IS EGYPT SAFE FOR TRAVEL? (HOW IS IT IN 2020 WITH SAFETY GUIDE AND TIPS)

IS EGYPT SAFE TO TRAVEL TO RIGHT NOW?

Egypt is a place that’s high on many people’s bucket lists as a cultural gem, a cradle of civilization, and home to some of the most remarkable ancient wonders.  When you go, you’re even more impressed by the fact that what’s been discovered so far isn’t even close to being complete yet.

To answer the very simple question of “is Egypt safe?”, you’ll have to entertain me a bit as I try to explain it and what I’ve personally observed on

What is the current COVID-19 situation?

As with the rest of the world, COVID-19 has made a massive impact on travel to and in Egypt.

Currently (December  2020), there are total of 129,466 cases and 6,656 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

What’s more important though is that they’ve been able to “flatten the curve”.  According to the latest COVID-19 numbers in Egypt, as they’ve only had 149 new cases per day and other days less.

Travel Restrictions

Overall, the good news is that commercial flights and international tourism has been allowed as of July 1, 2020 and since then rules have been relaxed to help bring tourists back into the country.

There are however some strict rules around testing and here how it works.  As of September 1, 2020, all international arrivals (including Egyptian nationals) to any part of Egypt must present a negative RT-PCR test certificate on arrival, and the test must have been taken no more than 72 hours before departure of their last direct flight to Egypt.

• For passengers coming from London Heathrow airport, they must have their PCR test conducted no more than 96 hours prior to flight departure.
• The medical certificate must be issued and stamped by an accredited laboratory, and indicate the type of sample taken for the swab, and must be written in either Arabic or English.
• Foreign visitors arriving at the coastal governorates of the Red Sea (Hurghada and Marsa Alam), South Sinai (Sharm El-Sheikh) and Marsa Matrouh without a valid test result will undergo testing on arrival (at their own cost), and must self-isolate until results are received.
• You will have your temperature checked when you land.
• Everyone must fill out a Public Health Card.
• Foreign travellers must show proof of a valid health insurance policy.
• Most foreign travellers require a visa but this is the same as before.

• Once you’re in Egypt, here are the government mandated rules.

  • Mandatory to wear a mask in public.   You may be denied entry to vehicles and public transport if you don’t have one.
  • Hotels have resumed operations, and must follow new health  and safety guidelines including limits on capacity and hygiene standards.
  • There are restrictions on public gatherings but in general it’s best to avoid these.
    

    Why is right now one of the best times to go to Egypt?

  • It’ll still feel busy at places like the Giza Plateau but almost every other place was never over-packed with tourists which is how things were before.
  • Companies are desperate for your business and as a result prices are incredibly cheap.
  • During my visit to makady heights  the resort was at less than half capacity and I loved it.
  • With so much scrutiny on safety and Egypt wanting to turn that image around, security is at an all-time high which can discourage further attacks.

    Common scams and annoyancesvery country is different and every has a different way of doing business that is culturally influenced.  As a seasoned traveller, you learn to understand it, respect it, and deal with it.  You are after all in their country and those behaviours and customs are part of the package.

    As I talk about in the things to know before going to Egypt guide, while I never felt in danger, I was extremely annoyed about a couple of things.  You can read about it in more detail there but here’s are the ones that you need to know about:

    1. Security guards – All archeological sites will have guards at entrances or roaming around.  Their actual responsibility is to enforce camera rules and protecting the ruins but their side-hustle is to take photos for people, sneak people into restricted areas, and provide loose guiding after which they’ll shamelessly ask you for tips.  The hook is that they’ll ask you for where you’er from or they’ll literally try to provide you their service (i.e. tell you to look at something in a tomb) without you actually accepting.
    2. Hassling at souvenir shops – There are always shops that line the entrances to ancient sites.  They all use the same strategy of calling for you and asking your name or where you’re from.  They also use the $1 USD hook for something they’re selling which is not real.  Once you engage, they’re relentless in making a deal and may even follow you as you walk away.
    3. Camel scam – There’s a common scam out there where camel owners will advertise a dirt cheap price but what they actually mean is that it’s the price to get on which means the price to get off the camel is to be revealed later.  Surprise:  it’s a ludicrous amount!
    4. Ticket checker scam – We didn’t see this in action but our Cairo guide warned us to not show our tickets when in Giza unless he specifically told us that we needed to show it.  Apparently there are a bunch of people pretending to be official staff asking to check tickets and they’ll say you have the wrong one and fine you.
    5. Confiscation scam – Not really a scam per-say but if you take a look at the Egypt travel guide, I talk about how I almost got my shotgun microphone confiscated by security as we entered the Giza Plateau by the Great Pyramid.  I didn’t know they were that sensitive about video gear and they were about to take it and put it away for me to retrieve on the way out but our guide immediately stepped in and essentially had to pay them off to allow me to keep it.  He said that if I had left it there, I would never see it again.
    6. 1 dollar scam – Somehow everything is “only a dollar” when you pass by souvenir stores.  This is simply a ploy to get you to come inside and start talking to them.  This is when they hook you in and you realize that nothing is actually a dollar.
    7. The present scam –  Another common one.  A souvenir shop owner standing outside will aggressively try to offer you a small trinket and say “Take it.  Is present!”.  If you accept, they’ll be some sort of tip you’ll need to give or they’ll be offended  because of the great present they’ve just given to you.
    8. The let-me-show-you-a-shortcut scam – You’re probably getting the idea now.  Same end-result, different method.
    9. Asking locals to take a photo for you – This is sadly frequent by the Giza pyramids.  If you hand your camera over for a photo, they may run away with it.
    10. USD pricing – You’ll notice that many tourist souvenir stores will list prices in USD.  It is almost always not favourable to pay in USD unless you find out what the EGP price is and do the conversion yourself.

