Egypt is one of those places that you’ve always wanted to go to since you learned about the Great Pyramids in primary school or watched Brandon Fraser’s, The Mummy. As ancient wonders go, Egypt is arguably at the top. Thing is, over this past decade, word on the street is that it’s not a good time to go. Ignoring those warnings, I’ve been to Egypt twice and have a pretty good idea of whether Egypt is safe for travel.
If you’re thinking about travelling to Egypt, it’s smart that you’re doing your due diligence to find out whether you should go or not. Keep reading below to find out what it’s really like and to answer the “is Egypt safe” question once and for all.
Read more about Egypt
- Things you need to know before going to Egypt
- 3 days in Cairo – pyramids, markets, and local food
- How to plan a 10 day Egypt itinerary
- Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan – cruise ship or dahabiya?
- What to pack for a trip to Egypt
What tour operator did we use in Egypt?
- As you’ll find out below, one of my biggest tips is to travel Egypt with a local tour company. On my latest trip to Egypt, I used Djed Egypt Tour a second time and they were perfect in terms of planning an itinerary that we wanted and more importantly, they had amazing people on the ground (Egyptologists and drivers).
Table of Contents
Jump to the topics that you’re most interested in.
In This Article
- Is Egypt safe to travel to right now?
- Why do people think Egypt is unsafe?
- So how safe is Egypt?
- What I actually experienced
- What the locals are saying
- Why is right now one of the best times to go to Egypt?
- Common scams and annoyances
- How is Egypt for solo travellers?
- Travel insurance in Egypt
- Health concerns in Egypt
- General safety tips for Egypt
- Keep your essentials safe
- Recommended tour operators in Egypt
- Final thoughts
Is Egypt safe to travel to right now?
Tell anyone that you’re going to Egypt and the first thing they’ll ask you is “is Egypt safe to travel to right now?” it’s truly a sign of the times because 15 years ago, they’d be asking if you’re going to see the Pyramids, Tutankhamun, and the Nile.
Egypt is a place that’s high on many people’s bucket lists as a cultural gem, a cradle of civilization, and home to some of the most remarkable ancient wonders. When you go, you’re even more impressed by the fact that what’s been discovered so far isn’t even close to being complete yet.
To answer the very simple question of “is Egypt safe?”, you’ll have to entertain me a bit as I try to explain it and what I’ve personally observed on two separate trips to the country.
But wait! So far I haven’t even touched on the big elephant in the room – COVID-19. Let’s do that first.
Why do people think Egypt is unsafe?
So why is Egypt deemed “too dangerous” and why are people scared to travel to Egypt?
The danger that we associate to Egypt stems from decades of history but without this turning into a giant history lesson, let’s rewind the clock back to 2011.
Egyptian Revolution of 2011
Arab Spring of 2011 is what it’s known and the spark was Tunisia with their local uprising and this gave other nations in North Africa inspiration to do the same.
It truly spread like wildfire as most people remember early 2011 as a time when the news was filled with chaos and revolution after another. This came to a head for Egypt on January 25, 2011 when widespread demonstrations, marches, occupations of plazas, civil resistance, and strikes took over.
At the core of it was the public’s anger towards President Mubarak primarily because of increased police brutality but also corruption, civil liberty, political freedom, unemployment, inflation and wages.
Millions of protestors came and what started off as friendly protests quickly escalated into a violent clash where places like Cairo were turned into a war-zone.
The primary demand was for Mubarak to step down and that eventually happened on February 11, 2011. Things didn’t settle down there as there was a period of rule by the military before the Muslim Brotherhood party took power with Mohamed Morsi elected into presidency in June 2012. The government continued to be engulfed in controversy as a coup d’état deposed Morsi because of several unpopular decrees and lack of military support. This lead to an early election and El-Sisi was elected president in 2014.
That’s a lot of presidents in the span of 3 years. A lot of civil conflict. A lot of back dealings. A lot of instability. A lot of work not getting done.
It’s no surprise that with CNN airing all of the violence, tourism took a nose dive, the Egyptian Pound dropped, and infrastructure and archeological projects were put by the wayside.
