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.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
^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.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.
I would not put faith in any one-off, anecdotal reports. The “great” price should give you an indication of what others are thinking.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
Let's draw out this line of reasoning. Your implication is that the price is great because demand is low. It could be that or it could be that the dollar has risen sharply against the Egyptian pound in recent years. (doubled in less than 1.5 years). You assume that demand is low because people think Egypt is unsafe. Demand could be low for other reasons, but let's assume you are correct; people think Egypt is unsafe so they aren't clamoring to go, so the price is low. Why do you think those non-travelers are correct in their conclusion that it is unsafe? It is very unlikely that they have ever been to Egypt. Having been there on vacation, it is my impression that most people only go to Egypt once. So, you have people choosing not to go to a place they have never been based on their fears. But what do they actually know more than anyone else? At least the people who have provided anecdotes have been to Egypt and observed the situation first-hand.I would not put faith in any one-off, anecdotal reports. The “great” price should give you an indication of what others are thinking.
Doesn't sound like fun - especially the need for an armed guard but YMMV.We docked in Sharm el Sheik, Safaga, and Port Said with a Viking World Cruise in 2022. We stuck with ship's tours and saw St. Catherine's Monastery on Mt. Zion, Luxor and all the attendant temples and tombs with a short Nile cruise, the Egyptian Museum, and the Pyramids & Sphinx. Never any sense of physical danger because we had an armed guard traveling with us, an extra tour bus in case the first one broke down, and lots of security presence at each stop. The people were very welcoming, but the vendors are relentless. Don't talk to them unless you mean to buy something. An upraised palm and a firm "Lalala!" is the only thing that will keep them from hounding you for blocks.
I would pay attention to my wife first then the State Department. Unless you know and trust the person making anecdotal reports and can speak with them to ask questions and clarify their responses I wouldn't pay any attention to them.I would not put faith in any one-off, anecdotal reports. The “great” price should give you an indication of what others are thinking.