a lot of hair things at one point . . . everyone bought those in the street markets. Oh, and cats! I found a cute shop off the main drag in Kowloon just down the street from the Sheraton which had only cat statues! Like the ones you find in Chinese restaurants everywhere . . . but some different styles. Did I mention the 2 dragon statues? and the beaded bracelets? oh, and the pearls???? I think I liked HK but wish I had been included during the winter business trips when the temps where much nicer . . . and no typhoon warnings.

Originally Posted by AmaraOmShazadi

Anyone going to Egypt soonish? I'm debating going, but I ssssooo don't want to go alone! I want to go with someone who knows what they're doing, and has experience there...I don't want to rely on locals, as I'm WAY too trusting and would probably end up beaten and left for dead in some Cairo alleyway!

Okay, so I'm paranoid...but also I wanna 'share' my trip with someone if I go....

I might end up just going to Hong Kong...much easier...anyone going there soon/live there? LOL!

Hi there

We just came back from the Nile group fest in June, maybe you might come along next year? Or is that too long to wait?

Cheers
Julie

I'm going in a month.

Hi, Amara. I'll be going in November if you'd like to join me.