    How to make sure you don’t get scammed or annoyed

    Here are a couple of easy tips to follow to make sure you don’t run into issues with the above:

    • Have a local guide – It was so critical that we had a axa tours guide with us the whole time because 1) Scammers stayed away, 2) our guide could tell people off (or pay them off) if they were trying something on us, and 3) we got a heads up on all the scams to expect.
    • Reject all offers – There are definitely good samaritans in Egypt but when it comes to tourist destinations, anyone offering to take your photo, show you something, or do anything to help you is going to ask for a tip (baksheesh).  Learn to say “no” or “la shukran“.  Alternatively, you can also ignore them and walk away.
    • Pre-book camels – Camel scammers are the worst.  To avoid this, get your guide to organize this one in advance so that the cost is known in advance and there’s no funny business.  To give you an idea, our 20 minute experience cost $30 USD for two people.  I’ve read around that people have been able to get better prices but honestly this isn’t the kind of thing you’ll have time to shop around.
    • Just say no – For many of the scams that you read above, a simple “no” is enough to deflect their attempts.
      

      General safety tips for EgyptIt feels like there’s a lot to worry about when travelling to Egypt but really I’m just summarizing everything that I learned from being there and spending 10 days on my latest trip.  Most of it is common sense but the remaining part is from things we observed and thankfully what our guides told us.

      Here’s a compilation of everything I haven’t covered so far and things to add to your trip planning notes as you prepare for Egypt.

      1. Booking a private tour has many benefits – Not knocking the big tour buses but if you think about the terrorist attacks, they’ve always targeted the big busses.  A private tour like the one we did with axa tours is in my mind the smartest way to do it if you’re travelling as a couple, a larger group, or even solo.  Yes, the price is slightly more but the benefits outweigh this.  With a private tour you also get your own Egyptologist and while it’s not security related, it’ll make your trip 100x better.  It’s this guide that’ll also give you all the heads up you need to know about what to be careful about.
      2. Don’t rent or drive a car – This is not the kind of country you can just pick up a car and go.  The traffic and driving styles are simply scary here which is more the reason why having your own guide and driver is the way to go.
      3. Caution taking photos/videos of people in markets – Our guide stressed this quite a lot when we were walking through Cairo’s local souk and Khan el-Khalili.  Only take photos/videos of people if you’ve asked for permission.  This where a guide comes in handy too because they can ask for you.
      4. Don’t do anything stupid in secure areas – At security check points, military areas, or anywhere a round police, stay cool and don’t do anything dumb.  This includes taking photos of military installations and government buildings.  Playing the tourist card isn’t going to work.
      5. No you can’t climb the pyramids – This is a newer rule because of a couple of idiots but this is definitely a no-no now.
      6. Discrete and respectful – Conservative is the key word in Egypt.  Dress and act appropriately.
      7. Keep copies of your identification with you – you’ll probably have to show these, and losing your passport isn’t fun.
      8. Special religious celebrations or any large gatherings – These tend to be targets for terrorists so try to stay away.
      9. Even ANY type of public display of affection is frowned upon – get a room – literally. Probably don’t even hold hands.
      10. Don’t get burnt – By that I mean the sun.  It is strong in Egypt and in most places you visit there will rarely be cover so make sure you have lots of water and be generous with your sunscreen.
      11. Bring mosquito repellent – Depending on the time of the year you go, they’ll be out in full force at dawn and dusk.  There’s luckily no malaria or yellow fever to worry about but bring protection.
      12. Don’t bring a drone – It’s outright banned without extremely special permission so even if you’re passing through Egypt to somewhere else on your journey, you’ll need a way for it to bypass Egypt altogether.
      13. Watch your bags and phones – This might not be as rampant as some parts of Europe but it’s still smart to be vigilent here.
      14. No alcohol on the street – This is a Muslim country and alcohol isn’t allowed unless it’s in a licensed area.