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Cross Egypt Challenge is not a commercial event, therefore the
following rates / fees cover the actual cost of participating in such a
unique event.
Registrations fees for the 2012 season of Cross Egypt Challenge are:
LE 9,600 or
USD 1,600
All fees are to be paid at the time we confirm your participation
spot f the Cross Egypt Challenge 2012 season. All banking details will
be forwarded to you at the time of notification.
THESE FEES INCLUDE:
- Securing a scooter for the participant during the challenge
- Securing a brand new helmet for the participant's use during the
challenge
- Securing a brand new gloves for the participant's use during the
challenge
- 2 branded polo shirts + 4 branded long sleeve t-shirts for each
participant to wear during the challenge
- Refueling during the entire challenge
- Oil changes during the challenge
- Scooter maintenance during the challenge
- Road tolls (where applicable)
- Cost of army/military and special permits for the entire route
- Accommodation for 7 nights in hotels
- Camping in the desert for 1 night (with all camp gear provided)
- Desert camping activities
- All meals during the challenge including welcome and farewell
dinners.
- Return flight from Luxor to Cairo
THESE FEES DO NOT INCLUDE:
- Flights from/to Egypt (for international participants)
- Visa charges
- Extra accommodation prior or after the above schedule
- Extra food and beverage beyond 3 meals a day
- Any personal extras or any expense not mentioned above
Last years 2011 blog
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Saturday, October 22nd, 2011 |
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The riders had another early start. They
made their way through the desert road leading to Toshka then to Abu
Simbel. The weather was hot and the ride was long. Mid-day, the team
stopped for some off-road activities and to have a taste of the desert.
They took their scooters off-road and challenged the little engines in
the sand.
After playtime, they continued onwards until they have reached Toshka,
where they saw the Sheikh Zayed Canal that brings water into the heart
of the Eastern Egyptian desert for land reclamation.
As they were back on the road, and after a while, the team members could
suddenly see the “Welcome to Abu Simbel” sign, and were extremely happy
to reach the end. They halted their scooters and had a moment of
celebration. They had done it!
The team reached the Abu Simbel Temples. There they were greeted
by the mayor of the city, Mr. Asaad Abd El Mageed and were given a tour
of the complex.
It was explained to them how these huge structures were saved and
moved in the sixties from their original location to make room for Lake
Nasser. After finishing their tour of the temples, the adventurers took a
historical photograph in front of Abu Simbel, marking the end of their
Cross Egypt Challenge’s journey.
The riders covered a total of 2000 km. They started from the very
north of Egypt; the city of Alexandria on the Mediterranean coast of
Egypt. They travelled all the way to the eastern border of Egypt to the
resort city of Taba. They moved through Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada to
make it to Abu Simbel which is only 50 km from the southern border of
Egypt with the Sudan.
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Friday, October 21st, 2011 |
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The team set out early in the morning for
Aswan. They took another agricultural road which was described by one of
the team members as the best road they were on. He said “This road
samples all of Egypt; you can see the Nile River, agricultural lands,
deserts and mountains along the way. You can see villages along the Nile
and others under large mountains. You can see temples, railroads and
new construction; you can simply see Egypt as you pass through this
road”.
On this road, the scooter-riders had several stops. They visited the Kom
Ombo Temple which is dedicated to the crocodile God Sobek, God of
fertility. They also had a stop for Friday prayers at a small Nubian
village called Daboud. After prayers the riders met with the Nubian
villagers and took photographs with them. Along their journey they
stopped at some date and sugar cane fields and enjoyed the villagers’
hospitality, who offered them all kinds of dates.
The team finally reached Aswan and headed straight to the High Dam and
Lake Nasser that extends for 500 km, were they stopped for a quick tour.
At night the team members gathered at the hotel to plan the logistics of
their 9th and final day, as they had a 280 km journey to the temple of
Abu Simbel and on the road from Aswan to Abu Simbel was only one gas
station that has only diesel fuel and not petrol used to run their
scooters. The scooters as well as the reserve tanks that the team
carries can only run the scooters for 220 km, and so they had to look
for extra tanks to carry the extra fuel needed. An extra reserve tank
was found and so they were ready to go.
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Thursday, October 20th, 2011 |
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Day seven has arrived, and the adventurers
set out just after sunrise for a very long day ahead. They had to cross
about 280 km from Hurghada to Luxor, and the journey proved to be a
difficult one due to road construction.
As the team passed through the city of Qena, they took the agricultural
road from Qena to Luxor and enjoyed a much needed change in scenery.
They feasted their eyes on the fertile green fields to their left and
right.
The team was given a tour of the vast temple where they visited
the Great Hypostyle Hall, the Sacred Lake, and made their seven turns
around the Sacred Scarab for good luck. The Cross Egypt Challenge team
was also given a special permission for a photo-shoot on their scooters
in front of the Karnak Temple. The riders then rode to Luxor’s west bank
where they visited the beautiful temple of Queen Hatshepsut. The riders
mingled and took photographs with tourists and locals who had heard
about the Cross Egypt Challenge from newspapers and television.
