Is Egypt safe?

[Gallaher]

Want to go to Egypt in October 24. The State Department and my wife say it’s not safe.
Does anyone have recent first hand experience? Considering a 15 day organized tour.
Always wanted to go and price seems great right now.
Thanks

 

[erkevin]

Lots to read here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/SearchForums?ff=9124&geo=294200&scope=2&q=safety&pid=34633&s=D

 

[Texas Proud]

I went a couple of times before the Arab Spring and thought it was safe enough... but they had armed guards all over the place.. and armed escorts when you bus went from town to town...

One of my sister's went pre-pandemic and she felt safe... but it was for US only and cost extra as they flew her from town to town...

No matter how you go you will be swarmed by people wanting to sell you stuff..

The vast majority of people we interacted with were just trying to make a living and were very kind...

 

[Lorenzo]

What is your baseline for "not safe"? I do not have recent firsthand experience, but the topic of whether the war in Gaza is affecting security as far away as Egypt has come up with some frequency in another forum I'm active on. Every report I have read by someone who has been there recently had the opinion that the war in Gaza did not seem to have changed anything as far as they could tell. In other words, they felt as safe (or unsafe) as they had on previous trips to Egypt over the years. Attacks on tourists and tourist infrastructure have always been rare, likely due to a whole lot of security measures--checkpoints on the roads, etc. So if the question is whether that has changed since the war in Gaza, my impression from reading others' trip reports is that the average tourist doesn't perceive any change.

 

[CaptTom]

I know a couple who visited recently. They had a great time and said they never felt unsafe. I think part of that was because they carefully booked everything through international tour companies and stuck with the usual tourist destinations. Personally, I like to avoid tourist areas when I travel, so I suspect my experience would be very different. I think a lot of it is who you are. One of that couple I know is very dark skinned and not a US native, so that probably made them look less like stereotypical "Ugly American" tourists.

 

[Trooper]

Want to go to Egypt in October 24. The State Department and my wife say it’s not safe.
Does anyone have recent first hand experience? Considering a 15 day organized tour.
Always wanted to go and price seems great right now.
Thanks

You might post your plans of where you'll be in Egypt, if you know them at this point. May make a difference. However if you are on an organized tour, I feel that you will be fine.

What is your baseline for "not safe"? I do not have recent firsthand experience, but the topic of whether the war in Gaza is affecting security as far away as Egypt has come up with some frequency in another forum I'm active on. Every report I have read by someone who has been there recently had the opinion that the war in Gaza did not seem to have changed anything as far as they could tell. In other words, they felt as safe (or unsafe) as they had on previous trips to Egypt over the years. Attacks on tourists and tourist infrastructure have always been rare, likely due to a whole lot of security measures--checkpoints on the roads, etc. So if the question is whether that has changed since the war in Gaza, my impression from reading others' trip reports is that the average tourist doesn't perceive any change.

^This. A buddy of mine and I were in Egypt last October when Hamas attacked Gaza. We were there for scuba diving in the Red Sea, but afterwards took a cruise down the Nile and then spent a few days in Cairo then the pyramids.

If it weren't for my wife and American friends telling me to come home, I wouldn't even know what had happened. Egypt highly values its tourism and its security. We both felt very safe.

I'm also on another forum (Scuababoard) and the sentiment there is the same.

 

[Gumby]

We went to Egypt for almost three weeks in November 2022. We were with a respected and experienced small guided group, and we went to the normal tourist areas (Pyramids, Valley of the Kings, etc.), stayed in the traditional grand tourist hotels (Mena House, Winter Palace, Old Cataract) and took a dahabiyah cruise up the Nile for four days. We never felt unsafe at any time.

There are an enormous number of uniformed police and military with automatic weapons throughout Egypt. That didn't bother us and, in fact, gave assurance that troublemakers would be swiftly dealt with, but I understand that some might find their presence disconcerting.

 

[tmitchell]

We went two years ago independently and never questioned our safety. As Trooper pointed out, tourism is a big deal for them so they have everything to gain to make sure foreigners aren't mistreated. It's a great trip.

 

[Gallaher]

All, thanks for your input. Much appreciated