Oberoi Zahara Cruise, Nile River & safety with current Mid East Conflict

Perhaps Cruise Critic would have helpful information. Good luck !

I would check with State Dept postings.
We enjoyed Amman and other areas of Jordan,
and you should not miss Egypt. But, perhaps it would be better to wait a year?

Check with whoever you booked the tour with - is it going ahead? What are your options if you cancel at this late date? Airline re cancellation of flights etc. A lot to consider but only you can decide what level of risk you are comfortable with. On US State Dept website, Egypt is shown as being at second highest level - reconsider travel. Jordan is at a lower level - extreme caution.

As of 10/21 the US State Dept has issued a red Alert for US citizens visiting the Middle East

“Due to increased tensions in various locations around the world, the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests, the Department of State advises U.S. citizens overseas to exercise increased caution.”

It’s up to you whether you feel comfortable traveling in these areas right now.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Egypt.html

Check the US Department of State site. Also, if you decide to travel, register with STEP. You will receive alerts as to demonstrations, places to avoid in Egypt, and information from the local embassy.

If you have travel insurance, please check the section regarding unrest and State Department warnings.
Good luck and safe travels!

I am currently traveling in Egypt with a group of six family members ranging in age from 25 to 70, men and women. Half of the group started in Sharm El Sheikh about ten days ago and they went diving in the Red Sea. Then we all met in Aswan and went to Abu Simbel with a private tour organized by Djed Egypt Travel. It was a little worrisome when my daughter and I took a taxi through Aswan to our hotel from the airport as it was the day of protests last Wednesday and we were two single women traveling alone, but all went well and we arrived at the hotel safely. When we got to the hotel we arranged for the hotel to send a driver to the airport to pick up the others who were arriving later. Once we met up with other family members and our Djed guide, there haven’t been any moments when we have felt unsafe.

We are currently on a Dahabiyya on a Nike cruise. The dahabiyya is a small sailing vessel and offers personalized service so I can’t compare it to a cruise on a larger ship. There are two Canadians, two British citizens, and two young women from Switzerland along with us so 12 altogether on the dahabiyya and ten crew members. Djed also has an Egyptologist on board with us. We feel perfectly safe. We have traveled into villages and met with locals, stopped at several smaller ruin sites that the larger cruise ships can’t access and have felt welcomed everywhere. We are headed to Luxor and Cairo after the cruise, all accompanied by a Djed guide and driver.

Half of the party is continuing on to Jordan. They will be in Amman and at Petra and then are proceeding into the desert to a camp. They are meeting American friends in Amman who currently are traveling in Turkey. They will return home through Istanbul.

We are well aware of the situation in Gaza but were already on our way here (half the group) or so close to traveling that we all made a conscious decision to continue on. We are all well seasoned international travelers, including the younger members of the family, having traveled in Europe, South America and Asia, mostly independently but with Rick Steves tours too. We’ve been to the Middle East before. We decided that as long as we are traveling with a local and well respected tour company (Djed) we feel safer. On the way to Abu Simbel we actually had two drivers and a guide and they knew how to navigate the checkpoints and where it was safe to stop for breaks and food. The dahabiyya feels like the safest place in the world right now and the crew is extremely friendly and they seem to know most people we are passing on the rivers and in the villages.

I would say that whether you proceed with your trip will depend on how comfortable you are with international travel in third world type countries. It will also depend on if you are traveling alone (not in a tour group) or with seasoned local guides. We are sticking together, are all situationally aware and are committed to being flexible. If anything feels unsafe in Luxor or Cairo we will change plans. The trip insurance may not cover all situations but we all
Have the financial resources to do what we need to do to stay safe, regardless of the trip insurance. We paid for data plans and have kept up with the news and the various State Dept alerts. We enrolled in the STEP program and are all getting the alerts and are excersing a healthy amount of caution, but I have to say that we have also decided not to let worry ruin our trip.

There are a lot of the larger cruise ships passing by us and everyone seems to be having a good time. The Cairo and Aswan airports were full of American and European travelers. So far we’ve been more than happy that we decided to proceed. Egypt has been wonderful so far. Good
Luck with your decision.

Thanks shuiby for your very informative post

There was a new YouTube video posted today by a vlogger that I've been following for some time now. She is an American living in Cairo. She interviewed people "on the street" in Cairo about how they felt about their safety there vis a vis the Israel Gaza war. The overwhelming response was that the visitors felt as safe as before, and that the few protests had been peaceful. Link: https://youtu.be/xgA5yB_RB9g?si=WtyO4mrPgybD6o9B

I can't comment on Egypt but currently live in Amman (I'm American). It feels safe and if my parents were visiting us here right now, I would encourage them to not cancel. (We actually have two sets of friends whose parents are arriving for a visit this week).

There have been a few large protests, especially following the Gaza hospital blast. Follow Roya News to see where/ when large protests may be planned, and avoid them. A few have been downtown but most have been around the Israeli Embassy (which isn't near any tourist sites and you won't be near, but I'd still avoid). There were protests around the US Embassy- which is the 3rd largest US Embassy in the world, btw- that got quite loud but not violent. We have friends who live a few streets away and they stayed inside, as it was quite loud and there was a huge police/ military presence. Now that Biden has left the region, it has quieted down.

If you visit, I wouldn't discuss politics or the Israeli-Hamas conflict. Keep in mind that there is a huge US and international presence in Amman, many Jordanians have family in the US, US citizenship, etc, and generally really love Americans. While there is more tension than before, and we are a bit more careful, but we don't feel unsafe.

Good advice above from Shulby524. Check the advisories before you leave, enroll in STEP (you'll get notified of any security changes and planned protests), and check Roya News once you're here (for road closure information- usually tied to protests lately). But it all depends on your level of comfort. Keep in mind that there is a huge international and American presence in Amman.