REAL, HONEST ADVICE FOR TRAVELLING IN EGYPT
By Black Saddle founder Emma Barron
Egypt shocked and wowed me with its ancient sites, beautiful horses and incredibly welcoming people. I’ve never before ridden anywhere where people have run to wave to you as you ride by, kids excitedly call hello to you, and almost everyone you meet tells you that you’re welcome! From the very start I felt that Egypt had a good energy.
Egypt is a country coming back from revolution in 2011. Wages are not as high as where you live and tourists can get a hard-sell especially in the tourist trap spots. A sense of humour is what is needed in most cases and a strong and confident ‘no’ in some situations.
To stay safe, carefree and happy, there are five things you can do:
Stay safe by staying connected
Understand what attention from men means
Say no to hard sells in tourist spots
Have fun if drinking but understand your surroundings
Fly with reputable airlines
1) SAFETY : STAY CONNECTED
This advice isn’t Egypt-specific but something you should always be aware of when travelling, even if you are joining a group tour. Almost any problem you encounter can be solved if you:
1) Stay connected - buy a local sim card for your phone.
2) Carry money. Have a small amount of local cash with you.
Sim Card: Staying connected is the best way to stay safe. Get yourself a sim-card at the airport on arrival. Orange is the best and you can get up to 43 GBs for about €9. The wifi in the hotels only works 50% of the time so avoid long periods of disconnection and buy one. You will find an Orange counter in the baggage collection hall. You show your passport and they will install your new sim for you. You can pay with card. The whole process should take about 10 minutes.
Note: if you have the iPhone 14 they do not take physical sims and you will need to order an e-sim.
Buy an e-Sim before you arrive: Most new smartphones are equipped with the technology to use e-sim cards. You order online, receive a code, simply follow the instructions emailed to you and you are good to go. Here are the best e-sim card deals for Egypt:
1 GB for 7 days = $9.50 USD
2 GB for 15 days = $18 USD
3 GB for 30 days = $25.50 USD
These e-sim cards are data-only and calls are not supported. Click here to order an e-sim card for Egypt directly online.
2) UNDERSTAND ATTENTION FROM MEN
Girls with blonde hair receive a lot of attention (mostly respectful, some inappropriate)
Egyptian men can have multiple wives. Just make sure you know what you’re getting into if you feel a love spark.
The culture is muslim and men can have up to four wives. A foreign wife is a dream for many men and blonde hair is considered very desirable. If you wear your hair uncovered (which is totally acceptable and normal) you might receive respectful photo requests from school children in ancient sites and, perhaps less welcome, many comments on your beauty from men everywhere you go: airline check-in attendants, security staff, taxi drivers, hotel staff, porters, restaurant staff - everyone. Sometimes it’s genuine and sweet (if inappropriate) and sometimes it can feel less so.
If asked where your husband is it’s best to imply you are married and move along quickly before they get too many ideas. They might ask for your WhatsApp or Instagram (yes even the airport staff) but feel free to laugh it off and move on. Humour is always the best response!
Guides and Dating
The guides are young, friendly, excellent riders and you will feel very safe and at ease with them. They are all a highlight of the tour.
Guides are not to date guests though it may happen. Just remember that they see new girls each week on the rides and while your love connection might feel real (and maybe it is) it might not be unique. There could have been a love connection the week before you arrived and there might be another the week after you leave. Have fun, flirt, but just be careful about falling too deeply for someone that has plans to make you their second, third or fourth wife or even just a concubine like the ancient pharaohs had!
3) AVOID HARD SELLS IN TOURIST SPOTS
Like in many countries tourists can experience very persistent sales efforts in hot-spots. You might be taken to shops by the guide where they give a long talk about their products and then try very hard to sell to you. This isn’t pleasant and should not be on the itinerary. If you find youself in this situation here is what you can do:
Souvenir Sellers: At all the ancient sites you will find men selling chinese-made souvenirs - pyramid figurines, scarves, magnets, little sphinxes, all kinds of tat. They will tell you it’s $1 to entice you but the price will be higher when you decide to buy. Don’t feel pressured to respond when they approach you, if you speak with them they can follow you the entire way around the site . If you tell them you don’t have cash they will follow you back to your transport where they think you will be keeping cash.
Don’t speak with them, just continue walking ahead. If they have something you actually really want, ask your tour guide to negotiate for you - even if it’s water or a fanta.
