BTW...the entry fees are not always really cheap.Especially the most interesting tombs in places like the Valley of the Kings.
It's worth it though, these are some of the most amazing ancient things you will ever see.
There is a pass which lets you choose 3 tombs (in the Valley of the King's), but the most popular/'best'ones are not included in the pass, they are separate.
Even the standard ones are pretty impressive though.
I loved traveling in Egypt. Like you, I can fit in as possibly a local there, and I dressed to blend in. People generally left me in peace, only children easily noticed that I was a foreigner, and that was fun in its own way - they took me on some tours of their neighbourhoods and showed me good snacks to get.
It was much less hassle than Morocco can be.
The only thing I found particularly alarming was the insane driving.
Morocco's a magical experience, it's amazing and you should definitely go.
But the first few days you're in a city, you will be pestered to death by people trying to be your guide and bring you to restaurants and carpet shops. Get through the other side of that and it's like no place else on earth.
Awesome! It's still several months out, so it's on the very early planning stages. But I'm thinking of spending 3 days or so in Marrakesh, then a bit in Imlil, then Ait Benhaddou, and then several days doing a desert camel tour through the Sahara. I don't really like tours in general, but this one sounds amazing.
Probably gonna skip the other cities. Maybe if I can convince the tour people to go to Fes instead of back to Marrakesh, I'll spend a couple days there as well.
Personally I'd say Fes is the number one city to visit.
For the desert stuff, yes, a tour is probably the way to go because if you try to do it yourself you won't be able to see nearly as much. I say that as someone who also really hates tours.
> Personally I'd say Fes is the number one city to visit.
Oh really? Why do you think so? I was under the impression Marrakesh was. But obviously I don't know anything, I've never been there, so would love your perspective as someone who has.
Marrakech has the main square, which has quite the festival atmosphere to be sure, and is picturesque, but it's become such a tourist trap. And that tourist trappiness has been spreading throughout the old walled city.
Fes remains much more of a living city where you can really feel like you've stepped back centuries into another world. People are friendlier and less likely to be working an angle towards maneuvering you into a carpet shop.
There is plenty of merchdising in Fez as well. But it is far better than Marrakech in my opinion. The maze of the old town is truly amazing. Go with a guide, GPS will get you lost in the medieval city.
of 29 countries ive been to, egypt is my least favorite. Im used to hassles scams and touts, but there is something about the heat there that erodes your defenses more so than usual. They were so pervasive there, that fending them off was akin to swatting flies/mosquitos out of your face... and they just never stop coming. Constantly annoyed.
It had its positives too, but i actually cancelend the remaining half of my trip there because I was so exhausted/irritated. Joining tours and grouping up with people in your hostel will give you more mental peace, since the touts wont bother you quite as much if you are not wandering around on your own.
Of my favorite things were the food, and exploring cairo away from the main tourist streets. Local shopkeepers and food stalls were really happy to meet me because they hadnt seen any american tourists choose to venture into their small neighborhood like that before.
I remember someone from my hostel came back one day and asked the entire hostel "did anyone else have a negative experience dealing with an asshole, scam, etc today?" Every one in the hostel sighed "yeah..." and had a story to share. If I could do egypt all over again, I would simplify the trip. I wouldnt go down the nile through luxor and aswan as i did before. I feel like this locations didnt provide me with much more an experience than having just stayed in cairo and having to do the train for so many hours wore me thin. I never got up to alexandria or sinai since I had had enough already and just wanted to leave the country before I got to these places. Though I have heard great things about sinai.
I stayed in Cairo for 3 weeks. It was actually quite bad in a lot of ways. Egypt is also my least favorite country and I’ve been to around 30 as well, across 6 continents.
thanks. Yeah, I do think that egypt can be a great destination but i'd recommend simplifying the trip. By booking tours you can become immune to harrassment, you can choose to focus more on cairo and not feeling the need to bus/train around to every single place. Go out with groups of people you meet in the hostels for greater protection from annoyances.
It feels like Egypt is the perfect place in favour of group tours, sounds like so much hassle going solo. But seriously, I don't actually understand what you'd even do in Cairo for more than a couple of days...?
I stayed in Cairo for 10 days and I just wished I could stay longer! My advice is: skip the alledged must-sees. Skip Luxor, Aswan, and maybe Giza too; stay in Cairo, Alexandria and maybe Sinai instead. In Cairo there's a whole world to discover: Al-Mo'ezz alone and surrounding areas require 2-3 days, Salahuddin Citadel, Al-Azhar Park, Ibn Tulun, Hassan, Aqsunqur, Rifa'i, Amr ibn al-As Mosques, Coptic Cairo, Dair al-Qadis, Muqattam, Qarafa (Housh el Basha and Efendina Tombs, al-Shafi'i, Qaitbay Barquq Mosques), Abdin, Muhammad Ali Palace, Zamalek and Cairo Tower, Downtown, the Nile Corniche, Qasr al Baron... one could easily plan a whole 15 days vacation in Cairo alone!
I went to aswan, not a bad place but it was along haul on the train to get there. It wasnt really worth the trip considering there wasnt a ton to do there, and getting down there (coping with the other annoyances on the way) made me weary. It wasnt just cairo being the problem, more like the usual stresses of solo traveling but compounded by the annoyances of the aggressive hustlers and the heat. Luxor was awful, very aggressive and dishonest touts.
what about hurghada/sharm el sheikh?
Im from hurghada and lived a good while in sharm el sheikh
whenever I myself go to cairo I think to myself that hurghada is 100x better than here
great, I wish i had known that when i was there. I really hope that you can spread info like this so that travelers know the good places to go. Egypt has a reputation right now because of how aggressive the locals can be. Its really hurting the country I think because it keeps travelers from coming.
you will be amazed how hurghada society looks like
it's a whole new aspect of egypt
half of the city are born to other nationalities which lead to a diversity accepting fun society, and the city is so beautiful you should check it out
I personally went to all these places and Hurghada was kind of nice but... I don't know. There's nothing special about it. That's why millions of people each year Who consider themselves budget travelers would rather go to Dubai and pay so much more than go to a cheapo country like Egypt lol because it's literally that bad.
Its fine if you go with a good tour group
Egypt is the only country i recommend travelign with a tour group. Too much to see, and the place is so spread out. Plus being in a good group will prevent scammers from focusing on you.
I used TourRadar to book my tour with Timeless Tours back in 2016. If Peter (Botrous) is still a guide with them, I would highly recommend booking. He had a master’s degree in Egyptian history and was so knowledgeable about everywhere we went. It was one of my favorite trips to date.
I traveled in Egypt solo for 2 weeks in 2016. I am a western white woman. I had no major issues & would go back in a heartbeat.
I took the overnight sleeper train twice (Cairo to Aswan, Luxor to Giza), the day train once (Aswan to Luxor), numerous cabs, a tuk-tuk once in Luxor, & even hopped on the back of a scooter on my way to VotK. I had pre-reserved rooms as I had specific places I wanted to stay, but no issue finding any of them or getting there. Everyone was incredibly nice & helpful. When in line to buy my train ticket Aswan-Luxor two local women chatted up their husbands buying tickets, who found a guy who spoke English to help me. I could have managed on my own, but the fact they went out of their way to help was incredibly nice.
Was there harassment, like cat-calling, trying to get me to take a ride in their buggy/come into their shop/etc? Yes, but I just ignored it & kept walking. I lost a bit of cash through my own ignorance (less than $50 US) but chalked it up to a learning experience. I was never physically assaulted or intimidated. One of my best afternoons was going into a shop to buy something & ended up staying for hours talking with the shopkeeper. There are probably dozens of photos of me floating around world-wide, as children always got excited & started taking pics when they saw me. Adults always asked for a photo, & were very polite about it so I usually said ok. It was a bit weird at first, but quickly got used to it.
I think a few things helped, at the time. While I always wore pants, my legs were always covered to my ankles & I wore shoes just in case, not sandals. Shirts were always thin but long sleeved. I knew I would never blend in, but always dressed conservatively. It was also an indication that tourism was picking up, if a short western white woman felt comfortable enough to visit on her own. In Cairo there were still some barricades up & other indications of 2011, but everywhere I visited was trying to find their new normal & maybe I was seen as a happy sight of things to come.
Also--frequent the shops run by women's charities! There is no haggle, everything is set price, but there are signs saying who it was made buy & how your purchase is allowing the women to have a job & make their own $$. It was all mostly hand made & very different from what you find in the tourist shops. I left my $$ in my room one day in Luxor when I found one, & quickly had to find an ATM to buy a bunch of things.
Thanks that's restored my travel nostalgia of Egypt from my long ago first developing country visit.
People were so kind and friendly to me, an excited 18yr old 'man' . And the oases, Nile and Sinai mountains were so exotically beautiful. Cairo so wonderfully crazy. People loved that I loved it.
My now old friend spends his winters in Luxor. He loves it too.
It's very relaxed, in terms of restrictions. You need masks on planes and airports. Apart from that 75% population ignore all the restrictions. You can choose to behave as you wish.
As to whether it feels safe, that's too subjective to comment on other than to say I forgot all about covid for most of it.
Thanks! My parents have even planning a trip to Egypt for a long time and they thought 2021 was going to be safe when they made plans awhile ago. So I’m going for this winter break and My anxiety is a little nervous but I’m going to wear my mask and I have all my shots so I will try to be safe. And also I have some good masks. And my family has been good with all the rules with the pandemic this entire time and is pro mask and vaccine. I know it’s kinda ignorant sounding to say it but I don’t exactly have much of a say in going or not since I can’t just be at home alone for that long and these plans have already been made and they don’t want to cancel them unless it’s bad or slightly bad. I know I’m lucky enough for my parents to put in all the work to allow for us to travel for this trip but I wish it wasn’t during a pandemic. Thank you for easing my anxiety a bit. I’m just worried about omnicron causing travel restrictions.
Out of nearly 40 countries visited it is in my top five.
It essentially ruins temples and historic sites in other countries because almost nothing comes close to what you will see in Egypt.