More events that didn’t help
Following the revolution, there were a few other incidents that made the spotlight that didn’t help.
- May 2, 2014 – a bomb on a tour bus in Sharm El Sheikh detonated, killing one and injuring four others.
- October 31, 2015 – a Russian plane bombed leaving Sharm El Sheikh. As a result, Russia stopped all flights to Sharm El Sheikh and had a ripple effect on tourism as a whole.
- January 8, 2016 – tourists were attacked in Hurghada and again in 2017 when a radicalized German stabbed several tourists.
- December 29, 2018 – 3 Vietnamese tourists and local guide killed by roadside bomb that hit a bus near the Giza pyramids.
- May 19, 2019 – South African tourists on a tour bus injured by a roadside bomb next to the pyramids in Giza.
If you look at the Russian plane incident alone, tourism income dropped from $12 Billion in 2010 to almost half in 2016.
As a result, Egypt is on many nations’ travel advisory list.
- Government of Canada – Egypt travel advisory
- US Department of State – Egypt Safety Warning
- New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade – Safe Travel
- Australia DFAT Smart Traveller – Egypt Travel Advice
- UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office Travel advice for Egypt
What a way to start off an article about safety right? I have to admit that all of these are scary.
I went to Egypt in 2017 and was in Hurghada not long after those stabbings and the Russian plane was still a hot topic. I went to Egypt again in October 2019 only 5 months after the latest incident in Giza.
There’s no hiding it. There’s clearly been uncertainty and instability in the government and Islamic terrorists have targeted tourists but here’s why I wasn’t too worried before deciding to go to Egypt on both occasions:
- Complicated politics rarely involves tourists and usually only means frustrating government shutdowns. Being a foreign citizen actually affords you protection because they don’t want to piss off other countries.
- Terrorist attacks are sadly the kind of world we live in today and it can happen anywhere you go (Nice truck attack, New York Times Square car crash, or Christmas Market stabbing in Strasbourg, France). Is that going to stop you from travelling?
- If you look closely at the travel advisories, it’s primarily for regions that you’ll unlikely visit – the Sinai Peninsula (except Sharm el Sheikh), and the Western Desert bordering on Libya.
So how safe is Egypt?
Now that’s the million or shall I say billion dollar question.
With everything you’ve read above, there’s no denying that the past decade for Egypt has not been a good one. There are some regions like the Libyan border and the Sinai Peninsula that you just shouldn’t go to and there’s a threat of terrorism that you could say is slightly elevated because of the region Egypt is in.
The honest truth is that Egypt isn’t 100% safe but it’s still a country that can be safely travelled through because there’s still a large part of the country that welcome tourists with open arms. Egypt is very safe to travel as long as you stick to certain destinations, work with a reputable local tour operator, and be a smart traveller.
The only no-go’s in the country are what you see in the travel advisories which is to avoid the Sinai Peninsula (Sharm El Sheikh is safe) and in general do not go into the western desert. In both instances, if you must, make sure you do so with an (armed) escort.
I know the above sounds a bit vague but here’s the deal. There’s will from the government and the people to make tourism a priority. Sure the people still have squabbles with their government and corruption is still abound but everyone agrees that drastic action like 2011 is in nobody’s interest. Now is the time for the country to rebuild and make sure it’s a prosperous time for all.
If we take a more analytic approach, tourism tumbled to 9 million visitors from 14 million. This continued to drop to 5.4 million in 2016 but has since rebounded to nearly 9 million in 2018. It is now one of the fastest growing destinations in North Africa. If my latest trip to Egypt is an indication, tons of people are still going and you should go.
What I actually experienced
I remember on my first trip thinking about how unfortunate it is that the locals have to pay for the effects the country’s problems. Selfishly, I also remember thinking how lucky I was to go at a time when tourism is down because I get to reap the benefits of heightened security, “lightening doesn’t strike twice” if you believe that theory, reduced crowds, and cheap prices.