The same goes with kids asking for ‘money, money’. Stay close to the guide and continue walking. They won’t hang around for long and the guide should quietly and respectfully ask them to leave you alone. The kids group together at the gates to the pyramids of Giza, they know what they’re doing and not actually in need so don’t feel badly walking past them.
This is mostly an issue in Cairo - in Luxor the kids are just being friendly and of course go ahead and chat with them and let them practice their English!
High-pressure selling situations: even on an organised tour you might be taken to perfume, glassware or alabaster shops. Like many other countries these shops are designed to get you to buy as much as possible. They’ll have a demonstration of the work done to make the products then invite you inside to their showroom, they might even offer you free tea or coffee, and a dedicated salesperson will follow you around starting with the most expensive items and working you down to something you’ll buy. If you like something, of course buy it! Ask your guide for advice negotiating the price.
Just know the guide is probably getting a commission from whatever you buy. Ideally tourists would not be taken to these places but a trip might pop up on the itinerary last minute unexpectedly. If you feel uncomfortable just firmly say ‘it’s beautiful but I will not buy anything’. Go and sit in the van if you find it very uncomfortable.
This sales tactic is common in many countries: Turkey, Thailand, Vietnam, Mexico - you’ve probably encountered this before. At the end of the day if you like something of course get it at price you’re happy with.
4) HAVE FUN DRINKING BUT UNDERSTAND YOUR SURROUNDINGS
Know the location of the club
Know how you’re getting home
Egypt is a muslim country though there are many places to drink in Cairo if you’d like to though you probably won’t have time. In Luxor you can walk to the little coffee shops on the bank of the river Nile though your days are so busy there is not much time left for going out. In Hurghada you have all the clubs and pubs typical of a tourist place and you can be much more relaxed with your clothing.
When going out with new friends make sure you know the location of the bar or club you are headed to. Google it before you leave and see how far it is from your hotel. Drop a pin at your hotel so you can call a taxi home if you need to, don’t rely on coming back with the group - they might be out until 5am! Bring Egyptian pounds in cash for a taxi home. You can use Uber in Hurghada. In Cairo it’s less reliable. In Luxor you use tuk-tuks! The guides will expect you to cover their drinks, be as generous as you like and remember local wages are lower than yours.
Go, have fun, let your hair down! Just be sensible with how you’re getting home.
5) FLY WITH EGYPT AIR (IF YOU CAN)
Flights:
Fly Egypt Air if you can
Arrive early
Allow time for checked baggage to arrive
Check the terminal even on an arranged transfer
The main two operators are Egypt Air and Air Cairo; Air Cairo being a low-cost subsidiary of Egypt Air. Flight time from Cairo to Luxor is 1 hour on the Egypt Air jet and 1 hour 35 minutes on the Air Cairo propeller plane.
Egypt Air is a star alliance airline with the newest and best planes. Air Cairo does not have the best reputation and when we were there our flight was delayed by three hours with no update from staff which caused a lot of angst. Their check-in process was chaotic and we were asked to move lines many times and when we got to the desk the man behind the counter simply left and there was no one checking in our flight 40 minutes before scheduled departure!
Arrive early as online check in is usually not available for the smaller flights so make sure you get there with plenty of time to spare. Ideally you’ll have 90 minutes when you reach the airport just in case of delays. There are loads of layers of security at an Egyptian Airport: one to get into the terminal, one to get into the terminal hall, one to get into the gate area; there’s even a scanner to leave the terminal. Allow more time than you would at home.
Baggage can take a long time to arrive to the terminal. You might need to wait 30 minutes or more for your bag to arrive. Factor this into your travel arrangements.
On the way home from Hurghada be aware that there are two terminals - an international and a domestic one. If calling an uber or arranging a transfer make sure you specify which you need to head to.
CONCLUSION
Egypt is a safe place when you are operating in a savvy way. You will be surprised and delighted by how lovely and welcoming everyone is. You will probably experience frustration at some point with ‘Egypt Time’ but just try to be patient, relax, and go with the flow.
Unlike rides like Jakotango and Offbeat where you can relinquish all decisions for the week to the guides you still need to keep your wits about you and fend for yourself in Egypt. In return you’ll have some of the fastest riding of your life, on stunning horses with wonderful local people.
And try not to fly Air Cairo unless it’s your only option!
Lots of love,
Emma
