Egyptian [Western] desert closed for travellers?
 

Hi all,

According to a press release from the German Foreign Department, Egypt has closed western and southern deserts for traveling. This includes Western Desert, Black Desert and White Desert:

Auswärtiges Amt: Ägypten sperrt Wüstengebiete für Reisen

Travellers are rushed through Egypt with police escorts in just a few days. No fun anymore…:funmeterno:

Cheers from Khartoum,

Gee

Egypt - Western Desert open again
 

Eastern Desert is not closed
 

just coming back from a trip to the Eastern Desert,
no Tourist Police escort - just one military officer.
Unfortunately we did not get the permission to visit Gebel Elba


Ursula

That's some good news, at least in part. Where did you manage to go ?

Eastern Desert
 

from Aswan we went SE to the northern part of the Gebel Elba Park, Shalatin, and then to Wadi Gimal Park.
Some pictures on https://www.flickr.com/photos/72664388@N00/
Unfortunately we did not visit the interesting sites of Winkler and Co…
Ursula

Wow, magnificent photos Ursula, thanks for sharing. These are the kinds of images which make me want to go to the Sahara.

Were you able to get to the Tenere / Djado recently?

Thanks

EO

Amazing photos Ursula!
Did you take the road that goes from Aswan to Berenice?
Cheers.

Tenere Djado Niger
 

hello EO
since the rebellion I did not go back to these great places!
It is too risky.
Ursula

Aswan - Breniss
 

hello Habari
from Aswan we followed this road and left it near Sheikh Shazly
following pistes to the south east.
Great landscapes!
Ursula

Indeed Ursula! :thumbup1:

Cheers!

White and Black desert open for visits again
 

Good news people!

The Egyptian army is now allowing people into the white and black deserts again. I don't know about the Western Desert / Great Sand Sea / Gilf Kbir. It is still wise to go with a bedouin guide as there are many smugglers, of which some armed.

I live in Egypt and can supply more info if needed.

Happy camping!

Hey Basz,
thanks a lot for this information! :)
I will be in Eqypt around november/december this year and I will go from north to south by bicycle.
In the last week i got some quite differing information from other travelers concerning the white and black deserts...some say it is possible, some say it's not...

What do you think? Will they let me in with a bike? Are there military escorts? Will they let me camp in the wild? Do you think it is too dangerous?

Every bit of information will be really helpful to me :)
Thanks a lot!
Dominik

Peter Wirth
 

Hi Dominik,

I suggest you get in touch with Peter Wirth, he is the owner of the Baharia hot springs hotel (they really do have hot springs!). He has been living there for a very long time and knows all the bedouins and police/military. He organises motorcycle trips into the white and black desert, so he will be able to answer all your questions.

His phone is +201227369493
His email is info1@whitedeserttours.com or whitedesert@link.net

Camping in the desert is always wild, it is one big camping ground ;)

Great, thanks for the contact information! This is really helpful :)
Which nationality is Peter?

Peter Wirth in Bahariya
 

hallo Dominik
er ist Deutscher, seine Frau Japanerin.
Alles Gute wünscht dir
Ursula

Okay, danke Ursula, irgendwie dachte ich mir das schon, so muss ich nicht nen Landsmann auf Englisch anschreiben... :)

Stuck in Jordan. HELP
 

Dear all,

Great to read some positive news about Egypt!

My brother and I are doing the same trip with our 4x4 only the other way around. We were suppose to take the boat from Aqaba to Port Sudan but suddenly the regulations have changed. This means that we need a letter of permission of the Sudan government. Currently we are stuck in Aqaba and nothing has changed yet. We have tried a lot of things so now we are waiting for good news from our fixer. Without that letter our car cannot go on a boat to Sudan. Our entry visa for Sudan expires on the 3rd of July so we are quite in a rush. Therefor we cannot waste any time and we have to think of a Plan B.

Does anybody know if it is possible to cross the border at Taba and if they allow a 4x4 car (not a pick up) into the Sinai. Even more important, is it safe to travel through Egypt?
We are now thinking of crossing at Taba, through the Sinai to Suez and from Suez to Hurghada, Aswan and then cross the border at Wadi Halfa.
How does it work with a Police convoy?
We have a Carnet but do they force you to get another insurance as well in Egypt?

Does anyone has a number of a fixer in Sinai who can help us out?

Thanks a lot for all the tips! All information is welcome

Best regards,
Daan & Lotte

Try this Egyptian-Dutch couple that run a tourist agency: ADVENTURESAFARI

It was waiting to happen...
 

Mexican tourists killed by Egyptian security forces - BBC News

No precise information given, but "el Wahat" should refer to the Bahariya region, anything further south would be "al Wadi Gedid".

I have long maintained the biggest threat in the Egyptian deserts are the incompetent Egyptian security forces...

