Health & Safety in Egypt

We're a Cairo-based operator. The advice below comes from running thousands of trips, not from a copywriter. If anything here disagrees with the medical advice you receive at home, follow your doctor.

1. Recommended vaccinations

Most travellers are advised to be up to date on routine vaccinations (MMR, DTaP, polio, influenza). Hepatitis A is commonly recommended for Egypt; typhoid and Hepatitis B for longer stays or rural travel. Check the latest official guidance from your home country's travel health service before you fly. Yellow fever is only required if you arrive from a yellow-fever-risk country.

2. Water and food

We do not recommend drinking unboiled tap water. All hotels we work with provide filtered or bottled water in-room and at meals. Stick to well-cooked food, peel-it-yourself fruit, and avoid ice in non-hotel drinks for the first few days. The most common “Egypt stomach” is adjustment to local microbiota, not contamination — pack rehydration salts and a basic anti-diarrheal as a precaution.

3. Sun and heat

Egypt's sun is stronger than most travellers expect. SPF 50+, a wide-brimmed hat, and water in hand are non-negotiable on touring days, especially at open-air sites like Karnak, the Pyramids, and Abu Simbel. We brief every group on hydration. From May to September, plan early morning starts and a mid-afternoon hotel pause.

4. Personal security

Egypt is a tourism economy and behaves accordingly — visible police presence at major sites, escorted convoys on certain desert routes, and metal detectors at hotel entrances. Petty scams (overcharging, unauthorised “guides”, papyrus touts) are the most common nuisance. We brief our guests on these the moment they land.

Always check your home government's current travel advisory before you fly. The Sinai border with Israel and parts of the Western Desert carry heightened advisories; we don't schedule itineraries through those zones.

5. On-trip support — what we promise

• 24/7 phone line answered by a Egypt Stay & Tours duty manager during your trip.
• A WhatsApp group with your guide, driver, and our Cairo office for the duration of the journey.
• Pre-vetted hospital and clinic contacts in every city we operate.
• Direct help with hotel changes, illness, missed flights, or itinerary swaps — at no extra fee.

6. Travel insurance

We strongly recommend comprehensive travel insurance covering medical evacuation, trip cancellation, lost luggage, and adventure activities if you plan diving, hot-air ballooning, or desert safaris. Bring a copy of your policy with you and share the policy number with us in advance.

7. Emergency numbers

• Police: 122
• Ambulance: 123
• Tourist Police: 126
• Fire: 180
• Egypt Stay & Tours 24/7 duty line: +966 58 124 1118

8. Accessibility

Many of Egypt's ancient sites involve uneven stone, narrow ramps, and stairs without handrails. We can plan accessible itineraries with wheelchair-friendly hotels, ramps where they exist, and lift-equipped Nile cruisers — but please tell your specialist about mobility, hearing, or visual needs early so we choose the right routes and operators.

9. Solo and women travellers

Egypt is broadly safe for solo and women travellers, with some sensible precautions. Our private programmes include door-to-door transport and on-site guides; we do not place women solo into shared van transfers in the early hours. Ask your specialist about female guide preferences — we have several on the team.

10. Last word

We will never sugarcoat a real risk to sell a trip. If we don't think a destination is safe in a given week, we'll say so and offer an alternative.