Is Egypt Safe Now ?

In general, Egypt is a safe country to travel. Egyptians are very friendly - if you are in need of assistance they will generally try to help you as much as they are able, more than any one imagine. For example, if you take a taxi from Cairo to Alexandria, you will be stopped at a checkpoint before leaving Cairo. They will ask where you are going, and communicate with the checkpoint at Alexandria to make sure you reach your destination within a certain time period. The same goes for most trips into the desert. During different branches of your drive, you may be escorted by local police. They will travel to your destination with you, wait around until you are finished, and usually stay behind at one of the next checkpoints.There are also several checkpoints from Cairo to Sharm el Shiekh when traveling by coach. Military officials get on the coach and check passports. The usual warnings for prudent behaviour apply, but are not the same as in New York or London. In the latter, the anxiety is highest with respect to bombs. As for casual crime (muggings and robberies), Egypt is quite safe. Facing danger in Egypt is much less violent attack than the less dangerous problem of cheating and scams. You will find security situation in Egypt (as in many countries) is frequently exaggerated by Western media outlets, creating a negative impressions that is somewhat amplified by the heavy-handed policies of Egyptian authorities in keeping tourists safe. The reality is that travelling in Egypt is probably no more hazardous, with regard to terrorism, than visiting most Western capitals (and probably a lot safer!) Egypt relies heavily on foreign tourism for its national income and both Egyptians and their government are extremely keen to prevent any occurrence that might create a bad impression and keep tourists away. Tourism is one of the country's most important sources of hard currency, and besides not wanting any untoward incidents, Egypt is very pragmatic and wants in no way to jeopardize a vital economic benefit. All visitors to Egypt, whether they are female or male, can receive a great deal of attention from Egyptians. Most of the time it is harmless and good-humoured, and only very rarely is it dangerous, but most tourists still feel safer in Cairo than they do in their own cities. This applies whether you are a single female traveller or part of a group of women travelling without male companions. For the most part, Egypt is a safe destination. A lot of unpleasant scenarios can be avoided if the female traveller has the right appearance, attitude, and actions. Clothing should be sensible and modest, but there is no need to be completely covered. Some women have found that it doesn't matter what they wear - they still receive unwanted comments, stares, and attention. Rape and assault are virtually non-existent.

As of April 28, the curfew hours were very limited just from 2:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m in Cairo. however people were found walking in the streets with their friends and companions because Cairo is the city that never sleeps. The curfew never enforced in Luxor , Aswan or Red Sea. As of June 14th, the curfew has been finally abolished and You may now move freely 24 hours a day. You will find also security police widely spreaded in all cities. Policemen are very friendly and extremely eager to help in case of any emergency even if it's just a broken tire or something. Tourism is one of the main industries in Egypt and so the nation is very keen on keeping it one of the thriving ones.

IS EGYPT SAFE NOW?

by Joyce Carta

As you can imagine, I have been getting this question frequently since the attacks of 11 September. I thought I'd share my answer with you all here. Travel always entails some uncertainties, but then, so does life. (That's why we named our travel business "New Adventures.") Is it safe now to travel to Egypt?...I invite you to read my very well considered response to the question.

Honestly, I can tell you that were it not for business keeping me here in the States I would go back to Egypt now, just so that I could personally relate how safe it is. I know when people think of the region they think of the Israeli/Palestinian problems, but that isn't effecting and hasn't been effecting Egypt. I had clients who arrived in Cairo on 10 Sep, toured the country into the Sinai and left 29 Sep to go on to Jordan (where they had an equally wonderful time). I was in e-mail contact directly with them and also, of course, daily with our staff in Egypt and Jordan...my clients experienced no problems whatsoever, had a wonderful time and fell in love with the Egyptian people (this is not surprising, everyone falls in love with the Egyptian people...they are, well, lovable). The Egyptian people, the vast majority who are thoughtful and moderate in their views, like Americans enormously...we're very similar when it comes to friendliness, warmth and we share the same, sometimes silly, sense of humor.

And, of course, the way our trips are organized, private and escorted, matters as well. You travel in a private car, with 2 Egyptians: your private Egyptologist and your driver. You are as inconspicuous as it's possible for a Westerner to be. Our State Department has issued no travel warnings, advisories or alerts for Egypt (or Jordan, for that matter). The most recent issuance from the State Department concerning Egypt was a general Consular Information Sheet with the general overview travelers to the country should be aware of, and this was issued on 9 February 2001. Under the current world conditions the State Department's recommendation, and the recommendation of our Embassy in Cairo is: maintain a discrete profile, avoid large crowds or demonstrations, be alert about your surroundings and generally exercise prudence...and this is excellent advice no matter where or when you travel.

Air travel has probably never been safer than it is now. And the security precautions the Egyptian government has had in place to protect tourists for the last 5 years are impressive. There are metal detectors at the entries to all the sites, and at the hotel entryways, you see the military presence everywhere and over-the-road travel between certain cities tourists frequent has been by army escorted convoy. And there have been no problems. Tourism is one of the country's most important sources of hard currency, and besides not wanting any untoward incidents, Egypt is very pragmatic and wants in no way to jeopardize a vital economic benefit.

And, quite frankly, I would never want to send guests over to my second favorite country in the world if I didn't have an excellent expectation that their time spent would be thoroughly and completely wonderful. Egypt is just too important to me, and too special a place, to sell short. So, I guess to answer the question...there's nothing going on in Egypt that would present a concern for the traveler. If seeing Egypt has always been your dream, this is a good time to turn the dream into reality.


Follow the link for more tips