Category: Egypt

This guide to Egypt independent travel has the following sections below.

All basic information (e.g., when to visit, visas, safety, Covid-19 restrictions, transportation, accommodation) is in Egypt.

• Rewarding But Challenging
• Aswan
• Abu Simbel
• Kom Ombo
• Edfu
• Luxor
• Dahab
• More Information about Egypt
• Useful Arabic Words

Rewarding But Challenging

If you are reading this, you are thinking (or already in the process of) visiting Egypt independently.

Travelling independently is usually more eye opening, authentic and direct than a tour. Even more so in Misr (Egypt in Arabic). Travelling around Egypt independently will definitely make a stronger impact on all your senses. You will meet some incredibly friendly and helpful Egyptians across the country. Street food is best. And you will see the local neighborhoods, villages and towns away from the standard tourist path.

As on any trip, the trade off is the flexibility and cost versus convenience. If you like it, you can stay at this temple or Sahara camp longer. If you do not like this city, you might even not stop here overnight but move on. We have to pay for this flexibility with more upfront research and speed. Being on a tour will probably be faster but potentially more superficial. Not to mention it will be much cheaper than taking the tours.

Strenuous

Now, to be absolutely honest, independent travel in Egypt will be challenging.

It will be more trying than Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Jordan, Algeria, India or even Morocco. Some people will try to overcharge you, frequently put you on a camel or a boat, or accompany you to a restaurant or your hotel. However, please also remember that the unemployment rate is high and everybody has to feed their family.

Still independent travel in Egypt

Looking back, am I happy that I opted for the independent trip and all those difficulties and not a tour?

Absolutely yes.

Was it difficult at times?

Yes, it was.

Would I do it again independently?

Yes, definitely. This uncontrolled chaos with the stunning archeological sites and nature is pretty irresistible.

Aswan

Aswan was one of the my favorite places in Egypt. A more relaxed city located in a stunning location on the Nile and full of first-class archeological sites. Plus it is drivable to the impressive Abu Simbel described below.

Arrival

If you arrive on the train (highly recommended), you will come to the main Aswan station. It is clearly labelled and you will not miss it, as there will be many other passengers getting off as well.

Before you leave the station area, rehearse again your destination and your budget. Before you depart for Aswan, ask your hotel how much a taxi should be from the Aswan station. This is a standard question and each hotel will respond with a reasonable number. They might also offer to organize a taxi to pick you up. If you accept their price, it will save the negotiations at the station.

With all this in mind, follow everybody and exit the station building. As in all Egyptian stations, 10 drivers will immediately approach you asking where you are going or trying to help carry your bag(s). Do NOT let this happen as this decrease your negotiation position.

Your price plus 50%

Mention your destination and price. Given your number will be reasonable, some more aggressive drivers will turn away and look for easier prey. Fortunately, more sensible ones will approach you and most likely ask for your number plus 50%. In other words, you are already making progress. If you are firm, they will probably decrease it. Overall, the Aswan taxi drivers are much more friendly than their Luxor or Cairo cousins (I have not seen any ladies driving taxis there). A taxi ride 15 minutes away from the train station was EGP50.

With all this done, you will probably arrive in your hotel soon. On your way back you might even travel independently. The train station is located in the city center next to the main road along the Nile. There are many minibuses on this route for EGP2 one way. The long-distance bus station is about 7-10 minutes ride away.

In Aswan you will probably go to West Aswan for the small and nice Sarenput II tomb, St Simeon monastery, Aga Khan mausoleum and a nice desert walk.

West Aswan

Getting to West Aswan is straightforward. On the main promenade next to Nile, walk past McDonald’s and immediately afterwards on your left you will see steps down to the public ferry. You will pay EGP5 in cash to the gentleman at the table, no ticket issued.

Most probably you will see many people waiting with women sitting on the left and men on the right. The next ferry will probably arrive in up to 15 minutes. It is customary to let the women board first and take their seats at the back of the boat.

Amazingly, the whole boarding operation is impressively efficient with everybody in and seated within 60 seconds. The Nile will offer great views, especially around sunset, and, unfortunately, the ride will be over in 5 minutes.

Sarenput II, st simeon monastery and aga khan

Once you disembark, follow everybody on the path up, turn left to buy the EGP60 ticket for the Sarenput II tomb (highly recommended) in the booth. Look around the ruins, you will see some engravings still intact. The grave is to your left and I liked it a lot. Small but atmospheric and with colors well preserved. Most likely you will be there by yourself, which was the nicest part.

Afterwards you can visit the monastery of St Simeon and the Aga Khan mausoleum. To visit the mausoleum you will need a permit arranged before, which might take even a few weeks. I did not have it but even the views from there towards the Nile and Aswan were great.

The mud-and-stone St Simeon monastery was built in the 7th and rebuilt in the 10th century. Pretty ruined but atmospheric, a good guide explaining its history will be great. However, I liked the path to the monastery best – a serene Sahara experience. You can either walk or ride on a camel (approximately EGP50 depending on your negotiation skills). The entry ticket is EGP 40.

South Aswan

Many interesting things here. The Nubian Museum (9am – 5pm daily) is close to the main road and is excellent.

Right across is the Unfinished Obelisk in a quarry. Probably queen Hatshepsut ordered it but it cracked during its creation and was abandoned. Its size is gargantuan and shows the engineering ability of the ancient Egyptians. There is little beyond this cracked obelisk but the views are nice. Overall, a short but informative visit.

philae temple

Further down the road is Philae, one of the most impressive ancient temples in Egypt. Ancient Egyptians believed that Philae is the burying place of the god Osiris and one of the most revered places. Given its importance, it was mentioned by many ancient writers including famous Seneca and Pliny.

You can take a minibus south (EGP2, 60 minutes) and walk to the Marina Philae Temple, where you buy your entry ticket (EGP180). Then find a tourist group to share a boat or negotiate a boat to the temple just for yourself. You will probably pay around EGP 200. The Philae temple is stunning but the twenty-minute boat ride and the anticipation of getting there will be another memorable experience. You will probably need more than the standard one hour which is allocated by the boat operator. The temple is nice and the location stunning.

The temple has been relocated in 1974 under the UNESCO program before the construction of the Aswan High Dam. As a consequence, you will notice that the temple is not fully symmetric.

Abu Simbel

Abu Simbel is one of the top places to visit in Egypt. Its location on the Nile is impressive. The two temples cut out of the rock are unique on a global scale. Add the perfectly blue sky and it will be picture perfect.

However, it is 300 km (190 milies) south from Aswan. Most tourists arrive on a tour organized by all travel agencies and hotels in Aswan. I took the tour with the excellent Go Inn Backpackers for EGP400. Overall, arriving early in the morning is best as most tour buses will be coming in late morning and early afternoon.

So you will probably wake up pretty early (4am) for the four-hour drive (one way) to Abu Simbel. There is some good news though: (1) the road is straight and in good condition, so you can sleep most of the time, (2) if you decide to wake up, the sunrise over the Sahara sands is great, and (3) you will be back in Aswan by 2pm so still time to do more sight seeing.

Two Abu Simbel temples

Abu Simbel (entry ticket EGP275) has two temples: the Great Temple of Ramesses II (above) and the Small Temple of Hathor and Nefertari (Ramesses’ main wife, whose impressive tomb is in the Valley of the Queens in Luxor).

Unbelievably, the temple complex was constructed in about 20 years. Nowadays sometimes zoning or planning applications are taking almost that long.

The larger temple is dedicated to Ra-Horakhty, Ptah and Amun, Egypt’s three state deities of that time. There are also four large statues of Ramesses II in the facade. The statue to the left was damaged in an earthquake, causing the head and torso to fall down.

