I know, it sounds a bit scary to mention the term "risks", but that's the reality, unfortunately in the case of Egypt, and I have no reason to claim otherwise.
But such events have also occurred in other countries that are much more developed and considered much safer than Egypt, and yet tourism continues its normal course.
Every time I've published an article about my travels and experiences in Egypt, I've noticed all sorts of reactions. There have been people who expressed their delight and desire to visit this fascinating country as well, but also some who seemed quite outraged that I was encouraging others to travel to so-called unsafe areas.
I'm just sharing my experiences with you from the places I go. Everyone decides for themselves if, where and how to go on vacation. After all, each of us chooses what we think is good for us.
Egypt has irrevocably fascinated me, and as proof, I'm about to leave again.
I know that many of you want to visit Egypt, to walk in the footsteps of the Egyptian pharaohs, to enjoy the sunny weather and the beautiful beaches of the Red Sea, but you're afraid that you don't know the risks you're taking by traveling to this fabulous country.
I regularly follow what my blog followers are searching for and I've noticed that some of the most frequent terms used are those referring to the risks of a vacation in Egypt.
Yes, they exist and I propose that we continue to see what they are. And in the end, I would like and even urge you to share your opinion in a comment. Would you take such risks? And if you have any suggestions, I'm very interested to hear them.
Is Egypt Safe To Visit?
Whether Egypt is or isn't a safe country, I'm not in a position to say. Nor can I generalize or label a country based on one event. Personally, nothing has happened to me and I have never felt in danger. I'm not reckless and I always weigh up the situations I'm in very carefully. I don't rush headlong into things and I don't expose myself in places where I believe/feel/know I shouldn't be.
I'm referring here to religious gatherings, mosques on holidays, public events, political chants, protests. And for a few years now I've avoided traveling in groups. I'm of the opinion that if someone were to plan an attack, they wouldn't simply waste their resources where they weren't sure there would be a lot of people to suffer.
So, fewer people, where I see groups of people, I avoid them from a distance.
God forbid such a thing, it only takes once, I know that.
I remember the last attack near Cairo, where a bus with foreign tourists was the target of a terrorist act. The Egyptian authorities say that the bus was in a place where it shouldn't have been, that it deviated from its route. Clearly, they want to save their own skin.
Whether it's true or not, it doesn't even matter anymore. The unforeseen happened and unfortunately there were serious injuries and loss of life. But these are cases that can happen once in a blue moon. That doesn't mean the world will stand still.
Risks are at every step!
How many road accidents don't happen every day? Do we stop getting in the car?
Each of us cares about our safety and that of our loved ones. No one wants anything serious to happen to them, but we try to take a few extra precautions, we take our heart in our teeth and set off into the world. We take risks with every journey we make, we expose ourselves to dangers at every step and we put ourselves in danger without knowing it.
Yes, I have fears too, not just about Egypt. I'm also afraid to fly again, after my last flight with intense turbulence. I have many fears, but I try to overcome them.
You risk falling head over heels in love with Egypt
As is the case with me, and many others. I first arrived in Egypt in 2018, I had taken a week-long vacation in Sharm el Sheikh, and for the first 4 days I didn't leave the hotel. The group leader had told us not to leave the hotel on our own. Not to go on excursions with other people, or with travel agents in the city.
At the reception they told us not to take a taxi except from within the hotel. We had become paranoid, especially since the next day when we went back to the airport to retrieve a lost bag and had seen armed police and army crews here and there. They were stopping all the cars and asking you to identify yourself.
And that was until we met Jasmine, who kind of opened our eyes and told us what was going on. Everything we had been told until then were just excuses from the tour operator not to lose us as customers, lest we find the same excursions at half price. Of course, after the discussions with Jasmine, we went everywhere on our own, we even hitchhiked in the middle of the field.
We took taxis outside the hotel, we negotiated fiercely, we walked alone through the city, bazaars, restaurants. We were sorry that the seven days were coming to an end and we wanted to extend our stay. But the street riots in Cairo started and all the tour operators stopped their activities in Egypt.