What I tell everyone that asks the “is Egypt safe to travel to” question, is that I didn’t notice anything on the trip that made me feel unsafe. This isn’t even an exaggeration. You know you go to certain places in the world where you feel like you really need to put up your guard because there’s extreme shadiness or legitimately feel like you’re putting yourself in danger by being in an area for too long. Ethiopia was one of those places when I was close to the South Sudan border, and more recently I swear that there was a pick pocketer in every corner.
I rationalized my feelings into a few of these thoughts:
- Egyptians are incredibly friendly and will go out of their way to make sure you have a good experience. They’re passionate about their country and want visitors to see how beautiful Egypt is.
- The country needs tourism and recently they’re finally starting to recognize this. It’s a symbiotic relationship – we want to see Egypt and it’s in Egypt’s best interest to keep things safe for tourists.
- A majority of our time was spent outside of Cairo. Once you’re out in smaller cities like Luxor and Aswan, the small villages, towns, and on the Nile, you’re completely disconnected from any perceived chaos. These are just people trying to make an honest living and getting on by. Most locals would tell you that they barely noticed that a revolution was happening because they’re so removed from those issues.
- We walked the streets of Cairo, Luxor, and Aswan at night, through smaller streets and big ones and besides the “Jackie Chan” cat calls and the stares, it felt perfectly normal.
- Tour operators like Djed Egypt Travel really do an amazing job at making you feel safe and then also showing you why Egypt is safe. Granted, yes, we were escorted by a local guide, but that perception of Egypt as this “war zone” is so far from reality.
- While on the dahabiya Nile cruise is when I felt 100% safe and why I say it’s the best experience you’ll have in Egypt.
- There was an excessive amount of security everywhere we went. I can’t say how much of it is for show but with the roadside check points, police stationed all around, the registering of our itinerary be shared with the police (since we were with a tour operator), and x-ray scanners. I guess you can take it both ways but the sense I got was that the government really doesn’t want more incidents with tourists and are doing what they can to mitigate those risks.
What the locals are saying
When you landed on this page, a video should’ve started to play. Turn on the sound because in the video I interview our guides to get their thoughts on safety. If the player didn’t work, head to the YouTube video.
I admit it’s a little biased because they work in the industry, but like them, I think it’s as good a time as ever to go to Egypt.
Why is right now one of the best times to go to Egypt?
Perfect segue. It’s a great time to go to Egypt.
- It’ll still feel busy at places like the Giza Plateau but almost every other place was never over-packed with tourists which is how things were before.
- Companies are desperate for your business and as a result prices are incredibly cheap.
- During my visit to Hilton Hurghada (now closed), the resort was at less than half capacity and I loved it. Now, only the Hilton Hurghada Plaza is left in the region.
- With so much scrutiny on safety and Egypt wanting to turn that image around, security is at an all-time high which can discourage further attacks.
Common scams and annoyances
Every country is different and every has a different way of doing business that is culturally influenced. As a seasoned traveller, you learn to understand it, respect it, and deal with it. You are after all in their country and those behaviours and customs are part of the package.
As I talk about in the things to know before going to Egypt guide, while I never felt in danger, I was extremely annoyed about a couple of things. You can read about it in more detail there but here’s are the ones that you need to know about:
- Security guards – All archeological sites will have guards at entrances or roaming around. Their actual responsibility is to enforce camera rules and protecting the ruins but their side-hustle is to take photos for people, sneak people into restricted areas, and provide loose guiding after which they’ll shamelessly ask you for tips. The hook is that they’ll ask you for where you’er from or they’ll literally try to provide you their service (i.e. tell you to look at something in a tomb) without you actually accepting.
- Hassling at souvenir shops – There are always shops that line the entrances to ancient sites. They all use the same strategy of calling for you and asking your name or where you’re from. They also use the $1 USD hook for something they’re selling which is not real. Once you engage, they’re relentless in making a deal and may even follow you as you walk away.
- Camel scam – There’s a common scam out there where camel owners will advertise a dirt cheap price but what they actually mean is that it’s the price to get on which means the price to get off the camel is to be revealed later. Surprise: it’s a ludicrous amount!
- Ticket checker scam – We didn’t see this in action but our Cairo guide warned us to not show our tickets when in Giza unless he specifically told us that we needed to show it. Apparently there are a bunch of people pretending to be official staff asking to check tickets and they’ll say you have the wrong one and fine you.
