We will never regret haven’t been to Egypt. It was in our bucket list. Although I had read enough and thought I was mentally prepared, I wasn’t. Even with this in mind, Egypt has been the most amazing site I have visited so far (and I have been to a few countries). To be fair, just be careful and pay attention to the following:
Cairo Airport
Please plan ahead how to navigate this airport. We thought we just needed an easy transfer and had a 3 hr layover. We almost didn’t make it to our next flight. People will misinform you about the free shuttles and the airline/security lines can get very long, confusing and chaotic. Regardless of the first impression at the airport, Cairo is another story. It was probably the best of the cities in the Country. It did smell like smog, but the tourist harassment was less and the people were friendly.
Site fees
You will have to pay full price unless you are under 30 years old, you are a student and you have an ID card. They will make the math for you! Don’t expect to be given maps of the sites and be very careful about getting a few tickets: for entering the site, the photo pass (if you want to take pictures with a camera), extra ones (to see highlights that are not included with the regular fee) and sometimes for transportation (if a ride is needed). Oh! I almost forgot: the bathrooms don’t seem to be included with the entrance fee so there is always someone waiting at the door to receive the payment and give you toilet paper. Even if you carry your own Kleenex, they will charge you. It is just a never ending battle.
Site considerations
You are going to be harassed ALL THE TIME. Even if you don’t want a tour guide you will have random strangers trying to show you around. Wait for it and they will charge you at the end. There are always the ones that want to charge you for taking a picture and some guards that will allow you to touch irreplaceable treasures for a bribe. That’s not even counting the people selling souvenir and tours outside every site. Ugh!
Careful with the Food
Stomach issues are real! We were carrying digestive enzymes, just drinking bottled water and still got some bacteria. I has nausea and diarrhea. To be honest, it is very hard to not get sick! There are no fast food chains that you can rely on, so you will still have to try local food. Not even at the grocery stores they sell just the basic supplies to make a sandwich. Its crazy! The bad news is that they don’t sell Gatorade or Pedialyte. I was carrying some antibiotic that saved the trip. Lesson learned: I am taking Pedialyte in its powder form from now on!
Traffic is crazy
Smaller cities don’t have paved roads, the lanes are undefined and very narrow. Everyone and everything share the same space. You will find animals (donkeys, horses, dogs), motorcycles, tok-toks, taxis, vans, cars, trucks and pedestrians all together. The do like to honk, A LOT! There are no defined rules to follow. It is a free for all! People rarely wear a seat belt.
Convoys are a real thing
The police will organize convoys so tourists can follow a police car during their commutes to sites that are further away. The problem is that is very time consuming and feels totally unsafe. A regular ride that should take 2 hours takes about 4 or 5. The police cars that they use are in poor shape and are completely outdated. The officers don’t seem trained. There are several checkpoints throughout the road, so every couple of miles you need to wait for a new police vehicle to follow. I just felt like we were an easy target if anyone was interested in attacking.
People
Locals do love to chat, they seem to know each other, even if they don’t. Guys kiss twice in each cheek when saying hi. For some reason, especially in Cairo, little teens and kids wanted to take pictures with me. Not with my husband, just with me. Very beautiful Muslim ladies asked me a few times. Kids from some school tour literally fought to get an individual selfie. They did get scolded by the teacher. I was happy. Good times! I felt like a rock-star! Never understood why!
Transportation
SET THE PRICE FIRST. The drive around the city in a carriage is usually really cheap- around 1 USD dollar. I would recommend it, if you negotiate the price first. If not, it will be a hassle. Same with taxis. The ones on the street are not very safe and drivers don’t speak any other language. Uber is hard to get because the Internet connection is very poor.
Internet
Is impossible! T-Mobile usually has international service that works great. Egypt has been the only place in the world in which we’ve struggled with connection. This happened in ALL cities, including Cairo! We actually paid for a temporary plan but the service is just not good overall. It was very hard to get around places without any service. Especially when all the locals are trying to mislead you to get your money. The metro system is efficient but doesn’t seem to have a large reach.
Tourist Police
Egypt and Jordan have been the only places to have such a thing. In Jordan I am sure they were meant to protect and help the tourist. In Egypt, I am still not sure. They were in all the sites, but they were not very helpful.
I hope our experience was the exception and not the rule. Unfortunately, everything I read read was pretty much along the same lines. Better be safe, than sorry. No doubt: Go to Egypt, but take it as it is and enjoy it with a grain of salt.
Wookitu 