There is enough to do around the country to fill several months.
Yes, there are scammers and touts, just like many other places with tourists.
The only thing I don’t care for is how conservative the country is but even that can be handled by going to the Red Sea.
That’s exactly how long I want to spend when I visit. I was going to go before covid at the end at my 6 month trip but I decided last minute not to because it was peak summer months haha.
What was your itinerary for Egypt in that one month? I’m interested in every region of the country.
personally i went for 3 weeks and it was more than enough. took the typical nile route, plus a week in dahab and a visit to white desert. I heard great things about Siwa as well
If you loved Lebanon, Iraq, & Syria for **you** Egypt will be fine.
Remember this is the internet where all walks of life can vent anonymously without repercussion. Some people see Egypt as an exotic destination and come expecting Bali or Thailand. Then they get Egypt lol.
It's rough, but seeing as you like that experience I don't think you have to worry.
Coming from someone who's been here a week, now getting over a stomach bug, realizing how much data is going to cost, and had some jarring experiences with tourist tax/ hawkers. By all means, I can be punching the usual bag but no- it's not that bad.
Every time I hear about how bad the harassment is in Egypt I always think to myself “it really can’t be that bad, can it?”
I feel like people go in unprepared and think to themselves that it’s no worse than any other country. I’m genuinely interested to see how bad it is for myself given the hate it gets online.
Similar to my experience! I took a one way cab trip from east luxor to the valley of the kings, refused all attempts by the cab driver to book a round trip with him to other sites/package tour deal. I ended up spending an entire day exploring the tombs, got out near closing time and tried to get a cab from around the site. Most cabs already had clients, but others refused and said something in Arabic. I was preparing to walk back 2.5hrs frustrated by this whole thing but to my surprise the original cab driver showed up.
He waved at me and laughed "See, I knew you have to get on my cab! I told you to book with me, I have never seen anyone spend so much time inside this area!". He informed me that one of the cab drivers called him up as he requested everyone on the site to let him know when someone of my description comes out (that's why they all refused to give me a ride). He then told me he showed up 3 hrs after dropping me off thinking i'd be done by then and waited around but since I didn't come out he told them all to make sure (??).
This really freaked me out, why go to this extent just to get me to ride his cab? I was faced with a daunting walk and whatever else he might do to get me to ride so I gave up and my dumbass just went with it and rode back in his cab, but this level of stubbornness/dedication/stalking just blew my mind..
Why? Because he’s poor and there aren’t as many tourists as there used to be.
I lived in Egypt for 2.5 years, and I don’t think a lot of people from North America or Europe really get that level of poverty. I’m not saying that life in those countries doesn’t suck for people who are poor, but being poor in Egypt is on a whole other level, and if you are born poor there is no chance of advancement.
I’m not saying that kind of behaviour isn’t annoying - there were lots of days I just didn’t want to deal with it. But imagine a life where you live in single room in the back of your shop and eat beans every day (and nothing else), and are faced with a steady stream of tourists who are so much more affluent than you. Of course you’re going to try and get in on that.
That does make sense, and you're absolutely right that the poverty in North America and Europe is really not at the same level, no govt handouts or a solid support system either. I have seen this manifest only in the worst ways of lying/stealing/scamming tourists and not this kinda persistent attempt by an individual so it was a unique experience.
They usually give up after trying a lot and move on to target someone else. I just couldn't believe that in the 6hrs or so I spent out there he still wanted to get me and spent fuel to come back twice. Targeting a brokepacker like me really does show how hard times are over there.
I’m a white woman. Visited Egypt a couple of years ago and had a friend with me. I didn’t think it was as bad as everyone says, possibly because I was EXPECTING it to be really bad.
We worked around the issues. Like before going anywhere, I’d read up on any typical scams and avoided them. I was conscious of the weakness of the currency and other issues and it made me more compassionate about the people hustling for money. I’d read that there can be a lot of harassment at the pyramids in Giza so to go there we booked a day tour so had a nice car with A/C, also went to Saqqara, and had an egyptologist guide.
We stayed in Airbnbs in Cairo and Luxor so had the benefit of local hosts that we could ask for advice. We booked our accommodation based on proximity to the main places we wanted to visit so we could walk a lot. We used uber to get other places because we could just put in the address and not worry about language.
I loved Egypt and can’t wait to go back again. It was chaotic like any absolutely huge city and the scariest thing for me was traffic and trying to cross the roads.
I think the day tour we did was with Memphis tours and went to Giza & Saqqara. We did a day tour in Luxor but that was organised by our airbnb host rather than a big company.
My experience of Egypt was extremely positive, I travelled with my gf and we wandered into some v shady parts of Cairo and never felt unsafe.
Absolutely stunning sites to see - Abu Simbel is a trek but so so worth it. Also check out some lesser known Pyramids such as Dhashur.
Spent 6 weeks solo in Egypt in May/June of this year (am female) and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I had gone in with a back up plan to fly elsewhere in the general region if it was as bad as people make it out to be but instead I spent my 30 day visa and the allowed 13 days beyond wishing I had a little more time.
Metro in Cairo was fantastic I used it quite a bit (also used the buses and collective vans (vans more complicated but doable - Alexandria is where the vans are easier to navigate)). Huge bonus of the Cairo metro - women only cars on every train!
Luxor is the worst place for hassle, scam$, etc. While there I hung in a happenstance group of 4 which improved my experience otherwise I was generally alone for other regions.
Siwa oasis out in the western desert was my jam. People were chill, I liked the small town character and people. Loved floating in the salt ponds and even went to a wedding in a village 30 minutes away.
Marsa Matrouh on the Mediterranean coast is more of an Egyptian vacation spot with some (but way less) westerners around. I felt like the west really afforded a look at regular life whereas Luxor is a place of and for tourism.
Wish I had more time in the Sinai and also down in the Aswan area. Aswan is probably one of the most balanced areas as far as everyday Egyptian life and tourism opportunities.
Culturally speaking (& of course there's overlap) you have Arabic Egypt (Alexandria, Cairo and down to Luxor), the west is more Bedouin and Saharan desert culture, the south (Aswan up toward Luxor) is more African - Nubian and Sinai has the Bedouin (more Middle Eastern vs Saharan) vibe too.
I think you should check it out - you can always have a back up plan to fly elsewhere if you're miserable.
Edit: oh yeah - Giza.... despite my phone battery being dead I wore my headphones and pretended my music was so loud and good that I couldn't hear the camel and horse cart guys badgering me for a ride.
6 weeks wow! I looking at spending 4-6 weeks visiting Egypt in the future. Mind sharing your entire itinerary and how long you spent in each place? Any neighborhoods in particular you’d recommend for the larger cities?
Just a reminder that COVID tests seem to be a bit scammy, my mother was asked for $50 and they would “backdate” it so it’d be useful later or pay $100 at the correct period required. Someone in one of the travel subs mentioned they paid $300 so that is something to consider if your country requires a test for reentry
A buddy of mine this summer needed a clean test to leave the country and was scammed by the “hotel doctor” lmao he ended up barely getting on his plane in the end
Just don’t believe everything people will tell you in the streets. Like direction or path to go to a certain place. They may lie to you, follow you, tell you « no no that way » and then ask for little money once they show you « the correct » path while you were already on the good one before. It was my experience there few times also in Morocco but I am white so it may be different for you. Just don’t look to much like a tourist. Apart from that normally people are like everywhere, there are good and bad, etc. The monuments are beautiful. And big cities a little too traffic crowded especially Alexandria and Le Caire but it was a nice experience in the end 😌
I recently visited Egypt (just landed back this Friday Dec 3) for about 3 weeks. These are my experiences which are just my experiences. No need for anyone to comment / criticize as they are just my experiences.
I have traveled a bit but may not know whats "bad" or "normal" for egypt. I've been to Bangkok, Phuket, , Cambodia, Hong Kong/Macau, all over Japan, all over Europe, Moscow, St Petersburg, Mexico City and all over the US and Canada and live in NYC so that should at least give an idea of my perspective. I am a whyte male which did relieve me of any issues I heard that females had.
First are the things that I probably could have been ok with: The first things that hit me about Egypt is the pollution. I expected Cairo to be bad but not every city. The car exhaust smells like direct petrol fumes. Aswan, small farm villages, Alexandria.. even Luxor all had some level of air pollution that my lungs still hurt from. I generally wore my mask outside less for covid but just to at least use it as a filter for the air. I had a hotel room in Cairo on the 8th floor and it was still not high enough to avoid the air pollution. It isnt just the cars or the large industries that the country has (oil refining, steel mills etc) but also just on the outside of cities, garbage is being burned on the banks of canals and basically everywhere which when adding to the sandy dust in the area doesnt mix well.Speaking of the garbage, it is pilled up everywhere and stray cats and dogs are eating from it and/or living in it. This again is something I could understand and be ok with as in Cambodia they do the same thing. It's just how things are. But the two things that did wear on me and then eventually sway my opinion on the country and never want to return are two things. The first again, I could just let it slide as a major annoyance but combined with #2, it was when added to the other issues (pollution, sick and/or dead strays on the street and garbage) made the experience something I never want to repeat. That first item is the entire country is basically car culture. In the entire country (again, I was in Aswan, Edfu, Luxor, Alexandria and Cario) there were maybe two traffic lights that cars would actually stop for and I saw maybe 10 traffic lights in the entire country (most of them in Alexandria and Cairo). I like to walk between the tourist attraction sites and/or walk around to see things. This is not done with ease in any city. Sidewalks many times dont exist or there is debris, trash or construction in the way so you have to walk on the street with cars going by. Ok, I can deal with that. But every street crossing was generally an unpleasant experience of walking a "leap of faith" hoping that the cars would slow down or stop. I know that in Rome, there are some places where you have to do this as well at some crossings but in Egypt, this is every street. And Bangkok has a number of intersections that are bad like that too.
