Has anyone travelled recently in Egypt. Is it easy to ride down to Luxor, Aswan etc.. or are roads unrideable. BLockades at all, security checks.
Can you camp? Interested to know as would like to spend 3 weeks or so there...also ride over Sinai area, St Caths monastry area.

Sinai is great for riding... except for the traffic. Expect the unexpected everywhere in Egypt. Apart from the risk of kidnapping near Aswan (according to a report I've just read on the HUBB) travel conditions are good. I wouldn't camp in Southern Egypt much, but elsewhere you should be fine. But, seriously, brace yourself for paperwork.

__________________
Jeremy Kroeker
www.MotorcycleTherapy.com

When riding in the Delta area and down to Luxor you pass some areas that the tourist police will spot you and give you an escort to pass safe, places they know problem might be. Not recomended to go sleep in the middle of nowere, you better sleep in tourist lodges you can find along the way. Check-points are no problem, they are looking not for you
In Sinai you will feel more safe. Sinai is full with all kinds of hosting places from 10 to 500$ per night. good roads very good hospitality.
If you have the time in Egypt I recomend a three day ride to the Western Desert do Dahla and Farafra's White Desert it is a magical place.

Ride clever
Y.

__________________
Dare!
My ride from Dead horse to Ushuaia 2009 is at
www.harpatka.com
It's in hebrew but lots of pics and some translation

Yoni

thanks for the info . great.. I have read that the Siwa Oasis area is beautiful but he road is not that great to bike on.....that you need a guide etc. Is this correct do you know, as it would be good to enter Sinai from Jordan down through the coast to Aswan and up through the middle of Egypt and over to Siwa and out to Libya? What do you think?

As said, you can go from Dahla to Farafra to Baharia.(between Farafra and Bahariya try to find Crystal mountain which is a must, it is some 10km north 50m on the right of the road-ask about it in Farafra) from Baharia there is a quite rutted offroad way 420km to Siwa. You will need a specil permit to go that way, a permit you can get in Baharia ask the manager of the local lodge, a nice german guy that knows all. they will ask you to pass the way in one day via 6 checkpoints of the army. that is to ensure you are not lost in the sand. it can be dun with no problem, just take extra fuel (and some gifts for the soldiars - sweets and so)
In Siwa there is a very good and cheap lodge to stay, and a class A bitomen road will take you North to Marsa-Matruh on the Med. shore. From there you take west to the Libyan border.
If you don't want to go from Baharia to Siwa. just pull North in the general direction of Alxandria (which is a great place to visit-go to the Brasil coffey house) and from there just a day ride west along the Med coast to Marsa M, and the Libyan border.

Ride for ever and smile

Y.

__________________
Dare!
My ride from Dead horse to Ushuaia 2009 is at
www.harpatka.com
It's in hebrew but lots of pics and some translation

Yoni

Dear Jeremy
just to make it correct the people were kidnapped like 400 kilo meter west of Aswan in the most (isolated inhabited area on earth was written like that in Cassandra Vivian book about Egyptian Desert ) its known as El- Gelf El-kebir area .
just to make information through horizons unlimited more clear and logic
cheers

Hi Bikers
i can suggest a route if you will come from Jordan ,as i live in Egypt and made it few times on a bike
you will arrive to Newiba ,,from there you can go to Dahb ,for 2 days or longer and it is heaven for scuba diving or making your scuba course there
from there you can head to Saint Kathrine ,and from there you head west to Ras Sudr and then cross suez cannal buy the tunnel and you will be 3 hours away from busy Cairo
but you can go from Suez city direction south to Hurghada and from there to Safaga and head west toward the nile valley to Qenna city ,and its around 60 km northern Luxor , then you may park the bike and take a Nile small sailing boat (felluca ) to Aswan - think its over night trip - . After visiting Aswan , you can go back to Luxor , get your bike head to Kharga oasis then Dakhla , Farafra , Bahariya oases
from there you can
- A - Go offroad to Siwa oasis : but you have to know if you have street bikes it will be so so hard to do the 400 km trip from Bahariya oasis to Siwa .
its 400 kilometer track ,some of it is paved with bad asphalt ,and the rest is so bad track and lots of sand ,so you need off road bike to do it ,
and even if your bike is off road one ,and its loaded also will be bit hard to do it ,there is no gas stations nothing to buy ,only each 50 km military check point that have to check your permits ,wirte it down and contact the next check point that you arrived ,(so the next one will be expecting you ,in case of late or you dont show up so they will know where to look for you between - lets say c check point and d one
permits you can make it from Bahariya oasis military office ,with fees of 10 $ each perosn or even less - you must pay it in us dolars and dont ask me why its like that
in siwa its nice and cozy ,you may get your gear off the bikes -if its off road bikes - and go sand dunes hopping there and visit the famous bir wahed (hot spring in the middle of the dunes and big fesh water lake close to it
from there you can head north to marsa matrouh city (300 km of good asphalt road )
and then you can head west to Sallum the Libyan border
but like that you will miss Cairo and alexandria
- b
After Bahariya oasis head to Cairo and then to Alex ,and from there if you have time go to Siwa via Marsa Matrouh and back to Marsa then west to the Libyan border


ABOUT CAMPING IN EGYPT
usually you can camp every where ,
if you are close to a farm just ask the owners that you will pitch your tent ,bla bla bla ,
but most of the time if police find you will ask you not to camp ,not cause its illigal ,as it is not ,but cause they will feel more comfort if you stayed in the tourist areas
from Kahrga oasis all the way to Bahariya you can camp every where ,as lots of tourists comes here for that
sure if you will pass by Alex you are more than welcome in my home town ,you can stay few days with me (ALWAYS LOVE TO MEET BIKERS )
HOPE I WROTE SOME THING USEFUL
cheers

Are there petrol stations in Siwa?

but nothing on the way to Marsa Matrouh

Have fun

__________________
Dare!
My ride from Dead horse to Ushuaia 2009 is at
www.harpatka.com
It's in hebrew but lots of pics and some translation

Yoni

there is petrol in Siwa .but if you will head north to Marsa Matrouh ,there is a good asphalt road for 300 k.m but no gas stations.
and if you will head to Bahariya oasis , its 400 k.m most of it there is no road ,just a track .and no gas stations or fuel any where ,just 6 check point to check your permits and to make sure you make it safe from previous point to the next one , make sure to make your permits and most of time they put you in convoy (will be good to carry extra fuel for your bike ) just go to military permits office and ask who is heading tomorrow or the day after .or ask in Abdou's restaurant (its the main restaurant and coffee shop to hang out in Siwa .