If you’re planning a visit to Egypt, there isn’t any doubt that you’ve a whole lot of questions. Do you have to rent a information? What locations must you go to? What do you want to pack? And the most well-liked query of all…is Egypt secure to go to?
We spent 12 days in Egypt on the finish of December 2019. Throughout this time, we visited Cairo, Giza, Luxor, Abydos and Dendera, Aswan, and Abu Simbel. For varied causes, we selected to drive alongside the Nile River from Luxor to Aswan, reasonably than taking a cruise, which I’ll tackle on this article. We realized loads throughout our go to and have a whole lot of useful info to share with you.
Since arriving residence, we’ve obtained an awesome variety of emails about security and the expectations of a visit to Egypt. Tim has been answering these questions in nice element and we determined that it will be value writing an article with solutions to your entire questions.
Listed below are our Egypt journey ideas. If you happen to nonetheless have questions, tell us within the remark part on the finish of this submit.
Egypt Journey Ideas
The place Ought to You Go?
Egypt accommodates among the oldest, grandest websites on the planet. Positive, everyone seems to be accustomed to the good pyramids on the Giza Plateau, however there may be much more to Egypt than simply the pyramids. The lesser recognized and extra enjoyable to go to pyramids in Saqqara and Dahshur are nicely well worth the day journey from Cairo. You may also spend a day or two visiting the church buildings and mosques in Cairo, strolling by means of Previous Cairo, and getting a historical past lesson on the Egyptian Museum.
Alexandria, with its location on the Mediterranean Sea, makes a pleasant day journey from Cairo.
In Luxor, not solely are you able to go to the exquisitely embellished tombs of the traditional kings and queens of Egypt, however there may be additionally the big Karnak Temple and the Temple of Luxor. The West Financial institution accommodates so many tombs and temples that it takes days, sure days, to see all of them. It is likely one of the largest open air museums on the planet.
Temple of Queen Hatshepsut on the West Financial institution of Luxor
In Aswan, drift on the Nile in a felucca and go to the gorgeous Philae Temple.
Philae Temple
Abu Simbel, a temple that’s positioned close to the border with Sudan, is nicely well worth the time. This temple is devoted to the Ramesses II. Within the 1960’s all the temple, together with the mountain of rock it was carved into, was painstakingly disassembled and moved to larger floor, as water ranges rose after the development of the Aswan Excessive Dam.
Tim and Tyler at Abu Simbel
In order for you some chill time, take a look at the opulent resorts in Hurghada.
Lastly, add some journey to your journey by visiting an oasis within the Sahara Desert.
We didn’t have sufficient time to get to every little thing on this listing, so hopefully you’ll see us again in Egypt inside the subsequent few years to discover some new locations.
LEARN MORE: 25 Wonderful Issues to do in Egypt
The tomb of Ramesses V and VI within the Valley of the Kings
When Ought to You Go to Egypt?
The perfect time to go to Egypt is the cooler months of the yr: November by means of March. Within the southern a part of the nation, at Luxor and Aswan, rain is unlikely. In Cairo, haze could be a problem within the morning in the course of the winter months, so it’s finest to time your go to to outside websites (such because the pyramids of Giza) to the afternoon hours. Throughout the winter months, it may rain in Cairo and Alexandria.
Anticipate the most important crowds in December and January.
Throughout the summer season months, temperatures could be oppressive. Temperatures can vary from 40 to 55°C (104 to 130°F). In Luxor and Aswan, it is a dry warmth, however up north round Cairo and Alexandria, the humidity could make the warmth really feel even worse.
Luxor Temple
Visa on Arrival
Most guests to Egypt will want a Visa.
If you’re a citizen of the USA, Canada, the European Union, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Norway, Russia, and a handful of different nations, you possibly can receive a Visa on Arrival on the airport.
Within the Cairo Worldwide Airport, simply earlier than passport management, there’s a financial institution window the place you’ll buy your visa. It prices $25 USD and you’ll pay money. Take the visa and your passport to passport management. The officer will add this visa to your passport and stamp your passport. It’s a very simple course of.
SIM Playing cards
In order for you a SIM card to your journey to Egypt, there may be an Orange kiosk within the Cairo Worldwide Airport (close to baggage declare) that may offer you a SIM card. The method is quick and comparatively low-cost. You will want to point out your passport and make it possible for your cellphone is unlocked earlier than your journey to Egypt. We had nice mobile service all through Egypt with Orange.
Inside Karnak Temple in Luxor
Is it Protected to Drink the Faucet Water?
Don’t drink the faucet water, brush your enamel with the faucet water, or eat raw meals that will have been washed with faucet water (resembling lettuce, raw fruits & greens, and many others.). We used bottled water for ingesting and to brush our enamel.
