I have 15 days in the Middle East (Cairo/Petra/Israel) - priorities

[drcam]

Good morning fellow FFs!

I am looking forward to my next trip! I am going to the Middle East!
I am flying Sichuan Airlines from Melbourne to Chengdu on the 15th April, and will be visiting family in China for 3 days (it's my mum's 75th). Then I will be flying through to Cairo on the same ticket arriving at 5.50am on the morning of 19th April. I will then have 15 days in the Middle East to be spread between Egypt, Israel and Petra/Wadi Rum.
I'm wondering whether you have any suggestions on which places should be a priority.

- Is it absolutely necessary to visit Upper Egypt (Luxor and Aswan)? Should I take a multi-day Nile cruise?
- How viable is it at the moment to visit Israel? It's been on my bucket list for many, many years
- How do I deal with the touts and people asking for tips? Should I pretend to not speak English?
- How long should I allocate to Jerusalem City? Petra? Cairo?
- Is a day trip to Alexandria worth it?
- Should I visit the Dead Sea on the Jordanian or Israeli side?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

 

[jase05]

Everyone is different and for me Israel was one place I have no real interest in return to. I didn’t mind Tel Aviv and some of the architecture in Jerusalem was nice abut as someone who doesn’t have a spiritual bone in my body and think it’s all made up the main religious stuff had zero meaning to me. I absolutely loved Jordan on the other hand and hired a car for 2 weeks to drive around and it absolutely blew me away. I found the Dead Sea more accessible on the Jordanian side and some nice resorts to stay at. Petra is stunning but got very, very busy when we visited so if I went back I’d maybe look at different timings. We stayed at Wadi Musa at the Movenpick to visit Petra and had 2 days there but every hotel in Amman and on every corner someone will be selling day tours from Amman to Petra but I don’t think that would be long enough. The Kings Highway is a great drive and you will see some brilliant castles and ruins. If I return to Jordan I’d definely hire a car again, cheap and roads are great.
As to Egypt we have travelled there previously and I honestly think you could spend 6 weeks there and still not scratch the surface, there is so much to see and do and that is certainly on our list. We do have a few days in Cairo this June but that’s just basically a stopover and see a few things we have seen before. Absolutely yes to a visit to Alexandrina and a lengthy Nile cruise is still on my bucket list

 

[anat0l]

- Is it absolutely necessary to visit Upper Egypt (Luxor and Aswan)? Should I take a multi-day Nile cruise?

I just completed a trip to Egypt (my first time), and that was 9 days including day trips in Giza, Alexandria, and then a Nile cruise (Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel and a few in between).

That kind of timing would basically leave with almost no time for the others, so probably not viable. There are lots of Nile cruises that last about 3 days / 4 nights, viz. they go in one direction from Luxor or from Aswan, may or may not include Abu Simbel, and may not even include some parts of Luxor (e.g. you will only visit one bank of the Nile in Luxor). For many tourists, Luxor and Aswan is "where it's at" for a good deal of history (viz. tombs, temples, etc.); the actual cruise on the Nile is as relaxing as any river cruise, albeit it does have its picturesque moments.

One thing, I suppose, is that if you don't have a chance to visit Luxor and Aswan this time, it is easily "packaged" together so you can visit them if you decide to go (back) to Egypt.

- How viable is it at the moment to visit Israel? It's been on my bucket list for many, many years

I'd like to go, too, if only out of curiosity, but I'm not as brave as you for now, given the current conflict situation. Many here would probably disagree and think it is being overly cautious. No idea what Smartraveller's advice is for Israel (or for Jordan, for that matter).

- How do I deal with the touts and people asking for tips? Should I pretend to not speak English?

Tipping (baksheesh) in Egypt is de rigeur, you'll have to get used to it. General rule of thumb: no one in Egypt does anything for you for free. Even security guards stationed at attractions who offer to take a photo for you will ask for a tip.

As for touts, just ignore them and keep walking. Avoid even acknowledging any greetings or questions (including, "<name of item>?", "Where are you from?", "What are you looking for?"). You may think replying in a non-English language is enough of a deterrence, but when some of those touts try to reply in said language, now that's awkward. You're better off coming up with some evasive response in English (if you decide to engage rather than walk on).

Conversing between you and someone else in your party in a non-English language may be somewhat more deterring compared to if you conversed in English, though touts will still persist; after all, what kind of person is able to enter and navigate around Egypt without being able to speak any English or Arabic, and touts have nothing to lose (they have to put themselves out there in order to put food on the table).

- How long should I allocate to Jerusalem City? Petra? Cairo?

I'm following this thread for answers for Jerusalem and Petra, since I'd like to go to these places (when it is safe enough).

- Is a day trip to Alexandria worth it?

In my opinion, yes. I did a day trip from Cairo to Alexandria, where we covered Kom El-Deka, Kom El Shoqafa, the Great Library of Alexandria and Citadel of Qaitbay, plus lunch (this was part of the multiday tour I booked). That said, it was a long day; the drive between Cairo and Alexandria is a good 2.5 hours.