Egypt Tour Bus Crash

[MVPinBoynton]

I just read about a terrible tour bus crash in Aswan with 8 Americans being killed. With there being 3 buses, it sure sounds like a river cruise group. Let's keep those affected in our prayers. This is a terrible tragedy. Here is a link. CNN Story

 

Update: I just read that the buses were on the way to Abu Simbel in the early morning.

[paul929207]

That is terrible.

[tiyana4]

I just read it on MSN...front page news. What a horrible tragedy! We were just in Egypt and it is so easy to see how this could happen. The driving conditions are the worst I have seen anywhere. It's not the roads themselves, but there are no rules on the road. Almost everyone drives like maniacs. In this case it looks like the driver hit a parked vehicle! :eek:

[paul929207]

Report says it was operated by Misr tours.

[dileep]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40810087/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/

 

Very sad indeed. Misr Tours is a fairly big company and we saw their blue and white buses all over Cairo. There is a convoy that leaves Aswan at 4 am in the dark for the 3.5 hour drive to Abu Simbel so they can return that same afternoon. We ran into a large grroup at our hotel that had traveled in 3 buses with Grand Circle Travel. We took the 10 am convoy and spent the night there. Everyone speeds along the desert road.

[Hydrokitty]

I just read about a terrible tour bus crash in Aswan with 8 Americans being killed. With there being 3 buses, it sure sounds like a river cruise group. Let's keep those affected in our prayers. This is a terrible tragedy. Here is a link. CNN Story

 

Update: I just read that the buses were on the way to Abu Simbel in the early morning.

 

What a terrible tragedy...saw it on the news last night and almost cried. We took that same bus ride from Aswan to Abu Simbel when we were in Egypt and I really enjoyed the ride through the desert. I don't remember the road being in poor condition as the news report said. We were with Vantage and were sailing from Abu Simbel so it was a one way trip for us. Our prayers are with all who were on those buses and their families.

[Benita]

The crash involved a group from Grand Circle Tours.

[MVPinBoynton]

The crash involved a group from Grand Circle Tours.

 

Thanks for the information. I had been wondering which company the tour was from. It had not been previously mentioned. It is just so sad that what should be a trip of a lifetime is struck with a tragedy of this magnitude.

[dileep]

The crash involved a group from Grand Circle Tours.

 

I thought so. See my previous post. We met a GCT tour group at the Basma Hotel in Aswan that had just returned from a similar trip on Nov 21. I remember them talking about 3 buses leaving at 4 am. We just heard on Seattle TV that one of the deceased men is from Kennewick, WA and his wife was injured.

 

only link I could find is http://www.gct.com/Community/Traveler-Discussions.aspx?g=posts&t=929#

 

Here is the Travel Pulse report http://www.travelpulse.com/eight-american-tourists-killed-in-tour-bus-accident-in-egypt.html

[seafun]

Thanks for all the information you've posted folks.

Prayers and best wishes go out to all those affected.

Tom

[Mexfolkart]

We thought maybe it was GCT, also. So sorry for all on that trip. We go 1/29 with GCT and will still go and enjoy as they do a great trip..but what a tragedy for all concerned. You just never know.

Sherry

[PROCRUISE]

I just read it on MSN...front page news. What a horrible tragedy! We were just in Egypt and it is so easy to see how this could happen. The driving conditions are the worst I have seen anywhere. It's not the roads themselves, but there are no rules on the road. Almost everyone drives like maniacs. In this case it looks like the driver hit a parked vehicle! :eek:

 

I am sure that everyone who has traveled to Egypt felt heart-sick when they heard this news. We spent the last 2 weeks of September,2010 in Egypt. At the advice of our tour company, we did 5 domestic flights around a good deal of Egypt, including Aswan to Abu Simbel because of the danger on the roads in Egypt.

[Lovincruisin1321]

I am sure that everyone who has traveled to Egypt felt heart-sick when they heard this news. We spent the last 2 weeks of September,2010 in Egypt. At the advice of our tour company, we did 5 domestic flights around a good deal of Egypt, including Aswan to Abu Simbel because of the danger on the roads in Egypt.

 

 

I traveled in Egypt 3 years ago with EF Tours. Your tour company is very correct. We flew many planes too. Much safer.

