Mount Sinai (Moses Mountain) saint Catherines Monastery sunrise tour.

This costs around £25 again all depends who your excursion company is.

Things to take. Passport valid visa, camera, torch and spare batteries (will tell you why torch later), breakfast box some money for memorabilia and rest stop and toilet paper.

You begin with getting picked up around 10pm from your hotel with around a 3hrs 45 mins drive with a rest stop around 11.30pm.

You arrive at your destination about 1.45am where your guide will hand you a torch with cheap batteries in it at this point you are given an option take the camel path or the stairs the stairs are about 3000 well not actually steps just rocks placed to make steps and the path is rocky and not flat. You can get a camel to the top for 100 egp but the further you go up the cheaper it gets. We took the camel path and that's exactly what it is, going up a path with locals going past you saying camel, camel, by the time you see it its nearly knocking you over. The torch you are given is to help light your way but they are not very good and even before you get to the first rest stop its going flat and will get charged very high price for more cheap batteries. Toilets at rest stops, think Slumdog Millionaire movie yep a hut with a hole in the ground and they will charge you around 1egp to use it. Many other rest stops are on route selling water and hot drinks.

Around 4.45am you will reach the final leg at this point there is no path and its steps around 600 until you get to top where you will find rickety shacks each numbered depends on your tour guide he will tell you what one he will be in selling tea and soft drinks, watch the sunrise.

Finally after you see sunrise you start your descent down don't worry its a lot quicker but will take you just over 2 hours until you arrive back at Saint Catharines Monastery.

To enter into the monastery males and females must have their knees covered and woman also shoulders covered, here you will see the fabled burning bush, no pictures are allowed to be taken within the church itself anywhere else is fine.
So you think that using the toilet up the mountain itself is a no no and you say will just wait till I get to the monastery think again. It's another hole in ground must be a posh one as its lined with porcelain you have to squat over with about 1000 plague of flies circling it.

After that you will be taken back to bus we went to the hotel near the entrance on way in and breakfast there nothing fancy just basic at this point cause you held it in you can as they are clean a normal toilets.

Then it's back on bus and return to hotel around 1.pm just in time for lunch.

Exhaustion level 10/10 as it is through the night and a long walk.

Final though do not do this unless you want the experience I did and will not in my life do it again even if I was paid.

Tiran Island Snorkelling Trip.

This excursion you can get for around £18.

Things to take - Camera, towel, your own snorkel, barter for one at the markets as they charge you more just to hire it and some money just in case.

Your day starts as you get picked up from your hotel and driven to the jetty to get your boat.

Depends on what boat takes you I have been twice, you stop at around 5 different reefs around Sharm where you can see Sharms coral life at its best with all different tropical fish to see and as you travelling to each coral reef you may be lucky to spot dolphins, porpoise, whales and many others don't be sad if they to far most of the boat captains about turn and chase them so you can get up and close, so even if you don't fancy snorkelling you can sunbathe on the deck all day. It may stop at the Russian cargo ship wreck but again depends on trip and boat you on.
Soft drinks such as pepsi, 7up, tango, water is on board free of charge again this is part of your package. Lunch is served around 1pm consists of rice dishes, salads, chicken, fish, pasta, all in all a good day out

Exhaustion level 1/10 very relaxing day highly recommend

Quad Biking Desert Safari.

Well for this there is a few time slots and your trip is around 4 hours in total.

Things to take, water, camera, some money to buy drinks at the stops, and a headscarf barter for these also at a market before you go as they do charge a lot more when you get there, sweets (will get to that later).

Price is around £15 or £20 for a double but again depends what company you book with your holiday rep does not offer this excursion.

A must for you speed demons and even if your a novice they are so easy to ride. If you have a young child who cannot take their own bike sand buggies can be provided with some operators, you start off from the base riding out into the desert for about an hour before your first stop usually a camp site to cool off in the shade get a cold drink or even have a camel ride and you are given a free cup of Bedouin tea, next stop is echo temple where you all stop and shout and listen to the echoes coming back.

Final stop is usually another rest stop again same as first stop.

Hints at the stops you might get children trying to sell you string bracelets and other such stuff you don't need to buy give them a handful of sweets they will love you for it.

Exhaustion rate 3/10 can be a bit tiring on the old arms and hands but all in all a good experience.

Sharm Tour

Most hotels may offer you this and it is done by hotels themselves price around £5.
A good way to see Sharm, visit the local churches and mosques, see Sharm and part of what it has to offer from fantasia to the monument for the plane crash back in the early 90s.

Good small trip and for the price well worth the money,

Exhaustion rate 1/10 a nice and relaxing way to see Sharm.

Bedouin Dinner and Show.

Most hotels offer this, see your hotels own customer rep about this. Price around £25

What you need. Just take some money with you.