Edit (from another source, unverified but overall details sound credible):

The incident took place in Bahariya Oasis about 250 miles south west of Cairo.
Amr Imam, a relative of Awad Fathi, 37, manager of one of an eco hotel in the Western desert and the tour guide of the trip, who was killed, said that the incident took place on Sunday at 4pm but the security had tried to cover it up until he posted on twitter what happened. He said that the convoy consisted of French and Mexicans tourists and eight members of the tour company. The statement of the Ministry of Interior said that the convoy had parked in restricted zone, but Mr Imam claimed that they had parked the SUV cars on the main road and walked about 500 metres into the desert to have lunch, when they were targeted. "The area, they were camping in, was not a restricted zone."

Why would you walk 500m off the road to have lunch?

details on the events on the Wahat road in Egypt
 

there is still a lot of conflicting information coming out, including nationalities, number of casualties, time of the incident etc.

What is clear however is that they stopped on the way to Bahariya and ventured into the desert, to the WEST of the main road. They had approval from police/army for the trip to the White desert which is further South. Apparently this particular place where they stopped is a known entry/exit point for smugglers. It is also well known that entry into the Western part of the desert is not allowed without permit and that there is a lot of illegal activity happening. The guides must have known this because permits for this area have been required since many years (and all trips accompanied by army people). Normally it isn't a problem because the desert is large and you generally do not meet other people. In this particular case however, the convoy was seen by Airforce helicopters/fighter jets (not clear which) and they opened fire indiscriminately with very tragic result.

As I have posted before, visitors wanting to go to the White desert should inform themselves thoroughly with local sources before going and use reliable guides. The White desert is still open for visits with the proper paperwork.

Egypt - Western Desert
 

„The Ministry of Tourism has decided to resume safaris in the White Desert east of Wahat Road
beginning 22 October, although camping in these areas will be prohibited and
tourists must stay in hotels overnight, according to an Egyptian Travel Agents Association
(ETAA) official at a company that conducts desert safaris.“

http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2014/10/13/safaris-return-white-desert-next-week-remain-suspended-southern-areas-etaa-official/


http://www.thecairopost.com/news/171...urity-measures

Hi Ursula, the article from the Daily News is dated 2014 ... Situation in de white desert is still not clear. People wanting the latest news should contact someone who has first hand knowledge. The police and military are constantly changing what is allowed and what is not. The same applies for the Sinai.

'Travel agency to blame' for Egyptian airstrikes that killed Mexican tourists
 

North to South
 

Hi

Can any one recommend great places to see in Egypt as I'm driving down to South Africa. Done Sharm El Sheikh and Dahab. would like places off the beaten track .

Thanks

About 40km south of Cario at Dahshur are other interesting pyramids. Hardly any people around it is quite remarkable by comparison with Giza.
All the stuff at Luxor is just staggering.
And we liked Aswan .. nicely relaxed.

Info for bikers enroute Cairo to Abu-Simbel
 

howdy all!

Im heading out mid march 2016 from Cairo city to Luxor then to Aswan and then to Abu Simbel. Im finding it hard to get info on what times i can leave, who to notify of my trip and If i can go at all? I will be on two wheels and is the best route flat out to the left of the Nile on the highway, or do you take the right side through the towns on the way?
So much conflicting info out there. I am aware of the risks and the also security, and tense political situation in the area at the moment, but still keen to give it a go.
dags

dagssuperstar@gmail.com

Hi dags
this thread (title now changed) is more about the little visited desert far to the west of the Nile.
For the route to Aswan you will find this sticky thread useful:
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...pt-index-63126

As far as I know the run down along the Nile is fairly straightforward; there may be escorts and checkpoints. Left or right, up to you. Then in Aswan you need to join the dawn convoy to Abu Simbel.

Hi PaulGeert, how did you enter Egypt and with what car? You say that you have done Sharm and Dahab, curious to know how you did that and when. Places that I would recommend to visit other than the obvious ones: Siwa (but now off limits for 4x4), the monastery of Wadi el Natrun, monasteries on the Red Sea (Saint Anthony, Saint Paul), el Quseir (red sea), Wadi Lahami.

Also very nice is the new museum in Wadi el Hitan (whalebone valley in Fayoum). This is also the best place for dune driving at the moment.

Send me a message if you want more info.

Bas

Egypt
 

Hi Bas

I'm planning a trip with my Land cruiser end of the year going through Africa. Previously I visited Dahab and Sharm el Sheike. But as I gather is that is a lot of hassle getting in and out with a vehicle. So might have to rethink my route.funmeterno.gif

Thanks Chris! I will update everyone as I get there and relay any new info as I travel down!
cheers!
dags

Would anyone like to speculate as to when the Egyptian authorities would allow access (with an escort) to the Gilf Kebir area.

I have been wanting to go on a tour for the past three years, but haven't been in luck.

Do you think a lack of a stable Libyan government who can control the borders is the main reason for the current restrictions or is it a more complicated domestic Egyptian bureaucratic issue?

I've just been going to the Sinai desert in the meantime for some trekking and scrambles but long for some proper remote desert..