You will notice also some smaller statues at the bottom, none of them higher than Ramesses’ knees. The persons depict his main wife (Nefertari), mother, first two sons and first six daughters. In addition, there are various protecting gods and symbols of power.

Over the centuries, the site was completely buried in sand. The European explorer Giovanni Belzoni uncovered and excavated (or looted) Abu Simbel in 1817. The story has it that Abu Simbel is the name of the local boy, who showed the way to the site to Belzoni. So definitely not the ancient name of the temples.

The small temple has four statues of Ramesses and two of Nefertari. Queen’s prestige must have been extraordinary as her statue’s height is the same as pharaoph’s.

God among gods

The Abu Simbel site was sacred to the goddess Hathor already before the construction of the temples. To fortify his image and spread the message among his population, Ramesses is depicted as god among other gods.

The temples are also aligned with the east and, twice a year, the sun shines directly into the sanctuary of the Great Temple. It illuminates the statue of Ramesses and Amun, but not the god of the underworld sitting next to them. Amazing.

Kom Ombo

I highly recommend seeing the temples on your ride from Aswan to Luxor: Kom Ombo and Edfu.

Minibus to Kom Ombo

They are easily visited by taking an Aswan-Kom Ombo minibus from the Aswan bus station to Kom Ombo (EGP15, $0.70, 1.5hr). To get to the bus station from Aswan center take the minibus along the Nile for EGP2 ($0.10, 10-15mins).

While approaching Kom Ombo, get off on the road next to the sign “Kom Ombo temple 2km” on the left. A tuk tuk will be another EGP15 ($0.70) and take 5 minutes.

Going back to the Kom Ombo bus station will be EGP20 ($0.90, 15 minutes), it is further away so more expensive.

Overall, no need to take a pre-arranged tour with one of the tour companies charging $70-115 for the experience (or $165 with an English-speaking guide).

Also, you will probably hear that the only way to visit Kom Ombo or Edfu is by taking a Nile cruise boat. Of course, it is much more expensive and everybody wants to make a commission, which is understandable. However, the minibus approach was tested by truly yours in November 2022, and is probably alive and well when you are reading this.

Secondly, you might be sitting next to the driver who might speak fluent English. That Kom Ombo-Edfu one-hour conversation was one of the best I had on the entire Egypt trip.

Double Sobek and Horus temple

Kom Ombo is deserted, not fully reconstructed, with excellent engravings and in a great location overlooking the Nile. Some of the original colors are still preserved, especially the black eagles on the ceilings, upper entrance panels or some pillars. Finally, when I was there there were only two (2) other tourists and they left quickly.

This shrine is unusual because it houses two temples dedicated to two different gods. The southern hall was dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek. You can see the engravings of this god having a human body and a crocodile head on the tall southern wall and also on the individual stones on the ground of the left hand side.

The northern part was dedicated to the falcon god Horus with many of his depictions. Archeologists have not agreed on the exact reason for the two deities worshipped here. One theory is that the evil god Sobek representing crocodiles threatening humans was paired with a gentler but powerful Horus.

In any case, after the temple visit please go down to the small but modern and interesting Crocodile Museum. There are interesting mummified crocodiles and their various sculptures.

Edfu

Edfu is another temple with an impressive well-preserved structure and one of my favorites. It is relatively young as it was “only” constructed between 237 and 57BC during the Greek Ptolemaic Kingdom. Unfortunately, some of the reliefs (especially of the Egyptian gods) have been damaged over the centuries. Archeologists believe that the early Christians started this destruction of the pagan reliefs.

Beyond that, fortunately, the temple is in a good condition because it was buried under desert sand and only excavated in the nineteenth century. Amazingly, local people have built their houses on top of the buried temple over the centuries. Imagine that standing in front of the 13m entrance pylons.

The Edfu temple was dedicated to the Egyptian god Horus who was worshipped as Apollo in the Hellenistic and Roman times. The same god Horus from the northern part of the Kom Ombo temple as well.

In terms of transportation, you can reach Edfu from the Kom Ombo bus station (EGP15, $0.70, 1 hr). From the Edfu bus station to the temple take a tuk tuk for EGP30 ($1.40) taking 15 minutes and crossing the Nile. You will see the tuk tuks in the middle of the station when arriving.

Walk with the gods

Tip: when standing in front of the sanctuary at the Edfu temple, turn right and follow the steps up. You will be walking in a small passage along the Egyptian gods, whole engravings are well preserved.

That was undoubtedly the intention of the ancient architects. Unfortunately, there is a locked gate at the top of the stairs. Getting up on the roof or a platform would be a nice final step of the journey as performed by two thousand years ago. And you can do it without any other tourists in complete silence. Amazing.

When back at the Edfu bus station, the final leg is to take a minibus to Luxor (EGP30, $1.40, 2 hours).

In summary of the transportation costs, a local minibus in Aswan or Luxor is EGP2 one way. Aswan-Kom Ombo takes approximately 1 hour and costs EGP15 ($0.70), Kom Ombo-Edfu again 1 hour and EGP15. Edfu-Luxor takes 2 hours and costs EGP30 ($1.40). The whole trip will take at least 7-8 hours, leave Aswan early in the morning.

When leaving Luxor, one of the best options is to take a Go Bus. Modern large Mercedes buses with strong air conditioning and allocated seats. You can buy a ticket online or at their office to the left of the main train station. You will see their large yellow buses to the left when standing in front of the train station, a one-minute walk there. Wait for your bus inside with strong air conditioning and comfortable seats.

Luxor

Arrival

If you are arriving by plane, the Luxor airport is small and efficient. However, getting to your hotel or the train or bus station will require some negotiation again.

In the arrivals hall close to the exit door you will see a list of fixed prices to various destinations. Any destination within the Luxor city center should be EGP 80. However, when you exit through the glass door you will probably hear the initial quotes of EGP 200-400. The “fair” price for a non-Egyptian tourist is EGP100-130. Unfortunately, you will probably have to use your best negotiation skills to get to those numbers.

With this task accomplished, time for the amazing Luxor (or Thebes as it was known earlier). The ancient city of god Amun or Amun-Ra, has two separate areas to visit. The East Bank was dedicated to the worship. The West Bank was for the tombs and funerary temples (Theban Necropolis).

East Bank

The East bank consists of the vast Karnak and Luxor temples. The Karnak temple is best visited at sunrise, as the ancient Egyptian architects ensured an eastern orientation (the photo below is the Karnak temple at sunrise 6:30am).

If you are staying on the East bank, you can take a minibus (EGP2) and then walk for 15 minutes. Alternatively, you will have to negotiate with a taxi driver. Please ask at your hotel for the reasonable price from your location.

Alternatively, you can walk. Depending where you are staying, it will probably be a 30-60 minute hike to get to Karnak. If you arrive between 6 and 7am, you will not see any lines to the ticket office or many tourists in general.

Sunrise is the best time to witness the arrival of the sun god in the Luxor temple.

Secondly, the ancient Egyptians skilfully built the entry gate conveying the daily arrival of the sun god Amun-Ra (below). Impressive.

For the sunset, please visit the Luxor temple, which will be almost glowing in the descending sun. As this temple is located closer to the East Bank center, you can walk there (15-30 minutes depending where you are staying).

West Bank

West bank includes the Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Temple of Ramesses III at Medinet Habu, and the Valley of the Artisans. You will see the most elaborate tombs of the kings, smaller of their wives, and smaller still of the artisans decorating the main tombs.

The West Bank sites are well spread out. The options are (1) a day tour, (2) negotiate a taxi for a day, (3) negotiate a taxi in individual sites, or (4) bike. I took a good day tour from the Bob Marley hotel in the East Bank for EGP150.

