Everything you need to know before visiting Egypt

One of the most ancient civilisations to exist, Egypt is a must visit for history buffs, archaeological enthusiasts and those seeking cultural experiences. However, I always say that Egypt is a trip for the adventurers, because of how challenging it is to traverse the country given its limited infrastructure, public transportation system, the rampant corruption and tourist traps. We covered Egypt in 10 days, where we managed to check off the highlights and also find some time for relaxation & water-activities in the Red Sea.

At the cost of being repetitive and harping on what probably every other blog already warns one of, here are some key considerations for those planning to visit this fascinating ancient land.

Before visiting Egypt

• Getting a tourist visa to Egypt for most nationalities is quite simple and cheap. With an Indian passport, I paid about $25 for an easy e-visa application process with a turnaround time of less than 3 days!
• The currency in Egypt is EGP or Egyptian Pound. I recommend you carry USD along with you and get them exchanged either at the airport when you land or even in the city. You will have several banks and exchanges willing to change the currency for you. The value of the EGP has been drastically dropping against USD over the last few years and many people in Egypt would be happy to even accept USD as payment instead of EGP.
• Safety in Egypt for tourists has always been wavering, highly dependent on the ruling regime. Today, while the economy of the country continues to remain in shambles under the current authoritarian rule, it is relatively safe for tourists to visit the country, as long as they follow the basic safety practices and remain cautious.

Philae Temple, Aswan

• Cairo is the biggest letdown that exists. No other city has made me feel as repulsed as it did, with the chaos, the traffic, the crowds, and the high levels of air pollution. And while I come from a country that is quite underdeveloped too, I have never been underwhelmed by another place as I was in Cairo. Apart from the pyramids, which are awe-inspiring, the city itself made me want to run away and get out as soon as possible.
• Egypt is cheap. But at the same time, due to the rampant poverty, the people can become overbearing with their incessant expectations of ‘tips’ for everything! Even the taxi driver expects a hefty tip, over and above the price you pay for riding the taxi. And this expectation starts to get a bit pushy and bordering on bullying when they refuse to accept a ‘small tip’.
• Tourist scams are common and widespread. It becomes hard to trust anything anyone is offering you, including the people at Giza who are illegally trying to sell you ‘fake tickets’ by pretending to be the staff. Touts are present everywhere, including fake security guards, ticket checkers, and what not! This means, unless you take a fully guided tour through a reliable company, you’ve to be on your toes, cautious about everything and everyone, all the time. This takes away a lot from the experience.

Sunset at Giza

• While shopping, make sure to haggle heftily. My first response everywhere was to drop the price to a third of what they were asking for, and in many cases that worked very well, whereas in others, I still managed to buy the products at less than half the price they were quoting. And no matter how much they harp on the excellent quality of their products vs their neighbouring shops, just to convince you to pay more, do not fall for the scam!
• I realized how well Uber worked in Egypt. Not only is it a lot more reliable than taking the public taxis, they’re also cheaper, easier to get and regulated, so definitely more trustworthy. It’s the best mode of transportation within the cities, wherever you don’t have a guided tour.
• While several taxi drivers and staff did speak English, we still experienced a lot of language issues across the country. It might help to have google voice translate downloaded on your phone to make it easier for you to converse with people, wherever you need to find your own way. Also, it always helps to learn some basic words of the local language such as thank you, please, hello, and in case of Egypt, NO thank you (La Shukran)!

Cruising the Nile

• Be prepared to be FIRM with the persistent shop keepers and touts who will constantly try to sell you something. You need not be rude but be firm – and try not to let it bother you too much else the whole country can become a frustrating experience for you.
• While you’re expected to dress conservatively to respect their culture, it’s mostly in Cairo that you will feel the need to be slightly covered. Once you’re out of Cairo and in the touristic areas such as Aswan, Luxor or Hurghada, you will feel a lot more comfortable exposing your shoulders and knees. I was wearing dresses throughout my trip after exiting Cairo and didn’t once feel uncomfortable.
• While I highly recommend getting travel insurance when you visit Egypt, one of the things we realized from personal experience is how cheap the medical facilities and expenses are in Egypt. We ended up needing to take my mom to the hospital for her fracture, where she got a doctor’s consultation, an X-Ray to confirm the fracture and several medicines, all at a price less than $30, which made us realize that claiming travel insurance is likely to cause more hassle than the benefit we will gain from it.

• If you’re travelling to Egypt, experiencing the Nile Cruise is a must! The cruise sails either from Aswan to Luxor or vice versa and the departures days in the week are usually fixed, depending on the route. Plan your itinerary accordingly by checking (and booking) your cruise in advance and it’s sailing date. Also, when it comes to cruises, you’ll be spoiled for choice. You will find basic and cheap cruises and high quality, high class, luxury cruises and their prices will differ accordingly. Several companies run these cruises, so be sure to read the reviews before you book one!
• If you’re planning to fly internally within Egypt, be prepared for delays. It is not uncommon for flights to get delayed by 3-4 hours so when you’re making your itinerary, plan accordingly and keep enough buffer between your time of arrival & booked activities or tours, if any.
• Lastly, get guided tours where possible. Not only will it take away the headache of dealing with touts, scammers and language problems, but a tourist guide will also help arrange a seamless experience for you and give you a proper explanation of all the places you visit and their significance, which is important considering the lack of audio guides or any visual signages that explain anything at any of the historical monuments.

Have you considered visiting other countries in the Middle East? Read my blogs on Everything you need to know before visiting Oman, Jordan and Lebanon.