I came back in 2023. In 2024, I went 3 times. Acquaintances would ask me: but what do you do there so much? Aren't you tired of it? Now they're used to it and they've given up asking. Here I am, now planning my tenth getaway.
You risk not choosing the right period and suffering because of the weather
I've received many questions about the best time to visit Egypt.
On the Mediterranean coast and in the Nile Delta, the climate is subtropical, with average values of 16°C in winter and 24°C in summer. Rainfall is low and falls mainly in winter, if you can call it that.
As we go south of Cairo, the climate will gradually change, and temperatures will be significantly higher, with almost no rainfall. Here we will experience a tropical-desert climate.
So, it matters where exactly you are going in Egypt. And what you want to do. If you want to laze on the beach, in the resorts on the Red Sea, then don't go in January or February.
Although you might be lucky with good weather. But don't go in July-August either, when temperatures exceed 50°C. It will be unbearable and impossible to stay in the sun. You will end up with serious burns.
You risk turning your vacation into a nightmare if you leave with unrealistic expectations
You don't inform yourself properly! But this is true anywhere in the world, not just in Egypt. Agreed?
Just as you have to take the weather into account, you also have to take into account the Egyptian religion and culture. Egypt is a predominantly Muslim country and most Egyptian women cover their bodies from head to toe.
Egyptians are very religious, don't be surprised if during prayer times you may not find shops open, or that men whistle at you on the street, make indecent proposals, and women look at you with malice.
It means you're not doing something right. Either you're not dressed appropriately (especially women), or you're not behaving appropriately on the street. Maybe in tourist areas, no one will say anything if you kiss your partner in public, but in less touristy areas, where people are much more conservative, don't be surprised if someone pulls your sleeve (lack of one).
In Egypt, almost everything is negotiable. Even for me it's annoying to go shopping and haggle. But for Egyptians it's a common practice. For us Europeans, a souvenir shopping session can be stressful as hell. And you'll waste more time than you thought.
Egypt is not a clean country at all. Probably specific to the Arab people, cleanliness (at least on the street) is not their strong point at all. You will see piles of garbage between blocks, you will smell strange smells. But don't get impatient! This is the Egyptian charm after all! They live their lives on the street, in communities.
You risk going through moments that will leave you with a bitter taste
I was reading a few days ago the post of someone who was recently in Egypt and had a lot of trouble with the tour operator. I told you, the excursions sold by local travel agencies are even half the price compared to the international ones.
And when they see their customers lost, they resort to all sorts of nasty tricks. Since it was a larger group (about 24 people), who bought the excursions from somewhere else, the hotel staff (which also belonged to the tour operator), blocked their exit from the hotel on the grounds that there had been a terrorist attack somewhere.
There was a lot of insistence, it turned into a scandal and the police were called, a lot of nerves and time wasted.
And in Egypt they resort to all sorts of tricks, just to round up their income for that day. For the first taxi ride in Sharm el Sheikh, I paid $25. Later, I found out that it shouldn't have cost more than $2-3.
Taxi drivers know that foreign tourists are loaded with money and don't care how much they spend. And so they charge 10 times the price. The same goes for the merchants. But everything is negotiable! Including the taxi.
In addition, I've also noticed a new way to trick you. With the money exchange. As a tourist, you won't be able to recognize the banknotes very easily, especially since the characters on one side are Arabic. They take advantage of this and when you want to pay the already negotiated price, you give them a larger bill.
They tell you that they won't give you change, you look for something smaller, they also hold the larger bill, take out a smaller one, cause a special distortion to confuse you. Later, you will find that you have been cheated. And where are you going to find him?
Be very careful!
Conclusions
These would be the risks that I've noticed in the case of a trip to Egypt. Sure, there could be more, of all kinds. I look forward to your suggestions in the comments, but I'd also like to know your position on these risks. Could you get past them?
With that being said, all I can do is wish you holidays without any unpleasant incidents! And be very, very careful, wherever in the world you go!