- Confiscation scam – Not really a scam per-say but if you take a look at the Egypt travel guide, I talk about how I almost got my shotgun microphone confiscated by security as we entered the Giza Plateau by the Great Pyramid. I didn’t know they were that sensitive about video gear and they were about to take it and put it away for me to retrieve on the way out but our guide immediately stepped in and essentially had to pay them off to allow me to keep it. He said that if I had left it there, I would never see it again.
- 1 dollar scam – Somehow everything is “only a dollar” when you pass by souvenir stores. This is simply a ploy to get you to come inside and start talking to them. This is when they hook you in and you realize that nothing is actually a dollar.
- The present scam – Another common one. A souvenir shop owner standing outside will aggressively try to offer you a small trinket and say “Take it. Is present!”. If you accept, they’ll be some sort of tip you’ll need to give or they’ll be offended because of the great present they’ve just given to you.
- The let-me-show-you-a-shortcut scam – You’re probably getting the idea now. Same end-result, different method.
- Asking locals to take a photo for you – This is sadly frequent by the Giza pyramids. If you hand your camera over for a photo, they may run away with it.
- USD pricing – You’ll notice that many tourist souvenir stores will list prices in USD. It is almost always not favourable to pay in USD unless you find out what the EGP price is and do the conversion yourself.
How to make sure you don’t get scammed or annoyed
Here are a couple of easy tips to follow to make sure you don’t run into issues with the above:
- Have a local guide – It was so critical that we had a Djed Egypt Travel guide with us the whole time because 1) Scammers stayed away, 2) our guide could tell people off (or pay them off) if they were trying something on us, and 3) we got a heads up on all the scams to expect.
- Reject all offers – There are definitely good samaritans in Egypt but when it comes to tourist destinations, anyone offering to take your photo, show you something, or do anything to help you is going to ask for a tip (baksheesh). Learn to say “no” or “la shukran“. Alternatively, you can also ignore them and walk away.
- Pre-book camels – Camel scammers are the worst. To avoid this, get your guide to organize this one in advance so that the cost is known in advance and there’s no funny business. To give you an idea, our 20 minute experience cost $30 USD for two people. I’ve read around that people have been able to get better prices but honestly this isn’t the kind of thing you’ll have time to shop around.
- Just say no – For many of the scams that you read above, a simple “no” is enough to deflect their attempts.
How is Egypt for solo travellers?
I think this all depends on what kind of solo traveller you are. On one end of the spectrum you can be a solo traveller that books a large group tour with say Intrepid or G Adventures and on the other end, you completely rely on local taxis, buses, trains, and backpack from hostel to hostel.
I’ve done neither so take this for a grain of salt.
I know many people and have met many people along the way that have travelled solo in Egypt. It’s been done and can be an amazing experience if that’s your style of travel.
What you need to be mindful of are the standard smart solo travelling rules but also political and terrorism complexities. All it means is that you need to be careful.
- Do your research ahead of time – As experienced as you might be, it’ll be much easier if you know where you’re going and how to get there. You’ll attract much less attention this way but in the case you do get stuck somewhere, know that Egyptians are super helpful and if you ask, they’ll help. Just be wary of whether they’re looking for payment or not.
- Travel with a buddy – This is what hostels are great for. If you’re putting together something last minute, it might make sense to join up with another group that have something similar planned to what you want to do. Strength in numbers is always helpful.
- Don’t be afraid to get a cab – When in doubt, know that you can always get a taxi which is better than being lost and walking in neighbourhoods you really shouldn’t be in.
- Join a tour – As a solo traveller, it’s totally cool to join an organized tour. It takes the stress away from knowing all the small details and you get the bonus of meeting amazing people on your journey.
- Dress and act conservative – Women especially will need to keep this in mind. As a Muslim country, staying covered is what’ll help you from drawing too much unwanted attention.
- Get ready for some hassling – This applies more for women but you have to go into Egypt with the mindset that people will try to talk to you or might get a little aggressive. Learn to politely say “no” and walk away. Ignore cat calls completely. A tool that might be helpful is Harass Map where travellers have marked down areas where they’ve experienced some form of harassment.
