Visa/Passport
If you arrive via Cairo or Land you need to buy a VISA.
Arrive with INTERNATION flight to Sharm el Sheikh and you stay max. 2 weeks in Sinai you do not need to organise any entry visa, at the passport control you will receive the “Sinai Only” entrance stamp.
If you stay + 2 weeks you can buy a VISA on arrival (25 Euro) for max 4 weeks. Buy your VISA Sticker before you walk to Passport control.
If you stay + 4 weeks please apply for an online Visa E-VISA – visa2egypt.gov.eg
NOTE: depending which passport you hold, it can be that you have to apply for a visa before arrival.
Currency
DO NOT change your money until you get to Egypt as the local Egyptian banks can give you a better rate than your local high street banks in Europe, check out www.cibeg.com for the latest rates (you should give us commission for this tip!). There are also many ATMs across town and hotel receptions for cash withdrawal.
Health
Vaccinations are not required when visiting Egypt but you may want to check with your GP if the situation changes.
You do occasionally hear of people being ill from a upset stomach, here are a few tips to consider to keep you on top form;
Don’t drink the tap water, sometimes you can get ill from eating buffet food which is mainly because the salads have been washed in the tap water. Also best not to have ice in your drink as this may be tap water.
Dehydration also causes an upset stomach, we drink about five litres of water a day and we are use to the heat.
Alcohol also dehydrates (of course we never drink alcohol…..).
Having the air-conditioning too low in you room doesn’t allow your body to get use to the heat and also dehydrates you.
If you do get an upset stomach it is not a good idea to take Imodium, you can buy ‘pink’ and ‘green’ tablets that sort you out after 12 hours, also re-hydration salts help which you can also buy here.
There you go, that’s our Egypt survival tips!
We do work with a very professional doctor at the Hyperbaric Chamber close to us, so you will always be in safe hands whether it’s a diving or non-diving matter.
Keeping in touch with Home
Though Dahab has a very easy, relaxed atmosphere, there may come a time when you want to contact the outside world;
It’s best not to use your phone here as it can be expensive. You can buy local sim cards that are cheap, but again to keep the costs down it’s best limit it to texts for international use.
There is plenty of internet cafes in town and most hotels/bars etc have wireless access plus satellite TV.
