Egypt

 

The 'Land of Pharaos', since late antiquity had a lot to offer for his visitors, whatever for which proposes they came here. The Roman Emperor Trajan has even built a “winter palace” for himself at Philae Island, to spend here the mild winters, where the temperature never drops below 10 ۫C, even at the coldest night in winter. Among the fabulous archeological sites, Egypt hosts two of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: The Great Pyramids of Giza and the Lighthouse from Alexandria. Moreover, Egypt has even more to offer for the nature lovers, especially for birders and divers.
Many of the greatest figures of the XIX and XX century has lived here or spent the winters in Egypt. Among them are the famous writer Lawrence Durrel, the well-known Grof Almassy Laszlo who discovered the lost oasis of Zarzura, better known from the “English Patient” movie, Sir Winstol Churchill, Agatha Christie, Aga Khan and Lord Kitchner.

 

 

 

Basic information’s

Location

Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Libya and the Gaza Strip, and the Red Sea north of Sudan, and includes the Asian Sinai Peninsula

Area

Total: 1,001,450 sq km 
land: 995,450 sq km 
water: 6,000 sq km

Capital

Name: Cairo 
geographic coordinates: 30 03 N, 31 15 E 
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Languages

Arabic (official), English and French widely understood by educated classes

Climate

Desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters

Elevation extremes

Lowest point: Qattara Depression -133 m 
Highest point: Mount Catherine 2,629 m

Population

81,713,520 (July 2008 est.)

 

 

Main locations of interest

 

Alexandria

Lat  N 31˚ 12 ‘  Long  E  29˚ 54’

The ancient capital of Alexander the Great lies at the western edge of Nile Delta, on the beautiful coast of the Mediterranean Sea. If the azure blue waves of the Mediterranean Sea are calm, from the Alexandrian Cornice, exactly from Qaitbey’s Fort, the silent remains of one of the Seven Wonders of the World can be seen: The Lighthouse of Alexandria. The writer Lawrence Durell has spent here a period, which inspired him to write one of his most famous book, 'Alexandrian Quartet'.

Places to visit: Fort of Qait Bey,  The Pilar of Pompei, The Roman Arena, The Greco-Roman Museum,  The Roman Crypts, the II World War Cemetery’s at El Alamein , which is  the location of the world biggest tank battle between the German and the Allied troops.

Bird specialties:  Red-rumped Weathear (Oenante moesta), Dunn’s Lark (Chersophilius duponti), Red Avadavat (Amandava amandava), Streaked Weaver (Ploceus manyar),Temminck Horned-lark (Eremophila bilopha)

 

 

Cairo

Lat N 30˚ 03'  Long E 31˚ 15’ 

The capital of Egypt, among countless other exotic places, host one of the Seven Wonders of the World –The Great Pyramids of Giza.  Pharaonic, Greco-Roman, Islamic, Victorian and modern buildings lead us trough 4600 years of history,  a fact that makes Cairo unique in the whole world.

 

Kairo - "Khan el Khalili"

Places to visit: Egyptian Museum, The City of the Deaths,  Ibn Tulun’s Mosque, The Citadel with the Alabaster Mosque, The Coptic Cairo, The Medieval Bazar, Memphis, the Steppe Pyramid from Saquara, the Red and the Bent Pyramid of Snefru, the  oriental hand made carpet schools, the Giza Zoo, the Public Gardens of Zamalek.

Bird specialties: Senegal Couckoal (Centropus senegalensis),  Spotted Cuckoal (Clamator glandarius), Red Avadavat (Amandava amandava), Streaked Weaver (Ploceus manyar), Painted Snipe (Rostrathula benghalensis),White-breasted Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis), Ring Necked Parakeet (Psittacula krameri), Green Bee-eater (Merops persicus), Little Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis)

 

 

 

Sinai Peninsula

This amazing and mystic place on Earth, is the cradle of the three major monotheistic religion: Judaic, Christian and Islam. In the high mountains of South Sinai, hidden in the deep valleys, the St. Katherine monastery waits the pilgrims and visitors since the 4th century AD. Here is the famous Burning Bush, and the Mountain where Moses received the 10 commandments from God.