Carry Your Personal Rest room Paper
The bogs on the vacationer websites are usually not usually stocked with bathroom paper, so it’s a superb concept to carry some with you.
Be Ready to Tip the Lavatory Attendant
In Egypt, most bogs have an attendant, an individual who retains the stalls clear, gives a small quantity of bathroom paper, and fingers you a towel to dry your fingers (in some circumstances). It’s customary to tip this attendant earlier than or after you employ the toilet. It doesn’t must be a lot, 5 EGP is adequate. However small change could be onerous to come back by, so save this for when you want to use the toilet.
Be Ready to Tip… A Lot
There are quite a few situations when you may be anticipated to tip for a “service” that was offered.
When visiting tombs and temples, the attendants will supply to take a photograph of you. If you happen to agree, you’re anticipated to present him a small tip in return. If you happen to take a photograph of a camel or for those who take a photograph of a tomb attendant, additionally, you will be anticipated to present a tip. After camel rides, felucca rides, and many others., it is usually anticipated that you’ll give a small tip on the finish of the expertise.
Tipping is all the time non-compulsory, however there may be an expectation for it.
How a lot you tip depends upon the service offered. For issues like images, we gave the individual our spare change or 5 to 10 EGP. For ideas after meals and issues resembling a camel trip, 5 to 10% of the value what you paid is customary.
Tipping isn’t anticipated however it’s appreciated in eating places.
Camel trip on the Pyramids of Giza
Utilizing Money in Egypt
You will want a whole lot of money in Egypt. In Egypt, the foreign money is the Egyptian pound (EGP). $1 USD is equal to fifteen.66 EGP (as of January 2022).
Most vacationer websites and actions must be paid for in money. On the Valley of the Kings, they’ve a bank card machine, nevertheless it was not working throughout our go to. We advocate having sufficient money to pay to your entrance tickets with out counting on a bank card. And for the West Financial institution, this may probably be some huge cash, particularly for those who select to go to the tombs on particular tickets.
We withdrew all of our Egyptian kilos from ATM’s in Egypt. There are ATM’s within the Cairo Worldwide Airport, so it is a great spot to make your first withdrawal. Our lodges in Luxor (the Hilton) and Aswan (the Movenpick) had ATM’s and we used these every single day to withdraw extra money.
The utmost any ATM would ever enable us to withdraw per transaction was 3,000 EGP. On some events, we had to make use of the identical ATM card a number of instances so as to have sufficient money for the day.
It is very important know the ATM limits set by your monetary establishment, that means how a lot money per day your financial institution means that you can withdrawal and what number of transactions per day they may can help you make. You will want so as to add up how a lot you’ll spend every day so as to withdraw the right amount of cash. If your loved ones or group measurement is massive, then you definitely would possibly want to begin withdrawing money a number of days prematurely.
Mosque of Muhammed Ali in Cairo
Reductions on Entry Tickets for Youngsters and College students
If you’re touring with youngsters, they may qualify for a reduction ticket. One in all our guides instructed us that at most vacationer websites (museums, temples, tombs, pyramids, and many others.), youngsters 5 years and youthful can get free entry. Youngsters ages 6 years to 12 years get a 50% low cost. And people aged 12 to 30 can qualify for a pupil low cost (50% low cost) if they’ve a legitimate Worldwide Scholar Identification Card (be taught extra right here).
It’s essential to carry the plastic card with you as a result of a duplicate or a photograph of the cardboard isn’t usually accepted.
We didn’t find out about this Identification Card earlier than our go to. Tyler and Kara had been 16 and 15 years previous throughout our go to. Generally, the attendant would settle for their passport as identification, nevertheless it didn’t all the time work so generally we needed to pay full value.
If you’re touring with youngsters underneath the age of 12, it is perhaps a good suggestion to carry a passport or one other type of identification to show their age. Some attendants had been very strict with providing discounted tickets.
Tyler and Kara at Bab Zuwayla in Cairo
Luxor Go and Cairo Go
The Cairo Go is a ticket that means that you can go to the entire foremost websites in Cairo and Giza. The Luxor Go is ticket that means that you can go to the entire archaeological websites on the East Financial institution and West Financial institution of Luxor.
These are costly passes (costing $100 to $200 USD, relying on the move) so they aren’t value it for everybody. However for those who plan to spend so much of time in both Cairo or Luxor, they might prevent some cash.
For full particulars on these passes, learn our submit Luxor Go and Cairo Go: Are They Value It?
Pictures Passes
The foundations for this variation consistently.