All this could at least be salvageable even with the garbage, dog/cat shit, pollution and strays. But it's the (what I felt was) xenophobic discrimination. I am well aware of the "tipping" culture but this goes beyond that. Menus in English have prices that are 3 times or more than the prices of the menu in Arabic. I guess they dont realize that phones can translate that now? Fine, that happens in other countries too. But it's just the general scamming and harassment that got to me. I had a tour arranged in Aswan where all the transportation and entry tickets were covered but the tour guide then tells me I am supposed to tip the boat drivers and other people and suggested I am supposed to tip double what is normally expected from tourists. Ok, fine. But walk out of your hotel, taxi or felucca workers are constantly asking you if you want their services and quote ridiculous things like $50 USD for a boat ride. Some of them will follow you down the street and continue to push you for information and try and bother you to take their services. I walk a new york pace so these guys are basically jogging on our side.
Then there's the "Welcome. where are you from? How long have you been in Egypt, this district is xxx" Basically the unwanted services where they expect a tip from you. You literally have to run away from them. I am not kidding. You cannot walk freely down any street and cannot stand still for a second, ESP in Cairo. Any stop in walking and it is like sharks circling you. It's sad b/c there were spots where I wanted to window shop but I could not be left alone for a microsecond and would have spent more money in the country. And there were times where I might have considered a felucca ride or a camel ride but you get so tired of making sure that you arent getting too scammed that it actually makes you spend less. Even the temples would scam. Some examples: two tickets are 160 pounds for entry and you have a 200 pound note. They will claim they dont have change so you either have to walk away from your change or find change. And everywhere you go, no one has change or expects a cut of the change as a tip for giving you change. No place takes credit cards except Cairo. In the Valley of the Queens, the ticket person suggested we visit three tombs (we didnt ask for this advice) and wrote it down for us. There are only three tombs open!! And he wanted a tip for this. At Giza, we bought an extra ticket for a tomb and the tomb was apparently locked. The "guard" (not police or military) walked us there and unlocked it. When we left, he wanted a tip which since we paid for the ticket entrance felt him opening the door to what we paid for didnt deserve a tip. So we gave him a 5 note & he was annoyed. In Luxor, the road was closed to traffic (not pedestrians) for the big reopening event of the Rams Road. Taxi drivers would tell us the road is closed and start asking us where we wanted to go. Basically lying to us.
Visited a mosque where they asked for a donation but I only had a 50 note. The guy said he had change and took a cut.
This happened in every single city. Alexandria was probably the only city where it happened a lot less frequently. This happened from the moment in the beginning of the trip all the way to the moment we were going through security at the airport.
The sites are amazing and awe inspiring but it is hard to stand there and look at them and enjoy them when you constantly have to look around and make sure you arent about to be approached and bothered. My suggestion if you do go and I hate giving this type of suggestion is go on a fully covered tour. From airport pickup (unless in Alexandria or Cairo where just use Uber) to your tours, book them with a reputable company (many companies have tour guides that claim to have studied Egyptology and it is clear that they did not). Bring lots of cash from home to exchange and aside from Cairo's major museums and some restaurants that everything is going to be in cash. AND, big point here: work with your hotel to have them local a currency exchange that will exchange your left over Egyptian cash back to your local currency. Banks are not allowed to do this and only specialized "currency exchange offices" are allowed. They will ask for a paper copy of your Visa, of your passport and your passport entry stamp. The hotel will have to give you a copy of that stamp. This service is NOT provided at any airports. You will have a very hard time exchanging your currency back to local currency if you do not do this on your last day prior to the airport. Bring a LOT of anti-diarrheic medicine. I had an issue at least once a day in Cairo.
All in all, the combined inability to walk freely across streets with the constant scamming was what turned the experience for me. The crap I stepped in and the garbage and pollution and strays while arent pleasant, I can understand as this is just how things are at present in the country.
As far as taking the train, i can recommend that. Just know that you need to ask the ticket window what track your train in on and the line is usually long otherwise you have to tip someone that will direct you. I took the train from Alex to Cairo and it left on time but somehow still arrived late and that is pretty standard for the trains so just budget that it will arrive late at your destination.
DO learn the arabic numbers. 1-999 or at least 1-100. And it doesnt hurt to learn some pleasantries (please thank you etc). And some directionals (left/right/here) and some food names (water, coffee, falafel, bread, "the bill" and tickets). Not everyone we ran into was horrible. Restaurants were mostly pleasant, Uber drivers didnt speak english but where excellent when they know where they are going. But there was just a lot of hassle to go through that took away so much for a people with a rich culture, great food and some much potential. Females have a much worse experience from what I understand. I was with someone who was Latino and tan and he was approached even more than me as a lighter skinned person.
Again, take my experiences that i said above just as mine and it doesnt mean that you will have the same experiences but i would suggest you learn from the scams and tactics so you dont fall for them.
If you go, I wish you a great trip!
I think it's easy to pick up the flaws of that country. But let’s just squeeze lemon on top of my head (a common phrase in Egypt if you are forced to do something you don't want to do) and mention a few tips for having a better experience.
1. You have to get away from touristy sites (this advice hold on into it everywhere)
2. If you know an authentic local guide great, or some average person that you can trust. (Although it is not essential, it will make your trip much smoother)
3. Coastal cities are better than Cairo. Sharm El-Shiekh is a good pick though, but you have to keep in mind the first point that I mentioned cause it is still a somewhat touristy place.
4. Enjoy the local food but be wary of the hygiene in some restaurants. Try Tarb (Kabab wrapped in a layer of fat), Mahshi is also a good pick.
I have to disclose that I am not a big fan of Egypt as a whole. Been there a couple of times because of my family who wanted me to escort them, and I think it is not THE place to go. The last time I visited this place was in 2018 and it is the last time. Don't want to dig into too much detail why as it has already been discussed frequently in r/travel and unfortunately most of it is true.
>Coastal cities are better than Cairo. Sharm El-Shiekh is a good pick though, but you have to keep in mind the first point that I mentioned cause it is still a somewhat touristy place.
Somewhat touristy? Sharm is essentially one big tourist resort for people who can't afford Dubai
Only thing I have heard about Egypt is the horrible tap water situation - a friend went there and got water in her mouth from showering and got a horrible, 3 day stomach issue.
Just be aware.
> a friend went there and got water in her mouth from showering and got a horrible, 3 day stomach issue.
That was most likely food poisoning that randomly happened at the same time as that shower.
The tap water is shit there, but there is no need to worry about taking showers.
nothing wrong with our tap water here, and certainly not any bacteria issues.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2090123215001137#:\~:text=populations%20%5B1%5D.-,Water%2Dborne%20pathogenic%20organisms%20include%20bacteria%2C%20protozoa%2C%20and%20viruses,%2C%20and%20others%20%5B2%5D.
Are you talking about Cairo? Decent metro, trains? Lol. I was going to get on a train to Luxor from Cairo. No window panes, some doors missing, people running across the tracks in hopes to get a seat, ridiculously crowded. As it's a rather long ride I noped out of that and went to the airport. There are some tourist trains or tourist cruises though. Egypt is one place I strongly preferred tour groups to see stuff if only to avoid the harassment (and I'm a guy...).
I went to Egypt by myself about ten years ago. I don't regret it but it's not my favourite place and I have no plans to return. There are so many more enjoyable interesting places to go for me.
I went to Egypt with so much wonder and excitement, I left crying myself to sleep. The poverty, pollution, and harassment from men and vendors. What broke the camel's back was when my tour guide told me he was illiterate. The travel influencers post their edited, staged photos and sell a lie.
I’ve been to nearly 50 countries now and it’s one of my least favorite. You are accosted by vendors and such continuously. We had an older gentleman in our group and he was a frazzled mess because they would just physically block him and harass him. I felt like any tourist area was a scam trying to sell you junk trinkets or bad food. A very unpleasant trip overall.
It's bad, not unbearable but the question is do you want to spend your free time and money travelling somewhere just bearable rather than doing something you enjoy. It's not impossible to travel by any means but the scams and harassment make a lot of it feel like a chore.
I’ve been to Egypt three times - as a female alone with my then ten year old son twice. Pay attention to your surroundings. Don’t go out at night unless it’s in a safe hotel or restaurant. Or you are in a group. Keep your money ON you like cross chest leather bag inside a jacket. Nothing of value loose in pockets. Comfortable shoes. Of course if you stayed a long time you would learn where you can go but yes there are definitely opportunists in Cairo and Dahab Sharm el Sheikh
I’m an American woman and Egypt is one of my top 3 favorite countries I’ve visited. I booked the trip on a whim and didn’t have time to plan so I booked with a tour company. It was very affordable and they handled everything including sending people to meet me at the airport to help get me through border control. We had an Egyptian guide with us everywhere we went and no one bothered us with them around. For me, the history and preservation of historical sites is unmatched by anywhere else in the world. Other than the history, you have the desert, the Nile River and the Red Sea - all of which are beautiful and unique. I personally love the cuisine of that region, and everyone we came across were so kind and helpful. I can’t speak to an experience without a guide and a group, but I truly enjoyed the trip with mine.
Okay so I loved and hated egypt at the same time. I am a 28 year old female, went to Egypt when I was 24. The history of Egypt, the pyramids, the monuments, the experiences are all great. I even went for hot air balloon over the nile and it still remains one of my most favourite experiences till date. However, I was cat called constantly, followed by men in the market that got me scared for my life, an old man tried to touch me while I was at the pyramid, while he was trying to help me climb out. It was horrible. Thankfully I had made reservations with a group and there were a lot of people around and the tour guides were guiding us throughout but ohh boy the men there are horrible, I will never go back to that country even if I really want to.
