Egypt is a must-visit destination for any traveler – the Pyramids of Giza alone are worth the flight and jet lag! While you’re planning what to visit (see my recommendations here), it’s also important to know what NOT to do. I learned a lot from my first trip abroad and I’d rather you learn from my mistakes. Here are my top seven mistakes to avoid in Egypt!
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Mistake #1: Not wearing the right clothing.
Yes, Egypt is excruciatingly hot, and you’ll want to wear minimal clothing to stay as cool as possible, but don’t. Rule number one of traveling – be respectful of the culture. Egypt is a Muslim country and you’ll be entering a lot of historic and religious places, so wear conservative clothing. You don’t need to be covered head to toe, but leave the daisy dukes at home.
If it makes you feel better, remember that everyone in Egypt is in the same boat as you – really really hot. Pack some loose light clothing that doesn’t show too much skin and you’ll be fine!
Mistake #2: Forgetting to book a Nile Cruise
Most people see Egypt on a Nile cruise – either in part or full. Either way, it’s highly recommended that you book this in advance. There are cruises to fit every budget, so pick one that you like and book it BEFORE you get to Egypt. This is a huge mistake in Egypt – you don’t want to visit without taking a Nile cruise.
Nile cruises don’t leave every day – you can’t just decide one day to get on a boat when it fits your schedule. There are cruises that are 3 nights up to 6 nights long and some that only run on Mondays or Wednesdays. It’s important to note that there are no cruises leaving from Cairo – it’s Luxor to Aswan.
Mistake #3: Not hiring a guide
Ok, for most places you don’t need a guide. Abu Simbel doesn’t even allow guides inside, so why am I recommending a guide? There are a few reasons. First, the amount of history that surrounds you in Egypt. Unless you know a lot of Egyptian history, the importance of the temples may be lost to you.
Hala was an amazing tour guide and made our trip run smoothly!
Another factor would be the language. While I do try to learn a few key phrases wherever I go, Arabic is a difficult one. Having a guide who spoke the language who could tell vendors to leave us alone and not pressure us, was a weight off my shoulders.
I had an AMAZING tour guide, Hala, who was able to tell us about the history of each temple, bring us to local places, and help us haggle for the best prices. She was seriously an outstanding tour guide. This is definitely at the top of the mistakes to avoid in Egypt.
Mistake #4: Not having the cash to tip
Did someone take your photo? Leave a tip. Eat? Leave a tip. Use the bathroom? Leave a tip. Did someone clean your room? Leave a tip. Get the picture? A tip (or a baksheesh) is part of Egyptian culture. You tip for everything, and they do expect it.
Tips vary in size by who you are tipping – someone that took your photo, or the driver who drove for 4 hours?
For your budget, be sure to include about $5 USD for smaller tips (bathroom attendants or photo takers) and the usual 10-15% for larger tips for guides, cabin crew, and drivers. Also, keep your coins – they can come in handy for smaller tips as well.
Mistake #5: Not being prepared for the attention.
If you don’t look like a local, then it’s pretty common for you to get a LOT of attention. This is especially true for women. Unfortunately, women should prepare for being cat-called. Sometimes it’s a simple “hey beautiful” or “sexy” and sometimes it could be a marriage proposal. Either way, it’s best ignored. This is also where a guide comes in handy. Hala was able to shut down the cat-callers easily.
Being completely honest, a lot of people in Egypt will see you as a walking ATM (see numbers 6 & 7). Everyone will want your attention, whether to sell you something, drive you somewhere, take your photo (for a tip) or hire them for a tour.
Usually, if you just ignore them, they will leave you alone. However, if you feel unsafe or under threat, the Egyptian police are around most tourist places. They take pride in protecting tourists since it’s such a large part of their economy.
Mistake #6: Not learning to haggle
The only person that really suffers if you do this, is you. You’ll pay so much more money if you don’t. Tourism in Egypt has suffered and therefore so have businesses. Anyone selling anything- including private taxi drivers- (that isn’t in a fixed price shop) is going to give tourists a higher price than they would give locals.
If you don’t want to get ripped off, learn to haggle. Yes, it is uncomfortable, and personally, I would rather not do it at all. However, I am less of a fan of paying an exorbitant amount simply because I’m from out of town. This is the most money-saving of the mistakes to avoid in Egypt.
They start high, so you start low. Have a price in your head of what is a reasonable price you want to pay. If, in time, you don’t reach that number, then walk away. Walking away is an underrated tip for haggling. If they want the sale, and they can go lower (and still make a profit) they will. If they can’t make a profit, they’ll let you keep walking, and now you’ve learned what the going price of the product is.
Mistake #7: Watch for scams
This is indirectly related to number 6, but I thought it should be its own tip. Anywhere you travel to, you’re a target for scams. However, there are certain scams to be aware of in Egypt.
Gold scams – Egyptians are taught how to buy gold and they know that many tourists are looking to buy gold. They may weigh it incorrectly (9-carat being sold for 18-carat) or just being overpriced. Here are tips for buying gold in Egypt.
Terrible money conversion – As of 2020, one USD is equal to 16 Egyptian Pounds. So trying to figure out how much 250 EGP is while haggling in your head is difficult. Keep an app on your phone that keeps the conversion easy.