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Wednesday, October 19th, 2011 |
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The team had planned a free day for day six.
They did some sight-seeing in the city of Hurghada and went to the
Governorate building, where they were met by the Red Sea Governor Major
General Mahmoud Assem and another press conference was held. They were
then awarded the Shield of the Red Sea Governorate as a token of
appreciation for their efforts. There was time for some interviews with
local and national radio and some television stations.
The team continued with their tour of Hurghada, stopping for some
photographs and for souvenir shopping. They even made a stop at a local
coffee shop, or “Qahwa” in local Egyptian language, to get a real taste
of Egyptian tradition and Egyptian tea.
Later that night the riders chilled at the famous Little Buddha to enjoy Hurghada’s night life.
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Tuesday, October 18th, 2011 |
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The scheduled ferry ride from Sharm El
Sheikh to Hurghada has been cancelled due to the ferries being
non-operational at that time, so instead the team took a flight to
Hurghada while a truck was hired to transport the scooters to their
destination by land. The scooters have been loaded on the truck the
night before and were properly fastened for the road.
The team took their plane in the morning of the 18th and arrived at
Hurghada shortly after. They enjoyed a relaxing day at the beach, soaked
up the Egyptian sun and played some water sports. By evening, their
scooters had already arrived safely.
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Monday, October 17th, 2011 |
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Due to the long route taken the previous
day, day four included a short journey from Dahab to Sharm El Sheikh.
The team took it easy and went sight-seeing in the city of Dahab, took a
stroll on the Dahab boardwalk and did some souvenir shopping, then got
on the road nearing midday.
Unfortunately, during the ride from Dahab to Sharm Elsheikh, one of the
riders, Mona Elmadany, encountered some rocks on a sharp curve on the
road and had an accident.
The ambulance arrived almost immediately (in about 7 minutes) and
transported her to a hospital in Dahab. She suffered several cuts and
bruises and so was transferred to Sharm El Sheikh International
Hospital. She was held back due to her injuries, and wouldn’t be able to
complete the challenge. For this reason her fellow team members decided
to dedicate the rest of the journey in her honor.
After making sure Mona was ok, the rest of the team continued their
journey to Sharm Elsheikh where they were greeted by Major General
Khaled Fouda, the Governor of South Sinai, who held an official
celebration for the team. The governor has been notified that one of the
team members had suffered an accident and was in hospital in Sharm El
Sheikh, so later that evening the governor paid Mona a visit at the
hospital and gave her roses and some words of encouragement.
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Sunday, October 16th, 2011 |
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With over 430 km, the third day was
originally supposed to be the longest of the journey. The team got up
early in the morning for breakfast and at 8 a.m. they were set for their
eight hour ride from Suez to Dahab passing through Taba. They have been
surrounded by beautiful scenery along the way, and so have made several
stops to take photos, enjoy Egypt’s magnificent natural wonders and
have some rest.
From Suez the riders took the 1.63 km long Ahmed Hamdy tunnel, which is
an automobile tunnel that connects Africa to the Sinai Peninsula from
under the Suez Canal. The team reached Taba by sunset where they took
some photographs at the Egyptian-Israeli border. At this point, the team
had been running behind schedule. And their journey from Taba to Dahab
was dark and dangerous. For this reason they stopped several times on
the way. Their planned eight hour journey took them about fourteen hours
to complete. By the time they reached Dahab, everyone was pleased that
they have made it safely and they can finally rest.
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Saturday, October 15th, 2011 |
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Early Saturday morning the team returned to the Pyramids of Giza for their photo shoots at the Giza Plateau.
After spending two hours, the riders were back on the road. They rode
through Cairo’s traffic visiting famous landmarks as Kasr el Nile
bridge, where the team stood for a moment of silence in remembrance of
the martyrs of January 25th revolution, then the world’s famous Tahrir
Square, which was the heart of the recent Egyptian revolution, and
finally Abdeen Square, where Cairo Governor welcomed them and held an
official reception and a press conference to the team.
The team then rode through through the historical parts of Islamic Cairo
where they passed by Saladin’s Citadel of Cairo and its surrounding
ancient aqua duct “Magra-Al Oyoun” before heading on their way to the
last stop of the second day, Suez city on the way to the eastern
Egyptian borders at Taba.
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Friday, October 14th, 2011 |
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The long awaited Cross Egypt Challenge has
finally taken off from Alexandria on Friday, October 14th. The Cross
Egypt Challenge team gathered Friday morning in front of the Bibliotheca
Alexandrina to bid farewell to their families, friends, and fans. There
was a huge gathering on the Corniche where cameras flashed and people
cheered as the riders hit the open road.
The team started their 1700 km journey right on schedule. Their first
stop was at the Pyramids of Giza where a press conference was hold with
the scenic back-drop of the sun setting on the Pyramids and Sphinx.
Contact
give us a call at +20 (100) 721-0000 or shoot us an email at: info@crossegyptchallenge.com |
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