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What You Need to Know

What You Need to Know

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Every little thing you might want to know to be ready for solo feminine journey in Egypt – together with security suggestions and journey recommendation.

Egypt could be a little trickier to journey than many different countries- particularly for those who’re going alone. However it’s additionally a heat, fascinating, and unbelievable nation with a lot to find, and it ought to positively be on each traveller’s checklist.

Cairo specifically was overwhelming and chaotic – however fantastic. And regardless of seeing a thousand pictures (and climbing them in Assassins Creed!), nothing ready me for the magic of seeing the pyramids in actual life.

I do know that travelling to Egypt solo can appear daunting. I’ve been travelling the world solo for over a decade, however I used to be nonetheless nervous earlier than visiting Egypt for the primary time this yr.

Beneath, you’ll discover all my journey suggestions for solo feminine travellers visiting Egypt for the primary time. Use the contents menu under to skip to the sections you want – and be at liberty to ask questions within the feedback.

What You Need to Know

Is Egypt Secure for Sole Feminine Travellers?

The quick reply is YES: total, Egypt is protected for solo feminine travellers. Nevertheless, there are some things to pay attention to, which I’ll define under.

Irrespective of which nation you’re visiting, my recommendation to all solo feminine travellers is to stay vigilant, follow widespread sense, and keep away from harmful conditions. I’ve included some extra particular Egypt solo journey suggestions later on this article to assist out.

View of a beige coloured stone mosque with two minarets and a domed roof. Behind is a view of a dense city skyline in Cairo Egypt.

Crime and Terrorism

Egypt’s crime price is mostly average, however crime nonetheless happens. Scams and pickpocketing are the commonest crimes in opposition to vacationers, however there have additionally been experiences of armed robberies, muggings, sexual assaults, and break-ins. Keep in mind that these are the exception, not the norm: most travellers to Egypt don’t expertise any issues.

If you might want to report a criminal offense, contact the vacationer police on 126. 

READ MORE: Tricks to Keep away from Being Robbed Whereas Travelling

Because the Arab Spring in 2011, there was important political turmoil in Egypt. Protests and demonstrations happen throughout the nation and have grow to be violent every so often. Keep away from any demonstrations and marches.

As of October 2024, the UK authorities’s International Journey Recommendation web site states “Terrorism is a danger throughout Egypt, notably in North Sinai.” It’s price noting, nonetheless, that they are saying the identical factor in regards to the USA, and that there’s “a excessive menace of terrorist assault globally”.

In Egypt, there have been cases of terrorist assaults lately, and the authorities have elevated safety measures at vacationer websites and vital journey checkpoints. All the time verify the most recent state of affairs through your native authorities earlier than you journey.

There are some areas in Egypt the place the FCDO advises in opposition to all or “all however important” journey. Nevertheless, these are very distant areas such because the Egypt-Libya border, the place vacationers are extremely unlikely to journey. Click on right here for extra particulars.

Historic city wall built from beige sandstone with a tall gate. There is a large circular building behind with a domed roof.

Trouble and Harassment

One of many main issues with travelling solo in Egypt that I skilled was trouble from distributors (and sometimes from males) – a lot of whom merely wouldn’t go away me alone regardless of what number of instances I mentioned no.

This was notably rife in Giza, across the pyramids, since there are such a lot of vacationers visiting. We should look like “straightforward prey” to folks promoting souvenirs!

Folks adopted me for as much as twenty minutes attempting to get me to purchase one thing. There have been just a few males who did the identical attempting to get me to decide on them as my “Egyptian boyfriend”!

More often than not, these conversations had been lighthearted – however the relentless promoting/following/pestering did really feel aggressive at instances. I discovered that the most effective tactic to cope with this was to easily ignore them and hold strolling. It felt impolite, however I felt higher after my native information assured me it’s not.