Valley of the Kings

The Valley of the Kings is the burial place for the pharaophs from the New Kingdom of Egypt (18th-20th dynasties, constructed between 1539 and 1075 BC).

You can currently visit only 8 out of 60 tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Your entry ticket permits you to visit three of out those eight. There are three additional tombs, which you can visit for an additional fee (Ramesses V&VI, Seti I, Tutankhamun whose intact tomb was discovered by the British archeologist Howard Carter in 1922).

It is subjective to say but the tomb of Ramesses V and VI was my favorite. The sheer size and elegance is breathtaking. The engravings and colors are impressive.

Seti I is also stunning but carries a high additional fee (EGP 1,000). Tutankhamun’s tomb is famous. However, it is rather small given the pharaoph died at an early age, so he did not have not enough time to build a magnificent tomb on the level of Seti I or Ramesses V and VI.

In any case, you will not forget those monuments any time soon.

KAM Thai

When you are in Luxor try KAM Thai on the East Bank. After all that falafel and kebab, this clean and authentic small restaurant will be a treat. The cook is a lady from south Thailand and her food is delicious.

Dahab

Dahab is probably the most relaxed town in Egypt. Everything evolves around the beach, water sports and excellent diving and snorkelling. Many tourist hotels on the main road but also in the new city area (20 minutes walking distance from the center). Nobody will bother you much here.

As a tourist said in Dahab, “I am working really hard by doing nothing”. You will see young tourists from everywhere just hanging around and enjoying good life.

In other words, Dahab is similar to Cairns with its Great Barrier Reef in Australia, Gili Islands or Labuan Bajo in Indonesia, or Flores or Antigua in Guatemala.

The closest airport is the touristy Sharm el-Sheikh with its great Wizzair, Ryanair and Easyjet connections. You can take a daily GO Bus from Sharm’s bus station to Dahab ($7), a shuttle ($22-31) or a taxi (around $30-40 one way, 90 minutes).

A popular activity is a St Catherine mountain hike plus a visit to the monastery. You leave at 10pm, drive for two hours and hike for the sunrise. Afterwards you visit the monastery and drive back to Dahab with the arrival at 2pm. EGP450-600 for this standard itinerary. Please bring a windproof jacket, scarf and hat.

When in Dahab, try Yum Yum or King Falafel next to the main promenade. Both very good, many locals eating there as well, always a good sign.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT EGYPT

Beyond this guide to Egypt independent travel, general information (visas, Covid-19 restrictions, when to visit, transportation, accommodation, food, etc.) is in Egypt.

Useful Arabic Words

Regardless of your destination, this Egypt independent travel guide guarantees those Arabic words will help on your trip:

sabah al-khayr: good morning

missah al-khayr: good evening

marhaba: hello

keefak: how are you? (what’s the news?)

shukran: thanks

la shukran: no, thanks

kwayees: good

mumtaz: excellent

miya: water

wahed: one

hamza: five

ashra: ten

ashrun: twenty

meah: hundred

WHERE TO GO NEXT

Beyond this Egypt independent travel guide, consider Algeria for an amazing Sahara trip around Djanet. Bonus: you are already in the neighborhood and there will be little tourist hassle.

Or Indonesia for a totally different experience. 17,000 islands, amazing snorkelling and diving, Komodo tour, Mt Rinjani (Lombok) Hike or Bena Traditional Village (Flores).

For the ultimate remote location, fly to Easter Island with its enigmatic moai.

Another up and coming place is Uzbekistan and its stunning Silk Road cities of Samarkand and Bukhara. Combine it with mountains and lakes in Kyrgyzstan.

For a list of places with lesser crowds (and how to avoid them): Avoid Crowds When Travelling – Top 21 Tips (2022).

This Egypt itinerary article has the following sections below. There is some initial arrival information (why visit, safety if any areas are currently closed to tourists). Afterwards the itineraries based on your time available, airports and interests.

• Why Visit
• When to Visit
• Safety
• Top 5 Things in Egypt
• Four Chunks of Egypt
• Cairo or regional airport?
• Egypt itinerary 7 days
• Egypt itinerary 10 days
• Diving, beach or desert extensions?
• Egypt itinerary 14-21 days
• Transportation
• Costs
• More Information about Egypt
• Useful Arabic Words

Overall, I think an optimal Egypt itinerary is based on three questions:

• Your available time. This is obvious. 7, 10, 14, 21 or maybe even 28 days?
• Your arrival and departure airport. The traditional Cairo in and Cairo out is not the only one approach. It is possibly not even the best connection. For the same price, you can fly to Egypt and have a free weekend in London or another major European city
• Your interests. Beyond the historical sites, are you interested in diving or snorkelling? What about the desert trips? Do you want to go on a multi-day Nile cruise boat? How about a day on the Red Sea beach?

Based on your responses above, we will see a few different tailor-made itineraries.

Why Visit

First of all, out of approximately 195 countries in the world, why would you want to go to Egypt? There are many other interesting destinations in the neighborhood such as Jordan, Israel or Iran. Or Uzbekistan, Pakistan or India a bit further out eastwards. Alternatively, going south to Zimbabwe, Namibia or Tanzania sounds great as well.

However, Egypt has been on the traveller’s target list for hundred of years. For proof, read the graffiti on the ancient monuments in Abu Simbel or Luxor (a special mention to Monsieur Le Caros visiting Abu Simbel in 1875).

Pyramids&Company

And there are good reasons for tourists’ permanent interest. The archeological sites are world-class and have been a magnet for visitors from all around the planet.

Pyramids in Giza near Cairo. Temples and tombs in Luxor. More temples and tombs in the more-relaxed Aswan. The chaotic metropolis of Cairo, which usually inspires either love or hate (or both at the same time).

Less visited Sinai with the desert and St. Catherine’s monastery. Alexandria established by the founder of one of the biggest empires in the history of mankind (Alexander the Great). Siwa, Dakhla or another oasis for the ultimate Egyptian Sahara experience.

Balmy weather

Moreover, in the peak tourists season of October-February, the weather is awesome with 20-25C during the day and around 10-15C at night. Sunny, with little rain and no fog (hello, London).

Some Egyptians are truly nice, hospitable and ready to help, when met in a private setting. Those conversations were some of the highlights of my Egypt trip.

Unfortunately, in spite of the steady tourist flows, you will also encounter a significant hassle factor in Egypt. The unemployment rate here is high and everybody needs to feed their family. I tried to consider that as an additional price to pay for the impressive archeological sites and the balmy weather.

Now, if you are also concerned about crowds, this issue can be solved in Egypt. Most tours pursue the same itinerary focusing on the top must-see sites. Secondly, they usually visit in the same order every day. And they usually leave off lesser-known venues, which are just not in the top 5 in a marketing brochure.

When to Visit

October – February is the best. The day temperatures will be 20-30C, sunny and clear skies. December and January will be cooler, a hoodie or jacket required.

Due to the high temperature differences between day and night, please take both flip flops and a jacket and a scarf.

For Sahara camping, you will need hats, gloves and a warm sleeping bag as well.

At this time there will be many sun-starved tourists from Europe. But it is still better than basking in the 50C heat in July and August, when you would be recommended to drink at least six litres of water per day.

Safety

Sadly, Egypt has had safety and security issues, some also involving the foreign tourists. However, there are currently no highly-publicized safety accidents including visitors.

Secondly, I am not aware of any tourist sites closed off to tourists due to security reasons.

Overall, given the importance of the tourism economy, all corresponding areas are under strict and constant supervision. You will go through tens of police road checkpoints. Soldiers in full gear with guns will be watching you. You will see armored military vehicles with machine guns.

All this is normal.

