Touring Egypt Tips

I will start posting more Touring Egypt Tips on the specific parts of Egypt that I find worth visiting, and I'll also recommend travel agencies that are well-known for great packages.

But first let's start by taking a look at the general negative points to get them out of the way:

Another point is that the culture is quite reserved. Now this is not a negative thing in itself of course, but you might want to keep that in mind when you're getting dressed to visit certain areas. It's a good idea to ask the concierge of your hotel before leaving about what kind of dress is appropriate for where you are going.

Ladies, this does not mean you need to cover your hair! Just be modest in your dress when in the more "local" areas, this will save you from the ogling and staring.

Men, although you might find the way the local women dress interesting, keep in mind not to stare at them for too long. And for both, I would recommend that you play it by ear when you are taking photos of people. Some people are very open to it but some are not.

The very touristic areas will have a lot of locals trying to sell you things. For example, the pyramids are full of people trying to push you onto horse and camel rides. They do tend to overprice these when they see foreigners and they are quite persistent as well!

And speaking of prices - cab drivers, vendors, shops, etc... tend to overprice their services and goods when they see you're a foreigner. In fact, they even do that with Egyptians that don't look very local!

But one thing to remember is that even though they might be overpricing things, they're still quite inexpensive relatively speaking. So in that case you might not want to waste your time bargaining – unless that is something you enjoy of course!

Lastly, and sadly, I have to mention the traffic in Cairo. You won't run into this problem outside of Cairo, but the few days you do spend here you will need an extra dosage of patience in order to avoid frustration. Whether trying to cross the street or riding a cab to go somewhere, my advise is to just breathe.

Now for the positive points of touring Egypt:

We have a vast religious history as well. Moses was born and lived many years here. The Virgin Mary and Joseph traveled in hiding here for two years. We have mosques and fortresses from the time of Saladin fighting off the Crusades.

There are so many towns and cities to visit. Then you have gorgeous beaches in the North Coast and the Red Sea. You also have magical desert Oases (my specialty!).

The other thing that you will notice when touring Egypt is that most Egyptians are quite friendly. If you get the chance to deal with them on a deeper level than just "touristic things" you will notice a sense of humanity and kindness, even amongst the most underprivileged.

And of course the food... Egyptian cuisine is a diverse collection of middle-eastern dishes (from Turkish to ancient Egyptian to Arabian). I can't honestly say it's the best middle-easter cuisine because my favorite is Lebanese, but it's still really good! I recommend you give it a try.

All in all, if planned well, you can have a life-changing experience here. US president Obama was quoted saying that it is one of the top places you must visit!

In the meantime, read up on the history so you have good background info on all the lovely things you’re going to see when you're touring Egypt for the first time :-)



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