High Tip: If you wish to go to a bazaar or market like Outdated Cairo Bazaar, it is perhaps price reserving a tour. A information might help you keep away from harassment from distributors – and assist you to haggle for a greater value!

This image showcases a vibrant, bustling market or souk located within an ancient, intricately designed stone archway. The narrow passage is filled with colorful stalls selling an array of traditional goods such as lamps, ceramics, trinkets, and souvenirs. Brass lanterns, pottery, and artwork are neatly arranged, creating a lively and inviting atmosphere. The warm glow from the lanterns adds to the rich ambiance. In the background, additional shops and arches are visible, with a person tending to one of the displays. The historical architecture and the lively market scene suggest a traditional Middle Eastern or North African setting.
Outdated Cairo Bazaar

Undesirable consideration

As a solo feminine traveller, undesirable consideration from males was an occasional downside. Fortunately, this was additionally fairly lighthearted more often than not – however I do know that harassment might be a problem. Keep away from going to bars solo or strolling alone at night time: Uber from door to door is the best choice after darkish.

There have been quite a lot of sexual assaults reported to the British Embassy, mostly within the touristy Crimson Sea area and infrequently dedicated by somebody the sufferer had already met.

After I was in Sharm el Sheikh, just a few guys messaged me on Instagram attempting to get me to fulfill up with them. I strongly advocate that you simply say no to anybody who does this. Some extra suggestions:

Keep away from sharing your reside location on social media: submit your Instagram tales on the finish of the day.
Don’t meet up with anybody you don’t know.
Don’t permit lodge employees to enter your room when you’re alone.
Keep away from travelling in taxis alone. Use Uber or activate location sharing through WhatsApp for those who’re ever involved.
Use respected suppliers for excursions and excursions.

Verify opinions earlier than reserving. Get Your Information are my favorite place to search out excursions as a result of the opinions are verified – search for excursions which have excessive scores from over 100 reviewers.

This image features a camel standing on a rocky desert terrain, partially shaded by the cliffs of a canyon. The camel is adorned with a brightly colored, patterned saddle blanket in red and orange hues. In the background, a vast desert landscape is visible, with rugged, rocky mountains and a clear, cloudless blue sky. A group of tourists can be seen walking in the distance, exploring what appears to be a historical or natural site. The overall scene captures the essence of a desert journey, likely in a Middle Eastern or North African location.

Well being and Hygiene

Beware the “Pharoe’s Revenge” – aka “traveller’s diarrhoea“. That is certainly not particular to Egypt, however the nation has a fame amongst travellers as a spot the place getting hit with a tummy bug is widespread.

The principle tip is to keep away from ingesting faucet water. Use bottled water to brush your enamel, keep away from domestically made ice cubes (most locations use protected, store-bought ice), and avoid sliced fruit and salad leaves which may have been washed in faucet water.

High Tip: My Water-to-Go filter bottle was my BEST FRIEND on this journey – try my assessment for a 15% low cost.

The NHS advocate that you’ve got a Poliomyelitis and Tetanus vaccination for journey to Egypt. In the event you reside within the UK you’ve in all probability already had these, however make an appointment together with your GP for those who’re unsure.

What to Put on

Travel blogger Emily Luxton standing on a wooden bridge next to an excavated ruin with mosaic tiles on the floor below her and on the wall behind. Emily is wearing a long red maxi dress with white flowers, grey trainers and a green scarf.

I like to recommend loose-fitting, comfy clothes: costume in mild layers to guard in opposition to the solar.

If you wish to keep away from attracting undesirable consideration, stick with lengthy attire/skirts and trousers and keep away from issues like scorching pants, cropped tops and really low necklines. Though a girl’s alternative of clothes ought to by no means be an excuse for poor behaviour, the very fact is that in some elements of the world, sure clothes decisions can appeal to the fallacious sort of consideration.

I primarily wore maxi attire and wide-leg cropped trousers, with sleeves that lined my shoulders (largely for cover from the solar). If I wore a vest, I teamed it with a free shirt or saved a shawl over my shoulders.