The night starts as you get picked up on bus around 6.30pm from your hotel and driven out into the Sinai desert until you arrive at a Bedouin camp.

Once your inside the camp you sit in the camp under the stars where your dinner is provided you will probably find the same dinner is laid on in the hotel but it's the experience you are there for. All drink non alcoholic and alcoholic are provided as part of price but you will find it's what the hotel gives you as part of your all inclusive. The night starts off when you watch them make bread the old way on the camp fire followed by short camels rides round the circle for about £2. The full show consists of belly dancers fire show and loads more.

Hint - have a look at the children I did notice myself it was the same children dressed in ragged clothes I seen on quad bike safari this time dressed in good clothes will let you work that one out for yourself, and don't look behind the camp as you may see a BMW parked up

The night ends with a slow dance under the stars even for the experience and a romantic end with your loved one not to be missed.

Exhaustion rate 1/10 you will love it a must with the loved one

Luxor by air

As you cannot get Luxor by coach from Sharm distance is too far.

Prices around £145 but then again depends on who your excursion company is.

Things to take - passport with valid visa, money for memorabilia and drinks throughout day, breakfast box from hotel, toilet paper, hand sanitiser.

Your day starts with getting picked up at hotel around 3 am to catch around 6am flight to Luxor. Your first pick up rep will guide you in to airport and point you to the correct check in desk just show your passport your air tickets will be handed to you.

At other side at the exit door your excursion guide will be waiting for you as no guides or holiday reps are permitted within airports.

In Luxor your day starts with a drive through Luxor, as you travel have a look at the fields you pass as you will see Egyptians still working in the fields with ox and carts and also travelling along roads with donkeys and carts reminds you how third world in a way Egypt still is.

Our visit went as follows

West Bank visit. we stopped on a bridge over the Nile and our guide told us about West Bank what it was and what's happening now, also about life and death and how it was laid out.

Valley of the Kings. We arrived in morning around 8.30am as it is a dry valley and it is the best time to see it was hot and was in may so dread to think what the place is like mid afternoon. No cameras are permitted within Valley of the Kings but you can take pictures outside the gates. Once inside they are plenty of free tombs you can visit with hieroglyphics and many others, you will find your guide will not come in tombs with you only point the way. You can also see Tutankhamen's mummy here at extra cost, think its about 100 egp. Then after visit you run the market gauntlet being pestered every step you take the more you walk the more the price goes down no need to barter just keep walking.

Next you may be taken into an alabaster factory the vases are all handmade and you will find very expensive we bought one but had to barter like mad to get a really good price.

Next stop is Hatshepsut temple visit your chance to see the only temple what belonged to a woman pharaoh that dressed like a man. The place is still being excavated and rebuilt so you may find certain areas closed off.

You then go by bus and head to the centre of Luxor and stop at a local cafe and where we got a choice of 2 starters 2 main courses and pudding drinks are not part of this but we paid about £1 for a can of coke.

Next stop was The Colossi of Memnon very large place and much hotter than Sharm but your tour guide will probably take you for one part to next and jump between shade. Be careful in here as the colossi caretakers will try in entice you into areas not open to public as if they doing you a favour they are not they want about 100 egp (£10) for it just tell them la shukran.

finally a Visit of Karnak Temples

One of many temples in Luxor much the same rules as colossi your guide will tell you the history and many other facts about this place.

You may have been offered shopping in Luxor or even a visit to some other place like papyrus factory but by this time as there is so much to see and do in Luxor its is impossible to do within a day.

At end off day your tour guide will take you back to airport as he is not permitted in airport he will point you in right direction to pick your tickets up and will wait at door until you have received it and you give him the thumbs up he will leave at that point, once you arrive back in Sharm your pick up will be waiting for you to take you back to your hotel around 9pm.

Exhaust rate is 6/10 it can be a long day but part of Egypt another must see.

My final hints and tips for all excursions.

Shop around online before you go and find the best prices to be had.

If your hotel offers free shopping trips to Naama Bay and old market take this as it lets you get the feel of the place & night life for 2 hours and the hustle and bustle, great if it's your first time in Sharm.
As you find more excursion companies and compare prices remember paying cheaper does not give you less of a trip, a few companies, sellers and holiday reps stick on a big mark ups for themselves.

In any shopping place whatever they want half it, don't move if you don't get it you will at your next stop as this gives you a base price and you can say but the one up the street was going to do it for so much.

Remember only take out what you think you may need when out shopping so if you run out of cash you know you can go back another time if you see something else you will find most places sell the same stuff anyway.

If anyone requires any info for anything from excursion what to do and where to go pm me anytime I will answer you asap as I will end up taking over this full section.

All my reviews are my findings of Sharm and excursions and I do know people do have different experiences than me.

Many thanks guys and I hope you find my reviews helpful.