Selling fake merchandise – I almost fell for this with alabaster, luckily Hala prevented me from buying it in a bazaar and showed me where a reputable alabaster store was.
Massively overpriced taxis – Egypt is so well known for overpricing tourists in taxis. There’s typically not a meter like there is in America. Luckily for tourists, we have Uber! This makes it nice and easy to know how much the trip is going to cost. However, if you do need to take a taxi, negotiate the price before getting into the car.
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Please do not endorse camel rides (or any animal rides). Sadly, they endure great pain and hard labor in the name of tourism. Please always do your research before doing an activity that involves animals. We should all do our best to be ethical travelers!
Agreed. That’s why there isn’t a photo on a camel, nor do I mention it. When I took the trip, I did ride one, but I have learned much since then and do not condone or endorse them at all.
I’ve been to Egypt a couple of times many years ago because of the overwhelming cultural heritage. However, the scamming was a big downer.
While I haven’t been to Egypt, I have had a chance to visit two other Arab nations, and these tips are spot on! The constant attention, from shopkeepers trying to get us to look at their wares to the intense stares at my fair skin and light hair, was exhausting!
I’ve always wanted to visit Egypt, but hesitated because of the culture shock I know that I would feel. Reading this has made me feel so much better. You bring up an EXCELLENT point about reasons for hiring a guide. As you said there are many roles that a guide can assume including minimizing cat calling and harassment from street vendors. I’ve honestly never even considered how valuable this would be. On top of that, a guide would know so much. I know I’ve regretted not hiring a guide for some of those big, bucket list landmarks. GREAT call on the Nile river tours. I had no idea about that. I would assume I could just hop on a cruise every half hour or so. Excellent post!
I’m glad I helped! Yes our tour guide was fantastic! Never shy away from a guide especially in a country you’re unfamiliar with or concerned about culture shock – they help in so many ways. I often feel like guides get a bad rep, but they can really help!
I would love to visit Eygpt but so many of these things put me off. I don’t really want to worry about getting approached as a white female constantly. I agree that having a guide is a great way to get around this. I had no idea about booking the Nile cruise in advance so that is useful to know!
For what it’s worth, I lived in Jordan for a while, so I’m familiar with the haggling thing. And it can be tiresome, as sometimes I wish I could have just bought something for a price that was marked. Sigh. But I wanted to throw this out there. It could be that what you are saying is true in Egypt, and that they are raising prices just for tourists. But, more likely, I would compare it to a sport. (And the locals just know the sport.) Arabs LOVE to barter. They love a bargain. It _is_ a good idea to know what the usual price for something is to help you in your bartering, but it could maybe be seen as fun rather than that they are trying to take advantage of you. Personally, I had a blast in the markets doing just that. You ask how much. They answer. You offer half of that. As you said, be willing to walk away. If you’re in a market, like in Istanbul, where there are tons of vendors right next to each other, it is not so hard to say, “Okay, I’ll go ask that guy over there.” That would usually get me my price. (I do speak a little Arabic, which surprised them in Jordan as I am a white middle-aged American woman, and could have also helped in the bargaining. 😉 Cracked me up to see their faces when I’d answer them in Arabic. ) But literally, to them (at least in Jordan and I found the same in Istanbul), it is a sport. One time, I found a plate I wanted in a shop. I did bargain. But he wouldn’t come down as much as I asked. I wanted the plate. So, I decided to pay the guy. He wrapped it up for me, handed it to me, and literally crowed to his fellow employee, “I won! I won!” 😀 I laughed. Yes, he did. 🙂 And I won too. I got the plate I wanted. So enjoy.
Wow! What a great story about the plate! Very fun to read!!
Oh, sorry, I forgot a couple things I thought of until I read the comments. I love your blog, by the way, and you’re really inspiring. Hopefully, after Covid, I can travel more. I’m pretty sad about it. This was fun to read.
Great advice about the guide and them managing both the people trying to hit you up for money and the catcallers. I would also recommend NOT getting in a bus, an elevator, or anywhere else confined where you could be groped. (I am presuming this comment is to women, but you never really know.) Egyptians are worse about this than say, Jordan, or some other countries. I did get people saying things to me, but I’d just reply something about how Allah was watching them, and/or ignore them, and they’d usually chill out. But in Egypt, I would also add that groping is a sport (like the haggling I mention in my other comment). And it is bad. Be with a guide, in a group, and even if you are with your husband or giant, 7 foot, American football-playing and/or Rugby-playing partner, don’t get into those enclosed spaces. It happened to a friend of mine, and her husband was standing right next to her. She was too afraid to say anything. Needless to say, it freaked her out.
Enjoy Egypt though. I’m hoping to return to the Middle East one of these days and Egypt would be on my list.
Thanks for sharing amazing
Great tips, thank you for sharing. 🙂 It’s always good to know these things. 😀
Some things have changed in 2023. Much of it to do with the value of the Egyptian pound. In March 2023 the official exchange rate was 31 pounds to the dollar. A tip was commonly five pounds to use a toilet or about 15 cents. They have no coins now and the smallest denomination was a 5 pound note. Of course they love US currency or Euros. A $1 tip looks huge to them for a simple service. The people were wonderful! It is a required trip for anyone who regards themself as a traveler and don’t miss a Nile cruise.
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