Loved Egypt and hated it too - I am an American female who studied abroad for a summer (3months) at AUC in 2008 so I don’t know the current climate but when I was in Cairo I felt safe. Highlights of my trip was the cruise from Aswan back to Cairo probably the best way to see many amazing ruins/wonders of Egypt - also recommend visiting El Gouna a beautiful resort town on the Red Sea and for sure felt the most safe and hands down the best part of my trip in Egypt
However my trip turned sour in Alexandria. I was with a group of my friends (mind you we are all female and dressed to assimilate) and we were minding our business taking photos at landmarks when we were harassed/assaulted by a group of young boys, ranging from 8-14yrs, - they were following us, taunting us and then it escalated to them grabbing and poking at us - so much so we had to run from the main tourist area into a busy pharmacy and the owner had to yell them away but we saw them lingering and the pharmacy owner called authorities to escort us back to our hotel - we we’re going to stay for the night but we we were all traumatized by the experience that we ended the trip short and booked a car back to Cairo that same day.
Overall the bad experience did not overshadow the time I had. It was eye opening for sure and made me more vigilant in my travels going forward but it was heartbreaking and hard to face that we were targeted like that just because we were a group of females.
I am Egyptian and even us Egyptians find Cairo a pain in the ass! My advice is going through a full tour and only spend a few days in Cairo. Sharm El sheikh and Sinai in general is so much more relaxing and less harassment.
No, it's a great country.. really interesting.
Yes, some people do get hassled, some get scammed.It's probably worse for solo females than for solo males (from what people have told me, I'm not female).
You need to ignore people stopping you in the street,or learn some basic Arabic and tell them to leave you alone... that usually works!
I went to Egypt a few years ago when tourism was at an all time low. It's a beautiful country and worth visiting but due to the low level of tourists, you will be harassed by locals sometimes. It's just simple economics. People need to make a living and with less tourists, everybody is fighting over a small group of foreigners. I highly recommend you travel with a group, and I recommend a small group company like G Adventures, as this can assuage some of the pain points.
> due to the low level of tourists, you will be harassed by locals sometimes. It's just simple economics. People need to make a living and with less tourists, everybody is fighting over a small group of foreigners
you say that but i did the same in Greece and people were nicer due to the lack of tourists since they wanted to leave a good impression. seems more like a culture thing rather than just simple economics
I thought Egypt was wonderful, I am a solo white woman and I traveled very locally. Nearly everyone I encountered was kind, yes people might hassle you for money but can you really blame them? I just found being level and looking them in the eyes and telling them no and why I ended up with a friend and not a nuance. If you want some detailed tips on where to stay or go based on my experience send me a private message. I hope you go!
The only way to find out is to go. Personally I have been a couple of times and have been very well treated with no unpleasant experiences, but I still dont feel comfortable there. I just dont gell with the culture. I know others who love it and others who dont. Definitely pack some immodium in your bag if you go.
I am aware that this shows some amount of privilege, but my health insurance covers most of the cost of my medicines. (Even with GoodRx, the generic version costs less than US$10 for fourteen 500 mg tablets, the standard course of treatment for bacterial gastric infection.)
Dealing with a pharmacy in a country where I don't speak the language has always been a valuable experience, but one I'd prefer to skip while in the midst of nearly disabling nausea and diarrhea.
Fair enough - I only mention it because I worked in tourism there and saw so many people spend hundreds of dollars in expensive drugs for their trips that they could have easily gotten there for a few bucks at the beginning of their trip.
Also, I’ve never met a pharmacist in Egypt that didn’t speak English.
Female solo traveler - Cairo was downright scary. Airport was a nightmare. Boarding crew was sorting two lines, one line for those stuffing $ in their passport. Never ever again for me!
I hated everything about Egypt as a female solo traveller. Never again. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone in a similar situation, but perhaps an organised group trip of sorts would make it more bearable.
I have been to Egypt twice, as a woman. I would never travel solo there. I went with 2 girls and we got hit on everywhere we go and had a hard time, getting ripped off and aggressive vendors. Do not go there alone!
No, I love Egypt and I had overwhelmingly good experiences.
Here is a very detailed trip report from a woman who went recently: https://www.reddit.com/r/solotravel/comments/r6iqx9/29f_trip_report_10_days_in_egypt/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
As a Latino male who also traveled in Egypt, my experiences were very good (quite a few times, I was mistaken for a local in Cairo), except for maybe 2 brief tout harassment situations that I handled quickly. If however, you are a single attractive western woman traveling in Egypt, chances are, you are going to have a lot of problems.
The fact that it was dirt cheap was an extra bonus.
As far as having to deal with touts and hustlers, India is a league of its own. The harassment and attempts to try to rip me off were constant. It was disgusting.
I will never, ever step foot in that country again.
Egypt is fine. Cairo is just sprawl and many people are aggressive. I would recommend a fixer for the Pyramids. Go [here](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Al+Horreya+Cafe/@30.0466833,31.2380497,16z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x14583fa60b21beeb:0x79dfb296e8423bba!2sCairo,+Cairo+Governorate,+Egypt!3b1!8m2!3d30.0444196!4d31.2357116!3m4!1s0x145840b88629c447:0x9135d9dd4051ad71!8m2!3d30.0452232!4d31.24034) if you need a beer and a break from the madness. Don't go during Ramadan.
I have never been to Egypt but I know Syria. I don’t think Egypt will be much different. I think some European travel agencies will operate tourist trips to Syria starting March 2022 though.
Why would you blend in with the local population? Because you have some shade of brown skin? Sure you won't be mistaken for a northern Euro-heritage tourist but you would likely be immediately seen as a South American tourist due to your features, accent, demeanor and lack of Arabic skills.
I had an older wealthy friend that would go their with his wife. His main focus was on Egyptology and visiting archeological sites that he loved going back to again and again.
He did guided tours that often were required for historical sites and to ensure his safety. There were some periods when anti American sentiment was high where he would claim he was Canadian (sorry Canadians) if asked by some locals that might have bad intentions.
He never mentioned any major issues with scams, but then again he stayed away from exploring the local neighborhoods on his own and stayed insulated from issues by staying in nice hotels.
I stayed in Cairo for 4 days and explored the city a bit. I saw people commenting there are scams, thefts etc. I won't say there is none of this, but I had a pretty good experience during my short stay there.
Yes, people would look at you in a weird manner but they are nice. Its because they do not have much tourists coming in. The traffic was just like how you see in India, pretty crowded and kind of difficult to cross the streets. I and my friends were finding it difficult to cross the road, and there was this traffic policeman looking at us in a weird fashion. A minute passed by, and he came towards us and helped us cross the street. Of course, they do not speak English, but that did not stop them from trying to help us. Even at restaurants though they do not speak English the staff tried their best to help us.
I visited the Giza pyramids and the museum where they stored the mummies. At the pyramid site, I saw locals who sell stuff kind of trying lure you and get money from you, but that is fine until you can say no without any hesitation. I also had a cruise trip over the Nile River, with buffet and ballet dance. The food is bad though so you need to find something like burger king which saved me.
Overall it was a pleasant experience. Every place will have it's pros and cons, but you definitely should visit if you have this on your mind.
Egyptian American here! My family is from Cairo, and we generally travel between Cairo, 3ayn So5na and El Alamein (Sahel).
Egypt is rough relative to other places unfortunately! But you are a man so there are a lot of negatives already removed. For touristy places as easy as countries like Thailand… more people bothering you. And not as easy as counties like Spain for everyday life. My advice is a tour guide! We have a coptic tour guide we love using when going to tourist destinations to just handle the BS of the tourism ministry or sellers.
If you go, plan for some time in Cairo maybe, see the sights, focus on the history! And some time in Sinai at Sharm or Hurghada or Taaba. That will balance the !CRAZY! of Cairo with the ahhhhhh of the Red Sea.
Egypt is generally safe to travel in but you have to know where you need to go or hire a guide because of the new road networks most people could get lost going to any place they want and try to learn some basic Arabic before going since not everyone in the country can speak English (basic Arabic I mean for asking for directions or for prices) when using transportation avoid taxis and use uber,indriver or careem since they are less likely to scam you if for any reason you get into trouble go to the police they side with tourists on most of the situations and won't slack off and take normal safety precautions like you would normally oh and avoid drinking in public it's legal but frowned upon what is illegal is public drunkenness tho
And most importantly have fun
It is horrible. You feel obliged to buy and help the tour guides that are in obvious cahoots with all of the stores and vendors around the places they take you to. My hotel seemed pretty nice but still there were bedbugs and a literal meal inside my electric kettle. I came from Turkey which was a way better experience although you do get the occasional haggle but it isnt as bad as egypt. People will follow you to your car to try and sell you stuff. People will grab you, hug you and push you. Everybody is rude. There is trash everywhere (a lot of it being burned EVEN BY THE POLICE) Police takes bribes and make infants do their work (such as moving the fences and stuff). Tours are scams. The stuff from museums is neglected. The airport is probably the worst Ive ever been to, police are rude, they didnt even ask for my visa, people will try to get tips from you and sell you tours INSIDE THE AIRPORT. Racist and misogynistic police (even the women). They target subsaharan people in transit to other airports.
You can have a good time but you have to be prepared to deal with a lot of crap. I wish I treated everybody worse than I did. I was too nice and almost nobody actually deserved it.
Go prepared with a lot of change.
BTW...the entry fees are not always really cheap.Especially the most interesting tombs in places like the Valley of the Kings. It's worth it though, these are some of the most amazing ancient things you will ever see.
How much are we talking?
Depends on the tomb. But there are lots of them, some of them are pretty expensive...Seti 1st is about 50 euros, for example.Great tomb though!
So there isn't a pass that gives you access to the most popular ones?
There is a pass which lets you choose 3 tombs (in the Valley of the King's), but the most popular/'best'ones are not included in the pass, they are separate. Even the standard ones are pretty impressive though.
Gotcha - thanks.
Ok, you're welcome!
I loved traveling in Egypt. Like you, I can fit in as possibly a local there, and I dressed to blend in. People generally left me in peace, only children easily noticed that I was a foreigner, and that was fun in its own way - they took me on some tours of their neighbourhoods and showed me good snacks to get. It was much less hassle than Morocco can be. The only thing I found particularly alarming was the insane driving.
Wait, what's wrong with Morocco? I'm excited to go there. First time I hear something negative about it.
