[rblion]

Came here to say this. I want to visit Egypt for the history but I honestly think I'd be content with the museums in NYC and London.

Only Giza and Luxor are my list still, I'll have to wait until a safer time though according to friends who just went and didn't have a pleasant experience.

[wsc981]

Many years ago did a more adventurous (though organized) trip to Egypt and I enjoyed it a lot.

Slept a night in the desert and in an oasis, did a boat ride on the Nile, visited the Pyramids & Sphinx on the Giza plateau, Luxor, Elephantine, the Valley of Kings and of course the National Museum in Cairo. Also ate with a Nubian family. I don't believe the museums in NYC and London can compare in any way. I went there back in 2005 and of course some parts of the trip we had a military escort behind us. Back then it was quite safe, don't believe it's the same now.

[rblion]

Wow, you've changed my mind. I'm going, my friends complain about every place they go. I usually enjoy most places when I don't have unrealistic expectations.

If I were to go in 2019 for a trip similar to yours, could I still sleep out in the desert by an oasis? Your trip is pretty much what I wanted to see too.

How many days did you spend there total? Money (estimate)? I know inflation is a factor here since it was 15 years ago.

[thekid314]

Yeah, there's a few places you can get out to the desert. The closest rural desert park is a place called Wadi al-Hitan (Vally of the whales because there are lots of fossils from when the desert was an ocean floor).

There are many tour companies that take you out to the White Desert in Farafra for some crazy rock formations.

If you have more time go to Siwa to see a real oasis city.

The train can take you down to Luxor for the Valley of the Kings and such.

You can spend as much or as little as you want here. If you are very price conscious get a flight from kiwi.com, uber to get around, there are some cheap hotels downtown, or airbnb, or couch-surfing.

Wish I could show you around.

[rblion]

Thanks for the tips! I'll refer back to this before I go.

I will also pack my Indiana Jones hat for safe measure. :)

[retSava]

Oh you should definitively go!

I'd say that I very much enjoyed Luxor much more than Cairo and the pyramid area. Too many hustlers around the pyramids.

Also, went to the valley of the kings and just went straight up along one of the hill sides and started trecking in the direction of... don't remember the name, just not aimlessly into the desert :). That was really a highlight.

Depending on how much of a target you look like, there can be reaaaally annoying and persistent hustlers, playing in a whole another league than I've ever seen in any other place - poor or rich country. The tips I gave really helped me and my friend. Helped us come across less like targets. I'd say the newspaper + ignoring helped get rid of a high double-digit percent of hustlers. The persistent goes away after some la-a shukran and more ignoring. It was about a decade since I was there last, so things may have changed, but it is still a poor country. Common sense regarding safety, food hygiene, and vigilance against bluffs should be applied - but not consume you. Remember that you are there to enjoy life, and embrace or accept things even if they are not pleasant. Hydrate. Check out temperatures and bring clothes appropriately. Apply sunscreen.

[rblion]

Thanks for taking the time to write this! I've gotten a ton of good tips from a few of you. I will push through my fears and just go later this year.

Luxor just sounds like a magical place. Yeah, the pyramids are something I want to see but I have a feeling it will be like Old Faithful at Yellowstone but much less regulation. Either way, I can't skip it because they are among the most important things ever built by human hands.

Any book recommendations or documentaries? I love Egyptology, always have.

[retSava]

No problem, glad to help.

No specific recommendations. I just googled and read up on the places I was going.

Haha, definitively lax on regulation. My friend and I was approached by a security guard while in queue to check in at the airport - he wanted a bribe to let us board with our carry-on, "baksheesh". Worst case, I'd have to check it in so wasn't nervous.

Regarding the pyramids, a thing they have against them is that they are pyramid-shaped, oddly enough. Since they are leaning away from you, you don't really get the feeling that "oh my, they are so tall!" when standing next to it. Hawkers and hustlers are then further annoyances. If I'd do an Egypt-travel again, I'd probably go to Luxor the very most. Go to the tempels, bring water, and walk by yourself, not with a group. Then take off in directions where others aren't going. Also, egyptians at the temples (etc) aren't necessarily employed to be at the temple. More than a few times, someone official-looking ushered me to come, come, look here, great photo, take photo with me! Then, "baksheesh". Just "la-a" and ignore.

Happy travels! And if you do go to the pyramids, there is a pizza hut with a balcony just outside the area. Bring a telephoto lens, and be there in time before sunset. Great view.

[caiobegotti]

I have visited museums with Egyptian collections all over the globe and I can assure you they fall absolutely short in comparison to the actual stuff you see in Egypt, you definitely should investigate more so you can build up confidence to visit it yourself, it's worth it :-)

[rblion]

I bet you are right. I am on the fence still. I love Egypt and ancient culture in general.

How many days did you spend there? How much money did you spend (estimate)? I'm headed to EU and Asia this summer/fall for work, I can make a stop in Cairo (like originally planned).

I have an ex-gf who lived in Egypt to work at a resort and she said it's not the best time to go right now but the tourist-y areas are always safe because they need the tourism for their economy.

[caiobegotti]

I traveled for 30 days there, across the whole country by bus, car and train and spent about 650 USD a few years ago. I did 1 week of couchsurfing in Giza and managed to save some bucks that way. Hurghada, with lots of resorts and russians and playboys & Alexandria which has a different tourist relaxing vibe are probably quite safe any time. Luxor is super tourist safe I would say but how to get there is up to you and how much adventurous you are. In Cairo I would just stay in a decent hostel but only if you wanna visit the freaking awesome Egyptian Museum and the pyramids/sphinx with some agency (since you are worried about safety). Otherwise you may need to build up that confidence I mentioned earlier, by perhaps leaving Cairo/Giza to the end of your trip so you have time to decide yourself :-) feel free to drop me an e-mail @gmail.com if you need more specific numbers/hints/etc

[rblion]

I trust you. I push myself with travel every year despite my fears.

In 2017, I went to Colombia. In 2018, I camped out in Wyoming and Montana at the height of bear/moose/elk season for photography. In 2019, I go to Europe, Egypt, Asia. :)

Thanks for the tips, I'll refer back to this in the Summer when I book!

[thekid314]

It's perfectly safe here. Come now before the crowds get much bigger. Around the tourist sites you will meet plenty of people trying to get you to ride a horse, or pay a tip for any little service. You can just ignore them, and there's no tip necessary. Take Uber everywhere and you won't even have to worry about taxis.

The real locations in Luxor and the Egypt Museum are much more interesting than the exhibit in London (though the exhibit in London has better labels).

*I'm a white guy writing this from Cairo. https://www.DavidDegner.com

[retSava]

My goodness, your photos are absolutely stunning! Thanks for sharing!

Ha, I remember the key (for me) was to be comfortable ignoring people. That's when I learned to relax and enjoy what I had around me. It was just very, very unnatural to ignore someone talking to me, asking me questions, or a hand reached out for a handshake. After a couple of times of not getting my hand back though... :)

The Egyptian Museum in Cairo, and the view from the TV tower (I think it is) were two of my favorites in Cairo, strangely enough more than the Giza area/pyramids.

[rblion]

Thanks for the nudge and the tips, I'll definitely refer back to these!

Most of my fears are in my head and can be circumvented with proper planning and Couchsurfing.

I challenge myself with travel/adventure every year. I think this is the next leap of faith I need to take. In 2017, I went to Colombia and last fall, I camped out in WY/MT during bear/elk/moose season.

Is there a decent dev community there? Maybe I can make some friends before landing, that always makes things easier.

I love your site BTW. I'll look through it all later!

[thekid314]

Find my email on my website and I can hook you up with some dwvwlopers