Cozy sneakers are a should for sightseeing, particularly on the historical websites. The bottom is uneven and infrequently sandy – and also you’ll be doing a whole lot of strolling. Closed-toe, comfy trainers or strolling sneakers are your finest guess. In cities, I wore my Converse trainers – in Sharm el Sheikh, flip flops and sandals had been wonderful.

High Tip: Cross-body luggage are often the most secure choice. Take into account an anti-theft bag made with slash-proof supplies – like those from Travelon.

Solo female travel blogger Emily Luxton on a quad bike in the desert in Sharm el Sheikh Egypt. There is a sandy desert landscape behind her with rugged, rocky mountains and a clear, cloudless blue sky. Emily is wearing leopard print wide-leg trousers and a white shirt and has an orange scarf wrapped around her face and hair in the style of a bedouin.

Suggestions for Solo Feminine Journey in Egypt

Get a Native SIM or eSIM

Get an area pre-paid SIM card or an eSIM so you possibly can keep on-line when you’re in Egypt (useful for on-line maps, translations, ordering Ubers, and so forth).

The principle suppliers in Egypt are Vodafone, Orange, Etisalat and WE. You should purchase a pre-paid SIM at most airports, together with Cairo and Hurghada. Orange’s Holidays plan begins from 200 EGP (roughly £3 / $4).

Personally, I favor eSIMs: you possibly can obtain them to your cellphone so there’s no want to alter SIM playing cards over. They’re often a bit dearer, however you possibly can set it up earlier than you arrive in Egypt after which activate the sim as quickly as you land – so you will get on-line immediately with none faff!

Airalo: From £5.50 / $7 (1GB, 7 days). Use code EMILY9237 to get £2.50 off your first buy.Nomad: From £4.50 / $6 (1GB, 7 days). Use code EMIL96SV to get 25% off your first buy.

Be taught the native emergency numbers

Memorise or save these in your cellphone, in case of an emergency.

Vacationer Police: 126Police: 122Ambulance: 123

Have good journey insurance coverage

I can’t stress sufficient the significance of journey insurance coverage. In the event you encounter a problem – whether or not it’s a cancelled flight (fairly widespread with Egypt’s inside airways) or a medical emergency – you need that lined.

I like to recommend Security Wing Journey Insurance coverage – they’ve insurance policies particularly for long-term travellers, digital nomads, and backpackers, and provide good cowl for extra adventurous sorts of journey.

This image depicts two iconic structures of ancient Egypt: the Great Sphinx and the Great Pyramid of Giza. The limestone Sphinx, with the body of a lion and the head of a pharaoh, sits prominently in the foreground, gazing forward. Behind it towers the massive Pyramid of Khafre, the second-largest of the pyramids in Giza, with a smooth, slightly weathered surface against the backdrop of a clear, bright blue sky. Several tourists can be seen walking around the site, adding a sense of scale to the grandeur of these ancient monuments.

Keep away from travelling at night time

Keep away from taking public transport at night time or strolling alone in metropolis/city centres after darkish. In the event you do journey at night time, for instance on an in a single day bus, take further care together with your belongings and keep away from being the final particular person left on board.

Extra security suggestions for feminine travellers

Keep away from sharing your reside location on social media: submit your Instagram tales on the finish of the day.
Don’t meet up with anybody you don’t know.
Don’t permit lodge employees to enter your room when you’re alone.
Keep away from travelling in taxis alone. Use Uber or activate location sharing through WhatsApp for those who’re ever involved.
Use respected suppliers for excursions and excursions.

READ MORE: Easy methods to Shield Your Valuables whereas Travelling

Use Uber to get round – particularly in Cairo

The general public transport system in Cairo is fairly first rate and really low cost – however at the same time as a seasoned solo traveller, I discovered it a little bit overwhelming. Uber is definitely extremely inexpensive and made it a lot simpler to navigate the town.