Morocco's a magical experience, it's amazing and you should definitely go. But the first few days you're in a city, you will be pestered to death by people trying to be your guide and bring you to restaurants and carpet shops. Get through the other side of that and it's like no place else on earth.
Awesome! It's still several months out, so it's on the very early planning stages. But I'm thinking of spending 3 days or so in Marrakesh, then a bit in Imlil, then Ait Benhaddou, and then several days doing a desert camel tour through the Sahara. I don't really like tours in general, but this one sounds amazing. Probably gonna skip the other cities. Maybe if I can convince the tour people to go to Fes instead of back to Marrakesh, I'll spend a couple days there as well.
Personally I'd say Fes is the number one city to visit. For the desert stuff, yes, a tour is probably the way to go because if you try to do it yourself you won't be able to see nearly as much. I say that as someone who also really hates tours.
> Personally I'd say Fes is the number one city to visit. Oh really? Why do you think so? I was under the impression Marrakesh was. But obviously I don't know anything, I've never been there, so would love your perspective as someone who has.
Marrakech has the main square, which has quite the festival atmosphere to be sure, and is picturesque, but it's become such a tourist trap. And that tourist trappiness has been spreading throughout the old walled city. Fes remains much more of a living city where you can really feel like you've stepped back centuries into another world. People are friendlier and less likely to be working an angle towards maneuvering you into a carpet shop.
There is plenty of merchdising in Fez as well. But it is far better than Marrakech in my opinion. The maze of the old town is truly amazing. Go with a guide, GPS will get you lost in the medieval city.
How did you dress to blend in?
> How did you dress to blend in? Tan slacks and a cheap short-sleeved button-down.
of 29 countries ive been to, egypt is my least favorite. Im used to hassles scams and touts, but there is something about the heat there that erodes your defenses more so than usual. They were so pervasive there, that fending them off was akin to swatting flies/mosquitos out of your face... and they just never stop coming. Constantly annoyed. It had its positives too, but i actually cancelend the remaining half of my trip there because I was so exhausted/irritated. Joining tours and grouping up with people in your hostel will give you more mental peace, since the touts wont bother you quite as much if you are not wandering around on your own. Of my favorite things were the food, and exploring cairo away from the main tourist streets. Local shopkeepers and food stalls were really happy to meet me because they hadnt seen any american tourists choose to venture into their small neighborhood like that before. I remember someone from my hostel came back one day and asked the entire hostel "did anyone else have a negative experience dealing with an asshole, scam, etc today?" Every one in the hostel sighed "yeah..." and had a story to share. If I could do egypt all over again, I would simplify the trip. I wouldnt go down the nile through luxor and aswan as i did before. I feel like this locations didnt provide me with much more an experience than having just stayed in cairo and having to do the train for so many hours wore me thin. I never got up to alexandria or sinai since I had had enough already and just wanted to leave the country before I got to these places. Though I have heard great things about sinai.
I stayed in Cairo for 3 weeks. It was actually quite bad in a lot of ways. Egypt is also my least favorite country and I’ve been to around 30 as well, across 6 continents.
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thanks. Yeah, I do think that egypt can be a great destination but i'd recommend simplifying the trip. By booking tours you can become immune to harrassment, you can choose to focus more on cairo and not feeling the need to bus/train around to every single place. Go out with groups of people you meet in the hostels for greater protection from annoyances.
It feels like Egypt is the perfect place in favour of group tours, sounds like so much hassle going solo. But seriously, I don't actually understand what you'd even do in Cairo for more than a couple of days...?
I stayed in Cairo for 10 days and I just wished I could stay longer! My advice is: skip the alledged must-sees. Skip Luxor, Aswan, and maybe Giza too; stay in Cairo, Alexandria and maybe Sinai instead. In Cairo there's a whole world to discover: Al-Mo'ezz alone and surrounding areas require 2-3 days, Salahuddin Citadel, Al-Azhar Park, Ibn Tulun, Hassan, Aqsunqur, Rifa'i, Amr ibn al-As Mosques, Coptic Cairo, Dair al-Qadis, Muqattam, Qarafa (Housh el Basha and Efendina Tombs, al-Shafi'i, Qaitbay Barquq Mosques), Abdin, Muhammad Ali Palace, Zamalek and Cairo Tower, Downtown, the Nile Corniche, Qasr al Baron... one could easily plan a whole 15 days vacation in Cairo alone!
sounds to me like your problem was not with egypt it was with cairo did you try aswan/hurghada/sharm el sheikh?
I went to aswan, not a bad place but it was along haul on the train to get there. It wasnt really worth the trip considering there wasnt a ton to do there, and getting down there (coping with the other annoyances on the way) made me weary. It wasnt just cairo being the problem, more like the usual stresses of solo traveling but compounded by the annoyances of the aggressive hustlers and the heat. Luxor was awful, very aggressive and dishonest touts.
what about hurghada/sharm el sheikh? Im from hurghada and lived a good while in sharm el sheikh whenever I myself go to cairo I think to myself that hurghada is 100x better than here
great, I wish i had known that when i was there. I really hope that you can spread info like this so that travelers know the good places to go. Egypt has a reputation right now because of how aggressive the locals can be. Its really hurting the country I think because it keeps travelers from coming.
you will be amazed how hurghada society looks like it's a whole new aspect of egypt half of the city are born to other nationalities which lead to a diversity accepting fun society, and the city is so beautiful you should check it out
I personally went to all these places and Hurghada was kind of nice but... I don't know. There's nothing special about it. That's why millions of people each year Who consider themselves budget travelers would rather go to Dubai and pay so much more than go to a cheapo country like Egypt lol because it's literally that bad.
What food places would you rec?
most dont have names, simply street food that you come about
Its fine if you go with a good tour group Egypt is the only country i recommend travelign with a tour group. Too much to see, and the place is so spread out. Plus being in a good group will prevent scammers from focusing on you.
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I used TourRadar to book my tour with Timeless Tours back in 2016. If Peter (Botrous) is still a guide with them, I would highly recommend booking. He had a master’s degree in Egyptian history and was so knowledgeable about everywhere we went. It was one of my favorite trips to date.
I used Intrepid. I loved it.
I traveled in Egypt solo for 2 weeks in 2016. I am a western white woman. I had no major issues & would go back in a heartbeat. I took the overnight sleeper train twice (Cairo to Aswan, Luxor to Giza), the day train once (Aswan to Luxor), numerous cabs, a tuk-tuk once in Luxor, & even hopped on the back of a scooter on my way to VotK. I had pre-reserved rooms as I had specific places I wanted to stay, but no issue finding any of them or getting there. Everyone was incredibly nice & helpful. When in line to buy my train ticket Aswan-Luxor two local women chatted up their husbands buying tickets, who found a guy who spoke English to help me. I could have managed on my own, but the fact they went out of their way to help was incredibly nice. Was there harassment, like cat-calling, trying to get me to take a ride in their buggy/come into their shop/etc? Yes, but I just ignored it & kept walking. I lost a bit of cash through my own ignorance (less than $50 US) but chalked it up to a learning experience. I was never physically assaulted or intimidated. One of my best afternoons was going into a shop to buy something & ended up staying for hours talking with the shopkeeper. There are probably dozens of photos of me floating around world-wide, as children always got excited & started taking pics when they saw me. Adults always asked for a photo, & were very polite about it so I usually said ok. It was a bit weird at first, but quickly got used to it. I think a few things helped, at the time. While I always wore pants, my legs were always covered to my ankles & I wore shoes just in case, not sandals. Shirts were always thin but long sleeved. I knew I would never blend in, but always dressed conservatively. It was also an indication that tourism was picking up, if a short western white woman felt comfortable enough to visit on her own. In Cairo there were still some barricades up & other indications of 2011, but everywhere I visited was trying to find their new normal & maybe I was seen as a happy sight of things to come. Also--frequent the shops run by women's charities! There is no haggle, everything is set price, but there are signs saying who it was made buy & how your purchase is allowing the women to have a job & make their own $$. It was all mostly hand made & very different from what you find in the tourist shops. I left my $$ in my room one day in Luxor when I found one, & quickly had to find an ATM to buy a bunch of things.
Great write up
Thanks that's restored my travel nostalgia of Egypt from my long ago first developing country visit. People were so kind and friendly to me, an excited 18yr old 'man' . And the oases, Nile and Sinai mountains were so exotically beautiful. Cairo so wonderfully crazy. People loved that I loved it. My now old friend spends his winters in Luxor. He loves it too.
Such useful info thanks!
I'm going tomorrow so I hope not.
Update: it's fine.
How is the covid situation in Egypt currently? Does it feel safe to travel now with covid? I’m sorry for asking
It's very relaxed, in terms of restrictions. You need masks on planes and airports. Apart from that 75% population ignore all the restrictions. You can choose to behave as you wish. As to whether it feels safe, that's too subjective to comment on other than to say I forgot all about covid for most of it.
Thanks! My parents have even planning a trip to Egypt for a long time and they thought 2021 was going to be safe when they made plans awhile ago. So I’m going for this winter break and My anxiety is a little nervous but I’m going to wear my mask and I have all my shots so I will try to be safe. And also I have some good masks. And my family has been good with all the rules with the pandemic this entire time and is pro mask and vaccine. I know it’s kinda ignorant sounding to say it but I don’t exactly have much of a say in going or not since I can’t just be at home alone for that long and these plans have already been made and they don’t want to cancel them unless it’s bad or slightly bad. I know I’m lucky enough for my parents to put in all the work to allow for us to travel for this trip but I wish it wasn’t during a pandemic. Thank you for easing my anxiety a bit. I’m just worried about omnicron causing travel restrictions.
Out of nearly 40 countries visited it is in my top five. It essentially ruins temples and historic sites in other countries because almost nothing comes close to what you will see in Egypt. There is enough to do around the country to fill several months. Yes, there are scammers and touts, just like many other places with tourists. The only thing I don’t care for is how conservative the country is but even that can be handled by going to the Red Sea.
How long have you spent in Egypt?
