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Safaga Egypt Cruise Port Guide
Location:
Port Safaga is an industrial port, located about 1 to 3 km miles from the town of Safaga. There are no tourist facilities at the port.
The ride to town should cost about $4. Taxis to Hurghada are about $40 each way. However taxis are difficult to find.
Most passengers use this port to visit Luxor, about 3-4 hours away.
A cruise organized excursion is recommended.
Printable map to take along.
Cruise calendar for this port.
Watch a destination video.
Live Nautical Chart with Wikipedia Markers
Monthly Climate Averages for Safaga Egypt
Sightseeing:
The black sand dune beaches characteristic of Safaga are a favorite spot for sun bathers. The sea water is known to be highly saline and rich in minerals which are beneficial for the skin, and it is a popular curative destination in the Red Sea Riviera.
Savage and Abu Soma, with their constant winds and gently sloping sandy beaches, are the places to surf in the Red Sea Riviera.
Tours Excursions Transportation:
The port of Safaga allows passengers access to Luxor, on the banks of the River Nile, famous as the site of Karnak Temple, Hatshepsut's Temple, the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens. Karnak Temple is a vast complex consisting of three main temples, several smaller enclosed temples and a number of outer temples.
Important: There are many companies offering excursions into Luxor, and in general are reliable. But your ship only will wait for late customers if they booked the ship's excursions. So be sure to have a cell phone with you (and the ship's telephone number!) just in case!
The whole complex was built over a period of 1300 years and includes several of the finest examples of ancient Egyptian design and architecture.
The tombs in the Valley of the Kings, although stripped of many of their contents centuries ago, still display fantastic wall paintings depicting the lives of the pharaohs in ancient Egypt, down to the minutest detail. The most famous tomb, that of the young pharaoh Tutankhamun, was discovered in pristine condition by Howard Carter in 1922.
The most famous tomb in the Valley of the Queens is the Tomb of Queen Nefertari, the principal wife of Ramses II, which was only opened to the public in 1995. The spectacular Hatshepsut's Temple was built by the Queen Hatshepsut's architect, Senenmut, in honor of the only woman ever to reign over Egypt as Pharaoh.
With all tours armed security will be on each bus. And often police escorts will be close to the bus caravan.
It pays to compare your cruise line shore excursions here.
Nearby Places:
Shopping and Food
Jewelry, spices, copper utensils and Coptic cloth; copies of Egyptian artifacts are also widely available, as are papyrus sheets decorated with pictures of Egyptian pharaohs and hieroglyphs.
Egyptian cuisine combines many of the best traditions of Middle Eastern cooking. Local specialties include foul (bean dishes), roast pigeon, kebabs and humus (chickpeas). Although Egypt is a Muslim country, alcohol is available in café-style bars and good restaurants.
Currency:
In all souvenirs shops US dollars and the Euro are happily accepted.
Communication:
Language: Arab
Sure there are internet facilities...but with arab keyboards!
Sahara in arabic means desert. So do not talk about the Sahara desert!
Opening Hours and Holidays:
The National Holidays in Egypt.
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