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I'm going to Egypt for the first time in January. A friend who was there 15 years or so ago, mentioned to me that you should wear heavy leather shoes to protect yourself from scorpions while visiting the Pyramids and really anywhere you might be walking in the sand. I hadn't seen this mentioned in any of the guidebooks I've read - nor have I heard anyone else mention it. Is this really the case? I wouldn't think of wearing sandals, but had thought my sneaker/track shoe type shoes would be appropriate. Anyone care to share a little first hand knowledge? Many thanks in advance.
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Proper Footwear for touring the Pyramids, etc?
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Sneakers or any sturdy, closed shoe is fine. I never heard about scorpions (altho I am sure they are around). For me - it was the rocky, uneven surface that warranted the sturdy shoes and the inevitable sand/dust/dirt that warranted closed shoes.
It's not so much the sand - it's the uneven (ancient) walkways. We had several people with our tour group take some pretty bad spills. So like Grcxx3, I would recommend comfortable sneakers/walking shoes (close toe).
Closed shoes are best and watch where you walk. Lots of uneven walkways.
From April through November I live in my TEVAs. I have good TEVAs for city tours and my crusty TEVAs for my pyramid tours. I don't mind getting dirty feet so I prefer to tour in these.
I once, a long time ago, saw one scorpion out in Wadi Digla, but it was already in a jar, so I don't know if there could have been more of them. Chances of running into a nest of scorpions is very remote.
I think the biggest hazard if you wear a good sturdy sandal is dirty feet. I would never recommend wearing flip flops. Your feet will sweat and you'll go right through the thing between your toes - bye bye flip flops. A good Birkenstock or TEVA or equal will be fine.
Opps, I guess I wrote that for anyone traveling in the summer. In January you'll do better with some sort of closed shoe. I'm in socks and shoes in the winter. It's too cold for sandals then. I think the scorpions are hybernating in January anyway.
What's amazing is what other tourists will choose to wear -- we saw a woman in 4-inch stilettos at the pyramids! I swear I'm not exaggerating!!
We wore sneakers. Our young adult children wore flip-flops (too rocky, uneven, dusty for me).
Leslie_S - me too! me too! Saw more than one women in high-heals at the Pyramids and other temples along the Nile; also at Petra in Jordan. Actually saw one woman take a header and though not the time to laugh, couldn't help it. I no longer wonder what they were thinking... they weren't!
sandi - I would've laughed too. Also had some chuckles at the clothes people thought were appropriate to wear. I know that's been discussed here many times. We tried so hard not to offend by covering up (which was also smart for not getting roasted by the sun) but we were agog at the women in halter-tops, short-shorts, belly-baring get-ups. Why why why?
<<Why why why?>>
Because they check with the experts at Fodors!!!!
oops....make that....
Because they DIDN'T check with the experts at Fodors!!!
(taking a break for more caffeine now!)
but we were agog at the women in halter-tops, short-shorts, belly-baring get-ups
Akin to the stilettos you saw a woman wearing, we saw a woman in a bathing suit and see-through coverup at the pyramids!! I agree with you, why why why????
How many languages does Fodors publish in? I guess not enough to cover some of the Eastern European countries. If these women aren't from there, then I suspect they are unable to read any language - including their own.
CC, in this particular case, it was a Japanese woman (there were many many Japanese tourists in town when we were there, along with "boatloads" of Italian and Spanish tourists, not so many Americans actually).
Stilettoes at the pyramids?? Oiy, why would you even attempt that?
Koryn, everything I've come across has suggested sneakers or similar comfy walking shoes that are good for uneven and broken ground. I'm planning on wearing my good hiking/walking shoes for most of the time I'm there in December.
Yes, I wore running shoes almost the whole trip. Sandals on the days we were in Cairo - city was dirty & had some filthy feet at the end of the day but that would be the same in any big city.