Egypt: Armed Convoys No Longer Required for Tourist Journeys; Travel Warning for Northern Sinai

By Larry Habegger | Permalink | 1 comment | December 11th, 2008 | Trackback

Egyptian authorities lifted the requirement for tourist vehicles to travel in armed convoys after 10 years without a terrorist incident on the roads along the Nile. The restriction was put in place after the 1997 attack at the Temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor when six heavily armed terrorists massacred 63 tourists. The lifting of the convoy requirement means that tours no longer need to travel together to the sites along the Nile so they will not all arrive at the same time and create a crush at each site. In addition, the duration of a visit to the sites will no longer be dictated by the need to stay with the convoy so tours will have more flexibility. Tourists will also be able to explore more places beyond the major tourist sites, including lively markets at towns not far off the main tourist path. In other news, travel in the northern Sinai north of the Cairo-Nekhl-Taba road may be risky because of recent violent conflicts between Egyptian security forces and Bedouin tribesmen. Tensions are high and could remain so for some time.

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