Is it Safe to travel to Egypt on your holiday?
You often hear that question "is it safe to visit Egypt?" if the
thought of going to Egypt for a vacation. People always ask you why
would you choose to spend your holiday in Egypt with all the fuss
about terrorist attacks aimed at foreigners in Egypt. Actually Egypt
is a lot safer than many places in the world, even safer than many
of its neighboring countries like Israel for example. It’s a fact
that some incidents happened in the past but that was years ago and
security measures were taken to prevent such incidents from
happening in future and indeed they were successful.
25th January 2011 Revolution in Egypt
During the period from 25th January to 11th February 2011 there
were major protests in which millions of people all over Egypt took
part calling for the fall of the regime and establishing a
democratic rule. millions of Egyptians took to the streets in very
large demonstrations for several weeks that resulted in a successful
revolution. After the resignation of president Mubarak and fall of
the regime, life has gone steadily towards stability as new measures
were taken to change the constitution and pave the way to parliament
elections. It is worth noting that no attacks against foreign
tourists were recorded during the protests which shows how Egyptians
respect safety of their guests.
What makes you feel safe in Egypt?
I will tell you why you should get those worries out of your head
when you plan to come to Egypt. Egyptians are very friendly to
foreign people, they like to talk to them, invite them to a cup of
tea or a shisha, offer them help when they seem lost and always
salutes you when you go any place saying “welcome” which will be the
most heard word you when you are walking in the streets in Cairo or
any other city in Egypt. Although Egyptians are not fluent in
English or any other foreign language, they will always try to find
the words to talk to you. Don’ be afraid of being lost, you will
find someone who will guide you to the place you are heading.
 Is it safe to walk carrying a lot of money in Egypt?
I would say it’s as safe as any other place where you go. You
will not be robbed but you should always put your wallet in a
buttoned pocket or try to minimize the amount of money you carry. It
will depend of course on the what you plan to do, for example if you
go for a souvenir, a small statue might cost between $2 and $5,
papyrus vary in price according to quality, you could buy one for
less than $1 while other types may amount to $5, it also depends on
the size as well. The bottom line is carry only the amount you see
fit for your purpose. The reason for this is obvious, if you lose
money, try to lose only what you can afford.
Is it safe to drink water in Egypt?
Tape water is quite safe as it’s well treated before it’s pumped
in pipes but you could drink bottled water if you prefer a healthier
body. Bottled water or mineral water in Egypt is quite cheap, a 1.5
liter bottle would cost around 2 Egyptian pounds, which converts to
around USD 0.35
Is it safe to eat Egyptian food?
Safe as long as you eat from a good restaurant, and by good I
mean a nice, clean restaurant you could easily recognize, you might
also ask at the hotel for a restaurant that fits your budget.
Restaurants in Egypt are checked by the health authorities regularly
for complying with Egyptian health rule and are issued a certificate
to be able to serve food. There are well known food chains in Egypt
like Abu Shakra, Hosny and Balbaa for meat and fish food, Gad, Abu
Rabea and Muhammaad Ahmed for cheaper Egyptian food and there are
also fast food chains like McDonalds and KFC. You will have a lot of
choices to eat what’s best for your appetite when you come to Egypt.
A few tips you could use for a safe trip to Egypt:
Here are some tips we feel useful to follow when you are in Egypt
to enjoy a safe trip to Egypt:
- Don’t go around stuffing your pockets with much more money than
you need. I am not saying you will be robbed, but take the risk of
losing cash unnecessarily?
- Look both ways when you cross the street, drivers have a crush on
speed.
- Better ask about taxi fare at the hotel before you go anywhere as
taxi drivers do not use a meter in their cabs, they usually follow
their sense in estimating their fare. You could
hire a car and have it all day long.
- When you are shopping for souvenirs, go by yourself, don’t take a
guide with you and browse around several shops before you buy to get
the best price and see more stuff that might not be available in
other shops. It’s a good advice not to buy from the hotel souvenir
shop as prices there are usually higher than other shops in the
street.
- If you are going to ride a camel you can haggle the price before
you do and pay in Egyptian money as it’s cheaper this way.
- Wash your hands if you are handling Egyptian banknotes a lot
as you may get sick from the germs on money as some notes have
been in circulation for too long.
- Always take your camera with you when you go anywhere, you will
surely find something interesting to shoot in Egypt.
|
