police escorts needed along nile river of egypt?
 

Is it still the case that you need police escorts to travel by motorcycle along the nile river (Aswan to Cairo)?

Yes but not all the way into Cairo. On bikes you will lose them, but they will hold you at the next road block. Do not pay them anything if they ask. It is their job. I think you can avoid all this by going into the Western Desert.

Convoys
 

From Aswan to Luxor you have to take the convoy.
Then from Luxor you have three choices to get to Cairo. There will be a convoy heading north to Hurghada and another one to Cairo. Take either one, and this is where it changes a little. Bear with me.
If you look at a map you'll see three roads - the road from Qena to Safaga, the road from Qift to Queseir and further north there are two roads to the west of the Nile from Asyut to Cairo.
The convoy to Hurghada goes from Qena to Safaga. In terms of distance there is not too much difference between the Hurghada route and the Asyut route to Cairo, but, if you decide to go via Hurghada, when you get to Qift you can lose the convoy alltogether by doing a nifty/crafty right turn to Queseir and then north.

If you go via Asyut there is no (or wasn't) a convoy on the furthest west road into the desert following the Nile that passes through/near Fayoum oasis. The convoys stick on the road closest to the Nile.

Alternatively, the third choice is from Luxor to take the "scenic" route via Kharga, Dhakla, Farafra, Bahariya to Cairo.
If it's not clear, let me know and I'll try and explain further.

Cairo-luxor Whithout Escort
 

I used the road cairo-Farafra-Kharga -Luxor without any escort.
The trip is very interesting

yves

Last year, coming from Cairo mind you, we did not join any convey (3 bikes). However we were stopped at road blocks and a police van was rustled up and tried to lead us to the next police road block where the same thing would happen, or they would hold us until our 'lead' finally arrived. They knew we were coming as they would radio ahead. This is on the Nile road. When night fell, we were encouraged to sleep behind the police barracks. I didn't see any convoys going south.
Cam J.

Just a newbie question, , , , ,
why the police, is it so bad?

Monkii
 

There is still the urge from the Egyptian police to protect the tourists for assaults of terrorists. From Aswan to Cairo you will meet different checkpoints. From there on the want to escort you.

There is a way around it. From Aswan to luxor: Your can travel on the Eastbank to Luxor. On that side they won't trouble you and the route is amazing. It goes through villages that hardly see any tourists.

From Luxor to Ciaro, you will be in convoy if you wish to go to Hurghada. There is hardly a way around it. Only if you hire a local guide that shows you the way through the desert to the Red Sea.

Sometimes it helps to say your going just to the next village, instead of telling that you're going to Luxor, Hurghada, Aswan or Ciaro. Tell them the nam of a tiny village and the don't care that you go 10km. Keep on doing this every checkpoint and you won't have a escort. That;s how we did it.

The western desert route from Luxor can be trouble if you get to the first checkpoint before the desert. Ask a felucca captain how to get around the checkpoint and the will show you a way around it. Them your free till Kharga and there they let you go because they don't have the manpower to escorte you.

Have fun, Miles


MilesToGo

Are you sure....
 

Milestogo - you said, "Your can travel on the Eastbank to Luxor."
Are you sure you mean the east bank, not the west bank?

It's possible
 

Hi Mark,

You are competely wright. My mistake.
It's possible to travel on the West Bank of the Nile between Aswan and Luxor.

If you come from Aswan there are two possibilities

1. Take the direction to the airport or Abu Simbel. You will cross the old Dam (one with trainrails in the middle), after that the road goes up a little with curves. Than on the right side you see a road disapearing into the desert, with a check point. Take that road an it will take you to Luxor.

2. Drive north along the cornich (road on the eastbank of the Nile) in Aswan and find the CAR ferry the crosses to the westbank. It's just outside the centre of Aswan on the Nile

If your coming from Luxor:

Go to the bridge south of Luxor over the Nile. After crossing from the east Bank to the west bank, go left instead of going right to the vally of the kings. There is a checkpoint. If you cant talk your way through. Go to the old ticket office after the Colossus of Memnon and ask someone to take you around that checkpoint. We asked a feluccacaptain and he showed us the way at night and we passed the point the next morning early.

Good luck, Miles


MilesToGo

Thanks
 

Thanks for the clarification.

I was actually told I needed to go by convoy on that road, but I told them I had permission and not to worry about it. They bought it and I went alone.

Also, there is a road from near Luxor through the desert to the Red Sea that was on my GPS but not my map. I took it and it was great. When I got to the Red Sea, there was a police post where I was stopped and told I was not supposed to have gone on that road alone (but of course it was too late). Also on the Red Sea side there was a tiny road on my GPS but not my map which takes you around the police post. I took it just to see if it would work and it did. It's worth knowing about that road because if you got to that police post early in the day, they make you wait all day as the convoy only goes very early in the morning and after dark in the evening. If it's not on your GPS or map, it's the first right after the police checkpoint heading south.

convoy times?
 

We're headed to egypt for just a quick fly in/out trip and renting (a vehicle, not bikes, b/c we're with kids) over christmas. Assuming that we go ahead and join up with the convoy, does anyone have info on the approx departure times headed south from cairo to luxor, and then headed back north again? It was my understanding that there were a couple a day?

Also, what about travel from cairo over to sharm and northward - any convoy issues, or is that open?

How about between luxor and marsa alam?

Thanks!!
Brenda

Sharm
 

Since last trip there, none needed. That was from Cairo to Sharm and back. try to get in Mt Sinai and St Catherines oh and the Lawrence of araqbia desert and its canyons....awesome