Places to visit: City of Sharm el Sheich (Lat N 27˚ 44’Long E 34˚ 15’), the marine natural protectorate of Ras Mohamed, St .Katherine Monastery, Mount Moses, Mount Katherine, Wadi Feiran, Dahab and Taba City , Nabaq Protected Area.

 

 

Bird specialties: Tristam’s Grackle (Onycoghnamus tristami)  Sinai Rosefinch (Carpodacus synoicus), Verraux Eagle (Aquilla verauxii), Bonelli’s Eagle (Hieraetus fasciatus), Hume’s  Tawny Owl (Strix butleri), Graceful Prinia (Prinia gracilis).

Diving: the worlds no.1 wreck: Tislegorm, and the Marine National Park of Ras Mohamed

 

 

Siwa Oasis

Lat N 29˚ 12’ Long 25˚31’

 

In the heart of the Lybian Desert, Siwa Oasis is like a pearl in the infinite ocean of sand. With his lakes and thermal baths, and mythical gardens, makes it one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Here is still visible the famous Oracle where Alexander the Great has been declared Son of The Sun God, and accepted as a legitimate pharaoh of Egypt.
The visitor can have a refreshing swim in the thermal bath of Queen Cleopatra. Can anyone wish more luxury?

Places to visit: The Oracle, Cleopatra’s Bath, The Great Sand Sea, The White Desert, the markets of Siwa where the best dates can be found.

Bird rarities: Great Flamingo (Phoenicopterus rubber), Lanner Falcoon (Falco biarmicus), Sooty Falcoon (Falco concolor), White-Crowned Weathear(Oenanthe leucophyga)

 

 

 

Hurghada

27˚14’ Lat N 33˚ 50’

Called the “Bride of the Red Sea”, Hurghada is one of the most visited places in Egypt. The coral reefs attracts more divers than any other diving spot in the world. Dolphins and turtles are daily seen in the shallow waters around the reefs. A location which can not be missed !

Places to visit: the coral reefs (snorkeling or intro diving trip), the Roman gold mines at Mons Claudianus, the Red Sea Mountains and the Bedouin settlements.

Birding specialities:  White-eyed Gull (Larus leucophtalamus), Sooty Gull (Larus hemprichii), Sooty Falcon (Falco concolor), Brown Bobby (Sula leucogaster), Bridled Tern(Sterna anathetus), Lesser Creste Tern(Sterna benghalensis), Red-Billed Tropicbird(Phaeton aethereus), Pharaoh’s Eagle Owl (Bubo ascalaphus) Namaqua Dove (Oena capensis).

Diving specialities: Bottle-nose Dolphin, Hawk-billed Turtle.

 

Makadi Bay- Hurghada

 

 

Quseir

26˚ 06’ Lat N  34˚ 17’ Long E

A small, quiet city located on the Central Eastern Desert, at the Red Sea Coast. It’ harbor has been used since the pharaonic times up to present. Nothing can be compared with the calm atmosphere  of the city. A walk across the indigenous bazaar or along the main street which leys along the beach makes the perfect evening for those which want to relax.

 

Places to visit: The Fort, Central Eastern Desert, the unique coral reefs of Quseir.

Bird rarities:  Lanner (Falco biarmicus), Hooded Weathear(Oenanthe monacha), Mourning Weathear (Oenanthe lugens), Desert Weathear (Oenanthe deserti), Bridled Tern (Sterna anathetus), White-checked Terns (Sterna represa), Bar-tailed Desert Lark (Amomanes cincturus), Crowned Sandgrouse (Pterocles coronatus).

Diving specialities:  Spanish dancer, Dugong, White tipped Shark

 

 

El Qulan Lagoons

Qulan lagoon

Turquoise blue sea, and evergreen mangrove trees surrounds the tiny Bedouin settlement at El Qulan Lagoon.
For those, which would like to experience the wild camping under the millions of stars, and fall asleep on the relaxing music of the waves, there is no better place in the world.
A night swimming under the full moon light is one of the most desirable activity here. There are no facilities (tape water or electricity), but this facts are giving a special charm to this paradise spot.

