Egypt - just back!

Hi Tony,
It’s not AI. The truth is we didn’t see all the scammers etc that other people complain about and I think it’s important that people hear other perspectives. I was actually really worried about that before we went so I was pleasantly surprised when it wasn’t the norm. The people we met were kind and helpful, which I realize is not something you read about a lot and so I wanted to provide my perspective. The AFCON cup was happening while we were there so everyone was watching those games around the city and country. It’s odd to me that something that you can’t relate to is automatically reported to the moderator. Isn’t this what travel is about? Doing new and different things? Hearing about all types of experiences?

Thanks for sharing your experience in Egypt, Fran. It sounds like you had a great time! I was there earlier in January, and I also enjoyed myself. I limited my trip to Cairo and Luxor because my interest is archaeology.

I am also puzzled by Tony's suspicion that your post was written by AI, and I find it offensive that one of their justifications is no mention of "hustlers, beggers" (for which I find the misspelling doubly offensive!). A trip report that focuses on the beautiful, fun, and positive aspects of a destination is not necessarily fake.

Hi NYC Librarian!
Thanks for your reply and glad you also had a good experience last month. I’d never been before but would definitely recommend January. Most days were around 70 degrees and sunny. A few days were windy and it was too cold to snorkel at the beach which I was disappointed about but the summer heat sounds unbearable. And some of the sites were quite crowded already in low season so high season would not be for me!

Fran, I visited Egypt this January and in January 2023, and I agree that it is a great time to go. Daytime weather was pleasant, and I was often a little cold in my hotel room at night. My time in Luxor overlapped with the Luxor marathon--can you imagine running 26 miles in Egypt?! I can see that January is the best time for the runners, but they still have to contend with the relentless sun and no cloud cover.

Winter is high season for the archaeological sites because of the cool weather. I had a private guide and driver, and we arrived early at the sites (usually by 8:30 AM) to avoid big tour groups. I was toying with the idea of revisiting Egypt in late spring to take advantage of smaller crowds, lower hotel prices, and the opportunity to swim in hotel pools, but my excellent guide in Luxor told me that she takes vacation in the hottest parts of the year to enjoy Hurghada with her family. I do not want to be stuck in the heat with a bad guide (I had one in Cairo because of a mixup), so I guess I will not cheap out!

We returned from our Egypt tour three weeks ago. I think "scammers and hustlers" is the wrong way to look at it. It's a third world country . As in most, people are desperate to earn money for their families to survive. Yes they can be annoying, but after a while we took it as a challenge in communication and some of that cultural experience we're supposed to look for. We were never physically threatened or felt like we were in danger. In fact, one of the highlights we had was the boat side vendors that came up to the cruise ship hawking wares by throwing things up to people on the deck. Maybe it's uncomfortable to some, but it's a reality. Best trip we've been on, and we felt welcome eveywhere.

My apologies. I saw a post from someone who had never posted before, and that post seemed to be endorsing one specific company. That looked suspicious to me.

We just returned from Egypt and have the same opinion as Fran. Our group turned out to be the two of us, so we had a private tour. What Fran described is the standard first visit, but we did not do the Red Sea resort nor the desert. I'm past sleeping on the ground in a tent, and live near a beach here in France. On the other hand, we will probably be returning next January because my husband has started a list of places we didn't visit in our short ten days. Our agency does only group tours, so I'm glad to get the names of agencies that can set up personal tours.

One caveat: it is a third-world country without some infrastructure found elsewhere. One family member who was in Cairo overnight from a cruise was upset by the dirt, pollution, garbage, people crossing the expressway to get shared transportation, and all the animals pulling carts. She had never been in an underdeveloped country before. It's chaos but the locals understand the rules.

Second, I think the scam scare is overblown. Vendors aren't scams; if you don't want to engage, just look straight ahead and walk on. No need to excuse yourself, or chitchat, or smile, or explain that you already have too many statues of Isis at home.. Just move on and learn the word for no in Arabic. If you do take a photo with a local camel driver or guard, be ready to give the person 50 Egyptian pounds ($1) as a courtesy. It's not a scam; that's how they make a living. Likewise, your guides depend on your tips to support their families.

By the way, I found using Egyptian pounds very easy, and preferred that to using dollars or euros, though we gave some larger tips for the guides in dollars and euros.

Elizabeth, I would recommend Aswan Individual if you want to see more of Luxor and Aswan. (I had a mixup with the guides in Cairo, so I have no good recommendations there.)

If you want to see more archaeological sites, I think the temples in Edfu, Abydos, and Dendera are incredible. I have photos from these sites from my 2023 trip.

NYCLibrarian, I really enjoyed your beautiful photos!