It is best to keep away from taking taxis alone, particularly at night time – Uber is a a lot safer choice because of its built-in security options and site monitoring.

High Tip: Arrange Uber’s Security options prematurely. You possibly can arrange a PIN verification, change on security check-ins, and add a trusted contact with whom you possibly can rapidly share your location and journey standing for those who’re involved.

Don’t keep within the Giza space of Cairo

It was nice waking as much as a view of the pyramids, however the neighbourhood felt a little bit sketchy at night time. A number of folks I’ve spoken to have mentioned the identical.

Travel blogger Emily Luxton standing on a balcony with a view of the three pyramids of Giza behind her. It is just after sunset and the sky is cloudyw ith a golden glow on the horizon. Emily is wearing a black cardigan with grey trainers and a green scarf.
My lodge in Giza had a fab view – however I didn’t just like the neighbourhood.

I don’t assume Giza is especially harmful – nevertheless it felt a little bit extra run-down than different elements of Cairo. It’s additionally a really touristy space, so all of the locals I encountered right here appeared to be attempting to promote me one thing – typically fairly aggressively.

I truly spend just a few nights in Giza with none incidents (aside from a man hitting on me in an unpleasantly “not-taking-no-for-an-answer” form of approach). However for those who’re new to solo journey or feeling nervous, I feel you would possibly discover the neighbourhood a little bit overwhelming.

E-book excursions – particularly for the pyramids and different historical websites

Emily standing on a rock in front of the Sphinx in Egypt, with her hand held out palm flat. The camera angle makes it look like she is petting the Sphinx's chin. Emily is wearing a long blue maxi dress with white flowers and a black cardigan with grey trainers and a green scarf. One of the pyramids is visible behind them.
My tour information insisted on me doing a LOT of foolish Sphinx poses!

Often, I’m a giant fan of exploring by myself. That’s what I did all through most of my journey – and I had a good time discovering the nation. Nevertheless, for those who’re nervous about visiting Egypt as a solo feminine traveller, reserving just a few excursions could make exploring simpler.

It’s quite a bit smoother to get round with a information and a driver, so that you’ll doubtless see extra – and have a greater understanding of what you’re taking a look at. Plus, a information is often glad to take pictures of you (I’ve dozens of foolish poses with the Sphinx!)

Having a information was additionally nice as a result of the distributors at vacationer websites left me alone. Once they wouldn’t, my information all the time stepped in!

Verify opinions and ensure you’re reserving a tour firm with an excellent fame – you desire a information who truly is aware of their stuff. Get Your Information has just a few female-guided excursions in Egypt – these had been good and I’d extremely advocate reserving one for those who’re visiting Egypt as a solo feminine traveller:

Cairo: Feminine-Guided Pyramids, Bazaar, and Museum Tour – from £34.29pp / $45pp. I booked this one and extremely advocate it – click on right here to verify newest costs and availability.
Full-Day Feminine-Guided Journey to Alexandria – from £50.67pp / $66.50 – click on right here.
The corporate that ran my female-guided tour, Ocean Air Travels, additionally organized a non-public tour of Alexandria with a feminine information for me. In the event you contact them instantly, they can provide a feminine information for any of their different journeys.

Keep in mind: it’s not impolite to be a bit impolite!

I discovered one of the best ways to deal with undesirable interactions (often males) and pushy salespeople was to say “no thanks” as soon as after which simply keep silent.

A whole lot of distributors prefer to ask questions like “the place are you from”, and when you’ve engaged, they have an inclination to not cease! My intuition was to reply simply to be well mannered – nevertheless it felt like as quickly as I engaged even within the slightest, they wouldn’t go away me alone till I purchased one thing. See the above part on “Trouble and Harassment” for more information.

It went in opposition to all of my British politeness to disregard and hold strolling, nevertheless it was the simplest technique to keep away from being aggressively bought to!

