AIN´T NOTHING FREE! Once you imprint this into your head, you will avoid a lot of annoyances during your trip to Egypt.
Egypt is a great place to visit for its impressive history and sites. However, it is not a starter trip and is rife with aggressive locals and slick tourist scams. Some locals seem to have a Robin Hood complex where they think that all tourists are super rich and that it's okay to hustle and scam them. This thinking is everywhere in Egypt and, unlike other countries, is not localized to particular tourist spots. I get that it's a poor country and many rely on tips to cover living expenses, but I´m not a fan of dishonest and aggressive tactics. No means no.
I had been warned about Egypt. People who are seasoned travelers expressed to me that Egypt was the toughest place they'd traveled to. I had read countless blogs and forum posts written by people complaining about the way tourists are treated in Egypt. "You just don't know who to trust" said one of my traveler friends. I thought that I was prepared and knew what to expect, and for the most part I was, but I experienced a few slick scams that I was not prepared for. In this blog, I will highlight some common scams so that your trip to Egypt won't be soured by a traumatic experience.
First and foremost, be sure to download the following apps prior to your arrival in Egypt:
This will save you the hassle of dealing with scumbag taxi drivers and will get you leverage in terms of knowing what a fair price is for your ride. Uber works in Cairo, but it does not work in Luxor, Aswan, and Sharm El-Sheikh. Note that inDrive is cash only and Uber/Careem drivers will mostly demand cash payments. As an added shield, I put my name as Fatima on inDrive, so the driver thinks that I'm a local when he accepts the ride. I have read on travel forums that some drivers in Egypt will accept rides and then message foreign passengers demanding more money. If the passenger refuses, the driver will demand that the passenger cancels the ride.
Uber tends to employ better cars, safer drivers, and drivers who will turn on the A/C. Most of the inDrive cars that picked me up were in poor condition (like the Bluesmobile at the end of the Blues Brothers when they finally made it to Chicago...points if you are not Gen X, Boomer, or old Millennial and get the reference) with no working A/C. Uber is more expensive, but you get what you pay for.
In terms of what to wear, ladies dress very conservatively, especially if you are a solo traveler. Wear long ankle length skirts and pants. Also, wear at least half or 3/4 sleeved shirts and, of course, no cleavage. Everything loose fitting.
TOUR COMPANY SCAMS
Research tour companies and read reviews extensively, but note that reviews can be padded. For example, I wrote a bad review of Nice Tours Aswan and they contacted me to offer a partial refund if I deleted it. I refused. Tourists have reported that they were bullied into leaving 5 star reviews. One reviewer for Nice Tours said that his tour guide threatened to leave him and his partner at a tourist site if they didn't write a 5 star review and send the guide a screenshot. At the end of my Abu Simbel tour, the guide was pressuring everyone while we were still at the site to write a review. I have a hard policy that I do not write reviews until the job is 100% completed (which came in handy in this instance, but more on that later). Even on the bus, the guide sent me a WhatsApp message stating, "Still waiting on your review", which I ignored.
In Luxor and Aswan, the cities are divided into east and west banks of the Nile. Some companies charge extra for pick up on the west bank. Nice Tours Aswan, which wasn't so nice, stated in their listing that there was an extra charge for pick up in certain areas. They messaged me the day before my scheduled tour and said that my hotel was located in one of those areas, Gharb Soheil. I asked them to send the meeting location, because I was going to arrange transportation with my hotel. The dispatcher asked to be in contact with the hotel directly (probably to collude). After hours of waiting, I hadn't received the meeting point location. The hotel owner said that it was better to have them pick me up, so I acquiesced and paid the extra $10 for a ride to the meeting point that would've cost $2.50 on inDrive. However, I shouldn't have been charged extra in the first place.
