Divya123

Hello,

I am planning a trip to Egypt all by myself and need a little help. it is going to be a short tip as I do not have time so covering only 2 cities.

my biggest concern is safety tbh and a lot of people have discouraged me from going alone. i really need help/inputs and some feedback on the itinerary planned.

EGYPT – Feb 13th to Feb 19th

Feb 13th – Leave JFK 6:30 PM flight (Egypt Air)

Feb 14th – Reach Cairo 12 PM, check in

- khan el Khalili bazar (should i go with a guide?)

Feb 15th – Giza pyramids, Sphinx, Sakkara and Memphis – day trip viator.com – 6-8 hours

Feb 16th – explore self - Egyptian museum, al Azhar Mosque and Coptic Cairo (old cairo), (should i do a guided tour?)
- night Nile cruise with belly dancing (should i go with a guide or skip?)

Feb 17th – fly to LUXOR, reach at 6 AM, check in and sleep, explore local market – relax day

Feb 18th – Luxor day trip: valley of the kings, Karnak temples, Hatsepshut temple and Luxor temple – day trip viator.com 6-8 hours


a few questions i had were
- should i just do guided tours for all the days i am there, even to the bazaar in cairo on feb 14th, and on Feb 16th in cairo
- What is it that i can do in luxor on feb 18th
- is it ok to go to a 5 star hotel and do shisha or play at the casino? will i be looked down upon if i did shisha by myself or played in the casino by myself
- viator.com does not have any group day trips, only with private guides, should i request for a female guide and go, is it safe to be alone with a guide if no female guides are available?
- is it silly of me to be going alone? should i just cancel my trip till i have company?

thanks a lot... a little nervous so pls be honest with your responses.

this is not my first solo trip, have been to Europe alone several times, but first one this side of the world.

MmePerdu

I was in Egypt on my own about a year ago, no problems whatsoever.

For convenience sake I used a guide, lovely man, 2 days in Cairo & 1 day in Luxor. Otherwise I wandered on my own and never felt uneasy for a moment.

There are other things to see, historic houses in particular, in the vicinity of Khan el Khalili market and another one in the citadel area. If I'm not mistaken the areas called Old Cairo & Coptic Cairo are separate. To get a better idea of how I spent my time click on my name to find a link to my Egypt trip report ("Egypt in 15 Parts").

GEsssa

Hi:
I went to Egypt with a 10 year old about 27 years ago and the only "trouble" I had was being squeezed in my private parts by a man lifting me up onto a camel...
Am making a second trip on Feb 6 - 17, visiting several of the sites you mentioned, including a 4 day Nile Trip... I am wondering whether you have heard anything about the security situation there as that is was is currently worrying me... Do you know if hotels and airports are secured?
GEsssa

Divya123

i have not heard of any new security issue aside from the regular. that has being going on. a friend of mine visited last month and he seemed fine.

are you doing any guided tours? or planning to explore on your own?

i hope hotels are secured and hope the airport is too.

GEsssa

Hi:
So far we have not signed up for any tours except for having reserved a Nile boat cruise with.Movenpick.
i think we can just get taxis to our Cairo destinations and go without a regular guide but we will decide that when we get there.
GESssa

MmePerdu

I suspect you'll find it difficult to impossible to find a guide after arrival. I never use guides but did in Cairo, as I mentioned, arranged beforehand and was glad. Cairo is not an easy city.

