ON ARRIVAL

A notice stamped in passports on entry into Egypt says “registration within 7 days” but arrivals in Cairo should in fact be registered within 48 hours, either at the nearest police station or at the Mugama’a. Visitors need re-registration at each new city visited for for the sake of the tourists' safty. Hotels perform this service routinely, but visitors staying in private houses, must make other arrangements to be registered. Their hosts may be held responsible for failure to do so.

Customs

The visitor is permitted to enter the country with 250 grams of tobacco, or 50 cigars, one liter of alcohol and personal affects. Animals must have a veterinary certificate attesting to their good health and a valid rabies certificate.

Cairo International Airport is one of the few airports that has a duty free shop upon arrival and departure.

Persons traveling with expensive electronic equipment such as cameras, video cameras, or computers may be required to list these items in their passports to ensure that they will be exported upon departure.

Porter Service

Most international airports in Egypt are equipped with baggage trolleys available free of charge. There are also porters with larger trolleys to service individuals and groups.

Extension of Stay

Visas may be renewed at the Mugama’a. They are valid for 15 days after the expiration date, but if not renewed a letter of apology from your embassy must be presented to the Mugama’a or you will have to pay a small fine. You may extend your stay for over one month one week before the end of your visit, if required.

On Departure

Traveler are free to buy and export Egyptian goods. There are restrictions on certain items that are not permitted to leave the country. Under no circumstances are antiquities, either ancient Egyptian or Islamic, permitted to be exported. Nor are precious jewels, carpets, paintings or other works older than 100 years.

EGYPT CLIMATE AND WEATHER

 

Throughout Egypt, days are commonly warm or hot, and nights are cool. Egypt has only two seasons: a mild winter from November to April and a hot summer from May to October. The only differences between the seasons are variations in daytime temperatures and changes in prevailing winds. In the coastal regions, temperatures range between an average minimum of 14° C in winter and an average maximum of 30° C in summer.

Temperatures vary widely in the inland desert areas, especially in summer, when they may range from 7° C at night to 43° C during the day. During winter, temperatures in the desert fluctuate less dramatically, but they can be as low as 0° C at night and as high as 18° C during the day.

The average annual temperature increases moving southward from the Delta to the Sudanese border, where temperatures are similar to those of the open deserts to the east and west. In the north, the cooler temperatures of Alexandria during the summer have made the city a popular resort. Throughout the Delta and the northern Nile Valley, there are occasional winter cold spells accompanied by light frost and even snow. AtAswan, in the south, June temperatures can be as low as 10° C at night and as high as 41° C during the day when the sky is clear.

Egypt receives fewer than eighty millimeters of precipitation annually in most areas. Most rain falls along the coast, but even the wettest area, around Alexandria, receives only about 200 millimeters of precipitation per year. Alexandria has relatively high humidity, but sea breezes help keep the moisture down to a comfortable level. Moving southward, the amount of precipitation decreases suddenly. Cairo receives a little more than one centimeter of precipitation each year. The city, however, reports humidity as high as 77 percent during the summer. But during the rest of the year, humidity is low. The areas south of Cairo receive only traces of rainfall. Some areas will go years without rain and then experience sudden downpours that result in flash floods. Sinai receives somewhat more rainfall (about twelve centimeters annually in the north) than the other desert areas, and the region is dotted by numerous wells and oases, which support small population centers that formerly were focal points on trade routes. Water drainage toward the Mediterranean Sea from the main plateau supplies sufficient moisture to permit some agriculture in the coastal area, particularly near Al Arish.

A phenomenon of Egypt's climate is the hot spring wind that blows across the country. The winds, known to Europeans as the sirocco and to Egyptians as the khamsin, usually arrive in April but occasionally occur in March and May. The winds form in small but vigorous low-pressure areas in the Isthmus of Suez and sweep across the northern coast of Africa. Unobstructed by geographical features, the winds reach high velocities and carry great quantities of sand and dust from the deserts. These sandstorms, often accompanied by winds of up to 140 kilometers per hour, can cause temperatures to rise as much as 20° C in two hours. The winds blow intermittently and may continue for days, cause illness in people and animals, harm crops, and occasionally damage houses and infrastructure.

Month	Type	Cairo Min/Max	Alexandria Min/Max	Luxor Min/Max	Aswan Min/Max	Hurghada Air/Water Average	Sharm Air/Water Average
		Forecast	Forecast	Forecast	Forecast	Forecast	Forecast
Jan	C F	8.6/19.1 47/66	9.3/18.3 49/65	5.4/23 42/74	8/23.8 46/75	24/18 75/64	24/18 75/64
Feb	C F	9.3/21 48/69	9.7/19.2 49/67	6.8/25.4 44/78	9.4/26.1 49/79	25/18 77/64	25/18 77/64
March	C F	11.2/23.7 52/75	11.3/21 52/70	10.7/29 51/84	12.6/30.4 54/86	26/20 79/68	26/20 79/68
April	C F	13.9/28.2 56/83	14.5/23.6 58/75	15.7/35 60/95	17.5/36 63/97	31/25 88/77	31/25 88/77
May	C F	17.4/32.4 63/90	16.7/26.5 62/80	20.7/39.3 69/103	21.1/38.5 71/101	35/26 95/79	35/26 95/79
June	C F	19.9/34.5 68/95	20.4/28.2 69/83	22.6/41 72/107	24.2/42.1 76/108	37/28 99/82	37/28 99/82
July	C F	21.5/35.4 71/96	22.7/29.6 73/86	23.6/40.8 74/106	24.5/42 76/108	40/28 107/82	40/28 107/82
Aug	C F	21.6/34.8 71/95	22.9/30.4 73/87	23.5/41 74/107	24.7/41.3 76/107	42/29 108/84	42/29 108/84
Sept	C F	19.9/23.3 68/89	21.3/29.4 71/85	21.5/38.5 71/101	22.2/39.6 72/103	38/27 100/81	38/27 100/81
Oct	C F	17.8/29.8 64/86	17.9/27.7 64/82	17.8/35.1 64/95	19.3/36.6 66/99	32/25 90/77	32/25 90/77
Nov	C F	12.1/24.1 54/75	14.8/24.4 59/76	12.3/29.6 54/85	14.5/30.2 58/86	26/23 79/73	26/23 79/73
Dec	C F	10.4/20.7 51/69	11.2/20.4 52/69	7.7/24.8 45/76	9.9/20.5 50/69	26/19 79/66	26/19 79/66