Within many tombs, temples, pyramids, and museums, you’ll need to buy a images move so as to take images with one thing aside from a cellphone (a DSLR, GoPro, point-and-shoot digital camera, camcorder, and many others.). If you wish to shoot video together with your cellphone, additionally, you will have to buy a images move.
Not too long ago, the principles have modified, permitting vacationers to take images with their cellphones in most tombs and temples totally free with no images move.
For most individuals, taking images with a cellphone is adequate. We usually bought the images move at every web site, because it’s necessary to seize nice images for this web site, however truthfully, in some tombs, our iPhones had been nearly nearly as good as my DSLR.
PRO TRAVEL TIP: I like to recommend upgrading your cellphone earlier than your go to to Egypt, so that you’ve a cellphone with a top quality digital camera. Pictures passes usually value 300 EGP per web site (about $19 USD) and that expense can add up rapidly. It can save you some huge cash through the use of your cellphone at these websites.
If you happen to plan to make use of a tripod, there may be a further payment for this (usually 20 EGP).
Contained in the tomb of Queen Nefertari within the Valley of the Queens
How A lot Does it Value to Go to Egypt?
Touring by means of Egypt is comparable in value to touring by means of Southeast Asia. If you’re a funds traveler, you possibly can see and do loads in Egypt with out spending some huge cash. And for those who like the thought of including in upscale lodges and a cruise on the Nile River, you are able to do so with out spending a small fortune.
For extra info, check out our article How A lot Does it Value to Go to Egypt?
Ought to You Hire a Automotive in Egypt?
We don’t advocate driving in Egypt.
The roads in Egypt are congested and chaotic. Site visitors guidelines are completely different in Egypt than in locations like the US and Europe, and at instances, it nearly appears as if there are not any guidelines.
The streets of Cairo and Giza are so congested and chaotic that it isn’t well worth the stress of navigating them your self. Vehicles fill each obtainable house on the street and there’s no effort to color strains on the street, since they’d be ignored anyway. It’s not uncommon for tuk-tuk’s or motorbikes to drive in opposition to visitors on these roads, including to the chaos.
All of the whereas, it’s an nearly fixed cacophony of automotive horns. The horn performs an important function in pleasant communication between drivers. There is no such thing as a street rage right here, everybody appears to be very affected person though they’re sitting in among the worst visitors we’ve seen.
There’s a completely different circulation and rhythm to the visitors in Egypt, and if you’re not accustomed to it, driving could be nerve-racking and tough.
On the agricultural roads, there are safety checkpoints and also you want to have the ability to successfully talk with the officers. We had a driver and a information. Our information conversed with the officers at these checkpoints in Arabic. It didn’t appear as if the police at these checkpoints spoke a lot English, so for those who had been by yourself, getting by means of these checkpoints could be far more nerve-racking than for those who had a information and driver.
Lastly, the agricultural roads are simply as loopy as the town roads, however another way. Congestion is decrease however speeds are larger. These two-lane roads are handled as three lane roads. The middle of the street is the passing lane, for each instructions of visitors. Meaning you’ll play a whole lot of video games of “rooster” with the oncoming automobiles. In the meantime, you or your driver are conserving a lookout for donkeys, tuk-tuks, motorbikes, tractor trailers, and pedestrians.
We extremely advocate hiring a driver, reasonably than renting a automotive, to your journey to Egypt.
Tuk-tuk in Previous Cairo
Ought to You Rent a Tour Firm/Egyptologist?
Usually, we choose to journey independently. Not often can we guide a tour. And by no means can we take packaged, multi-day excursions once we journey.
Nevertheless, with issues about security and listening to “horror” tales about how impartial guests felt like they had been consistently hassled for ideas, we determined to rent a information.
After a whole lot of analysis, we employed the corporate Egypt Tailor Made, primarily based on their impeccable evaluations on Journey Advisor. Principally, we took 9 of their day excursions and strung them collectively to type a custom-made itinerary. They exceeded all of our expectations. One of many causes our journey to Egypt was so constructive is due to the distinctive service this tour firm offered.
For every day of our journey in Egypt (aside from our day journey to Abu Simbel, which we did independently), we had a information and a driver. This took away the entire hassles of transportation, negotiating charges for sure companies, and figuring out the perfect instances to go to every place. Our guides would shoo away persistent store homeowners and introduce us to native meals that we’d by no means have tried, had we been on our personal.
We might simply sit again and benefit from the journey and let our guides deal with the logistics.
Since we traveled in a small group (it was simply the six of us…the 4 Earth Trekkers and our mothers), we acquired personalised consideration and we might simply customise what we did every day.
