Is Egypt safe?

Want to go to Egypt in October 24. The State Department and my wife say it’s not safe.
Does anyone have recent first hand experience? Considering a 15 day organized tour.
Always wanted to go and price seems great right now.
Thanks

Lots to read here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/SearchForums?ff=9124&geo=294200&scope=2&q=safety&pid=34633&s=D

I went a couple of times before the Arab Spring and thought it was safe enough... but they had armed guards all over the place.. and armed escorts when you bus went from town to town...

One of my sister's went pre-pandemic and she felt safe... but it was for US only and cost extra as they flew her from town to town...

No matter how you go you will be swarmed by people wanting to sell you stuff..

The vast majority of people we interacted with were just trying to make a living and were very kind...

What is your baseline for "not safe"? I do not have recent firsthand experience, but the topic of whether the war in Gaza is affecting security as far away as Egypt has come up with some frequency in another forum I'm active on. Every report I have read by someone who has been there recently had the opinion that the war in Gaza did not seem to have changed anything as far as they could tell. In other words, they felt as safe (or unsafe) as they had on previous trips to Egypt over the years. Attacks on tourists and tourist infrastructure have always been rare, likely due to a whole lot of security measures--checkpoints on the roads, etc. So if the question is whether that has changed since the war in Gaza, my impression from reading others' trip reports is that the average tourist doesn't perceive any change.

I know a couple who visited recently. They had a great time and said they never felt unsafe. I think part of that was because they carefully booked everything through international tour companies and stuck with the usual tourist destinations. Personally, I like to avoid tourist areas when I travel, so I suspect my experience would be very different. I think a lot of it is who you are. One of that couple I know is very dark skinned and not a US native, so that probably made them look less like stereotypical "Ugly American" tourists.

Gallaher said:

Want to go to Egypt in October 24. The State Department and my wife say it’s not safe.
Does anyone have recent first hand experience? Considering a 15 day organized tour.
Always wanted to go and price seems great right now.
Thanks

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You might post your plans of where you'll be in Egypt, if you know them at this point. May make a difference. However if you are on an organized tour, I feel that you will be fine.

Lorenzo said:

What is your baseline for "not safe"? I do not have recent firsthand experience, but the topic of whether the war in Gaza is affecting security as far away as Egypt has come up with some frequency in another forum I'm active on. Every report I have read by someone who has been there recently had the opinion that the war in Gaza did not seem to have changed anything as far as they could tell. In other words, they felt as safe (or unsafe) as they had on previous trips to Egypt over the years. Attacks on tourists and tourist infrastructure have always been rare, likely due to a whole lot of security measures--checkpoints on the roads, etc. So if the question is whether that has changed since the war in Gaza, my impression from reading others' trip reports is that the average tourist doesn't perceive any change.

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^This. A buddy of mine and I were in Egypt last October when Hamas attacked Gaza. We were there for scuba diving in the Red Sea, but afterwards took a cruise down the Nile and then spent a few days in Cairo then the pyramids.

If it weren't for my wife and American friends telling me to come home, I wouldn't even know what had happened. Egypt highly values its tourism and its security. We both felt very safe.

I'm also on another forum (Scuababoard) and the sentiment there is the same.

We went to Egypt for almost three weeks in November 2022. We were with a respected and experienced small guided group, and we went to the normal tourist areas (Pyramids, Valley of the Kings, etc.), stayed in the traditional grand tourist hotels (Mena House, Winter Palace, Old Cataract) and took a dahabiyah cruise up the Nile for four days. We never felt unsafe at any time.

There are an enormous number of uniformed police and military with automatic weapons throughout Egypt. That didn't bother us and, in fact, gave assurance that troublemakers would be swiftly dealt with, but I understand that some might find their presence disconcerting.

We went two years ago independently and never questioned our safety. As Trooper pointed out, tourism is a big deal for them so they have everything to gain to make sure foreigners aren't mistreated. It's a great trip.

All, thanks for your input. Much appreciated

Gallaher said:

Want to go to Egypt in October 24. The State Department and my wife say it’s not safe.
Does anyone have recent first hand experience? Considering a 15 day organized tour.
Always wanted to go and price seems great right now.
Thanks

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I would not put faith in any one-off, anecdotal reports. The “great” price should give you an indication of what others are thinking.

Murph said:

I would not put faith in any one-off, anecdotal reports. The “great” price should give you an indication of what others are thinking.

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Let's draw out this line of reasoning. Your implication is that the price is great because demand is low. It could be that or it could be that the dollar has risen sharply against the Egyptian pound in recent years. (doubled in less than 1.5 years). You assume that demand is low because people think Egypt is unsafe. Demand could be low for other reasons, but let's assume you are correct; people think Egypt is unsafe so they aren't clamoring to go, so the price is low. Why do you think those non-travelers are correct in their conclusion that it is unsafe? It is very unlikely that they have ever been to Egypt. Having been there on vacation, it is my impression that most people only go to Egypt once. So, you have people choosing not to go to a place they have never been based on their fears. But what do they actually know more than anyone else? At least the people who have provided anecdotes have been to Egypt and observed the situation first-hand.

We went to Egypt about 13 years ago, and even back then we were escorted by armed guards. A friend returned from a Nile cruise not long ago and were also accompanied by armed guards on any excursions.
The Egyptian people I came across were all very kind. The biggest warning was to not get up on a camel. They charge a lot to get you down.

The state dept has a caution on egypt, but it seems specific to avoid certain areas. So, I guess the answer is it depends where you want to go. But if your wife doesn't feel comfortable...the world is a big place, so there are other vacations to take for now!

Napoleon introduced a rougher element, but I hear things have improved.

We docked in Sharm el Sheik, Safaga, and Port Said with a Viking World Cruise in 2022. We stuck with ship's tours and saw St. Catherine's Monastery on Mt. Zion, Luxor and all the attendant temples and tombs with a short Nile cruise, the Egyptian Museum, and the Pyramids & Sphinx. Never any sense of physical danger because we had an armed guard traveling with us, an extra tour bus in case the first one broke down, and lots of security presence at each stop. The people were very welcoming, but the vendors are relentless. Don't talk to them unless you mean to buy something. An upraised palm and a firm "Lalala!" is the only thing that will keep them from hounding you for blocks.