Is Egypt safe to visit?

Many people considering booking a holiday to Egypt may, quite rightly, have some concerns and questions about visiting the country at the moment. We have made some notes below which will hopefully be informative and helpful, and provide re-assurance that it is in fact a great time to visit Egypt at the moment.

Note - this page is meant to provide a guide only and we have intentionally not gone into detail about individual events or political considerations. Links are provided to further resources at the end of the page.

• Geographical considerations
• Elections
• Itinerary amendments
• Egypt Uncovered policies
• Recent traveller feedback
• Links and resources

Geographical considerations

Egypt can be considered in several different geographical areas when it comes to both tourism, and recent troubles and demonstrations.

• The Red Sea resorts of Sharm-el-Sheikh, Dahab, Hurghada and Marsa Alam have been pretty much untouched by any troubles, and tourism there continues as normal, albeit with lower occupancy rates in the hotels. This has made it easier to secure deck chairs and prime spots on the beaches!
• Desert safaris through Siwa, Bahariya, Farafrak, Dakhla and Kharga Oases have remained unaffected.
• Aswan and Luxor in Upper Egypt have seen a few occasional demonstrations, but have not been impacted significantly and tourism there has continued as normal, again with lower numbers. Many of the Nile cruise boats cancelled services over the summer months when visitor numbers were very low, but a full available service at all quality levels is available now. Visiting the historic sites in Upper Egypt has been a fantastic experience over the last 10 months with the lower visitor numbers meaning hardly any queues and great photo opportunities. Exploring the Valleys of the Knigs and Queens and Karnak Temple in Luxor in particular has been much easier without the normal crowds.
• The northern delta towns and cities, as well as Suez and Alexandria have seen some disturbances. Of these, only Alexandria is really a tourist destinations, and the beach resorts around Alexandria remain very quiet. Tours of the Roman ruins and other historic sites in the city have continued as normal nearly all the time, with only a few short periods when cancellations have been required due to unpredictable demonstrations within the city.
• The capital Cairo itself, has attracted the most attention, both in the international media, and as a focus for demonstrations within the country. These have been concentrated mainly in and around Tahrir Square and some nearby government buildings, right in the centre of the city. The famous Egyptian Museum, which hosts a vast collection of ancient Egyptian artefacts, is located just on the edge of Tahrir Square, and has been unaccessible safely on occasions when trouble has flared in and around the square. The pyramids are located on the edge of the city and visits there have very rarely been affected at all.

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Election Process

The third phase of elections to the lower house of parliament took place on the 3rd January 2012, and passed by peacefully without major demonstrations or violence. Run-off elections should complete the lower house process before the end of January. Elections to the upper house are scheduled for later in January and will complete before the end of February. These are expected to be less controversial however with less potential for disturbances. A draft constitution will then be created.

Presidential elections will take place between March and June, but dates are not confirmed yet. The army is still scheduled and committed to hand over power to the new administration in June.

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Itinerary amendments

Since we re-started taking travellers to Egypt back in March 2011, we have actually had to make very few revisions to our travellers' itineraries either before they travel, or while they are in Egypt.

• On a few occasions when protests have been at their height in and around Tahrir Square in Cairo, we have cancelled visits to the Egyptian Museum. Most travellers have still been able to visit the museum on their return to Cairo later in the tour.
• We have also cancelled a few optional day trips to Alexandria, when there were significant protests there. Any fees paid for these optional day trips have been refunded.
• The railway line between Cairo and Aswan/Luxor has been blocked by protestors in Qena a couple of times, but we have been able to work around this using internal flights or coach journeys.
• When there are protests in central Cairo or elsewhere, our team on the ground stay in close contact with developments and with all our drivers and guides. They have worked on a variety of alternative routes through the city to avoid problem areas, and recent protests have had very little impact on our tours.
• During the summer months when many Nile cruise boats stopped operating, several of our first choice boats were not available. During this period we used alternate boats, keeping as close as possible to the same standard of boat as booked, sometimes providing upgrades to all-suite boats such as the Sonesta Star Goddess.