We are going to sharks bay next week and was wondering what's the best boat trips to do and were to book them at ? x
We stayed a Nabq bay last year and they done a midnight cruise boat trip any one no if this is avail from Sharks Bay ? x

Any advice will be grateful x

Hello all

We are travelling to Egypt in October and staying at the First Choice Holiday Village. My son really wants to do the Quad Bike Safari however I have read on here that First Choice don't offer it as an excursion!! I just wondered if anyone had booked this previously and was able to give me advice on the best place to book and also the average cost of this activity?

Thanks
Lynda

Hi Lynda

From a previous post in this topic by Glasgowkiss

Quad Biking Desert Safari.
Well for this there is a few time slots and your trip is around 4 hours in total.

Things to take, water, camera, some money to buy drinks at the stops, and a headscarf barter for these also at a market before you go as they do charge a lot more when you get there, sweets (will get to that later).

Price is around £15 or £20 for a double but again depends what company you book with your holiday rep does not offer this excursion.

A must for you speed demons and even if your a novice they are so easy to ride. If you have a young child who cannot take their own bike sand buggies can be provided with some operators, you start off from the base riding out into the desert for about an hour before your first stop usually a camp site to cool off in the shade get a cold drink or even have a camel ride and you are given a free cup of Bedouin tea, next stop is echo temple where you all stop and shout and listen to the echoes coming back.

Final stop is usually another rest stop again same as first stop.

Hints at the stops you might get children trying to sell you string bracelets and other such stuff you don't need to buy give them a handful of sweets they will love you for it.

Exhaustion rate 3/10 can be a bit tiring on the old arms and hands but all in all a good experience.

Hi Lynda

I don't know when in October you're going so it may be too late but if you're at the HV try http://www.sharmvacations.com. Not far from where you'll be, good prices and reliable

Has anyone used or heard about Sinai Safari Adventures? I see they get good reviews on TA, but would prefer some personal advice?

Many thanks

Hi

Welcome to HT, I haven't heard of this particular company, but I would say that it's probably better to wait until you are out there to book. You may be able to get personal recommendations from other guests in the accommodation you are in. Also if you are planning on going to Cairo, Luxor or both it is worth considering such things as the make up of the tour for example you may find a cheaper our delivered in four languages, whereas you may be able to pay a little more and get a tour in your mother tounge meaning you will paooibly get more detail and information.

Hi... can anyone tell me anything about the coloured canyon, the friend im going with said our tour operator tried to sell her this day excursion...

As we are not long back I thought it would be a good time to give you an update on prices etc.

Firstly I will start with the Visa, basically you only require to purchase the entry visa at the airport if you intend to go to Luxor, Cairo (Pyramids) or staying 15 nights or more.

You are taken from the plane to the terminal on a transfer bus, when you arrive at the terminal building and enter the airport you will have somebody shouting 'Thomson / First Choice customers this way' and pointing you over to the Visa booths, if you are not going to do either the Luxor or Cairo excursions while in Sharm you don't need a Visa, just write 'Sinai Only' on the card you were given on the plane.

If you are going on one of the above excursion you will require a Visa so go to your LEFT and purchase one at any of the small booths. (note a Visa can be purchased later but requires a trip to airport and costs a bit more)

If not getting a Visa go to your RIGHT as you enter and proceed to passport control with your passport and the card. Once stamped and through the passport booth keep your passport open at the stamped page for a further quick security check by a man on a seat just behind the booths.

Once you are past him you can put your passport away and go and collect your luggage from the carousels, once you have your luggage head out and find your rep who will direct you to your transfer coach.

Now the current (Jan 2013) prices, I will give you Thomson / First Choice price followed by the price from a local agent (Charming Sharm Travel) for comparison, there are a lot of different companies this company just happened to be next our hotel however as always I do recommend shopping around.

All prices are adult & per person

Cairo / Pyramids (road) £79 vs £40

Cairo (Air) £165 vs £115

Luxor (plane) £179 vs £130

Quad biking (Single person quad) £33 vs £15

Glass Bottom Boat £35 vs £9 (slightly different boat)

Stargazing & Bedouin Dinner £39 vs £28

Intro Dive £59 vs £40

VIP Cruise £48 vs £38

* St Catherine's Monastery £39 vs £25

* Jerusalem / Dead Sea £145 )(+ border tax £25 ish?) vs £95 all inc.

* Thomson / First Choice are not currently offering these, check for update when in Sharm, they are still available locally.

Finally a couple of local price

Tiran Island Boat Trip £20

Ras Mohamed Boat Trip £20 + £4 entry fee.

Fantasia (1001 nights) £25

It is also worth asking your hotel for prices for example our hotel did an excursion to Soho Square at night for 20LE (£2) which is cheaper than a taxi and £10 by Thomson.

Have a great time whatever you do