We’re thinking of going to Egypt for 3-4 weeks toward the end of 2022 and wondered what time period would be preferable. I’m considering mid-October to Mid-November OR December. I’m leaning toward the former but wondered if there is an advantage to going in December. I would work with an agency.

Thank you.

@progol, my travel group and I visited Egypt in 2020. We arrived the weekend before Thanksgiving and came back about 10 days after it, just shy of three weeks. Except for a short downpour in Cairo one afternoon, we had sunny days every day. The temperature hovered between 75 to 85 in the daytime and dipped into the 60s at night. We had a light jacket on a few mornings, but went without most of the time. My understanding is that in October, temperatures, especially in the south, could go as high as the 90s and 100s.

2020 was a different year, but the closer to the end-of-year holidays, the larger the crowds is what everyone on the ground shared with me. This is especially true of the Red Sea resorts, although tourists do take day trips from to coast to Luxor, for example.

A recommendation is to book a sailing on a dahabiya. The sailboats have about half a dozen rooms or so, allowing you to enjoy the Nile with some level of privacy. The service for us was very good. And we visited some of the villages and sights that larger vessels cannot dock in.

Feel free to take a peek at our trip report from our travels in case there are any helpful details for you. Hoping the Grand Egyptian Museum opens in time for your visit.

Thanks, tp! I’ve read your trip report and will do so again. It’s one of my inspirations!

I don’t want to travel during Thanksgiving and would prefer to make the trip earlier than later, as I do space out 2 trips between the spring and the fall. But if the weather is much better in December, I’ll have to consider that seriously. I’m not big on intense heat. I won’t make any commitments until much later in the year, however, given the current world of travel and COVID. But at least I can begin to plan. 😉

Sailing on a dahabiya is on the top of my list!

@progol, you're most welcome. I'm glad that my report was inspirational. If you want to go earlier, my advice would be to start in the north and make your way south so that there is a higher probability that the worse of the summer heat will have abated by the time you reach Aswan and Abu Simbel. The good thing is that the heat is dry and, at least for me, more tolerable than what we typically experience along the U.S. East Coast.

In terms of planning, I had my itinerary in order and communicated with tour operators about 2-3 months out but did not put money down, except for refundable hotel accommodation which we booked directly, until 4 weeks prior to departure. I assume the operators will be willing to do that if demand remains light.

Thanks, tripplanner,
I’ve begun to look at the historical weather patterns and yes, it does look like later November into December would be more comfortable weather wise. I’m really going to think about this. I’m just starting to get a feel for the various cities and sites and will work on timing once I get a better idea.

thanks for your help. I’m really hoping we can get there this year.,

We went in February of 2019 and I thought it was perfect weather. Not too hot and cant remember any rain. Going again next Feb as well.

We would rather be cold than hot but we’re surprised by the January temperatures in 2020.
We wore down coats, scarves, gloves and hats to keep warm! A few days were warmer but many people were buying coats in Egypt. We loved our trip and would repeat it if given the chance.

Thanks, live4today and HappyTrvlr. We are now thinking about going at the end of November into December, possibly adding Jordan to the itinerary. We could go later, too, but this looks like a good time to go.

We’re both very eager to go - just watching the COVID #s increase right now and keeping fingers crossed that by the end of year, this will stabilize. I’ll follow tripplanner’s approach and plan my itinerary long before we put any money down.

We were so glad we included nearby Jordan and encourage you to the same.