If you happen to like the thought of taking the effort out of getting round Egypt and need educated guides to show you concerning the locations you’re visiting, it’s well worth the small further expense to rent a information and driver in Egypt.
Is a Nile Cruise Value It?
We didn’t cruise the Nile River for varied causes.
For one factor, it’s costly, particularly to cruise with an organization that will get good evaluations. Plus, on a cruise, you will have very restricted time at every location. Most of your time is spent drifting alongside the Nile River, which I’m positive is an incredible expertise, however we wished extra time at every web site.
On a cruise, you are likely to do your sightseeing on a set schedule with a big group of individuals, and that was not the expertise we wished.
Feluccas on the Nile River in Aswan
We booked lodges in Luxor and Aswan with views of the Nile River, in order that we might nonetheless get the “Nile expertise.” In Aswan, we regularly rode the motorboats on the Nile River and we took a sundown felucca cruise. These boat journeys, together with our resort stays, made us really feel like we had an amazing Nile River expertise. Plus, we acquired to spend so long as we wished at every web site, in our personal group.
We don’t really feel like we missed out on something by not taking a Nile Cruise.
Is Egypt Protected?
Security is an enormous concern for most individuals when deciding whether or not or to not go to Egypt. We had been no completely different.
In recent times, tourism to Egypt has elevated and increasingly guests are coming residence with studies of how secure they felt whereas in Egypt.
So, we booked our journey with slightly little bit of trepidation. Throughout the months main as much as our flight to Cairo, we stored a watch on the US State Division web site and we questioned, as soon as right here, how secure would we really feel?
By no means as soon as did we really feel unsafe. Sure, there’s a large police and army presence. Seeing guards with rifles and driving previous quite a few police checkpoints on the roads could be unnerving at first. Each time you enter a resort or enter a vacationer web site, you’ll move by means of a steel detector.
However all of that is being performed to maintain vacationers secure. Tourism is a really useful trade in Egypt so loads is being performed to guard vacationers.
The Egyptians are among the friendliest, most welcoming individuals we’ve met. They might strategy us, ask us how we had been having fun with our go to to Egypt, and ask us to unfold the information on how secure we felt.
Egypt is an enormous nation, and security relies upon loads on the realm that you may be visiting.
If you happen to keep on with the primary vacationer areas, which embody Cairo, Alexandria, Hurghada, Luxor, Aswan, and Abu Simbel, Egypt is secure. Throughout our go to, we by no means felt unsafe in Egypt. Nevertheless, we did keep within the well-liked touristy areas and we traveled with a information and driver.
Locations to keep away from embody the Sinai Peninsula and the western Sahara Desert, close to the border with Libya.
Listed below are some issues to concentrate on when touring by means of Egypt:
Safety Checks: As you enter most websites, in addition to many lodges, you’ll undergo safety. You’ll put your luggage by means of an x-ray machine and you’ll stroll by means of a steel detector (just like airport safety however not fairly so rigorous).
Army and Police Presence: It’s common to see armed guards and armored autos on the websites you may be visiting and alongside the roadways. They’re there to guard you and the location you’re visiting.
Convoys: Previous to our journey I had learn that when hiring a driver for street journeys, for instance from Luxor to Abydos (or Luxor to Aswan, or Aswan to Abu Simbel), it’s important to depart at designated instances so as to journey with different autos, all in a convoy escorted by police. That now not applies and vacationers now not journey in convoys. They now depend on the safety checkpoints alongside the roads to assist guarantee your security. Nevertheless, we did nonetheless obtain a police escort a number of instances on the drive between Luxor and Abydos.
Hathor Temple in Dendera
A Few Necessities for Your Packing Record
Here’s a fast guidelines of issues to pack to your journey to Egypt. A few of these is perhaps apparent (resembling sunscreen), however a few of these will not be issues that you’ve considered.
- Backup Money: carry some backup money in USD or Euros simply in case you will have any points with the ATM’s or for those who run out of EGP. Embody small payments like $1 USD that you should utilize for tipping, for those who run out of small Egyptian payments.
- Snacks: particularly when you have lengthy driving days and for large sightseeing days, resembling on the West Financial institution of Luxor
- Swimsuit
- Sunscreen
- Sun shades
- Energy Adaptors: we introduced kind C and sort E/F and we primarily used Sort E/F
- Rest room Paper
- Further Toothbrushes: simply in case you rinse one with faucet water
The Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara
In Conclusion
Egypt is a superb nation so as to add to your journey want listing. Go now, whereas tourism continues to be comparatively low. Make the most of decrease crowds and decrease costs…tourism is selecting up and I anticipate that pattern to proceed for the following few years.
