Autumn and early winter in Egypt is the most wonderful time of the year. EcoTourism EXPERT found out how much an autumn journey to Egypt can cost and why it is nice to go there from September to December.
First of all, it is worth mentioning one fact: the only thing that makes an autumn and winter in Egypt similar to these seasons in the Central Russia is the time of sunlight during the day. Of course, it is several hours longer than in the Central Russia, but one must know that it gets light late and gets darker earlier, especially in November, December, and, of course, even in October in Egypt is not like in June in Central Russia.
In all other respects, these seasons in Egypt is a paradise for the Russian tourists who have the opportunity to relax and enjoy sunbathing on the beach to get healthier during Russian winter. Why ‘they have an opportunity’? Because due to the current geopolitical situation in the world, it takes on average about six and a half hours to get to Sharm el-Sheikh or Hurghada, and earlier, it took only about four hours by direct flights.
As you know, in the final cost of a tour package, the money paid for an air flight makes minimum 70 percent of the cost of a travel tour. So, the longer flights and the Russian ruble devaluation against the U.S. dollar and euro resulted in a serious increase in the price of travel packages. A week-long vacation on the Red Sea coast for two persons in November can cost at least 100 to 120 thousand rubles. By the way, tourists should know that October prices to Egypt can be on average 30 thousand more expensive and in December and especially on Christmas holidays prices skyrocket.
In this case, the hotel is not higher than a 4-star one and it can be located on the second or even third line from the sea. The second line in Egypt is not like that in Turkey where you just need to cross a small road and you walk along the fence of a frontline hotel. A hotel on the second line from the sea in Egypt in general, and in Sharm el-Sheikh in particular, is located rather far and it is better to get to the beach by a hotel shuttle bus. Walking to the beach takes very long and the weather is quite hot.
It is hot in Egypt even in autumn. In October, for example, the water temperature in Sharm el-Sheikh almost never drops below 28 degrees Celsius, and the air temperature during the day can be over thirty degrees. Of course, there are clouds in the sky, but very rarely, once every 4-5 days. But the clouds do not protect people from the scorching sun, so tourists should use sun-protection creams SPF 50, at least. But in the evening, a comfortable temperature of 25-26 degrees Celsius allows the tourists to wear their favorite T-shirts, and there are no cool autumn-winter winds in this resort city, unlike in Hurghada. From the end of December, the water in the Red Sea cools down significantly, but at the beginning and even in the middle of the month its temperature ranges from +24.7°C to +25.5°C degrees. So, its values are almost equal to the air temperature. Paradise is all...
By the way, the tourists should use anti-mosquito creams or sprays as these insects got adapted to air conditioning systems. It is worth mentioning that every hotel in Egypt has stores, either in the hotel building or within a walking distance, but the anti-mosquito creams or sprays are not on sale there. It’s also worth taking masks and snorkels to your trip, especially when going to Sharm el-Sheikh, because a coral reef stretches along the entire coast of this resort city. Spending your entire vacation days swimming only on top of water and never looking at its amazing underwater beauty is an unforgivable waste of money spent on a trip. By the way, there are no problems with masks and snorkels in stores and tourists can always choose the ones they like.
The main thing (and this remains an indisputable fact for Egypt) is that tourists should never agree to the first price offered by a seller. The last time when I bought sunglasses, their price magically dropped from $35 to $10 after 15 minutes of bargaining. The tourists should also bargain when taking a taxi because taxi drivers always ask for the price that is higher by 2-3 times, so the tourists should know that instead of $10 asked for by a taxi driver they can pay $5-$6 only. Of course, tourists should have a little patience and know at least a couple of words in English, or better, in Arabic.
Knowing some words in Arabic is not an obligation or necessity, but rather a good will of travelers. Of course, someone can say that tourism industry workers are required to know English, and they are right to some extent. And in Egypt, hotel workers really speak English. Every bartender and even hotel room cleaner changing the towels in the bathroom at the hotel know at least a set of basic phrases in English. By the way, most of them know Russian a little bit. However, if travelers know a few words in Arabic, at least ‘hello’ and ‘thank you’, the attitude towards them as the hotel guests can be completely different as the personnel becomes even more well-disposed, more friendly and more hospitable!
What else makes Egyptian law season an attractive time of year for a good vacation? There are no many tourists on the beaches and at the hotels, because, even despite the nice weather in Egypt, this time of year is a psychological off-season for most people, because the summer is already over, the New Year holidays - when Egypt becomes popular again - have not yet begun. Therefore, there are always vacant sun loungers on the beach and by the swimming pool, and if there are queues to ‘all inclusive’ restaurants, they are not long.
For those who like active life and neon lights of big cities, the Soho Square, the main party area in Sharm El Sheikh, is very close. When travelers stay at a hotel in the Sharks Bay area, a walk from some hotels to the Soho Square takes 10 to 15 minutes. By the way, the hotels in this bay area are also convenient because they are the closest ones to the airport; on average, it takes no more than 15-20 minutes to get to the airport.
In fact, there is not many attractions in the Soho Square: there are restaurants, the Soho Mall shopping and entertainment center, shops with neon lights, a fountain and a huge number of people; there are so many people that you can hardly find a vacant bench to sit down. And the prices in the Soho square area, by the way, are somewhat higher than in ordinary stores near the hotels.
In low season, animation is not as active as in summer. In Egypt, compared with Turkey, animation is not something outstanding, but it is worth knowing that animators work on stage and interact little with tourists at the resorts of the Antalya coast, but the approach is quite different on the Red Sea coast. The animation there is not as good as in Turkey, but the animators always find time to talk with hotel guests, discuss the latest news, invite them to a disco or to play water polo.
