Thanks all for your feedback. I would rather hear a balanced insight on the matter.
I am now considering India. I am extremely sad that I won't be able to go to Egypt now, not only because of the situation but because even the embassy of Egypt here in Manila is not sure how long the visa application process would take place. But I will surely visit Egypt soon, and I pray that everything will be peaceful again in Egypt.
visa from Egypt that will get it to arrive the airport , the condition giving to person more than 10 person , if you want help you , just confirming me by sending recommendation letter to you to deliver it for our embassy to give you your visa . you can send me your mail and will reply you about any question. Egypt now is very safe and you can read this article.
http://securityinegypt2013.blogspot.com/b/post-preview?token=aJiA9kEBAAA.23sCnzO67GaYpzVeM0cjIQ.viK0HkDFq0D7HDPtQcXIPg&postId=5441344220130527270&type=POST
I came recently from Egypt and I can say first hand from what I saw, Egypt is still a safe country to visit if you avoid demonstration. it is true that sometimes you might NOT be able to avoid these events but things can go wrong anywhere you travel. It is also true that Egypt is unstable. Egypt is becoming a bargain and it is a risk-benefit analysis. I am thinking of going to Luxor in Dec-Jan period.
You make that decision for your self, the fact remains that Egypt is still much safer -by far- from any European or North American destination
I am in Luxor at the moment and I am about to head out to some of the oasis in the western desert including Siwa. I have couchsurfed in Cairo and I have plans to surf again in Siwa. I feel safe walking around (day or night), taking public transit and surfing. Of course a lot of the "negative" info above potentially can happen but I dont think that risk is very high. I will avoid using absolutes so Anas wont jump on me. To be honest being here when no one else is has its ups and downs. Its great to see the temples almost completely alone but the hostels are a bit quiet. Some things are a lot cheaper because everyone is hungry for business and some things like sailing a flucca for example are a lot more expensive because the cost is not split between 8 people. All in all I think if you want to visit Egypt then come, its really not near as unsafe as people make it out to be. If you have any questions feel free to ask me.
Cheers!
Thanks hardi and ahmd. The locals I spoke with online also said that it would really depend on my decision--so far sites I mentioned aren't dangerous but I just have to be cautious. I don't like traveling with fear of getting mobbed or something but it would be reckless for me not to be cautious--and that applies to any part of the globe.
Let's see what happens. Hardi, what you said is what exactly attracted me to come to Egypt--it is cheaper and with less crowd.
If I reconsider going to Egypt, it would be fun to meet you guys!
Hello,
I've been thinking of heading to Egypt on my way to India from France. arriving 13-14th Dec, heading out end Dec or early Jan.
I've been following the latest threads about the security in the country and I've contacted a friend of a friend, leaving now in Cairo, she told me the country is "safe", but to stay away from any gathering, and to avoid taking pictures outside of touristic areas.
Beside of that I'm still concerned, given the fact insurance wouldn't work and traveling solo is always at higher risks (even if I prefer that way usually).
Carlo would you consider to plan the trip together? Send me a private message if so, Thanks.
-david
Edited by: nomadvisuals
Couple of points, some already mentioned by other people:
Two whole days in Abu Simbel is too much - there's one temple there that you can see in a couple of hours. Day trip from Aswan or overnight stay to see it in the early morning (I haven't done this but people recommended it to me).
2 days is in my view enough for Aswan including Abu Simbel, but a stop on the way back down the Nile at Kom Ombo is also worthwhile - where else are you going to see a museum of crocodile mummies?
You can probably do $20 a day quite easily but without long public transport journeys or site entrance fees. If you eat local, mostly fast food, it is very inexpensive (small sandwiches start from LE1.25, koshary 5-10 LE). I would give yourself $25 a day for food, drink, accommodation and entertainment and reckon transport and admission fees up separately using your guidebook, if possible.
Train transport is quite safe. Road transport, especially outside cities is not very safe due to poor road, vehicle and especially driving standards. If you have to use busses, avoid minibusses and go for reputable coach companies, even if they cost a bit more.
Anas mentioned that Dendara is in an area with security issues - I'm not sure about this. As far as I know, Qena (the adjoining city) hasn't seen the kind of trouble that the provinces between it and Cairo has. It's probably also a good sign that trains are running from Qena south now - it presumably means the security authorities are fairly confident about that area. If you look at the French government travel advice for Egypt, you can see that Qena, like Cairo and Luxor, is in the orange "advised against except in case of necessity" area on the map, not the red "official warning" area. http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/conseils-aux-voyageurs/conseils-par-pays/egypte-12239/
Finally, this from #7:
" A number of visitors/tourists are still detained in Egypt now months after the riots around the over-throw of President Morsi, the usual inter-governmental channels to get them released aren't functioning and they languish in jail. "
I'm pretty sure that this is not true. I follow this kind of thing reasonably closely and I am not aware of any tourists being arrested in Egypt. Foreign journalists have been arrested during demonstrations, a Canadian doctor and film-maker were arrested after helping out and filming in a field hospital of Muslim Brotherhood protesters, and a US citizen was arrested in the North Sinai area during military operations near the Gaza border. There were also reports last week of a British citizen being arrested after photographing a power station and train station in a north Cairo industrial suburb. But I haven't heard of any cases of ordinary tourists, not doing unusual things or going to unusual places like the above people, getting into trouble.
....... four Irish citizens I know of are now held for weeks now.... http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/africa/four-irish-siblings-being-held-in-cairo-detention-centre-1.1497767
Anecdotally I'm aware of one French citizen detained at the same time, mentioned to me by a French friend.
Sorry moroccotraveler,
It was unfair of your part to point on the four Irish brothers and sisters who were locked in the alFateh mosque in Cairo, just to stress the unsafety in cairo.
These Irish citizen were not normal travelers but had some connection to the Islamic brotherhoods "day of rage". I dont approve the action of egyptian police but here we are advising normal travelers, while the four Irish citizen went to Egypt to be involved in political and religious activities as their picture and the text suggest.
I have to agree with fear-rua that detention of foreigners is not an issue about considering travelling in Egypt.
As for couchsurfing in egypt, I really regret the fact that an american traveler is advising about it (and on this case we can say "advertising" to be on line with Ahmad), my personal view is that this is irresponsible traveling as well. i write it because I am frankly interested to learn the opinion of Ahmad about the couchsurfing activities in todays Egypt.
cheers, Anas
As Anas said, the four young Irish-Egyptian people mentioned were taking part in a Muslim Brotherhood demonstration which degenerated into shooting and armed clashes, and they got arrested in the aftermath after taking refuge along with other demonstrators in a nearby mosque. Whatever you think of this, it is not a case of the authorities randomly arresting tourists or travellers.