Qulan camp

 

 

Bir Shalatin

23˚ 08’ Lat N  35˚ 36’ Long E

Bir Shalatin is small village on the Sudanese border, with mainly indigenous Bisharin inhabitants. In  our fast globalizing  word, there are day by day less original places. At this remote area, is located one of the last camel market. Sandal wood, cinnamon sticks, pure henna, black hibiscus and many other spices of the real Black Africa can be found here only.

Places to visit: The Camel Market, the African bazaar, the mangrove forest

Birding specialties:  Goliath Heron (Ardea goliath), Crab Plover (Dromas ardeola), Lapped-faced Vulture (Torgos tracheliotos), Egyptian Vulture (Neophron precnopterus), Black-crowned Finch lark (Eremopterix nigriceps)

 

 

Luxor

25˚ 41’ Lat N 32˚ 39’ Long E

Located on the upper Nile Valley, Luxor was the religious and administrative capital of the ancient Egypt from the New Kingdom( XV century BC). The best preserved temples and the multitude of the archeological sites, makes Luxor one of the most wanted cultural hot spots for the tourists. The hot weather, and the beautiful banks of the Nile, has attracted the writers, poets, film stars and celebrities since the XIXth century. The Winter Palace Hotel has been host among other famous guests, Sir Winston Churchil and Agatha Christie. Most recently, the French president Nicolas Sárközy has spent there his vacation.

Places to visit: Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, Mortuary temple of Ramses III, Mortuary temple of Queen Hatchepsuth, Luxor and Karnak Temple (all of them part of the World Heritage), Banana and Crocodile Island, The Temple of Hathor (at Dendera), Luxor Museum, the Franciscan Church, the Mosque of  Abu Hagag, The Collosi of Memnon.

 Birding specialties: Yellow-billed Kite (Milvus aegypticus), Isabeline Shrike (Lanius isabelinus), Little Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis  ssp. cleopatra),Red Avadavat (Amandava amandava), Senegal Thick-knee (Burhinus senegalensis), Trumpeter Finch (Buchanates githagineus), Palid Swift (Apus palidus), African Crag Martin (Ptyonoprogne obsoleta).

 

 

 

ASWAN

24˚05’ Lat N 32˚ 53’ Long E

Known as the “Gate of Black Africa”, Aswan has been always one of the most colorful and charming city in Egypt. This is the Northern border of Nubia, the land of one of most exotic and charming inhabitants of Egypt. Indeed, it is a very hot place, where often the temperature rise to 52˚ C in the summer months, but also a place where you never feel alone!

 

Places to visit: The Nubian Museum, Kalabsha Temple, the granite quarries with the unfinished obelisk of Queen Hatchepsuth, Lord Kitchner’s Botanical Garden, The Elephantine Island with its famous nilometer, the twin temple of Gods Sobek and Horus (Kom Ombo), the Middle Kingdom tombs, the Mausoleum of Aga Khan, the British and the High Dam, Agilika Island with the famous temple of Goodness Isis.

Birding specialties: Three-banded Plover (Charadrius tricolaris), Striated Heron (Butorides striatus),Nile Valley Sunbird (Anthreptes metalicus),Purple Galinule (Porphyrio porphyrio)

 

 

Abu Simbel

22˚ 22’ Lat N 31˚ 38’ Long E

Across the  Tropic of Cancer, in the middle of the deadly Nubian Desert, the magnificent temples of Ramses II and his wife Nefertari seemingly are not afraid to face the extreme weather and the passing of time. The monuments has been saved by an UNESCO effort in 1964, from the rising water level of Lake Nasser. A visit will definitely change our perception of the time.

Places to visit: The temple of Ramses II and Nefertari, Lake Nasser.

Birding specialties: Egyptian Goose (Alopochen  aegypticus), Egyptian Nightjar (Caprimulgus aegypticus), Pink-backed Pelican (Pelecanus rufescens), Yellow-billed Stork (Mycteria ibis), African Skimmer (Rynchops flavirostris), African Wegtail (Motacilla aguimp)