In the more supervised areas (e.g., Sinai, close to Libya), your driver will leave your name and country, and his license plate in some checkpoints. You will be tracked while travelling, especially if at night. When at a checkpoint, a simple “hello” or “salam” (same in Arabic) to the border security is usually sufficient.

Also, your vehicle might be scanned also underneath on a special platform for any hidden cargo, for example in Sinai when approaching the Sharm el-Sheikh airport.

However, it feels all the controls are in place, but outside Sinai they are pretty lax. A whole minibus would be just waved in without any checks. Nobody ever looked at the trunk or checked luggage on my last trip to Egypt.

Probably a sign that things have been stable lately and no imminent threats are expected.

When going to the desert in Sinai, or the west or the south of the country, you will absolutely need a guide. Non-negotiable for many reasons.

You probably do not want to make history and news headlines for any wrong reasons.

Top 5 Things in Egypt

So after all this tougher introductory stuff, one of the nicest topics. Planning your next trip.

Overall, I think there are actually two separate Top 5 destinations in Egypt.

Traditional must sees

Firstly, those which you have to see because they simply have to be seen as so unique in the world. Pyramids in Giza near Cairo and Luxor with its temples and tombs are on this list.

True, Karnak in Luxor is vast and impressive, but severely ruined over the centuries.

Moreover, pyramids and Luxor will be congested and you will face a lot of hassle in those places. Everybody will want to take you on a tour or a boat. Put you on a camel, horse-drawn carriage or a sunset felucca. Or just sell you all the usual indispensable tourist t-shirts, necklaces or Nefertiti miniatures.

Excellent lesser known sites

Now, once you ticked off all those must-see destinations above, you might do what you really want to do. Go to some amazing temples outside of Luxor. They are in a good condition, less damaged over the centuries, and with almost no tourists. Also, given there are fewer visitors, there are also not as many hawkers. Abu Simbel, Kom Ombo, Edfu, Dendera and Abydos temples are excellent examples. In addition, some are located in stunning locations on the Nile. Finally, when driving to Abu Simbel, the Sahara views are already great.

So having said all this, the top 5 on any Egypt itinerary

(1) Aswan in the south of the country as a spring board for Abu Simbel and the adjacent temples of Philae, Kom Ombo or Edfu

(2) Sinai for a different desert experience, diving in Dahab and a visit to Saint Catherine’s Monastery

(3) Luxor with its Karnak and Luxor temples on the East Bank, and Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens and temples on the West Bank

(4) Pyramids in Giza

(5) Sahara oasis (e.g., Dakhla, Siwa)

Four chunks of Egypt

So how to fix your itinerary?

First of all, let’s look at the map of all those major tourist sites in Misr (Egypt in Arabic). All tours and independent visitors are covering all or some of those.

Based on the map, we can separate four major blocks:

• (1) Sinai (Sharm el-Sheikh, Dahab, St Catherine’s monastery)
• (2) Must sees in the middle (pyramids in Cairo, Luxor temples and tombs)
• (3) Additional great lesser known in the south (Aswan, Abu Simbel)
• (4) Optional north (Alexandria, Siwa Oasis)

(1) Sinai is an add-on to the must sees (2) and (3)

Sinai is totally different from the rest of Egypt.

That’s the place to experience some of the best diving and snorkelling in the world. Secondly, there is an important cultural and religious St Catherine’s monastery. According to Judaism, Christianity and Islam, Moses received the Ten Commandments on this mountain. Consequently, the Orthodox tradition continues at the impressive St Catherine’s monastery. Finally, climbing the mountain for the sunrise is excellent.

Also, Dahab in Sinai is probably the most relaxed tourist town in all of Egypt, where nobody will bother you much. This, by itself, is already a big advantage.

(2) Must sees of the Giza pyramids, and Luxor temples and tombs

A cornerstone of all Egypt itineraries and should not be skipped. Impressive and unique on a global scale.

They will be crowded and you will experience some aggressive hawkers, but they are simply too grand to omit from any itinerary.

(3) Additional great but lesser known sites around Aswan

In short, they are impressive. The south with Aswan, Abu Simbel and the adjacent temples (e.g., Kom Ombo, Edfu) is absolutely amazing. Great sites set in stunning locations. Yes, some of them were rebuilt but demonstrate the architectural, engineering and artistic prowess of the ancient Egyptians. Moreover, fewer tourists means fewer hawkers and less hassle.

In comparison, for example, the Karnak temple is vast and impressive. However, it has been plundered and ruined over the centuries a lot. In the south you can see some reconstructed temples (e.g., Edfu, Philae). They convey the scale and feeling of the original buildings.

This was my favorite area on my trip. And this is the place I want to return, not sure about Cairo again.

(4) The optional north (Alexandria, Siwa Oasis)

Interesting but time consuming. It takes 9-12 hours on a (night) bus from Cairo to Siwa Oasis. The oasis is allegedly great but those are a minimum of two nights on the bus. You would probably stay there at least two nights, so 4 nights / 5 days total. If you have two weeks for your Egypt trip, probably skip it.

Having said that, I do want to visit on the next trip as all the main sites are done.

Cairo or regional airport?

Your arrival and departure airports will play a major role in fixing your itinerary.

Fortunately, you have a choice of airports in Egypt. You can land in Cairo, the largest and the traditional arrival for long-distance flights on, for example, Egyptair.

Cheap flights from Europe

However, you can do something different. It will be probably cheaper and offer a free weekend in London or another major European city. The European budget airlines (e.g., Wizzair and Easyjet) are flying to the beach towns of Sharm el-Sheikh, Hurghada and Marsa Alam.

Sharm is in the south of Sinai. Hurghada and Marsa Alam are close to Luxor and Aswan.

With some planning and luck, you can buy flights from London for £20-50 one way.

Alternatively, you can fly from London to Cairo and Luxor-London open jaw with Egyptair for £400-600. A pretty big difference.

Free weekend in London

In other words, if coming from America or Asia, it is cheaper to fly to and spend a weekend in London. Then hop on a budget Wizzair or Easyjet flight from London Gatwick or Luton. And who doesn’t like a free weekend in London?

If you want the major archeological sites, fly to Hurghada or Marsa Alam. From there it is a four-hour Go Bus ride to Luxor. If you want some time on the beach, do it at the start or end of your trip in one of those.

Alternatively, if you want to dive or snorkel in the Red Sea around Dahab, visit St Catherine’s in Sinai or stay on the beach, fly into Sharm el-Sheikh. From Sharm you can take a Sharm el-Sheikh to Hurghada ferry daily for $60 one way. Alternatively, you can fly directly to Luxor on AirCairo for a similar price (one hour flying time).

Having covered the airports, let’s see some itineraries depending on how much time you have.

Egypt itinerary 7 days

This itinerary is based on the top 5 sites in Egypt. Let’s start at the shortest traditional 7-8 day trip with the sites covered by all tour companies.

It covers the must sees of the pyramids near Cairo with Luxor temples and tombs, and more temples in Aswan.

If taking domestic Cairo-Luxor or Cairo-Aswan flights, you could even theoretically squeeze Abu Simbel in as well.

2 days in Cairo

The individual breakdown would be 2 days in Cairo. You will be busy seeing the three main pyramids, the Sphinx, and the Egyptian Museum. Potentially seeing also the additional sites as well.

2 days in Aswan

2 days in Aswan including the West Aswan with the tomb of Sirenput II, the St Simeon monastery and the Aga Khan mausoleum.

In the south you will probably go to the impressive Philae temple. Afterwards many people like a felucca sunset cruise, the Nile is stunning pretty much everywhere here.

abu simbel

The next day you will probably wake up pretty early (4am) for the four-hour drive (one way) to Abu Simbel. There is some good news though: (1) the road is straight and in good condition, so you can sleep most of the time, (2) if you decide to wake up, the sunrise over the Sahara sands is great, and (3) you will be back in Aswan by 2pm so still time to do more sight seeing.