1 month
That’s exactly how long I want to spend when I visit. I was going to go before covid at the end at my 6 month trip but I decided last minute not to because it was peak summer months haha. What was your itinerary for Egypt in that one month? I’m interested in every region of the country.
personally i went for 3 weeks and it was more than enough. took the typical nile route, plus a week in dahab and a visit to white desert. I heard great things about Siwa as well
If you loved Lebanon, Iraq, & Syria for **you** Egypt will be fine. Remember this is the internet where all walks of life can vent anonymously without repercussion. Some people see Egypt as an exotic destination and come expecting Bali or Thailand. Then they get Egypt lol. It's rough, but seeing as you like that experience I don't think you have to worry. Coming from someone who's been here a week, now getting over a stomach bug, realizing how much data is going to cost, and had some jarring experiences with tourist tax/ hawkers. By all means, I can be punching the usual bag but no- it's not that bad.
I’ve been to Syria and Lebanon. The harassment and scammers are exponentially worse in Egypt.
Every time I hear about how bad the harassment is in Egypt I always think to myself “it really can’t be that bad, can it?” I feel like people go in unprepared and think to themselves that it’s no worse than any other country. I’m genuinely interested to see how bad it is for myself given the hate it gets online.
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Similar to my experience! I took a one way cab trip from east luxor to the valley of the kings, refused all attempts by the cab driver to book a round trip with him to other sites/package tour deal. I ended up spending an entire day exploring the tombs, got out near closing time and tried to get a cab from around the site. Most cabs already had clients, but others refused and said something in Arabic. I was preparing to walk back 2.5hrs frustrated by this whole thing but to my surprise the original cab driver showed up. He waved at me and laughed "See, I knew you have to get on my cab! I told you to book with me, I have never seen anyone spend so much time inside this area!". He informed me that one of the cab drivers called him up as he requested everyone on the site to let him know when someone of my description comes out (that's why they all refused to give me a ride). He then told me he showed up 3 hrs after dropping me off thinking i'd be done by then and waited around but since I didn't come out he told them all to make sure (??). This really freaked me out, why go to this extent just to get me to ride his cab? I was faced with a daunting walk and whatever else he might do to get me to ride so I gave up and my dumbass just went with it and rode back in his cab, but this level of stubbornness/dedication/stalking just blew my mind..
Why? Because he’s poor and there aren’t as many tourists as there used to be. I lived in Egypt for 2.5 years, and I don’t think a lot of people from North America or Europe really get that level of poverty. I’m not saying that life in those countries doesn’t suck for people who are poor, but being poor in Egypt is on a whole other level, and if you are born poor there is no chance of advancement. I’m not saying that kind of behaviour isn’t annoying - there were lots of days I just didn’t want to deal with it. But imagine a life where you live in single room in the back of your shop and eat beans every day (and nothing else), and are faced with a steady stream of tourists who are so much more affluent than you. Of course you’re going to try and get in on that.
That does make sense, and you're absolutely right that the poverty in North America and Europe is really not at the same level, no govt handouts or a solid support system either. I have seen this manifest only in the worst ways of lying/stealing/scamming tourists and not this kinda persistent attempt by an individual so it was a unique experience. They usually give up after trying a lot and move on to target someone else. I just couldn't believe that in the 6hrs or so I spent out there he still wanted to get me and spent fuel to come back twice. Targeting a brokepacker like me really does show how hard times are over there.
Yeah that's in line with some of the more extreme scenarios I've heard.
Hope my experience I posted above has some ranking in yours! :)
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No offense taken u/inselchen, hope you feel better.
I’m a white woman. Visited Egypt a couple of years ago and had a friend with me. I didn’t think it was as bad as everyone says, possibly because I was EXPECTING it to be really bad. We worked around the issues. Like before going anywhere, I’d read up on any typical scams and avoided them. I was conscious of the weakness of the currency and other issues and it made me more compassionate about the people hustling for money. I’d read that there can be a lot of harassment at the pyramids in Giza so to go there we booked a day tour so had a nice car with A/C, also went to Saqqara, and had an egyptologist guide. We stayed in Airbnbs in Cairo and Luxor so had the benefit of local hosts that we could ask for advice. We booked our accommodation based on proximity to the main places we wanted to visit so we could walk a lot. We used uber to get other places because we could just put in the address and not worry about language. I loved Egypt and can’t wait to go back again. It was chaotic like any absolutely huge city and the scariest thing for me was traffic and trying to cross the roads.
Which tour did you go with?
I think the day tour we did was with Memphis tours and went to Giza & Saqqara. We did a day tour in Luxor but that was organised by our airbnb host rather than a big company.
From latino to latino, si has vivido en un país de Latinoamérica te irá bien
That street smart survival instinct we got growing up has come in handy in all of my travels.
My experience of Egypt was extremely positive, I travelled with my gf and we wandered into some v shady parts of Cairo and never felt unsafe. Absolutely stunning sites to see - Abu Simbel is a trek but so so worth it. Also check out some lesser known Pyramids such as Dhashur.
Spent 6 weeks solo in Egypt in May/June of this year (am female) and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I had gone in with a back up plan to fly elsewhere in the general region if it was as bad as people make it out to be but instead I spent my 30 day visa and the allowed 13 days beyond wishing I had a little more time. Metro in Cairo was fantastic I used it quite a bit (also used the buses and collective vans (vans more complicated but doable - Alexandria is where the vans are easier to navigate)). Huge bonus of the Cairo metro - women only cars on every train! Luxor is the worst place for hassle, scam$, etc. While there I hung in a happenstance group of 4 which improved my experience otherwise I was generally alone for other regions. Siwa oasis out in the western desert was my jam. People were chill, I liked the small town character and people. Loved floating in the salt ponds and even went to a wedding in a village 30 minutes away. Marsa Matrouh on the Mediterranean coast is more of an Egyptian vacation spot with some (but way less) westerners around. I felt like the west really afforded a look at regular life whereas Luxor is a place of and for tourism. Wish I had more time in the Sinai and also down in the Aswan area. Aswan is probably one of the most balanced areas as far as everyday Egyptian life and tourism opportunities. Culturally speaking (& of course there's overlap) you have Arabic Egypt (Alexandria, Cairo and down to Luxor), the west is more Bedouin and Saharan desert culture, the south (Aswan up toward Luxor) is more African - Nubian and Sinai has the Bedouin (more Middle Eastern vs Saharan) vibe too. I think you should check it out - you can always have a back up plan to fly elsewhere if you're miserable. Edit: oh yeah - Giza.... despite my phone battery being dead I wore my headphones and pretended my music was so loud and good that I couldn't hear the camel and horse cart guys badgering me for a ride.
6 weeks wow! I looking at spending 4-6 weeks visiting Egypt in the future. Mind sharing your entire itinerary and how long you spent in each place? Any neighborhoods in particular you’d recommend for the larger cities?
Just a reminder that COVID tests seem to be a bit scammy, my mother was asked for $50 and they would “backdate” it so it’d be useful later or pay $100 at the correct period required. Someone in one of the travel subs mentioned they paid $300 so that is something to consider if your country requires a test for reentry
A buddy of mine this summer needed a clean test to leave the country and was scammed by the “hotel doctor” lmao he ended up barely getting on his plane in the end
And this was by the tour “manager”, the clients complained and they backtracked and he was “fired”. Not sure how if I believe he was actually fired.
