Getting Around

When tourism is slow, as in the summer of 1993, it is dangerous to travel to an isolated site (particularly via bus, taxi, or hitcher’s thumb), and expect to find return transportation. Check alt schedules very carefully before embarking, anci if you are taking private transportation arrange for your driver to wait wliile you look around.

Travel Restrictions Although the Ministry of Tourism insists that no permits are required to travel anywhere in Egypt except for specifically designated military zones, the soldiers and police on the ground may not have such an open-minded view. Thankfully, those areas which may be subject to restrictions coincide with zones of no tourist interest whatsoever. None of the oases requires a permit; indeed, the only significant tourist sight that does is the Pyramids at Dahshur.

However, it is prudent to check with the local authorities before venturing in private transport off the main roads along the Suez Canal, in the Western Desert outside the Oases, the Red Sea Coast, and the Sinai. In restricted zones, the police are entitled to confiscate your passport and hold you for questioning. If you find yourself in such a pickle, sincere apologies and professions of ignorance may put the matter to rest.

The law also forbids Egyptians from traveling with foreigners without special permission. A travel agent’s license, marriage or birth certificate, and kindergarten report card are required for permission to be granted. To prevent nasty questioning sessions en route, your Egyptian friends may want to check with the local police before accompanying you.