Two Abu Simbel temples

Abu Simbel has two temples: the Great Temple of Ramesses II (above) and the Small Temple of Hathor and Nefertari (Ramesses’ main wife, whose impressive tomb is in the Valley of the Queens in Luxor).

Unbelievably, the temple complex was constructed in about 20 years. Nowadays sometimes zoning or planning applications are taking almost that long.

The larger temple is dedicated to Ra-Horakhty, Ptah and Amun, Egypt’s three state deities of that time. There are also four large statues of Ramesses II in the facade. The statue to the left was damaged in an earthquake, causing the head and torso to fall down.

You will notice also some smaller statues at the bottom, none of them higher than Ramesses’ knees. The persons depict his main wife (Nefertari), mother, first two sons and first six daughters. In addition, there are various protecting gods and symbols of power.

Over the centuries, the site was completely buried in sand. The European explorer Giovanni Belzoni uncovered and excavated (or looted) Abu Simbel in 1817. The story has it that Abu Simbel is the name of the local boy, who showed the way to the site to Belzoni. So definitely not the ancient name of the temples.

The small temple has four statues of Ramesses and two of Nefertari. Queen’s prestige must have been extraordinary as her statue’s height is the same as pharaoph’s.

God among gods

The Abu Simbel site was sacred to the goddess Hathor already before the construction of the temples. To fortify his image and spread the message among his population, Ramesses is depicted as god among other gods.

The temples are also aligned with the east and, twice a year, the sun shines directly into the sanctuary of the Great Temple. It illuminates the statue of Ramesses and Amun, but not the god of the underworld sitting next to them. Amazing.

2 days in Luxor

Luxor (or Thebes as it was known earlier), the ancient city of god Amun or Amun-Ra, has two separate areas to visit. The East Bank was dedicated to the worship. The West Bank was for the tombs and funerary temples (Theban Necropolis).

east bank

The East bank consists of the vast Karnak and Luxor temples. The Karnak temple is best visited at sunrise, as the ancient Egyptian architects ensured an eastern orientation (the top photo is the Karnak temple at sunrise 6:30am).

Secondly, they skilfully built the entry gate conveying the arrival of the sun god Amun-Ra (below). Impressive.

For the sunset, please visit the Luxor temple, which will be almost glowing in the descending sun.

west bank

West bank includes the Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Temple of Ramesses III at Medinet Habu, and the Valley of the Artisans. You will see the most elaborate tombs of the kings, smaller of their wives, and smaller still of the artisans decorating the main tombs.

The Valley of the Kings is the burial place for the pharaophs from the New Kingdom of Egypt (18th-20th dynasties, constructed between 1539 and 1075 BC).

You can currently visit only 8 out of 60 tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Your entry ticket permits you to visit three of out those eight. There are three additional tombs, which you can visit for an additional fee (Ramesses V&VI, Seti I, Tutankhamun whose intact tomb was discovered by the British archeologist Howard Carter in 1922).

It is subjective to say but the tomb of Ramesses V and VI was my favorite. The sheer size and elegance is breathtaking. The engravings and colors are impressive.

Seti I is also stunning but carries a high additional fee (EGP1000). Tutankhamun’s tomb is famous. However, it is rather small given the pharaoph died at an early age, so he did not have not enough time to build a magnificent tomb on the level of Seti I or Ramesses V and VI.

In any case, you will not forget those monuments any time soon.

7 day mad rush

Overall, this seven-day itinerary would be mad rush just skimming the surface of those amazing places. You would also miss some of the lesser known but excellent temples between Aswan and Luxor.

If you have a few days more, your Egypt itinerary will be more relaxed but more insightful and enjoyable at the same time.

Egypt itinerary 10 days

With 2-3 additional days you can spend more quality time in Luxor.

Secondly, you can enjoy a train ride along the Nile, which I liked a lot. Lush fields, great river views, and village life.

Kom Ombo and Edfu

Thirdly, I highly recommend visiting the temples on your ride from Aswan to Luxor. They are easily visited by taking an Aswan-Kom Ombo minibus from the Aswan bus station to Kom Ombo (EGP15, $0.70, 1.5hr). Get off on the road next to the sign “Kom Ombo temple 2km”. A tuk tuk will be another EGP15 ($0.70) and take 5 minutes. Going back to the Kom Ombo bus station will be EGP20 ($0.90, 15 minutes).

Overall, no need to take a pre-arranged tour with one of the tour companies charging $70-115 for the experience (or $165 with an English-speaking guide).

Also, you will probably hear that the only way to visit Kom Ombo or Edfu is by taking a Nile cruise boat. Of course, it is much more expensive and everybody wants to make a commission, which is understandable. However, the minibus approach was tested by truly yours in November 2022, and is probably alive and well when you are reading this.

Secondly, you might be sitting next to the driver who might speak fluent English. That Kom Ombo-Edfu one-hour conversation was one of the best I had on the entire Egypt trip.

Kom Ombo is deserted, not fully reconstructed, with excellent engravings and in a great location overlooking the Nile.

edfu

Edfu is reconstructed with an impressive structure. Unfortunately, some of the reliefs (especially of the Egyptian gods) have been damaged over the centuries.

You can reach Edfu from the Kom Ombo bus station (EGP15, $0.70, 1 hr). From the Edfu bus station to the temple take a tuk tuk for EGP30 ($1.40) taking 15 minutes and crossing the Nile.

Tip: when standing in front of the sanctuary at the Edfu temple, turn right and follow the steps up. You will be walking in a small passage along the Egyptian gods, whole engravings are well preserved.

That was undoubtedly the intention of the ancient architects. Unfortunately, there is a locked gate at the top of the stairs. Getting up on the roof or a platform would be nice.

When back at the Edfu bus station, the final leg is to take a minibus to Luxor (EGP30, $1.40, 2 hours).

Esna and Dendera are some additional interesting sites. Dendera and Abydos require a full day trip from Luxor though.

Diving, beach or desert extensions?

Beyond this core itinerary, there are a few extensions possible based on your other interests.

Conveniently, the diving/snorkelling and beach extensions are where the European budget airlines (e.g., Ryanair, Wizzair) are arriving. You can take advantage of those low fares and start or finish your Egypt trip in Sharm el-Sheikh, Hurghada or Marsa Alam.

Diving or snorkelling

If you want to dive or snorkel on your trip, Egypt is the right place to do it. They are excellent in the Red Sea with the abundant marine life and good wrecks.

Broadly speaking, you can do it either on the western shore of the Red Sea or in the Sinai peninsula.

SINAI

In Sinai, you will probably want to go to Sharm el-Sheikh, Dahab or Ras Mohamed. I prefer Dahab, because it is less crowded and there is almost no hassle there. Nobody bothers you with tours or dives, and leaves you alone. In addition, the Blue Hole there is pretty cool. This 300 feet deep submarine sinkhole is impressive.

Sharm el-Sheikh has 30 great dive spots, but it will be pretty crowded and touristy. Also, expect the usual hawkers waiting for you pretty much everywhere.

MAINLAND

On the western side of the Egyptian mainland, good spots are Hurghada or Marsa Alama. Unfortunately, they are both similar to Sharm el-Sheikh. Busy, crowded and touristy with fewer good wrecks. However, they are closer to Luxor and Aswan than Sinai (unless you take a one-hour AirCairo flight from Sharm el-Sheikh to Luxor for about $50).

El Quseir, Ras Gharib or Safaga are other good but smaller places on the mainland.

