neejas

My family and I are deciding whether to go this August on a group tour to Egypt. The trip will include 6 days in Cairo and 9 days along the Nile River on a cruise journey. It'll be in Aug. 2006. I have some concerns about safety as Americans traveling to this part of the world. With the recent hotel bombing in Egypt and along the Dead Sea, are there any recent travelers to this area that have any comments or similiar concerns? Any concerns over bringing you teenage child or for females traveling to area?

alanRow

You are more likely to be murdered if you go to Washington DC.

You are more likely to die driving to the airport - or the mall

You are more likely to be mugged in your home town

Your child is more likely to be raped by someone they know.

The biggest danger in Egypt are Cairo car drivers.

alanRow

And learn some geography, the Dead Sea isn't in Egypt, it forms part of the border between Israel & Jordan

USNR

Within the past year, my wife and I traveled from the mouth of the Nile to the High Dam at Aswan, stopping at places in between. We went with an organized tour and had plenty of free time to explore on our own. At no time did we feel any danger; the Egyptians we interacted with were the very soul of helpful hospitality. One evening in Luxor, we wandered through the winding streets until we were completely turned around. A man -- a complete stranger -- took us by the hand and guided us back to our hotel, smiling all the way, assuring us that we were their guests and wished us a pleasant journey. As it turned out, he was an off-duty security officer for our hotel! We saw him the next morning and thanked him profusely. His reply: "Perhaps you will come again." Indeed, if we could, we would.

Grcxx3

Do a searth for "safety + Egypt" (or some variation of that) and I think you will get a lot of information. There are several people who have recently returned and posted reports.

Yes - there have been problems - but there have been problems everywhere. Teenagers and females should have no problems.

I think you will find that the Egyptian people are some of the kindest and friendliest people around. Their livelihood depends on tourism and incidents like the one in Sharm last summer hurt them deeply - emotionally and financially.

I am curious about a couple of things....

(1) Why August? It is the most dreadfully hot month of the year in Egypt - and even worse in Luxor and Aswan.

(2) 9 days along the Nile seems like a long time. The cruises between Luxor and Aswan are usually 4-5 days. Will you be spending additional time in Luxor or Aswan, or is the Lake Nasser cruise included in your itinerary?

(3) Also, as much as I love Cairo, 6 days seems a little long there, especially if you're on an organized tour. Does this include some day trips - to the Red Sea or to Alexandria? Don't get me wrong - you could easily spend 6 days in Cairo - there is so much to see. But it seems to me that most tours spend just a few days and hit the highlights.

gail

Not a recent visitor - 4 years ago - but issues are essentially the same. We went with 2 teenagers, one very blond 12 year old.

Statistics may or may not make you feel better. But you are very likely to get blown up and most Egyptians are very happy for your tourist dollars - they do not care about you country's politics.

Street crime - the kind we are afraid of in the US - is very rare in Egypt and many other countries in the region. I was told it has to do with culture, religion, and legal penalties.

If you want to worry about something statistically realistic, worry about the insane drivers - either as a passenger or pedestrian, getting sick because you were not careful about what you ate or drank, or falling for some scam ("my brother's perfume shop is right around the corner and they have better merchandise"

Well-meaning and possibly jealous friends and family will fuel your anxieties before you go - when they do, smile, change the subject and then think about their own travel histories - they are likely people who go to the same beach house every year and think WDW is a big adventure.

lou140

my wife & I were in Egypt sep 05.
security was everywhere and we felt
safe except when crossing the streets
in Cairo. Everyone was friendly, even when trying to separate us from our money. VERY FEW americans, and our security was evident everywhere. go, have a great time.

bobi

Our tour was in October of 2005. All of the above replys are correct. Being two females alone, we expected to have some problems, but I have never traveled to anywhere where we were treated better. We never had a concern for our safety (yes the armed guards get some getting used to)and if we had any questions or problems, they were quickly answered or taken care of. We did go with a tour group as this was our first trip to Egypt and we did have concerns as being two females alone. Please, don't let anything stop you from going. The wonderful sights and warm and friendly people are something you will never forget. As for teenagers, and any female for that matter, please do not dress in short shorts or cropped shirts. The best dress is pants or capris and shirts with at least a little sleeve. Also, August is really hot, in October Abu Simbel was over 102, so check out some the travel clothes that are made for HOT weather. Have a wonderful trip!!!!!

sunshine007

A relative's 11-12 year old daughter had long flowing blond hair & was given too much attention by Egyptians. Although older & wiser folks repeatedly told her to wear a scarf or tie her hair up or in pigtails to stop being hassled, she refused to do so. And the attention continued.

I can guarantee that she would have enjoyed her time in Egypt better had she worn a scarf.

gail

Sunshine's relative had a different experience than we did with our very blond, long-haired, blue-eyed (and adorable) daughter. No one touched her. Everyone was polite. She dressed conservatively, but was not covered head to toe.

One waiter kept bringing her little treats from the kitchen telling her she was "too skinny". One guy offered us some camels for her - but even I, an overprotective mother, thought he was kidding.

I never once felt that she received excessive or inappropriate attention.

Conlet

We spent two weeks in November in Egypt and never once felt nervous or afraid. We were in Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, and spent three days in the desert and oases. Security is high - there are tourist police - and as a previous poster said, Cairo traffic is the only frightening occurrence!

Doubletee

To echo others: Go! However, in August? I'd postpone it to sometime between November and March.

I took an escorted tour that included two nights in Cairo followed by a four day cruise from Aswan to Luxor which was easily one of the highlights of my travel experiences. During any of the bus excursions (Pyramids, Valley of the Kings, etc.) we were accompanied by a smartly-dressed, smiling gentleman -- who was armed. It took very little time to get used to his welcome presence.

Three women aboard the cruise were traveling together, including a woman and her teenaged daughter. The daughter (a creamy-complexioned strawberry blonde) enjoyed all the polite-but-effusive attention she got from ship's staff.

wanderlust5

We did the OAT trip to Jordan and Egypt last November. It was fantastic and we felt safe, even though we were in Amman when the bombings too place. You will have tons of security and you will be made very safe. I loved our trip and we would return, we loved it so much. We were there nearly a month. Do not worry about the security, Egypt has had high security levels for many years (according to everything we heard while there) WAY long before 9/11. You will be surrounded by both uniformed and undercover security every where you go. I'm not kidding. They take good care of their tourists.

anitas

Just got back in Jan 2006. Spent 16 days in Egypt. Very high security everywhere. The Egyptian people couldn't do enough for us. Never had any issues. I would go and enjoy your trip. I think you mean the Red Sea not the Dead Sea. We went to Sharm and spent 4 days there. It was great.