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Egypt Uncovered policies

Our travellers' safety is absolutely our top priority, and we will re-arrange itineraries, cancel sections of a tour, or cancel an entire booking if we feel that we can not run the tour safely. Over the last year our Egyptian team has gained a lot of experience in both analaysing the situation on the ground and reacting to developments and making adjustments to itineraries. We will continue to act on and build on this experience.

As a company that specialises in travel to Egypt, we also have a responsiblity to our Egyptian team of office staff, guides and representatives. The last year has been a very tough time for the tourist industry in Egypt, and we want to support it as much as possible. We therefore need to strike a balance between providing flexibility to our customers, and also ensuring we try to send as many travellers to Egypt as possible. Our visitors to Egypt since the revolution have almost unanimously returned with rave reviews about their experiences and the reception they have received by the Egyptian people (some sample reviews from recent travellers are given below. 

Cancellation rules - by us, and by the traveller.

We understand that cancellation rules can sometimes be confusing, and have made some notes below that will hopefully be helpful. All bookings are covered by our standard booking conditions though we do try to be flexible with these, and often relax cancellation/rebooking rules in exceptional circumstances.  As a UK company, we make decisions based on our local team's knowledge of the situation on the ground, and also always follow the travel advice provided by the UK Foreign Office...

"No restrictions". Under this standard advice, we will run our tours as normal, but may make minor adjustments to itineraries based on our own decisions about the situation on the ground. Our standard cancellation fees will be charged if travellers wish cancel their own tours due to personal concerns about visiting the country, or if they are not happy with the minor amendments we may be making.

"Avoid all but essential travel to part(s) of the country". Under this raised level of advice, our decisions about tour bookings will depend on the part(s) of the country affected. We may well consider that there is no reason to make any changes to your tour (for example, if the travel advice only specifies Alexandria, and your tour does not visit that city, then no changes are required). If we re-arrange a small portion of a tour itinerary then we will make similar alternative arrangements for that portion without extra charge (for example an amended city tour in and around Cairo that may miss the Egyptian Museum but take in some other sites that may otherwise not have been visited).  Again, our standard cancellation fees will be charged if travellers wish cancel their own tours due to personal concerns about visiting the country, or if they are not happy with the minor amendments we may be making. If we have to make significant changes (eg. missing out or changing over half the itinerary), then our travellers will be given the option to cancel and receive a refund if they wish, or to transfer to a later date or another tour.

"Avoid all but essential travel to whole country". If the Foreign Office travel advice reaches this level, then we will cancel our tour departures to the country. We will offer people booked with us to travel during the period covered either a full refund, a transfer of the same booking to another date, or an alternative tour to another destination.

Customers who have or have not booked their flights with us.

• If we cancel your tour booking, and you have booked your flights with us, then we will refund both the tour and flight price.
• If we cancel your tour booking, and you have booked your own flights, then you will need to cancel the flights yourself, and claim a refund either from the airline or your travel insurance policy. We will provide all necessary paperwork and assistance to help with this.
• If you decide to cancel or change the date of your booking, and have booked flights through us, then we will try and reclaim as much of the flight cost as possible, but you may not be due any refund.
• If you decide to cancel or change the date of your booking and have booked your own flights, then you will need to deal with your airline or flight agent yourself with regard to any cancellation or rebooking fees.

Throughout the process, we aim to stay in touch with our customers as much as possible. We will balance your concerns with our commitment to support tourism in Egypt, and will always try to be as fair and flexible as possible. This may include reducing cancellation fees, extending booking transfer arrangements, and discounting rebooking costs. 
 

Non-UK residents.