Beach

The main beach resorts are the juggernauts of Sharm el-Sheikh, Hurghada and Marsa Alam. Hundreds of (all inclusive) hotels, tourist bars and restaurants, night markets for spices, and inexpensive copies of some brands.

A bit similar to Antalya or Bodrum in Turkey. If this is your thing, you will have a good time in any of those.

Alternatively, any small town or village on the shore would be nice. Sure, there will be less tourist infrastructure, but they will be more quiet and authentic.

Desert trips

Unfortunately, I did not manage to go to one of the desert oasis on my last trip. However, I heard other tourists raving about the Siwa oasis. Remote, floating ponds, authentic. I have read that 30,000 tourists visit Siwa, so it seems the word got out a long time ago.

Reachable by bus from Alexandria or Cairo. Unfortunately, it is an approximately ten-hour ride, which can be also done overnight.

Beyond Siwa, other oasis include Bahariya, and Fayoum, or Farafra, Dakhla, and Kharga. Bahariya and Fayoum are closer to Cairo (Bahariya: 360 kms), whereas Farafra, Dakhla and Kharga are further south.

Bahariya is close to the White Desert, which looks awesome on photos. Farafra‘s pictures look a bit like Djanet in Algeria, but on a smaller scale. Close nearby is Dakhla, which looks like an ancient town among the palms in the desert.

Fayoum has been called “the garden of Egypt”with a large Lake Qarun. Crowded with visitors from Cairo during weekends, allegedly quiet during the weekdays.

Egypt itinerary 14-21 days

Finally, we could add to the 10 day itinerary the following: Sinai or the north with Alexandria and Siwa oasis.

Transportation

Having fixed our itinerary, once in Egypt, how to get around this huge country?

Overall, there are good transport options with flight, trains, long-distance buses and minibuses. Taxis, minibuses and tuk-tuk available for shorter distances.

Fly, if possible

Egypt is a vast country. Secondly, its main tourist sites are spread out. Giza pyramids to Luxor temples is a day (or night) train, or a long-distance bus away. Luxor to Aswan takes approximately 4 hours one way. Aswan to Abu Simbel another 4 hours one way. Cairo to Siwa oasis in the western Sahara, 9-12 hours on the bus. Dahab to Cairo: 10-12 hours by bus.

Taking one or two of those is usually no problem. However, constant travelling across those distances is exhausting. If possible, take a domestic flight. It might be not more expensive if you incorporate the additional hotels and extra days lost. For example, AirCairo has one direct flight per day connecting Sharm el-Sheikh and Luxor. 60 minutes on an ATR turboprop will save this 10 hour bus ride to Cairo and then another 10 hours to Luxor. Depending on when you book, you can buy this one-way flight for $35-80.

Second option: trains

Trains take approximately the same time as buses or series of minibuses, but are more comfortable. Bear in mind, the Egyptian railways cannot boast the same punctuality record as some of their cousins in Europe, and not to mention Japan. It is not unusual for a train to be 30-90 minutes late.

However, the solution is straightforward: the previous train is probably also late. Therefore, it turned out I was travelling from Luxor to Aswan on the previous train. It departed around the time my original train was supposed to.

Secondly, there are a few types of trains in Egypt. Ordinary, which tourists are not encouraged to take. “Spanish trains” are more spacious but look relatively vintage of the 1980s variety. However, for their advanced age they are still pretty agile and comfortable. Just do not expect a Spanish Talgo train as in Uzbekistan, as I had mistakingly done.

Moreover, they are inexpensive. Luxor-Aswan costs approximately EGP70-90 ($3.20-$4) depending on the train.

Finally, the Egyptian railways has a good and intuitive website with a well-designed schedule information and an English option. Their website is:

https://www.enr.gov.eg/Ar/

Third option: buses or minibuses

Long-distance buses. Go Bus has many connections and is usually preferred by tourists. Blue Bus is another ok option. Good news that the tourist and local prices are usually the same. Buy a ticket in advance in the office or online to avoid any issues later. Please note some drivers demand an EGP 5-10 fee to load a piece of luggage.

Also, buses offer a pretty reasonable pricing in comparison with taxis as well. You will pay EGP200 for one way ride with Go Bus from Luxor to Hurghada, which takes 4-5 hours. Even after negotiations, a taxi would be multiple of that.

Minibus. They are everywhere and will take you everywhere (if not this one alone, maybe another two or three). Usually the same price for tourists and locals. However, agree the price with the driver before the journey starts. Otherwise, you might be surprised to have to pay a higher price than the local passengers (my experience on my first minibus trip). Secondly, paying in exact change to get the agreed-upon price is always a good idea.

And they are inexpensive. A local minibus in Aswan or Luxor is EGP2 one way. Aswan-Kom Ombo takes approximately 1 hour and costs EGP15 ($0.70), Kom Ombo-Edfu again 1 hour and EGP15. Edfu-Luxor takes 2 hours and costs EGP30 ($1.40).

Taxis: expensive lesson in negotiation skills

Taxis. After the 2022 gas price increases, not a bargain anymore. Sharm el-Sheikh to Dahab one way is $35-40. Dahab to St Catherine’s monastery return with one hour at the destination is $70. Warning: as per the Hassle section, taxi drivers will try to charge you significantly more than the local prices.

Some good tours

Tours. Usually expensive and geared towards tourists. Many Egyptian companies are offering daily or multi-day tours. Pricing depends on the number of passengers.

Overall, I think they are relatively expensive and not unique, as all tours and independent travellers are covering the same itinerary and places.

Having said that, I can see their value in times of instability when safety issues exist. Staying in your minibus or car. Travelling in a convoy of similar tours.

But, luckily, 2022 is not like that. Again, the country feels safe and there is no need for this additional protection. My perception has been that all tourists, no matter where you come from, are welcome.

However, there are some excellent and reasonably priced local tours as well. For example, Gandhi at the excellent Go Inn Backpackers in Aswan is organizing a daily trip to Abu Simbel for EGP400. You will be travelling in a modern, clean and punctual Toyota minibus with other tourists from China, Americas, Australia, New Zealand and Europe. The main Egyptian tour companies would easily charge you three or five times that.

Also, the always helpful Omar at the Bob Marley hotel in Luxor is organizing good Luxor West Bank tours for EGP150 per person.

Costs

Tours vs independent (this Egypt itinerary favorite topic)

There are two alternatives, and the choice is yours.

If you use tourist higher-end hotels and pre-arranged tours, your trip will be relatively expensive.

If you are using local transportation, local restaurants and mid-range tourist hotels, your trip will be unbelievably good value.

As an example, you can visit the amazing Edfu and Kom Ombo temples on your way from Aswan to Luxor within 8-9 hours. You would pay $70-110 with an Egyptian tour agency, excluding the entrance tickets and the inevitable tips (“backsheesh”) for the driver. One even quoted $165 but let’s assume it was an outlier.

Or you organize the trip yourself. You travel on the local Toyota minibuses or a train, and get tuk-tuks to the temples. And you pay approximately $8 for the same but more colorful experience.

Entry tickets

The entry tickets to the individual temples or tombs have increased a lot recently. All the examples below are as of November 2022.

The cheapest one I paid was EGP60 ($2.70) to the tomb of Sirenput II in west Aswan. Kom Ombo is EGP160 ($7.30). Edfu EGP200 ($9.10). Abu Simbel EGP275 ($12.50). Karnak EGP220 ($10). Luxor temple EGP220 ($10).

Cairo pass $100. Luxor Pass $100 again. Premium Luxor Pass (Luxor Pass + tombs of Seti I and Nefertari) $200.

Passes are valid for 5 days.

If you are going to visit all sites in Luxor, the Luxor Pass or the Premium Luxor Pass are worth it. I did not, and opted for the individual tickets.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT EGYPT

Beyond this Egypt itinerary, an overall introduction or travel guide is below. In addition, the perennial question if Egypt is safe.