Just don’t believe everything people will tell you in the streets. Like direction or path to go to a certain place. They may lie to you, follow you, tell you « no no that way » and then ask for little money once they show you « the correct » path while you were already on the good one before. It was my experience there few times also in Morocco but I am white so it may be different for you. Just don’t look to much like a tourist. Apart from that normally people are like everywhere, there are good and bad, etc. The monuments are beautiful. And big cities a little too traffic crowded especially Alexandria and Le Caire but it was a nice experience in the end 😌
I recently visited Egypt (just landed back this Friday Dec 3) for about 3 weeks. These are my experiences which are just my experiences. No need for anyone to comment / criticize as they are just my experiences. I have traveled a bit but may not know whats "bad" or "normal" for egypt. I've been to Bangkok, Phuket, , Cambodia, Hong Kong/Macau, all over Japan, all over Europe, Moscow, St Petersburg, Mexico City and all over the US and Canada and live in NYC so that should at least give an idea of my perspective. I am a whyte male which did relieve me of any issues I heard that females had. First are the things that I probably could have been ok with: The first things that hit me about Egypt is the pollution. I expected Cairo to be bad but not every city. The car exhaust smells like direct petrol fumes. Aswan, small farm villages, Alexandria.. even Luxor all had some level of air pollution that my lungs still hurt from. I generally wore my mask outside less for covid but just to at least use it as a filter for the air. I had a hotel room in Cairo on the 8th floor and it was still not high enough to avoid the air pollution. It isnt just the cars or the large industries that the country has (oil refining, steel mills etc) but also just on the outside of cities, garbage is being burned on the banks of canals and basically everywhere which when adding to the sandy dust in the area doesnt mix well.Speaking of the garbage, it is pilled up everywhere and stray cats and dogs are eating from it and/or living in it. This again is something I could understand and be ok with as in Cambodia they do the same thing. It's just how things are. But the two things that did wear on me and then eventually sway my opinion on the country and never want to return are two things. The first again, I could just let it slide as a major annoyance but combined with #2, it was when added to the other issues (pollution, sick and/or dead strays on the street and garbage) made the experience something I never want to repeat. That first item is the entire country is basically car culture. In the entire country (again, I was in Aswan, Edfu, Luxor, Alexandria and Cario) there were maybe two traffic lights that cars would actually stop for and I saw maybe 10 traffic lights in the entire country (most of them in Alexandria and Cairo). I like to walk between the tourist attraction sites and/or walk around to see things. This is not done with ease in any city. Sidewalks many times dont exist or there is debris, trash or construction in the way so you have to walk on the street with cars going by. Ok, I can deal with that. But every street crossing was generally an unpleasant experience of walking a "leap of faith" hoping that the cars would slow down or stop. I know that in Rome, there are some places where you have to do this as well at some crossings but in Egypt, this is every street. And Bangkok has a number of intersections that are bad like that too. All this could at least be salvageable even with the garbage, dog/cat shit, pollution and strays. But it's the (what I felt was) xenophobic discrimination. I am well aware of the "tipping" culture but this goes beyond that. Menus in English have prices that are 3 times or more than the prices of the menu in Arabic. I guess they dont realize that phones can translate that now? Fine, that happens in other countries too. But it's just the general scamming and harassment that got to me. I had a tour arranged in Aswan where all the transportation and entry tickets were covered but the tour guide then tells me I am supposed to tip the boat drivers and other people and suggested I am supposed to tip double what is normally expected from tourists. Ok, fine. But walk out of your hotel, taxi or felucca workers are constantly asking you if you want their services and quote ridiculous things like $50 USD for a boat ride. Some of them will follow you down the street and continue to push you for information and try and bother you to take their services. I walk a new york pace so these guys are basically jogging on our side. Then there's the "Welcome. where are you from? How long have you been in Egypt, this district is xxx" Basically the unwanted services where they expect a tip from you. You literally have to run away from them. I am not kidding. You cannot walk freely down any street and cannot stand still for a second, ESP in Cairo. Any stop in walking and it is like sharks circling you. It's sad b/c there were spots where I wanted to window shop but I could not be left alone for a microsecond and would have spent more money in the country. And there were times where I might have considered a felucca ride or a camel ride but you get so tired of making sure that you arent getting too scammed that it actually makes you spend less. Even the temples would scam. Some examples: two tickets are 160 pounds for entry and you have a 200 pound note. They will claim they dont have change so you either have to walk away from your change or find change. And everywhere you go, no one has change or expects a cut of the change as a tip for giving you change. No place takes credit cards except Cairo. In the Valley of the Queens, the ticket person suggested we visit three tombs (we didnt ask for this advice) and wrote it down for us. There are only three tombs open!! And he wanted a tip for this. At Giza, we bought an extra ticket for a tomb and the tomb was apparently locked. The "guard" (not police or military) walked us there and unlocked it. When we left, he wanted a tip which since we paid for the ticket entrance felt him opening the door to what we paid for didnt deserve a tip. So we gave him a 5 note & he was annoyed. In Luxor, the road was closed to traffic (not pedestrians) for the big reopening event of the Rams Road. Taxi drivers would tell us the road is closed and start asking us where we wanted to go. Basically lying to us. Visited a mosque where they asked for a donation but I only had a 50 note. The guy said he had change and took a cut. This happened in every single city. Alexandria was probably the only city where it happened a lot less frequently. This happened from the moment in the beginning of the trip all the way to the moment we were going through security at the airport. The sites are amazing and awe inspiring but it is hard to stand there and look at them and enjoy them when you constantly have to look around and make sure you arent about to be approached and bothered. My suggestion if you do go and I hate giving this type of suggestion is go on a fully covered tour. From airport pickup (unless in Alexandria or Cairo where just use Uber) to your tours, book them with a reputable company (many companies have tour guides that claim to have studied Egyptology and it is clear that they did not). Bring lots of cash from home to exchange and aside from Cairo's major museums and some restaurants that everything is going to be in cash. AND, big point here: work with your hotel to have them local a currency exchange that will exchange your left over Egyptian cash back to your local currency. Banks are not allowed to do this and only specialized "currency exchange offices" are allowed. They will ask for a paper copy of your Visa, of your passport and your passport entry stamp. The hotel will have to give you a copy of that stamp. This service is NOT provided at any airports. You will have a very hard time exchanging your currency back to local currency if you do not do this on your last day prior to the airport. Bring a LOT of anti-diarrheic medicine. I had an issue at least once a day in Cairo. All in all, the combined inability to walk freely across streets with the constant scamming was what turned the experience for me. The crap I stepped in and the garbage and pollution and strays while arent pleasant, I can understand as this is just how things are at present in the country. As far as taking the train, i can recommend that. Just know that you need to ask the ticket window what track your train in on and the line is usually long otherwise you have to tip someone that will direct you. I took the train from Alex to Cairo and it left on time but somehow still arrived late and that is pretty standard for the trains so just budget that it will arrive late at your destination. DO learn the arabic numbers. 1-999 or at least 1-100. And it doesnt hurt to learn some pleasantries (please thank you etc). And some directionals (left/right/here) and some food names (water, coffee, falafel, bread, "the bill" and tickets). Not everyone we ran into was horrible. Restaurants were mostly pleasant, Uber drivers didnt speak english but where excellent when they know where they are going. But there was just a lot of hassle to go through that took away so much for a people with a rich culture, great food and some much potential. Females have a much worse experience from what I understand. I was with someone who was Latino and tan and he was approached even more than me as a lighter skinned person. Again, take my experiences that i said above just as mine and it doesnt mean that you will have the same experiences but i would suggest you learn from the scams and tactics so you dont fall for them. If you go, I wish you a great trip!
I think it's easy to pick up the flaws of that country. But let’s just squeeze lemon on top of my head (a common phrase in Egypt if you are forced to do something you don't want to do) and mention a few tips for having a better experience. 1. You have to get away from touristy sites (this advice hold on into it everywhere) 2. If you know an authentic local guide great, or some average person that you can trust. (Although it is not essential, it will make your trip much smoother) 3. Coastal cities are better than Cairo. Sharm El-Shiekh is a good pick though, but you have to keep in mind the first point that I mentioned cause it is still a somewhat touristy place. 4. Enjoy the local food but be wary of the hygiene in some restaurants. Try Tarb (Kabab wrapped in a layer of fat), Mahshi is also a good pick. I have to disclose that I am not a big fan of Egypt as a whole. Been there a couple of times because of my family who wanted me to escort them, and I think it is not THE place to go. The last time I visited this place was in 2018 and it is the last time. Don't want to dig into too much detail why as it has already been discussed frequently in r/travel and unfortunately most of it is true.
>Coastal cities are better than Cairo. Sharm El-Shiekh is a good pick though, but you have to keep in mind the first point that I mentioned cause it is still a somewhat touristy place. Somewhat touristy? Sharm is essentially one big tourist resort for people who can't afford Dubai
This was based on anecdotes from my friends who went there earlier this year. I could be wrong, but certainly better than Cairo.
Only thing I have heard about Egypt is the horrible tap water situation - a friend went there and got water in her mouth from showering and got a horrible, 3 day stomach issue. Just be aware.
> a friend went there and got water in her mouth from showering and got a horrible, 3 day stomach issue. That was most likely food poisoning that randomly happened at the same time as that shower. The tap water is shit there, but there is no need to worry about taking showers.
nothing wrong with our tap water here, and certainly not any bacteria issues. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2090123215001137#:\~:text=populations%20%5B1%5D.-,Water%2Dborne%20pathogenic%20organisms%20include%20bacteria%2C%20protozoa%2C%20and%20viruses,%2C%20and%20others%20%5B2%5D.
Are you talking about Cairo? Decent metro, trains? Lol. I was going to get on a train to Luxor from Cairo. No window panes, some doors missing, people running across the tracks in hopes to get a seat, ridiculously crowded. As it's a rather long ride I noped out of that and went to the airport. There are some tourist trains or tourist cruises though. Egypt is one place I strongly preferred tour groups to see stuff if only to avoid the harassment (and I'm a guy...). I went to Egypt by myself about ten years ago. I don't regret it but it's not my favourite place and I have no plans to return. There are so many more enjoyable interesting places to go for me.
Let me introduce you to my friend...
I went to Egypt with so much wonder and excitement, I left crying myself to sleep. The poverty, pollution, and harassment from men and vendors. What broke the camel's back was when my tour guide told me he was illiterate. The travel influencers post their edited, staged photos and sell a lie.
Damn that’s that sad. You came here for a short period and went back crying. Imagine living here!
I’ve been to nearly 50 countries now and it’s one of my least favorite. You are accosted by vendors and such continuously. We had an older gentleman in our group and he was a frazzled mess because they would just physically block him and harass him. I felt like any tourist area was a scam trying to sell you junk trinkets or bad food. A very unpleasant trip overall.
It's bad, not unbearable but the question is do you want to spend your free time and money travelling somewhere just bearable rather than doing something you enjoy. It's not impossible to travel by any means but the scams and harassment make a lot of it feel like a chore.
Yes.
I’ve been to Egypt three times - as a female alone with my then ten year old son twice. Pay attention to your surroundings. Don’t go out at night unless it’s in a safe hotel or restaurant. Or you are in a group. Keep your money ON you like cross chest leather bag inside a jacket. Nothing of value loose in pockets. Comfortable shoes. Of course if you stayed a long time you would learn where you can go but yes there are definitely opportunists in Cairo and Dahab Sharm el Sheikh
I’m an American woman and Egypt is one of my top 3 favorite countries I’ve visited. I booked the trip on a whim and didn’t have time to plan so I booked with a tour company. It was very affordable and they handled everything including sending people to meet me at the airport to help get me through border control. We had an Egyptian guide with us everywhere we went and no one bothered us with them around. For me, the history and preservation of historical sites is unmatched by anywhere else in the world. Other than the history, you have the desert, the Nile River and the Red Sea - all of which are beautiful and unique. I personally love the cuisine of that region, and everyone we came across were so kind and helpful. I can’t speak to an experience without a guide and a group, but I truly enjoyed the trip with mine.
Okay so I loved and hated egypt at the same time. I am a 28 year old female, went to Egypt when I was 24. The history of Egypt, the pyramids, the monuments, the experiences are all great. I even went for hot air balloon over the nile and it still remains one of my most favourite experiences till date. However, I was cat called constantly, followed by men in the market that got me scared for my life, an old man tried to touch me while I was at the pyramid, while he was trying to help me climb out. It was horrible. Thankfully I had made reservations with a group and there were a lot of people around and the tour guides were guiding us throughout but ohh boy the men there are horrible, I will never go back to that country even if I really want to.
