Is it safe to travel to Egypt in 2019? Our experience travelling in Egypt

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Planning to go to Egypt in 2019 and wondering whether it’s safe to travel to Egypt? There is no simple answer to that question, that is why I decided to write about it in a separate post. Read here about the latest Egypt travel advice in 2019 and our experience travelling in Egypt visiting Hurghada.

Looking for more information about Egypt? Look no further! Here’s a post about the top tours you need to take in Hurghada. Interested in an all-inclusive vacation? Here’s our review of the holiday in Egypt with Thomson / Tui.

Let’s get started.

Is it safe to travel to Egypt in 2019?

If you’re wondering, whether it’s safe to travel to Egypt in 2019, the answer is yes and no. Egypt is quite a risky country, however, there are areas there are safe and there are, of course, places that aren’t safe.

Is Cairo safe in 2019?

If you’re planning to go to Cairo, it should be more or less fine. UK Government used to advise everyone against all but essential travel to Cairo. However, that has been liften some time ago and now Cairo is safe. I had a couple of friends who visited Cairo in the last 6 months and none has any problems and told me that Cairo was safe in the beginning of 2019. If you want the most recent information, check this website.

It might not be the best idea to travel to Egypt independently (if you rent a car or so), but the Red Sea and Mediterranean sea coast are generally fine for travelling, especially if you buy a package. 

In case you’re planning to go to Luxor – it should be fine, no worries. Luxor is safe to travel to. But what about the most touristic destinations in Egypt: Hurghada and Sharm el Sheikh, are they safe to travel to? Let’s see below.

Is it safe to travel to Hurghada now?

In case you’re intending to spend a week or two in Egypt, relaxing on the beach and sipping a lemonade somewhere in Hurghada, you’ll be fine. While I was there on holiday, however, 2 women were stabbed to death at the private hotel’s beach in Hurghada (just on our last day in Egypt) and that’s quite terrifying. The killer swam to this beach from a public beach in Hurghada and carried a knife in his outfit. However, all year before that Hurghada was absolutely safe and sound. There weren’t any significant accidents recently in Hurghada, so Hurghada should be safe for travelling in 2019. 

Is it safe to travel to Egypt in 2017. Is Egypt safe? Egypt safety tips

Due to the unstable situation with ISIS and radical Islamists, no one can be 100% safe pretty much anywhere in the world (unless you’re planning to spend your holiday on the Isle of Skye in Scotland or in Shetland). Even some people working in the Egyptian hotels could potentially have relatives, who support extremists and terrorists. However, most of the hotels in Egypt are now guarded by armed forces and even the entry to Hurghada and Makadi Bay is securely protected.

Makadi Bay (30 km away from Hurghada), in my opinion, is pretty safe – you can’t possibly enter to this hub of the hotels united by the name Makadi without passing the security checks at the entrance and later in the hotels. So in case, you’re really concerned about your safety in Egypt – head to Makadi Bay. We stayed in Jaz Makadi Aquaviva and felt really safe inside the hotel. Moreover, we went on a couple of tours, including a safari tour to the Bedouin village, and it was also fine. At no time in Egypt, we felt a threat.

Check the prices of tour packages for Makadi Bay on TUI Thomas Cook or Lastminute.com.

If you’re planning to travel to Hurghada independently, I would recommend checking the following hotels in Hurghada: Serenity Makadi Beach, Steigenberger Al Dau and the Oberoi Sahl Hasheesh.

Is the airport in Hurghada safe?

The airport in Hurghada has an increased level of security right now. When you depart from Hurghada International Airport, you will go through the security checks at LEAST 3 times. We went through it 5 times and scored all the random checks, thanks to Pepe’s Arab look (here’s Mexican/Catalan, but there must have been some Arab ancestry in him).

Is Sharm el Sheikh safe to travel in 2019?

Is it safe to go to Sharm-el-Sheikh now?

Is it really safe to travel to Sharm el Sheikh in 2019? If you want to go to Sharm el Sheikh, it could be pretty risky. There are no flights from the UK to Sharm el Sheikh after the terrorists exploded Russian plane heading to St. Petersburg in October 2015. Also, Sharm el Sheikh is literally surrounded by the unstable area of South Sinai and could be easily reached by the terrorists, should they plan another attack.

Is it safe to travel to Egypt in 2017. Is Egypt safe? Egypt safety tips

Is it safe to travel to the other parts of Egypt in 2019?

The North Sinai with the cities like Rafah, Al-Nakhl and the South Sinai (except for Sharm el Sheikh) are quite dangerous. Thus, it’s not advised to go there at all. Also, all the Western part of Egypt, West of the Nile river is also quite unsafe and very unstable. So, I wouldn’t recommend you to go there either.

Summary: Is Egypt safe in 2019?

Well, as I already told you above, there is no simple answer to the question, whether it is safe to travel to Egypt in 2019 or not. Some parts of Egypt are definitely a no-go, while some are pretty okay. If you’re not going to Egypt on your own (without a travel agency), you should be pretty fine, as long as you stay in the touristy areas of Hurghada. As for Cairo, it makes sense to check the news before planning your trip to Egypt.

Check the prices of tour packages to Egypt on TUI or Thomas Cook. We bought our 11-day package for £550 for July (which is pretty insane price), but Egypt in July is very hot!

13 thoughts on “Is it safe to travel to Egypt in 2019? Our experience travelling in Egypt”

  1. I think you’ve done a pretty good analysis, pointing out that the security in Egypt is quite ambiguous and relative. Yes, Cairo is the only city you should worry about but still, this is a huge metropolis where accidents happen occasionally and rarely. The likelihood of something happening to you are very low. You have more chance of getting killed on the road back home than getting killed by a bomb in Cairo. However, I slightly disagree with what you say about south Sinai. I was there myself in December, backpacking solo and hitchhiking and i only encountered friendly bedouins on their cars. The situation is pretty tense because of El-Arish, a city located in the Mediterranean part of the Sinai, bordering Gaza and miles away from south Sinai. Anyways, as you say security is pretty relative and, in Egypt, especially if backpacking solo, you should always travel safe ad wise! Cheers!

    Reply
  2. Wow thanks so much for writing this post! I’ll be visiting Egypt next year and I have been worried about safety issues. Thanks for being honest and not sugar coating anything 🙂

    Reply
  3. Me and my family are travelling to Hurgharda for Christmas 2018 and I am worried it will not be safe with the high tension between Syria, Russia, USA, and UK. We have to fly over Syria and I am very worried it is not safe to do so and that we will not enjoy our holiday through worrying something may happen.

    Reply
    • Thanks Liza,it was nice to read your thoughts about Egypt. From my point of view Egypt isn’t more dangerous than any other country. I have been writing my thoughts about current safety situation in Hurghada to my blog. Its all about Hurghada!

      Reply

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