- Wear sunglasses – Eye contact is often the start and one way you can mitigate that is to wear sunglasses so nobody knows where you’re looking. Hey, it’s also super sunny outside so there’s that too.
Travel insurance in Egypt
I always travel with travel insurance but if you consider everything around political instability and threat of terrorism, this is a must-have for anyone travelling to Egypt.
When it comes to travel insurance, World Nomads provide great coverage for anyone around the world and in all destinations. If you’ve never heard of them, make sure to read our full review of World Nomads.
Health concerns in Egypt
I go into detail on this topic in the Egypt travel guide. Here’s a summary of what you need to know:
- No malaria or yellow fever
- Only eat cooked foods (unless it’s fruit or vegetables that have a shell or skin)
- Water is safe to brush your teeth but not for drinking
- Avoid ice because it’s usually made from tap water
- Traveller’s diarrhea is common in Egypt so try to be careful. Dukoral is something you should consider.
General safety tips for Egypt
It feels like there’s a lot to worry about when travelling to Egypt but really I’m just summarizing everything that I learned from being there and spending 10 days on my latest trip. Most of it is common sense but the remaining part is from things we observed and thankfully what our guides told us.
Here’s a compilation of everything I haven’t covered so far and things to add to your trip planning notes as you prepare for Egypt.
- Booking a private tour has many benefits – Not knocking the big tour buses but if you think about the terrorist attacks, they’ve always targeted the big busses. A private tour like the one we did with Djed is in my mind the smartest way to do it if you’re travelling as a couple, a larger group, or even solo. Yes, the price is slightly more but the benefits outweigh this. With a private tour you also get your own Egyptologist and while it’s not security related, it’ll make your trip 100x better. It’s this guide that’ll also give you all the heads up you need to know about what to be careful about.
- Don’t rent or drive a car – This is not the kind of country you can just pick up a car and go. The traffic and driving styles are simply scary here which is more the reason why having your own guide and driver is the way to go.
- Caution taking photos/videos of people in markets – Our guide stressed this quite a lot when we were walking through Cairo’s local souk and Khan el-Khalili. Only take photos/videos of people if you’ve asked for permission. This where a guide comes in handy too because they can ask for you.
- Don’t do anything stupid in secure areas – At security check points, military areas, or anywhere a round police, stay cool and don’t do anything dumb. This includes taking photos of military installations and government buildings. Playing the tourist card isn’t going to work.
- No you can’t climb the pyramids – This is a newer rule because of a couple of idiots but this is definitely a no-no now.
- Discrete and respectful – Conservative is the key word in Egypt. Dress and act appropriately.
- Keep copies of your identification with you – you’ll probably have to show these, and losing your passport isn’t fun.
- Special religious celebrations or any large gatherings – These tend to be targets for terrorists so try to stay away.
- LGBTQ travellers should be careful – Try to be discrete here as Egypt is simply not very open when it comes to this.
- Even ANY type of public display of affection is frowned upon – get a room – literally. Probably don’t even hold hands.
- Don’t get burnt – By that I mean the sun. It is strong in Egypt and in most places you visit there will rarely be cover so make sure you have lots of water and be generous with your sunscreen.
- Bring mosquito repellent – Depending on the time of the year you go, they’ll be out in full force at dawn and dusk. There’s luckily no malaria or yellow fever to worry about but bring protection.
- Don’t bring a drone – It’s outright banned without extremely special permission so even if you’re passing through Egypt to somewhere else on your journey, you’ll need a way for it to bypass Egypt altogether.
- Watch your bags and phones – This might not be as rampant as some parts of Europe but it’s still smart to be vigilent here.
- No alcohol on the street – This is a Muslim country and alcohol isn’t allowed unless it’s in a licensed area.
Gear that can help you stay safe
Keep your essentials safe
You don’t need to wear an uncomfortable money belt to stay safe. These infinity scarves with zippered pockets are great to keep your passport, keys, and phone safe and do it in a stylish, unobtrusive, and classy way. It is perfect for travel in Egypt.
