EXCURSIONS & INSURANCE:- Please see this link for suitable attire: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g29...

 

Trips available are things like day trips to:

 * Cairo ~ http://www.touregyptphotos.com/showph... – pic of someone inside the 2nd pyramid. (Prices 5th April ’08) Pyramids 60le, Enter Great Pyramid 100le, Enter Second Pyramid 30le, Enter Third Pyramid 25le, Museum 60le, Mummy Rooms 100le. Cairo is about an hour from Sharm by plane or 6-7 hrs by coach. The Giza Plateau opens at 0800 and closes at 1700.

* Luxor – about 50 mins by plane. Collosi of Memnon, Hatchepsut’s Temple , nobles’ tombs, Valleys of Kings & Queens, Luxor & Karnak Temples .

* Petra (in Jordan ; obtain visa for Jordan when you land at their airport; it’s around £12 - £15) About an hour by plane.

* Jerusalem & The Dead Sea . (No visa req’d but border fees payable; $27 in Dec ’07)

These day trips are all long but brilliant.

* Some people choose to book through their tour operator, at the Welcome meeting, for peace of mind, should anything go wrong, others book through the hotel, on arrival, or there are plenty of tour operators in Sharm. The latter 2 alternatives are cheaper, but it's entirely up to the individual.

* Some people book the Cairo & Luxor trips before travelling to Sharm by using the Egyptair website. One should click on the Egyptian flag, thereby showing Egypt as your home country, as it will secure the best deal. Then one must arrange a guide. A recommended list can be found in the Cairo & Luxor forums.

* There are quad biking trips, e.g. quad biking at sunset, in the desert, or quad biking by day, incl. BBQ (buy a Bedouin scarf at the local supermarket to wrap round the mouth – very, very dusty!) Wear older clothes for these trips & wrap up for the sunset trip in cooler months. They’ll sell you goggles at the venue. They’ll do a DVD of the trip, which one can buy after –

Thomson charge about £35 per person; but local vendors can charge as little as £15.

 Thomson has an age limit of 16 but local vendors / hotels will allow younger children on board, alone or behind a parent. If the trip goes thru part of Ras Mohammed National Park , strictly speaking, a visa is needed although they don’t always ask to see it.

* N.B. Make sure you have adequate insurance cover for “risky” sports; insuremore.co.uk . www.travelinsuranceweb.com & Endsleigh ins.

*There's stargazing in the desert - looking at stars through proper equipment, have a meal & listen to the local guide explain about the constellations. If you’re going in slightly cooler months, wrap up for that trip, or sunset quad trip as the desert gets very cool!!!

* There's seascope - half day trip in a boat which has a lower deck under water, & the walls are all see-thru', so you can see everything, close at hand. Ideal for children or those who don’t dive / snorkel.

*There’s a jeep safari – Rough idea of itinerary:-Leave about 7.30am, drive about 1 hour to 1st destination, stopping off at a Bedouin village, followed by 1.5hr bumpy off-road through the Sinai mountains Stop at another village for lunch and 30mins snorkeling. Villagers will try to sell you bracelets etc. Next,  camel trek along the coast about 1.5hours. Views across the Gulf of Aqaba to Saudi Arabia . Finish with an arduous walk up and over hill, for about 15 minutes reached the blue hole in Dahab late afternoon, if you are keen on snorkelling/ diving this is a worthwhile location. Nice relaxing local watering hole and truly unspoilt area popular with divers. On to the town of Dahab , again less developed than Sharm. 

 * There's a long but good day trip to Mount Sinai, St Catherine's monastery (see the burning bush & cow carved in the rock, dating back to Moses's time) Visit Dahab on the way back. This is also a diving resort & not as commercialized or large as Na’ama Bay. Be prepared to witness the poverty of the Bedouins. Children will beg for chocolate, pens, chewing gum & sweets in general.

* Climb Mount Sinai at night, so you can see the sunrise. Can be a bit cool, even in summer months & it’s a l..o..n..g hike, about 2.5hrs; camels are available. It is hard physically, it's not a walk as some tour companies say, it is a climb, it's over 7,000ft, & the air is rarified. Wear layers, take plenty of water, a good torch, sun cream,hats, sweets and toilet papers, you can get drinks at small Bedouin stations on route & you can hire blankets, if it's very cold at the top.

* There are boat trips to Ras Mohamed National park (visa req'd) & one can either soak up the sun or snorkel at the 3 stops. There’s another to Tiran Island ; no visa required.

* Coloured Canyon is interesting, but not offered by the companies like Thomson as the ground is so uneven. Here is a link about it: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-...

*Evening boat trips around the bay with a meal on board.

* Sand Buggies – A bit like quads; not many places are currently offering this as it's new for 2008, but Thomson does them.

DOLPHINS: -

* Dolphins ~ Dolphinella in Sharm is not popular on the forum; this link will explain why: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-...   

* Dolphin trip to Eilat, Israel -  http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-...

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-...

 

People have been fortunate enough to see dolphins when out on boat trips; it’s not guaranteed though.

COMPARING LUXOR WITH CAIRO FOR A DAY TRIP:- This question crops up quite a lot; these threads may help you choose which day trip is for you. 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-...

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-...

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-...

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-...

 

PETRA :- Petra is a long, tiring day, but awesome. December can be rather cool in comparison to Sharm, as it’s in the mountains.  You need a visa on arrival in Jordan ; the Jordanian guide will sort that. They’re about £12 or so. You will be collected early for a 6pm flight, then it's about 2.5 hr by coach to Petra , incl. a comfort stop or 2. There are a few shops which you get to see on the way out of Petra but there is probably time to grab a drink.
The walk into the heart of Petra is quite long; at least an hour or so. There are kaleshes (horse & carriage) & horses, but it's all a bit mad & rickety! In any case, in order to hear what the guide is saying on the way in & to look around / up you need to be on foot.
The rocks get pinker as you get more towards the centre, where the Treasury is. It's absolutely amazing, as are the other ruined buildings in the vicinity, round to the right, which aren't ever mentioned, really.
You can't go far into the Treasury....it's not like in the Indiana Jones's film!
There are camels to sit on, if you want, just to have a photo taken.
You walk round to the right, to see the other parts, including ancient theatre ruins & then have some Bedouin tea. Bedouin kids try to sell you stones / rocks. The guides will ask you to ignore them as they don't want the Bedouins, or anyone, continuously chipping away at the place. Steps are retraced back to the entrance. After a look around the shops, it’s lunch (nice hotel, armed guards outside, but it's only for your own safety)
Quick drive round Aqaba, then flight home.

JERUSALEM : - No visa but border fees applicable. ($27 in Dec ’07) Start at about 1a.m., go thru all the day ahead & return at anything from 11pm that night to 1a.m the following day. Please see the following links:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-...

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-...

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-...

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-...

Please ensure that you have knees, shoulders & chest covered (males & females) for Holy sites in Jerusalem, Bethlehem etc.

LADIES: - When leaving the Ladies' Western Wall, please be aware that it's respectful not to turn your back on the wall till you're a certain distance away. Take your cue from other ladies around you & back-track as far as possible.