Useful Arabic Words

Wherever you go, those Arabic words will help on any Egypt itinerary. They will break barriers, demonstrate your interest in the local culture, and might even reduce your next taxi price.

sabah al-khayr: good morning

missah al-khayr: good evening

marhaba: hello

keefak: how are you? (what’s the news?)

shukran: thanks

la shukran: no, thanks

kwayees: good

mumtaz: excellent

miya: water

wahed: one

hamza: five

ashra: ten

ashrun: twenty

meah: hundred

WHERE TO GO NEXT

Beyond this Egypt itinerary, consider Algeria for an amazing Sahara trip around Djanet. Bonus: no tourist hassle and in the neighborhood.

Or Indonesia for a totally different experience. 17,000 islands, amazing snorkelling and diving, Komodo tour, Mt Rinjani (Lombok) Hike or Bena Traditional Village (Flores).

For the ultimate remote location, fly to Easter Island with its enigmatic moai.

Another up and coming place is Uzbekistan and its stunning Silk Road cities of Samarkand and Bukhara. Combine it with mountains and lakes in Kyrgyzstan.

For a list of places with lesser crowds (and how to avoid them): Avoid Crowds When Travelling – Top 21 Tips (2022).

This section describes my experience in November 2022. Is Egypt currently safe? Overall, I think it is.

On the safety and security side, fortunately Egypt does not currently have any serious and well-publicized issues. No safety events involving foreign tourists lately. Overall, my perception is that the country is under strict supervision. However, the current situation is relatively relaxed. The road check points are everywhere but controls are lax. If that continues, it is unlikely you will encounter any serious safety issues.

However, in addition to Egypt’s security, there is one more important thing to keep in mind. Unfortunately, daily hassle for tourists is currently wide spread. Maybe it is because of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which blocked tourism and severely reduced tourist dollars in 2020 and 2021. If it is, hopefully, 2023 and beyond will only get better.

It is also a difficult section for me to write, as little fun or positive personal memories.

However, when I return to Egypt (yes, I still want to go back), I will definitely read all this in detail again. I also hope you will find it useful.

And I also sincerely do hope that you will not be exposed to any of the stories below.

Overall, this article has the following sections below.

• Safety
• Hassle Factor
• Be early and mention Arabic words
• Tale of calculator errors
• Famous 50 or 100 pounds
• Always lovely taxi negotiation
• Minibus ticket
• Train ticket
• Sellers bombarding you with goods
• Tour / boat / camel / restaurant / hotel commission
• Everybody is your guide
• Backsheesh
• More Information about Egypt
• Useful Arabic Words

Safety

Overall, given the importance of the tourism economy, all corresponding areas are under strict and constant supervision. You will go through tens of police road checkpoints. You will see soldiers in full gear with guns watching you. You will see armored military vehicles with machine guns.

All this is normal.

In more supervised areas (e.g., Sinai, close to Libya), your driver will leave your name and country, and his license plate in some checkpoints. You will be tracked while travelling, especially if at night. When at a checkpoint, a simple “hello” or “salam” (same in Arabic) to the border security is usually sufficient.

When going to the desert in Sinai, or the west or the south of the country, you will absolutely need a guide. Non-negotiable for many reasons.

You probably do not want to make history and news headlines for any wrong reasons.

Hassle Factor

Unfortunately, this will be a longer section of this Egypt travel guide given the number and sophistication of different scams. Honestly, I was surprised by the frequency and sophistication of those techniques.

For Egypt overall, the hassle factor is 10/10. Egypt has been a big tourist destination for decades. However (or maybe because of that), you will be constantly a target for scams and just plain squeezing a few extra dollars out of you every day.

However, this hassle factor does differ across cities. Cairo and Luxor are probably 10 out of 10 (or higher if it were possible).

Aswan is probably 5/10 with most incidents around the promenade along the Nile, and the boats and feluccas there.

Abu Simbel is more relaxed with 3/10, where a polite “thanks”, “shukran” (the same in Arabic) or “la shukran” (“no, thanks”) will probably be sufficient.

Similarly, Dahab in Sinai is quiet and nobody will bother you much.

Be early and mention Arabic words

If you want less of this delightful exposure in Giza, Luxor or Aswan, travel early before the main tourist tours. At 6-8am there will also be fewer hawkers and potential guides.

As an additional remedy, please also learn a few words in Arabic. Some, which I found useful, are below.

In my experience, sellers would immediately become less pushy if you say something in Arabic, however mispronounced that might be (as in my case).

Thirdly, always carry a lot of EGP 1 / 5 / 10 / 20 notes.

Overall, no matter your nationality, language spoken, age or gender, you will be a target. You will be viewed as a rich tourist and a source of instant money.

In any case, some of the routine techniques are alive and well in 2022. Those are the main ones I have encountered. After reading them, hopefully you will not fall prey, as I did to some of them.

Tale of calculator errors

When paying for your accommodation, there will be frequently incorrect change given to you. Surprisingly, ALWAYS to your disadvantage.

If you point it out (as you should), another calculator will be taken and another calculation performed. It will generate a more correct amount, but still not 100% correct. And, yes, again, to your disadvantage. After a few cycles, especially after a long flight or drive, you will probably give up and expect it to be paid during your stay.

If you pay in foreign currency (pretty much all of them are being accepted in tourist centers), the exchange rate will be up to 10% worse than the market. You might want to avoid accommodations, which take payment on the premises. Most professional lodgings allow you to pay directly through the reservation website or app. Also, credit cards are accepted in higher-end properties.

Famous 50 or 100 pounds

In addition, all this might look a bit hilarious, except it might be pretty difficult to accept. “Hello, you still owe me 100 Egyptian pounds (about $4.50) when I booked the tour and you said you did not have change.” “Yes, I will give it to you”.

Next day. “You still owe me those 100 EGP.” “Of course, I will give it back to you.”

The moment of your departure from the city or even leaving Egypt. You guessed it. “Yes, I will give it back to you.”

Always lovely taxi negotiation

Ah, the lovely taxi price negotiation game. And I think this is truly a game. Overall, please do not pay inflated prices. Obviously, it will be better for your wallet. Secondly, you will do a favor to other tourists who visit in the future by not increasing the price levels. Thirdly, it seems that the Egyptian sellers invest much of their energy and skills in haggling with you, and do not want to lose their face. It seems they have to win in this game and squeeze even EGP5 ($0.20) to feel victorious.

During your stay you will probably take a taxi. Usually a quick Uber, Lyft , Grab or Yandex Go app order taking a few seconds. In Egypt this is a multi-hurdle process. In the end, you will probably pay a fraction of the initial quote, but also accept that you will pay more than the fair price paid by the locals.

INITIAL PRICES

NEVER enter a taxi and start the drive to your destination without agreeing on the price first.

Never accept the initial quote

Firstly, pretty much always, the initial price quoted will be 2-5 times too high (and sometimes even more). Secondly, the driver will ALWAYS ask you where you come from. Of course, he will want to greet you warmly on behalf of the whole population in Egypt.

In addition, after you reject the first exorbitant quote, he (I have not encountered any women taxi drivers on our trips in Egypt) will also ALWAYS ask you how much you want to pay.

Based on those things, he will try to evaluate your willingness to overpay. If your counteroffer is around the true cost, he will probably drop the price to your level plus around 50%. In other words, you are already making good progress.

Set your budget in advance

Unfortunately, the worst response is “I do not know”. Your negotiation opponent will conclude you are easy prey, and it will be harder to reduce the price. In other words, please ask a local in the airport arrivals hall or in the passport queue, or another passenger on the plane, train or bus. Any benchmark, however off, will be helpful.