Recommended tour operators in Egypt
If you’ve learned anything from the above, it’s the fact that I highly recommend travelling with an operator while in Egypt. This is a sure-fire way to eliminate almost all of the risks when it comes to safety.
- Guides help you navigate away from common scams.
- You’re less likely to run into an issue if you’re travelling with a local guide.
- Eliminates the need to navigate local transit or driving yourself (including military check points).
- Takes the stress away from even having to think about safety so that you can enjoy your experience to the fullest.
So who do we recommend?
Well, I’ve travelled with Djed Egypt Travel twice in Egypt so they’re hands down one of my favourites if you don’t mind working with a local company. The tradeoff is that their communication via e-mail/Skype can be a bit spotty at times (read that as slow) but rest assured they’re legit and their staff is top notch.
Travelling with Djed Egypt Travel
Egyptian run and locally owned, I’ve travelled in Egypt with them twice and I can safely say that they’re one of the best in the businesses. They have dedicated teams of people at each major city (Cairo, Luxor, Aswan) and they own their own dahabiyas as well which means they have full control of the experience.
For those that want to work with a reputable brand, there’s no better company than G Adventures and their portfolio of Egypt tours. They are known to run incredible experiences there where there is always a focus on sustainable travel, giving back to local communities, and finding unique experiences that you can’t find anywhere else with their special partnerships on the ground.
The closest tour package they have that’s similar to our 10 day Egypt itinerary is their 12 day Egypt Upgraded – Plus.
Final thoughts
Let’s circle back on the original question: “is Egypt safe for travel?”. My opinion? Yes, it is but if it were me I’d only do it in a specific way: work with a local tour company, travel as a group (family, significant other, or friends), book a private tour,
Thinking through everything that we saw in Egypt when it came to safety, the reason why we were able to have such a positive experience was because we had good guides that acted as our shields in many ways of the crap that can happen out there. Secondly, having the right mindset and expectations makes sure that you can shrug off whatever comes your way.
Ultimately, you can’t travel to Egypt expecting it to be like a United Kingdom, Singapore, or New Zealand.
Hopefully this guide has been helpful. Now that you know what to expect, you’ll be sure to have an incredible time in Egypt. It’s truly a special place that’ll be one of the top trips you’ve ever done.
Lastly, whatever you do, don’t forget to pick up travel insurance!
What you should read next
mighle says
I’m in Egypt trip now, I think it’s very safe right now , and sinai is safe too but take a guide with you
William Tang says
Thanks for stopping by!
Sylvia says
May be there are more tourists going to Egypt by now. The tour companies seem very busy. I sent a few inquiries to Djed Egypt Travel by direct email and also on their website. No response. Are there any good local tour guides I can contact with? Thanks!
William Tang says
Hey Sylvia, it’s possible they’re busier than before but I don’t think it’s that. I’ve found in general that Egyptian businesses aren’t the great with being on top of communication. If you e-mail us, we can try to give a poke to Djed to see if they can get back to you.
Emelia says
This is the first “travel blog” or claimed guide that ACTUALLY ADDRESSES COVID. Lol omg thank you. It’s taken me forever to find an honest and transparent travel guide to a place in 2021 and I so appreciate this!
I’ve been struggling with some mental health issues since the pandemic started and have finally decided I’m going to start travelling again. Egypt is really high on my list and its given me a lot of courage and confidence that I can travel here after reading this blog. So thank you!
Will Tang says
I’m so glad that you found this helpful! I’ve tried my best to stay on top of things during COVID and it’s helped to have locals on the ground to ask questions as I know there isn’t a lot of concrete information out there. I’m so excited that you’ve decided to go to Egypt! I recently started recalling my trip on Instagram (as if you need any more wanderlust right?). If you have any questions I didn’t cover, just let me know :)
Ahmed says
Egypt always welcomes you
And we as Egyptians we’d love to make comfortable as we can
We are really friendly
When get her you’ll notice this Easley
Will Tang says
I know it! Once you get to know the locals, Egyptians are incredibly friendly :)
Gary H says
As a 58 year old male traveller, I visited Egypt in both 2018 and 2019.