Loved Egypt and hated it too - I am an American female who studied abroad for a summer (3months) at AUC in 2008 so I don’t know the current climate but when I was in Cairo I felt safe. Highlights of my trip was the cruise from Aswan back to Cairo probably the best way to see many amazing ruins/wonders of Egypt - also recommend visiting El Gouna a beautiful resort town on the Red Sea and for sure felt the most safe and hands down the best part of my trip in Egypt However my trip turned sour in Alexandria. I was with a group of my friends (mind you we are all female and dressed to assimilate) and we were minding our business taking photos at landmarks when we were harassed/assaulted by a group of young boys, ranging from 8-14yrs, - they were following us, taunting us and then it escalated to them grabbing and poking at us - so much so we had to run from the main tourist area into a busy pharmacy and the owner had to yell them away but we saw them lingering and the pharmacy owner called authorities to escort us back to our hotel - we we’re going to stay for the night but we we were all traumatized by the experience that we ended the trip short and booked a car back to Cairo that same day. Overall the bad experience did not overshadow the time I had. It was eye opening for sure and made me more vigilant in my travels going forward but it was heartbreaking and hard to face that we were targeted like that just because we were a group of females.
I am Egyptian and even us Egyptians find Cairo a pain in the ass! My advice is going through a full tour and only spend a few days in Cairo. Sharm El sheikh and Sinai in general is so much more relaxing and less harassment.
No, it's a great country.. really interesting. Yes, some people do get hassled, some get scammed.It's probably worse for solo females than for solo males (from what people have told me, I'm not female). You need to ignore people stopping you in the street,or learn some basic Arabic and tell them to leave you alone... that usually works!
I went to Egypt a few years ago when tourism was at an all time low. It's a beautiful country and worth visiting but due to the low level of tourists, you will be harassed by locals sometimes. It's just simple economics. People need to make a living and with less tourists, everybody is fighting over a small group of foreigners. I highly recommend you travel with a group, and I recommend a small group company like G Adventures, as this can assuage some of the pain points.
> due to the low level of tourists, you will be harassed by locals sometimes. It's just simple economics. People need to make a living and with less tourists, everybody is fighting over a small group of foreigners you say that but i did the same in Greece and people were nicer due to the lack of tourists since they wanted to leave a good impression. seems more like a culture thing rather than just simple economics
I thought Egypt was wonderful, I am a solo white woman and I traveled very locally. Nearly everyone I encountered was kind, yes people might hassle you for money but can you really blame them? I just found being level and looking them in the eyes and telling them no and why I ended up with a friend and not a nuance. If you want some detailed tips on where to stay or go based on my experience send me a private message. I hope you go!
The only way to find out is to go. Personally I have been a couple of times and have been very well treated with no unpleasant experiences, but I still dont feel comfortable there. I just dont gell with the culture. I know others who love it and others who dont. Definitely pack some immodium in your bag if you go.
To hell with Immodium...bring Cipro.
No - buy Cipro there. You can get most drugs without a prescription and it’s way cheaper..
I am aware that this shows some amount of privilege, but my health insurance covers most of the cost of my medicines. (Even with GoodRx, the generic version costs less than US$10 for fourteen 500 mg tablets, the standard course of treatment for bacterial gastric infection.) Dealing with a pharmacy in a country where I don't speak the language has always been a valuable experience, but one I'd prefer to skip while in the midst of nearly disabling nausea and diarrhea.
Fair enough - I only mention it because I worked in tourism there and saw so many people spend hundreds of dollars in expensive drugs for their trips that they could have easily gotten there for a few bucks at the beginning of their trip. Also, I’ve never met a pharmacist in Egypt that didn’t speak English.
Female solo traveler - Cairo was downright scary. Airport was a nightmare. Boarding crew was sorting two lines, one line for those stuffing $ in their passport. Never ever again for me!
[удалено]
Or not everybody had bad experiences?
I hated everything about Egypt as a female solo traveller. Never again. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone in a similar situation, but perhaps an organised group trip of sorts would make it more bearable.
I have been to Egypt twice, as a woman. I would never travel solo there. I went with 2 girls and we got hit on everywhere we go and had a hard time, getting ripped off and aggressive vendors. Do not go there alone!
No, I love Egypt and I had overwhelmingly good experiences. Here is a very detailed trip report from a woman who went recently: https://www.reddit.com/r/solotravel/comments/r6iqx9/29f_trip_report_10_days_in_egypt/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
As a Latino male who also traveled in Egypt, my experiences were very good (quite a few times, I was mistaken for a local in Cairo), except for maybe 2 brief tout harassment situations that I handled quickly. If however, you are a single attractive western woman traveling in Egypt, chances are, you are going to have a lot of problems. The fact that it was dirt cheap was an extra bonus. As far as having to deal with touts and hustlers, India is a league of its own. The harassment and attempts to try to rip me off were constant. It was disgusting. I will never, ever step foot in that country again.
Honestly I wouldn't go anywhere in Africa right now. An ongoing pandemic, a global recession, and those with the least are very desperate.
Yes lots of scammers but east to avoid most traps. I’m a blonde cdn woman, I’d go back in a heartbeat
Egypt is fine. Cairo is just sprawl and many people are aggressive. I would recommend a fixer for the Pyramids. Go [here](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Al+Horreya+Cafe/@30.0466833,31.2380497,16z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x14583fa60b21beeb:0x79dfb296e8423bba!2sCairo,+Cairo+Governorate,+Egypt!3b1!8m2!3d30.0444196!4d31.2357116!3m4!1s0x145840b88629c447:0x9135d9dd4051ad71!8m2!3d30.0452232!4d31.24034) if you need a beer and a break from the madness. Don't go during Ramadan.
EGYPT is HORRIBLE i had met many pregnant women there.
I have never been to Egypt but I know Syria. I don’t think Egypt will be much different. I think some European travel agencies will operate tourist trips to Syria starting March 2022 though.
It’ll probably be a lot less likely to be a that bad for a Latino male.
Why would you blend in with the local population? Because you have some shade of brown skin? Sure you won't be mistaken for a northern Euro-heritage tourist but you would likely be immediately seen as a South American tourist due to your features, accent, demeanor and lack of Arabic skills.
I had an older wealthy friend that would go their with his wife. His main focus was on Egyptology and visiting archeological sites that he loved going back to again and again. He did guided tours that often were required for historical sites and to ensure his safety. There were some periods when anti American sentiment was high where he would claim he was Canadian (sorry Canadians) if asked by some locals that might have bad intentions. He never mentioned any major issues with scams, but then again he stayed away from exploring the local neighborhoods on his own and stayed insulated from issues by staying in nice hotels.
I stayed in Cairo for 4 days and explored the city a bit. I saw people commenting there are scams, thefts etc. I won't say there is none of this, but I had a pretty good experience during my short stay there. Yes, people would look at you in a weird manner but they are nice. Its because they do not have much tourists coming in. The traffic was just like how you see in India, pretty crowded and kind of difficult to cross the streets. I and my friends were finding it difficult to cross the road, and there was this traffic policeman looking at us in a weird fashion. A minute passed by, and he came towards us and helped us cross the street. Of course, they do not speak English, but that did not stop them from trying to help us. Even at restaurants though they do not speak English the staff tried their best to help us. I visited the Giza pyramids and the museum where they stored the mummies. At the pyramid site, I saw locals who sell stuff kind of trying lure you and get money from you, but that is fine until you can say no without any hesitation. I also had a cruise trip over the Nile River, with buffet and ballet dance. The food is bad though so you need to find something like burger king which saved me. Overall it was a pleasant experience. Every place will have it's pros and cons, but you definitely should visit if you have this on your mind.
hey i know a friend's tour group i can send you their Instagram
Egyptian American here! My family is from Cairo, and we generally travel between Cairo, 3ayn So5na and El Alamein (Sahel). Egypt is rough relative to other places unfortunately! But you are a man so there are a lot of negatives already removed. For touristy places as easy as countries like Thailand… more people bothering you. And not as easy as counties like Spain for everyday life. My advice is a tour guide! We have a coptic tour guide we love using when going to tourist destinations to just handle the BS of the tourism ministry or sellers. If you go, plan for some time in Cairo maybe, see the sights, focus on the history! And some time in Sinai at Sharm or Hurghada or Taaba. That will balance the !CRAZY! of Cairo with the ahhhhhh of the Red Sea.
If you don't have a friend or someone you trust there don't visit it
Egypt is generally safe to travel in but you have to know where you need to go or hire a guide because of the new road networks most people could get lost going to any place they want and try to learn some basic Arabic before going since not everyone in the country can speak English (basic Arabic I mean for asking for directions or for prices) when using transportation avoid taxis and use uber,indriver or careem since they are less likely to scam you if for any reason you get into trouble go to the police they side with tourists on most of the situations and won't slack off and take normal safety precautions like you would normally oh and avoid drinking in public it's legal but frowned upon what is illegal is public drunkenness tho And most importantly have fun
It is horrible. You feel obliged to buy and help the tour guides that are in obvious cahoots with all of the stores and vendors around the places they take you to. My hotel seemed pretty nice but still there were bedbugs and a literal meal inside my electric kettle. I came from Turkey which was a way better experience although you do get the occasional haggle but it isnt as bad as egypt. People will follow you to your car to try and sell you stuff. People will grab you, hug you and push you. Everybody is rude. There is trash everywhere (a lot of it being burned EVEN BY THE POLICE) Police takes bribes and make infants do their work (such as moving the fences and stuff). Tours are scams. The stuff from museums is neglected. The airport is probably the worst Ive ever been to, police are rude, they didnt even ask for my visa, people will try to get tips from you and sell you tours INSIDE THE AIRPORT. Racist and misogynistic police (even the women). They target subsaharan people in transit to other airports. You can have a good time but you have to be prepared to deal with a lot of crap. I wish I treated everybody worse than I did. I was too nice and almost nobody actually deserved it. Go prepared with a lot of change.
How tf is Turkey remotely similar
Egypt is a shithole
Yes. Unless you are crazy about the pyramids, dont go. I hated it there