We understand that travellers booking from outside the UK may be receiving slightly different travel advice from their own government's Foreign Office or State Department, and that their travel insurance cover may depend on that advice.
In situations where conflicting official advice is causing concern, we try to be as flexible as possible. This may mean offering reduced cancellation fees or amended or no cancellation charges for changes of date that may not be required for UK customers. We do ask our non-UK customers however, to understand that we are a UK company and operate under UK law, and can not have completely separate policies and conditions for every nationality that travels with us.
Non UK residents may be able to purchase their travel insurance from a UK based company that will provide cover that is based on UK government advice.

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Recent traveller feedback

Some sample feedback from recent travellers on a range of different tours throughout the country is given below.

Zac & Jenny Meadows - UK - Egypt Experience - 9 Sep 2011
"We couldn't recommend Egypt Uncovered enough! Everything from the pre-departure information to the on-arrival meeting, the tour guides & the itinerary to the smaller touches like a phone call to see if we are enjoying our hotel room was fantastic! Thank you to everyone who has made our honeymoon some special. We wish we could offer some 'constructive criticism' but everything was perfect!! Thank you xx"

Jay Patel - UK - Grand Egyptian Adventure - 24 Sep 2011
"Everyone at Egypt Uncovered was determined to make sure I made the most of my time in this wonderful country. I hope more people will come to Egypt. Tourism is important to the country. Egypt needs you!"

Mark Savage - UK - Splendours of the Nile - 23 Sep 2011
"It has taken us 18 months to get here. 1st volcano, then revolution, but well worth it. Everyone at EU has worked hard to make this a trip of a lifetime."

Simon Chocian - UK - Egypt Experience - 23 Sep 2011
"Egypt Uncovered really look after their customers - from your first enquiry about the holiday - until your flight home. Amazing holiday - thank you everyone!"

Chloe Moore - Australian - Private tailor-made - 23 Sep 2011
"Booking and making the itinerary was easy & Ant responded with changes & suggestions quickly. I have never felt so secure and safe and so well looked after as I did with EU."

Albert Rivera - USA - Splendours of the Nile - 7 Oct 2011
"The time is NOW! "Egypt Uncovered" made my trip the most unforgettable experience; so much so, I plan to revisit, again and again. I can't wait to spread the news."

Mr. E. Ginga - Portugal - Nile Family Adventure - 21 Oct 2011
"The only way to see the real Egypt with kids. The best holiday ever. Ahmed is the best tour guide in the world. Nothing was too much trouble."

Deryk James - UK - Egyptian Family Adventure - 22 Oct 2011
"Any concerns we had about the safety of 'post-revolution' Egypt or its suitability as a holiday destination for young children were soon put to rest. This was a fantastic and safe family holiday made special by the thorough organisation of Egypt Uncovered and the friendliness and knowledge of their guides."

Lynn Anderson - UK - Custom Family Adventure - 14 Nov 2011
"Highly recommended. We loved building our own tour and having the back-up in the country when we arrived was invaluable. We really felt special to the agents and guides."

Malinda Roberts - Australian - Egypt & Jordan Adventure - 1 Dec 2011
"I cannot recommend more highly the service and care we received with Egypt Uncovered. From the moment we arrived we were completely taken care of by Abdo. The enthusiasm of our guide, Hamada, was infectious. Thanks guys!

James Truman - Canada - Cairo City Break - 16 Dec 2011
"A company you can trust. Easy to book and make changes if necessary. Staff in Egypt are friendly and trustworty. You are safe in Egypt in their care. Its a great time to visit because few other tourists are here."

Tony Harun - UK - Splendours of the Nile - 17 Dec 2011
"Great hotels, cruise and top notch tour guides. A truly memorable trip and once in a lifetime experience."

Andrew Gowers - UK - Tailor-made - 20 Dec 2011
"Our Egypt tour was a brilliant experience - with efficient travel management, luxurious accommodation and a pleasant and very knowledgeable guide. We would greatly recommend Egypt Uncovered to other visitors." 

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Links and more information

UK Foreign Office Advice for Egypt (no restrictions)

USA State Department travel advice for Egypt

USA State Department travel alert for Egypt

BBC News Online articles about Egypt

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