For many travelers, especially those from North America, Egypt can seem like a very foreign place. The country is quite literally ancient, and the culture there has uniquely deep and complicated roots, resulting in a very rich tapestry of society. It’s an exceptional place to visit, and in the interests of helping more folks experience its wonders, I figured I’d write up a few tips that might help. This is the first in a series of posts that will help you figure out how to travel safely and successfully in Egypt and have a mindblowing time in one of the cradles of human civilzation.
This first post is a collection of tips revolving around how to get there, how to get around once you’re there, and how to arrange your travel there in general.
Go with a small group.
Richard and I were part of a group of five friends plus our guide, and it was perfect. I wouldn’t want to go with a group much larger than six, personally – it would affect how much independence I had, it would require a larger vehicle, and would change the feel a bit. A few couples or sets of friends would be perfect. Your costs go up a bit with three people or fewer, but they also don’t really go down much with more than five or six. A smaller group also allows you to go with a private guide rather than a large travel company, which will be a vastly improved experience.
Pay for a local Egyptian guide/travel director.
Travel in Egypt, post-revolution, is quite restricted. There’s limited freedom of movement within the country for foreigners, and there are checkpoints everywhere, even in small, rural towns. At these checkpoints you will be expected to have proof of your reason for being there, so unless you’re fluent in Egyptian Arabic and want to deal with constant hassle and bribes, you will need a guide. They will arrange all your travel, get all the permissions you need for the various sites. Many sites require prior authorization from government authorities, and some even require military escort – generally in the form of open trucks with soldiers with firearms. These are things a foreigner will not be able to obtain easily, if at all, but your guide will have made all these arrangements ahead of time.
If you get a guide, make sure to get a local, Egyptian guide – someone who knows the country intimately. Many of them are also trained Egyptologists with significant schooling under their belts, as ours was, and can read hieroglyphics for you and give you a better sense of the history than can be found in a guidebook. Our guide, Arafa, was fantastic at explaining what we were seeing and connecting it to the bigger picture of what else we had seen during the trip. If you would like the contact information for the guy we used, just contact me and I’ll get it to you.
Get off the beaten path.
The pyramids at Giza are definitely impressive and a must-see, as are the tombs at the Valley of the Kings, but there is so, so much more to see in Egypt, and most of it won’t be mobbed by tourists. In fact, you may even be alone on your visit! Some of the best-preserved sites in Egypt, and the ones I found had the most profound effects on me (the Red Pyramid, Abydos, and Dendara) are all off the beaten path. If you’re willing to put up with 2-4 hour drives through the desert (which is fascinating in itself, and a chance to see regular Egyptian life), you will be rewarded handsomely with experiences most people don’t get.
Figure out what your priorities are and tell your guide.
There are so many sites to see in Egypt that it really helps if you have a bit of a focus. Are you interested in Early Kingdom stuff? Middle Kingdom? Temples? Tombs? Paintings? Cultural experiences? Shopping? Natural beauty? Our group went with a bit of a focus on Egyptian paganism, and it really helped our guide pick out sites, experiences, and objects that were of particular significance to us. This is another advantage of going with a smaller group, and going with a local, Egyptian guide – they will know all the little nooks and crannies of Egyptian history and culture that a foreign guide, or one who is used to larger groups, likely will not.
Consider your timing.
Richard and I visited Egypt in early April, and though the nights were perfect, the days were still quite hot. Not unbearably so, but between the temperature and the incredible equatorial sun, it could get somewhat uncomfortable, and that was just early April. I would recommend visiting no later than mid-May at the latest. Egypt’s high season is winter, but the friends who have visited during those months said that the desert gets very cold, and that was a different kind of uncomfortable. Personally, I’d aim for the “shoulder seasons” of spring and fall to get the best experience. Keep a watch out for Ramadan as well, as visiting during that time could seriously curtail what you’re able to experience.