Hotel vs driver payment

Another cute trick. When booking your taxi in advance through your hotel, your taxi driver might try to charge directly once again (“give me money now”).

Please do NOT pay. The best approach is to arrive at your hotel, go to the reception and ask who to pay. You booked your car through the hotel, so there is a paper trail. Secondly, you might have booked your hotel online and each reservation site has a ratings section.

In addition, you can always post a comment on Google or Yelp. Each hotel is interested in getting a good (or at least not a terrible) review from you. And all of us, your fellow travellers, will read your review carefully, because we want a trusted opinion.

I did pay the driver once in the car, and then got charged by the hotel again. Of course, the driver had absolutely no memory of receiving any money directly. Do not repeat my mistake.

DRIVING BEGINS BUT HAGGLING STILL ON

Let’s assume you have agreed on the final price for all passengers, all your luggage, and all tickets and permits. Congratulations, this has probably cost you a few minutes of agitated discussions and other usual taxi driver pleasantries (“the official fixed price at the airport arrival hall is old, don’t believe it”, “gas got much more expensive”, “nobody else is going in your direction”).

However, the driver might, as happened twice during our last Egyptian trip, try to renegotiate the price while driving.

Door handle screeching

Now, things are getting a bit iffy. He has gained some control of the negotiation as the vehicle is moving. However, when it stops (and if you have no luggage in the trunk), you might start opening the door. Just the sound of the door handle is usually enough. The driver might say something probably unpleasant in Arabic, but, fortunately, I did not understand it. The competition among taxis is fierce and he needs your fare. You can get off and another taxi will stop next to you, before you can spot it. Be firm with your initial driver and you will finish your journey at the initial price.

Even if you defended your initial price, at your destination the taxi driver might want to charge you for some (parking / government) tickets or permits (especially when your trip commences or finishes at an airport). It seems, the defended price is still considered as flexible in this delightful negotiation game.

Also, the same scam exists among the horse-drawn carriage drivers in Luxor. Some hotels even have warnings about the low initial price of a calèche. However, then there are some unavoidable additional exorbitant charges, which make the journey expensive.

The final technique, strangely especially among the tuk-tuk drivers. After the driving starts, he might say “it is further than what I thought. You have to pay more.” No fun. And you thought at least a small tuk-tuk would be different.

(Un-)happiness level

Overall, my experience has been that if the taxi driver or the bazaar seller in Egypt is genuinely unhappy, this is probably a good indicator you got a good price. Congratulations and thank you again on behalf of the future fellow tourists.

Minibus ticket

If travelling in Central or South America or Asia, I do not remember paying a higher price as the other (local) passengers on the same minibus.

In Egypt please agree on YOUR price to YOUR destination with the DRIVER before you leave. Otherwise, you might have to pay 3-5 times more than local passengers.

Second thought: please fix the price with the DRIVER. NOT the other people who are loading the luggage on the roof. Or the hawkers just yelling the destination to attract the passengers, or their friends. They are not decision makers here, and they will probably not take the minibus anyway.

Train ticket

Now we are leaving the minibuses and cars and move to trains. Easier than the taxi drivers, but please be careful here as well.

Let’s imagine your plane, taxi or bus was late and you did not have a chance to buy a ticket at the ticket office. Or, as in our case, the booking system was down (allegedly happens on a regular basis).

A friendly gentleman in the ticket office told me in excellent English to board the train, explain it to the conductor, and pay an extra EGP20 (less than $1) to have the ticket issued in the carriage. Makes perfect sense.

However, various people dressed not as a train conductor will approach you with the usual dose of friendliness (“Welcome, my friend. Where are you from? Where are you going? Come, I show you”). He will show you the right train and the best carriage. Amazing. So what’s the catch?

In a few minutes he might appear with a used ticket and try to sell it to you. In our case, the previous owner crumpled the ticket pretty thoroughly. Moreover, the conductor crossed it when validating it. We would like to credit our helpful platform friend for carefully straightening the ticket and convincing us it is to our destination (“Look, to Aswan. Written in Arabic here.”)

Needless to say, do not buy it. You might say that you will buy your ticket from the train conductor and it will usually solve the matter immediately.

Sellers bombarding you with goods

When on a train or bus, hawkers will inevitably come and drop their goods on your lap. Snacks and beverages make perfect sense. However, a medium-sized bag of rubber bath plugs descended on me as well. Clearly I must have looked in dire need of those on this Luxor-Aswan train.

If you accept and open any of those items, you will have to pay for them. I noticed two different solutions. Firstly, ignore all of those wonderful things, and wait for the hawker to return and collect his goodies. The second one, which was pretty hilarious to watch, was a group of tourists in their early 20s, who would throw all their packages back at the sellers immediately. Not sure the best approach but definitely creative.

Tour / boat / camel / restaurant / hotel commission

Once you get to your destination, you will not be forgotten. Especially in the traditional tourist areas (e.g., major Luxor temples, along the Nile promenade in Aswan), countless people will approach you to book a tour. Or to put you on a camel or a felucca. Or to take you to a restaurant or hotel.

They will always make a commission on that. Secondly, you will probably pay a higher price than if booking directly. Thirdly, they will usually ask for a tip (“backsheesh”) as well.

Everybody is your guide

It will happen at any tourist site of any importance, from the pyramids in Giza to the smallest ruined temple around Aswan. You will be greeted tens of times, and people will start describing and explaining things around you. Even if the previous night you did read about this site. Alternatively, you might be offered a site (e.g., tomb), which is normally closed to the public.

Quickly, it will turn out it is not because of the kindness of their heart. You will be expected to pay, and sometimes significantly more that you think it was worth it. If you do not want it, a simple “thanks” in English (or even better “shukran” in Arabic) with a smile will usually do.

Backsheesh

Finally, last but not least, backsheesh. It will be an integral component of your Egyptian experience. It seems everybody expects you, as a rich foreign tourist, to tip or pay backsheesh.

Go on a tour, pay backsheesh to the drivers and the guide. Somebody shows you the way to the train station, pay backsheesh. A gentleman shows you a tomb closed off to the public, you have to pay a backsheesh. Your new friend takes you to a felucca, of course, another backsheesh to be paid. Loading your bag into the vehicle hold for your trip with Go Bus, a driver might demand a backsheesh.

All this sounds pretty annoying. And it actually is. But not much we as tourists can do about that while travelling in Egypt. Probably best to accept that this is an additional money (and mental) payment during your trip in Misr (Egypt in Arabic). Smile and move on.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT EGYPT

Beyond this article if Egypt is safe, the overall Egypt information is below.

Useful Arabic Words

Those Arabic words will help on your trip.

sabah al-khayr: good morning

missah al-khayr: good evening

marhaba: hello

keefak: how are you? (what’s the news?)

shukran: thanks

la shukran: no, thanks

kwayees: good

mumtaz: excellent

miya: water

wahed: one

hamza: five

ashra: ten

ashrun: twenty

meah: hundred

WHERE TO GO NEXT

Beyond the Egypt travel guide, consider Algeria for an amazing Sahara trip around Djanet. Algeria also has almost no hassle factor, probably as the tourist numbers are much lower. Secondly, the country is a big gas importer.

Or Indonesia for a totally different experience. 17,000 islands, amazing snorkelling and diving, Komodo dragons and Bali temples.

For the ultimate remote location, fly to Easter Island with its enigmatic moai.

Another up and coming place is Uzbekistan and its stunning Silk Road cities of Samarkand and Bukhara. Combine it with mountains and lakes in Kyrgyzstan.

For a list of places with lesser crowds (and how to avoid them): Avoid Crowds When Travelling – Top 21 Tips (2022).