I travelled completely independently, booking flights and accommodation separately and had no ‘set in concrete’ itinerary…which is the norm on my travels.
I flew into Cairo from London, took the train from Cairo to Luxor and again from Luxor to Aswan , using day trains which everyone tells you are not open to ‘tourists’…..that’s nonsense for a start…..although I think still technically correct !
I used a private driver for a trip to Abu Simbel from Aswan, and whilst in Abu Simbel convinced (and paid for) a local fisherman to take me out on Lake Nassar for some spectacular photo shots.
Not once did I see or hear of any troubles, the only nuisance was the number of road security checkpoints.
So overall , two very successful and hassle free trips
The locals, whether working in the tourism trade or not, absolutely made it a joy to travel, eat and drink with , and learn more about their fascinating history and culture . A truly proud nation with friendly and generous people, where genuine hospitality appears to comes as second nature.
I genuinely feel and sympathise with the locals, the younger generation in particular, as for a lot of these honest and hardworking people, tourism and tourist related work is the only business or trade they know.
And following a comment made below, I agree, there was a lot of heavy touting going on, but not particularly aggressive, and certainly nothing a polite, but firm no thanks didn’t cure.
Whatever the reason for the decline in tourism, the Arab Spring, terror attacks or covid, heavy, loud and sometimes aggressive touting has ALWAYS been part of travelling in Egypt, and something that most people are aware of prior to travel…they’re known for it !!! much the same as beach sellers in east Africa, the cafe bar and restaurant owners in the Canaries and Spain as a whole. It’s everywhere, accept is as part of the travel experience !!
I for one will be back. I am planning for this coming September, travel and health restrictions permitting.
Gary
اراك قريبا !
Will Tang says
Thank you for that perspective and appreciate your personal anecdotes from your experiences. It’s something that I can relate to from my multiple trips. I know everyone’s going to have different experiences but I do feel like tourism has gotten better over the years and a big part of it is like you said, education and expectation on the part of travellers and on the local side, more people realizing that it hurts more than it helps. With our guides, I appreciated the the honest conversations we had about what’s broken and what needs improvement. It’s this newer generation that will hopefully be able to continue to steer things positively. For the most part though, most people that are actually in the tourism trade are incredible friendly, hospitable, and absolutely one of the reasons why you’ll have a great time in Egypt.
Paula says
Looking at a Viking river cruise, Dec. 2021. Do you think they are more apt to be subject to more crime as the groups use tour buses for day tours?
Will Tang says
Hi Paula! If you’ve also read my piece on Nile cruises, Viking is a great luxury option although I know I’m biased towards the Dahabiya experience. I think if you look at the incidents in the past, yes, you can say that the larger tour buses are the target. It’s a bit morbid but the larger buses are just easier and larger targets. That said, this isn’t something that happens all the time so the chances are still small. BUT, if you do have this in the back of your mind, why not do something a bit smaller and intimate. It’s one of the reasons why I really loved the Dahabiya experience and even as the larger ships passed by, I felt lucky that we were seeing the Nile in a truly special way.
Kelly M says
Your comments…
“while I never felt in danger, I was extremely annoyed about a couple of things”
“Get ready for some hassling – This applies more for women but you have to go into Egypt with the mindset that people will try to talk to you or might get a little aggressive.”
“7. The present scam – Another common one. A souvenir shop owner standing outside will aggressively ”
I was APPALLED by the level of aggression, especially to a pair of women in our tour group that was taken into a store, the door locked and refused release until they bought some goods. How terrifying can you make that in words?
The PROFESSIONAL Reporter who was sexually assaulted
https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/29/business/media/29logan.html
I am VERY well traveled but could not / would not recommend anyone traveling to Egypt until the locals get a change of heart and realise they are cutting off their own tourist industry / tourist supply and income.
Yes – their aggressiveness, in part, is due to shortage of tourism and income customers but for a people who are supposed to be Muslims, their behaviour is nothing short of disgraceful.
One bad apple spoils the barrel but you affirm in your article the same experience others get and I suggest people AVOID EGYPT until they conform to cordial standard.
