Middle East - Anthony Ham [140]
Getting There & Away
Most foreigners travel to Abu Simbel in one of the two official daily convoys from Aswan. These leave at 4am and 11am, take 3½ hours to get to the site and allow two hours before returning. No taxis are allowed to travel in the convoy, so your only options are luxury coach (if you’re part of a tour group) or more cramped minibuses (if you’ve paid for a tour through one of Aswan’s hotels or travel agencies). You’ll need to shop around to get the best deal for a day tour – Thomas Cook charges E£280 for a seat on its bus while most of the budget hotels in town sell return seats for around E£55 to Abu Simbel, or E£65 with stops at the High Dam, Temple of Philae and the Unfinished Obelisk.
The only way to avoid the convoy is to travel on the services offered by the Upper Egypt and El Gouna Bus Cos. These leave from the Aswan bus station at 8am and 11.30am, take four hours and cost E£25 one way. Officially, a maximum of four foreign tourists are allowed on each bus; best to arrive at the bus station well ahead of time. Bring your passport, as there are two checkpoint stops. In Abu Simbel the buses depart from the front of the Wady El Nile Restaurant on the main street.
EgyptAir has two daily flights from Aswan to Abu Simbel (E£785 return), leaving at 6.30am and 9am.
Return to beginning of chapter
WESTERN OASES
The vast sandy expanses west of the Nile make up the Western Desert, a natural wonder as unfathomable as it is inhospitable. Stretching all the way to the Great Sea of Sand, five major oases lie in this formidable khaki ocean – islands of fresh water and verdant greenery. On the valley floor of the oases you can explore crumbling Roman forts, flourishing palm plantations and the ruins of medieval, labyrinth-like fortified towns. It’s also here that you’ll find the eerie rock formations of the White and Black Deserts, a dreamscape of white pinnacles eroded into an alien landscape of surreal shapes, as well as the almost forgotten oasis of Siwa.
Paved roads now connect the oases, and while travel in this region takes time, the Western Desert vaunts some of the most jaw-dropping scenery and photogenic journeys in all Egypt.
Return to beginning of chapter
KHARGA OASIS
092
Kharga is one of those places that hides its treasures under a veneer of provincial insignificance. Unfortunately this, the largest of the oases, is often blighted by over-exuberant tourist police who insist on shadowing all foreigners in the name of ‘safety’.
Information
The helpful Nile Valley Tourist Office ( 792 1206; Midan Nasser; 8am-3pm Sat-Thu) is at the northern end of town. The Banque du Caire (off Sharia Gamal Abdel Nasser) has an ATM and will change cash and travellers cheques.
Sights & Activities
The town itself, Al-Kharga, is of little interest, though it houses the impressive Antiquities Museum (Sharia Gamal Abdel Nasser; adult/student E£25/15; 8am-5pm). Just 2km north of town is the well-preserved Temple of Hibis (adult/student E£25/15; 8am-5pm Oct-Apr, 8am-6pm May-Sep), built in honour of the god Amun by the Persian emperor Darius I. To the east are the remains of the Temple of An-Nadura (admission free), built by the Romans, and just north is the Coptic Necropolis of Al-Bagawat (adult/student E£25/15; 8am-5pm Oct-Apr, 8am-6pm May-Sep), dating as far back as the 4th century. South of the town are the fortified Roman temples of Qasr al-Ghueita and Qasr az-Zayyan (per site adult/student E£25/15; 8am-5pm Oct-Apr, 8am-6pm May-Sep).
Sleeping & Eating
Hamadalla Hotel ( 792 0638; fax 792 5017; off Sharia Abdel Moniem Riad; s/d E£40/55, with air-con E£65/85; ) A hotel popular with overland tour groups, Hamadalla has hygienic rooms that are unfortunately gloomy and garnished with ruffled furniture. There are a number of different room configurations, so ask to see a few.
Kharga Oasis Hotel ( 792 4940; Midan Nasser;