u/MrAdiyogi

Hi everyone,

I recently spent 9 days traveling solo across Egypt in late June, covering Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, Aswan, and Abu Simbel.

Despite temperatures crossing 40°C, I chose the off-season and ended up experiencing fewer crowds. My total trip cost was around ₹1.25 lakh, including flights.

Happy to answer questions about:

• Solo travel
• Budget and itinerary
• Safety and scams
• Transportation
• Pyramids, temples
• and other highlights
• Anything else...

AMA!

💰Budget breakdown:

International flights 45k
Visa 5k
Sim 1.5k
Monument tickets & tour guide 20k
Local taxi 8k
Hostels 8k
Food 7k
Internal flights, bus & train 16k
Shopping 10k
Miscellaneous 4.5k

🧳Itinerary (Summarized)

Day 1 - Cairo
Arrived in Cairo in the evening and spent the night exploring the Khan El Khalili Market and getting first taste of Egypt.

Day 2 - Cairo
Visited the Pyramids of Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum.

Day 3 - Cairo
Explored Coptic Cairo and spent the day wandering through the city's streets on foot.

Day 4 - Aswan
Took a morning flight to Aswan and enjoyed a relaxed day at hostel.

Day 5 - Aswan - Abu Simbel - Luxor
Made an early morning trip to Abu Simbel and returned to Aswan same day. Later, took the train to Luxor and stayed overnight.

Day 6 - Luxor
Visited the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple, and Karnak Temple.

Day 7 - Luxor - Cairo - Alexandria
Flew from Luxor to Cairo and immediately took a bus to Alexandria. Stayed in a beautiful sea-view apartment, visited the Qaitbay Citadel and enjoyed an evening walk through the local markets.

Day 8 - Alexandria - Cairo
Returned to Cairo by bus for a dedicated shopping day. Revisited Khan El Khalili, bought plenty of souvenirs, stocked loads of coffee from Abu Auf, packed my bags and got ready for my flight back to India next day.

Day 9 - Cairo - India

⚠️** Avoiding Scams & Overpayin**g

1. I booked everything through booking, viator, etc and only used Uber or inDrive for transport.
2. I researched prices beforehand, so I had a good sense of what things should actually cost
3. In tourist areas, vendors often start with very high prices. A good rule of thumb is to bargain hard, as the final price can be a fraction of the initial quote.
4. If someone offers you something for free be cautious. They may later ask for money.
5. Learn "La shukran" (No, thank you) in Arabic. It's incredibly useful and saves a lot of hassle.
6. Avoid accepting any offers/help from strangers at major tourist attractions and even at airports. They will ask for money later.
7. Being Indians, we are generally familiar with haggling. Don't believe all the noise, as much of it comes from Western tourists who are not used to haggling or dealing with situations like these.
8. Interestingly, many Egyptians thought I looked like a local, so I didn't stand out as much as I expected! 😄

👩‍🦰 Safety for Women

If you're a woman traveling to Egypt, it's important to be a bit extra cautious. I personally witnessed an incident of eve-teasing and a Polish co-traveller also shared a similar experience. However, I felt that tourist areas are completely safe.

It's best to stay with a group whenever possible, as it improves safety and helps avoid aggressive hawkers. Egypt is still a conservative country, so avoid secluded areas and stay aware of your surroundings. With basic precautions, you can have a safe and enjoyable trip.

I visited Egypt during the off-season in late June when many places were relatively less crowded. During the peak tourist season, destinations are generally busier, which can make the overall experience feel more comfortable and safer for solo female travellers.