vnarra

My wife and I just came back from Egypt last week (Jan 29, 2019) spending a week in Cairo and Luxor. We did see lot of females travelling without any men, but I am not sure if they were travelling alone. Anyway, we had a Taxi driver in Luxor who picked us up at the airport and drove us everywhere for three days and dropped us back at the airport. He quoted less than $30 per day (8 to 9 hours each day). He spoke enough English and was a very honest and decent guy. Did not try to take us to shopping etc.. and was very punctual. His name is Hamdy ; Phone : country code and then 100 808 5246. I definitely don't advise you to just "hail" taxis as and when you need... they hustle and try to rip you off and try to take you to shops that you don't want to go to. He knew all the sites and helped us plan the sequence and we didn;t have to worry about getting directions etc.. He always waited for us at every site (without going away each time and coming back). If you want to feel more comfortable, you could even buy him an entry ticket to some of the smaller sites. You will be totally fine at bigger sites like Karnak Temple, Hatshepsut temple, and VOK, and VOQ etc... But smaller sites where there are not many people, you want just want to buy him an admission ticket (not very expensive) and have him accompany you. My wife and I traveled a lot to Europe, Peru and go to India often... and the hustling is worse than anything we have seen anywhere... Also, buy a SIM card in Cairo airport as soon as you land (take an unlocked phone or an old feature phone), for 135 LE - about 8 dollars - it gave one month validity, 400 minutes of calling , I guess within Egypt only, texts and 4 GB of data, more than enough the for the one week we were there. We stayed at Pavillon Luxor - five star hotel with three star prices and beautiful, safe and excellent location. Cairo- we only went to the Egyptian Museum, Pyramids, Saqqara and Memphis. Feel free to let me know if you need any other details.

vnarra

We did not feel insecure at any time anywhere in Cairo and Luxor... There is heavy security everywhere but it was reassuring..

vnarra

If you are in Luxor on 17th at 6 AM, why would you not do anything that whole day? My advice is to visit Karnak Temple (best), Luxor Temple and Luxor Museum on 17th, in the order of importance. You can spend one hour or more at each of these sites depending on your energy. Then, on 18th, go to West bank (whole day Taxi, do not try to hire taxis on the spot) and suggest that you see the following in that order of importance (based on my preference, of course): Valley of the Kings (must see), Hatshepsut Temple, Medinat Habu, Valley of the Queens, Colossi (15 minutes), Ramesseum (30 minutes), Temple of Sety I, Workers Village (Just visit one or two tombs)...... Have the Taxi pick you up at your hotel and then drop you back at the hotel at the end of the day. Viator will probably charge twice or more than the Day taxi and they will rush you at each site and not let you decide where you want to most of your time....

Divya123

thanks a lot for your reply.

turns out my friend backed out and now my mom is on. so it is going to be us 2 traveling to egypt.

i have contacted Lady egypt tours and close to booking their 2 day cairo sightseeing guided tour. this includes pick up and drop off, bottles, lunches on both days, entry fees to all places and a guide. the cost is 150pp approx. 8-9 hours each day. i think i feel comfortable having a guide with us. we also requested for a female guide.

yes i do not want to be exploring on my own. i do have my phone on roaming whenever i travel and if eel comfortable doing that. other than that general precaution and we should be good i think. i do not want to be scared the whole time and not enjoy my vacation.

ducruise090

I was in Egypt last week, no problems whatsoever.

Lois2

While I think you will be safe...hiring a guide eliminates significant hassle...in terms of touts selling good and services...or if you are a woman and fairly attractive (or not) men will try to talk to you. Frankly it can become annoying and a problem for some. Your choice but for some of the attractions is is nice to have a guide...make it clear if shopping is not a priority and you should have a very enjoyable time. I am not sure about going to a Casino alone...a shisha at a nice hotel...no problem...you might get some unwanted attention but again nothing to worry about. Don't cancel.

doloresmercado

Hi Divya
Doing the same thing in SEPTEMBER
Tell me how did it go?
My Plan
5 SEP ARRIVE CAIRO -4PM SO TIME FOR NIGHT SHOW AT GIZA PYRAMIDS
6 SEP EGYPTIAN MUSEUM BY MSELF CITADEL AND COPTIC CITY
7 SEP FULL DAY PYRAMIDS I AMDOING ONE WITH HAPPYEGYPT FOR USD 28 BUT EMO TOURS DOES ONE INCLUDING DASHATOUR
8 SEP Blac AND WHITE DESSERT.- .HALF DAY QUAD BIKE. I will check a full day with lunch or dinner in the dessert
9 sep leaving for the nile cruise - steigenberger minerva
If u have time to answer please look forward to y feedback
thank you