[Benita]

Planes are safer and quicker, but more expensive, so many of the more budget tours use buses for the Aswan- Abu Simbal trip. Also, with 100 plus people in a tour group, it would be difficult to get them all on planes, as Egypt Air does not have many flights and a charter would probably cost quite a bit more. Some tour companies try to get around this by including two cruises - one from Luxor to Aswan and another on Lake Nassar, but this adds about three days just to avoid the flight or drive to Abu Simbal.

[paul929207]

I traveled in Egypt 3 years ago with EF Tours. Your tour company is very correct. We flew many planes too. Much safer.

We were in Egypt with GCT (the company involved in this crash) in 2006. We flew from Aswan to Abu Simbel and back. Now they go by bus.

[Hydrokitty]

Planes are safer and quicker, but more expensive, so many of the more budget tours use buses for the Aswan- Abu Simbal trip. Also, with 100 plus people in a tour group, it would be difficult to get them all on planes, as Egypt Air does not have many flights and a charter would probably cost quite a bit more. Some tour companies try to get around this by including two cruises - one from Luxor to Aswan and another on Lake Nassar, but this adds about three days just to avoid the flight or drive to Abu Simbal.

 

Benita, you are right about everything except the Lake Nasser cruise! We were on a tour that included three days on Lake Nasser from Abu Simbal and it was wonderful. I would recommend it to anyone going to Egypt. That being said, our group was supposed to fly from Cairo to Aswan to Abu Simbel but at the last minute we flew to ASwan and then took buses to Abu Simbel. A good part of the reason was the 3 hour lay-over in Aswan for the flight to Abu as opposed to the 2.5 hour bus ride. Additionally, Egypt Air was unable to put all 50 of us on the same plane, which really screwed up the schedule. Now I believe Vantage uses only buses, but we left Aswan around 6 a.m. and it was light out.

[manoftheworld]

Benita, you are right about everything except the Lake Nasser cruise! We were on a tour that included three days on Lake Nasser from Abu Simbal and it was wonderful. I would recommend it to anyone going to Egypt. That being said, our group was supposed to fly from Cairo to Aswan to Abu Simbel but at the last minute we flew to ASwan and then took buses to Abu Simbel. A good part of the reason was the 3 hour lay-over in Aswan for the flight to Abu as opposed to the 2.5 hour bus ride. Additionally, Egypt Air was unable to put all 50 of us on the same plane, which really screwed up the schedule. Now I believe Vantage uses only buses, but we left Aswan around 6 a.m. and it was light out.

 

is going to abu simble worse taking the risk? and is there much to see there?

 

thanks

[MVPinBoynton]

is going to abu simble worse taking the risk? and is there much to see there?

 

thanks

 

Abu Simbel is definitely worth going to. I had always wanted to visit there, since I was a young child. I do have a great memory.:D I don't believe there is that much risk. If it isn't important to you, don't go; but to me, if you can, you should.

[manoftheworld]

Abu Simbel is definitely worth going to. I had always wanted to visit there, since I was a young child. I do have a great memory.:D I don't believe there is that much risk. If it isn't important to you, don't go; but to me, if you can, you should.

 

thanks for your response it must have been great fun going there

[paul929207]

is going to abu simble worse taking the risk? and is there much to see there?

 

thanks

Absolutely. We were there 5 years ago and still remember what a wonderful site it was

[MVPinBoynton]

thanks for your response it must have been great fun going there

 

It was indeed. You can see lots of photos from our visit there and from the rest of our Egypt Nile River cruise on our website www.thepreismans.com. I wish we could have taken photos inside the temples at Abu Simbel, but I will have to rely on our memories.

[Phoenix cruiser]

Besides those great exterior shots, here is a teaser on how unbelievable the inside is:

 

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/egypt/abu-simbel-pictures/inside-cc-mike-nl.jpg

[MVPinBoynton]

Phoenix cruiser,

Thanks for the photo. It was an experience that I don't ever want to forget.

[dileep]

Phoenix cruiser,

Thanks for the photo. It was an experience that I don't ever want to forget.

 

 

Some photos inside in this set!

 

http://travel.webshots.com/album/579297075FCiaCL?start=0