With caveats, of understating aggressive tactics, your article is well presented written and reported.
It is a shame such a beautiful area cannot be recommended for tourists.
Will Tang says
Thanks for your thoughts Kelly. Egypt is definitely a polarizing country for travellers because of how varying the experiences can be. I think if anything it’s about being a smart traveller, going with an expert guide/company on the ground and for me, I loved being outside of the cities. The calmness of the Nile and the small villages was what I really loved about Egypt.
Robyn Kramer says
Hey Will,
Thanks for providing such helpful and detailed tips about travel to Egypt. My boyfriend and I are thinking about doing a scuba diving trip along the Red Sea, and I was wondering what your thoughts are on the coastal areas and safe ways of getting around (possibly renting a car ourselves) Egypt?
Abby Rose says
Hi! Thank you for all the wonderful information, Will! This was so well thought out and wonderfully written. My boyfriend and I are traveling to Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, and Sharm El Sheikh and this definitely helped me feel more prepared. Thank you for linking the traveler’s insurance as well. We are going scuba diving in Sharm El Sheikh and I feel a lot better about it knowing we have that option. We’ve already booked a lot of tours through Viator, do you think we’ll be okay going this route?
Will Tang says
You’re welcome! Yes Viator is definitely reliable if you’re looking to pre-book tours ahead of time. That said, I found that with places like Sharm El Sheikh, because there are so many tour operators and with how hungry they must be for customers, you could potentially shop around when you get there to find the best deal. However, if you want to just have it all ready and booked, Viator might be the easiest instead of navigating individual operator pages.
Lisa says
Thanks for sharing your experience, Will. This information is helpful in ramping back up the travel planning that we canceled last year. Any perspective you can share on the cruise and any additional precautions the cruise line is adhering to? Is there anything they’re doing differently now that takes away from the experiences you had pre-covid?
Thanks again and safe travels!
Will Tang says
Hi Lisa, thanks for dropping your question! In terms of cruises, what kind of cruise were you thinking of – the large ships or the smaller boats like the Dahabiya experience we did? I just spoke with the tour operator Djed and they said that they’re taking all of the COVID health precautions such as mask-wearing and sanitization. Dining wise, they’re actually keeping that the same where you sit together around the table but if you don’t feel comfortable guests can sit at separate tables as well. I also do have a friend that took a larger cruise in the summer last year on the Nile and I could ask him if that’s what you’re wondering about.
Lisa Fernandez says
We were looking for a smaller one, similar to the one you took. That’s basically the part of the trip we’re least comfortable with and now we’re leaning towards hiring a driver from Aswan to Luxor so we minimize contact with others and still get to experience the temples and other sites on the way. Thanks so much for the great articles!
Will Tang says
That’s a great choice. Personally, I think the dahabiyas are the way to go not only from a safety perspective but just the overall experience. They’re smaller groups and if you’re lucky, you might be the only ones on the ship since they’re desperate to sail at this point.
For Aswan to Luxor, that part can be done through the sailing itinerary but if you prefer to do it from land, you can do that as well and you’ll be able to see many of the temples that we got to see along the way.
Best of luck with your trip planning and again if you decide to work with Djed, just let them know that I sent you!
Ahmad Amr says
I’m a native Egyptian. This is all surprisingly 100% true, plus some stuff i didn’t even know about that is true as well. But,, you can hold hands.. Just not anything sexual. Not in mainly touristic areas though like Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada and so on, I saw some topless women tourists there as a kid, so you can pretty much do what you want there. Mainly just not any place where the majority of people are Egyptian civilians. And the cat calls are unfortunately somewhat of a problem as well. Just ignoring all together is just fine. Just remember people here aren’t much educated, not much developed, so just never take any cat calls, or aggression although that is much less likely, personally at all. People here I assure you love it when they see tourists, they just deal with the excitement rather a bit immaturely. But you shall never worry about it going further than a cat call or so, unless in an empty street where that can be dangerous if you’re alone. Other than that you can trust this article blindly 100%. Great article,, and also awesome writing as well!
Will Tang says
Thanks for stopping by and providing your perspective as a native Egyptian. It’s always good to hear from a local!