E-book in some downtime

Journey in Egypt might be anxious and overwhelming at instances – while nonetheless being a whole lot of enjoyable. In case you have time, I’d advocate reserving a few days at a pleasant lodge or resort for some chill time. I liked my keep at Domina Coral Bay in Sharm el Sheikh.

emily in a long light blue dress and floppy sunhat sitting on a stone wall next to a large bush of bright pink flowers with the blue sea behind

Don’t be scared 💕

At the same time as a seasoned solo traveller, I used to be nervous about heading to Egypt alone… however I liked it.

The general public I met had been so heat and pleasant. Tourism has nonetheless nowhere close to recovered since Covid and lots of people I interacted with, particularly in vacationer companies, had been delighted to welcome me to their nation. And it truly is an exquisite nation – stuffed with historical past, fable, and surprise.

So please don’t let the above warnings put you off. I actually imagine that so long as you make smart decisions, take the precise precautions and use your widespread sense, try to be completely protected travelling solo in Egypt.

Travel blogger Emily Luxton sitting on a stone wall in front of one of the Great Pyramids at Giza. Emily is wearing a long blue maxi dress with white flowers and a black cardigan with grey trainers and a green scarf. It is just after sunrise and most of the pyramid is in shadow with pale blue sky behind | Solo female travel in Egypt

Fast Abstract: Egypt Solo Feminine Journey

Get an area pre-paid SIM or eSIM (use my referral codes above for a reduction)
Be taught the native emergency numbers
Have good journey insurance coverage
Use Uber to get round – particularly at night time – and wait inside till the automobile arrives.
Don’t keep in Giza
E-book excursions for the main sights (look out for excursions with feminine guides)
Don’t interact with distributors simply to be well mannered. It’s not impolite to stroll away!

As I’ve mentioned above: don’t let the warnings make you too nervous or put you off visiting Egypt. This can be a stunning nation with a lot fascinating historical past to uncover – to not point out scrumptious meals, a singular tradition, and lovely landscapes.

Travelling in Egypt might be trickier than different international locations. Town centres are chaotic, the general public transport is typically problematic (I had a number of trains cancelled), and the distributors at vacationer sights are sometimes greater than a little bit over-zealous.

However on the entire, Egypt is protected for solo feminine travellers – so long as you employ widespread sense, keep vigilant, take care, and keep away from harmful conditions!

Bought a query about solo feminine journey in Egypt? Scroll down to depart a remark and I’ll attempt to assist!

Solo Feminine Journey Sources

Airalo – Purchase a pre-paid eSIM in your vacation spot to get on-line with out roaming charges. Use code EMILY9237 to get £2.50 off your first buy.

UK Authorities’s Journey Recommendation – All probably the most up-to-date recommendation about entry necessities and visas for all locations (for British residents). 

Match For Journey – The NHS journey recommendation web site. Search by vacation spot to see what vaccinations are wanted and verify for any well being points you want to pay attention to.

Security Wing Journey Insurance coverage – The perfect insurance coverage for long-term travellers, digital nomads, and backpackers.

Hostelworld – The perfect place to seek for hostels & funds lodging.

Reserving.com – The perfect reserving web site for all sorts of lodging. It often has the bottom costs and the widest vary.

Get Your Information – My favorite web site for reserving excursions. It has a implausible vary of choices all around the world.

Uncover Vehicles – Simply seek for and e book automobile rent all over the world. Contains scores/opinions for every automobile rent firm.

XE Forex App – Easy forex conversions (works offline as soon as synced) Apple | Android

Maps.Me – Much like Google Maps, besides it really works offline (when you’ve downloaded the map). Apple | Android

Photo of the 3 Great Pyramids at Giza with empty sandy desert in front and a yellow and gold sunset sky behind. There is a white box with black text on top which reads: Solo Female Travel in Egypt and a smaller red box above that with white text that reads: Everything you Need to Know.