After I got back from the tour, I asked the hotel owner if the hotel was located in Gharb Soheil and he said, "No. Gharb Soheil is way up north." To add icing on this scammy cake, I tried to arrange with the dispatcher a drop off at a museum instead of the meeting point. The woman informed me that I'd have to pay an extra $5 for the tour bus to drop me off at a location different from the meeting point even though the museum was only two miles away. I refused to pay the extra fee stating that I was overcharged for the ride from my hotel to the meeting point and an extra charge for drop offs within Aswan city was not noted in the listing. I expressed my annoyance with paying extra to the tour guide. My leverage was that I hadn't written a review yet and I'm sure that the tour guide informed the company of this. Then the dispatcher blamed the driver by stating that he wanted the extra $5 and not the company. Incredulously, it turned out that another passenger was being dropped off at the museum, so they were going there anyway. I would've canceled my tour for the next day with Nice Tours if I hadn't of went over the free 24 hour cancelation window.
Still peeved about my experience with not so Nice Tours, I got a WhatsApp message from a different Nice Tours dispatcher about my second tour with them. Same as the day before, she said that I needed to pay an extra $10 for the driver to take me from my hotel to the meeting point location, but this time I was adamant that my hotel was not in Gharb Soheil. She had the audacity to copy and paste the address of my hotel, which listed the city as "Gharb Aswan" (I know, I should've caught that the day before), and I responded "Gharb Soheil is not Gharb Aswan." I insisted that I would arrange my own transportation. Then she came back and said that pick up was free. I'm so glad that I hadn't written that review prematurely.
Other tricks that tour companies and guides use is to upsell extras during the tour such as camel rides, goods at shops they force customers to go to, lunch, boat rides, ground transportation, etc. For example, my Emo Tours guide at the pyramids of Giza suggested a camel or horse ride to the area behind the pyramids. He said it would cost $15 and the guide was adamant that that was the government's set price. I read later that there were signs at the entrance, that I clearly missed, noting that camel and horse rides were $6.50.
Finally, do not pre-purchase entry tickets to sites and lunch. You will overpay. Entry tickets are usually less than $5 and no more than $10. A simple lunch won't be more than $5.
I went through large tour companies with very good reviews and still had issues. Also, most of the tour guides I had were lackluster at best. They only gave surface level facts that I could've easily gotten from Wikipedia. There are some good tour companies that my friend recommended, such as Ankh Tours, that only employ guides with 15+ years of experience, but they are expensive especially for solo travelers. Find an independent guide on your own via travel forums or use guides with lots of excellent reviews from GuruWalk and Free Tour. Finally, do not submit a review until the tour is completely finished.
Solutions
- Go on forums and social media travel groups to get contact details of tour guides recommended by travelers so that you can get a good, knowledgeable, and ethical guide who will not waste your time by taking you to tourist shops that sell fake and overpriced items.
- Research pricing for the guide and transportation so that you know what is a fair deal.
- If there is an extra charge for hotel pick up, you can get a cheaper rate via inDrive or Uber.
- If you opted out of pre-purchasing lunch, insist on seeing a menu with prices or going to a place that you pick. The tour guide has probably colluded with the suggested restaurants to overcharge you and the guide will pocket the extra cash. The same goes for other extras such as boat and camel rides.
SHOPPING SCAMS
Before you buy anything, research pricing. If you need shampoo, soap, razors, etc., go on Carrefour Egypt and look up the price of each item. Shops are notorious for charging tourists $5 for an item that costs $0.25. Also, if there is not a price listed, the item is negotiable, even at the airport. I wanted to order coffee at Luxor airport and the lady told me it was 200 LE. I said that that was too expensive and she dropped it to 150 LE. I offered her 100 LE and she said no, so it seems like 150 LE for coffee is the going rate at the airport and cafes located at tourist sites, which are typical overpriced rates for those types of locations.
Some tour companies will stop at shops that sell papyrus paper, oils, and alabaster. Note that these shops are for tourists, and they sell fake and overpriced items. Never buy from them. Ask around or research online where the locals go to buy these items.
Solutions
- Check the prices of the goods that you need on Egyptian shopping websites like Carrefour Egypt before going to a local shop.
- Ask around and verify via the internet about where to buy authentic specialty items.
- Never buy from shops that tour companies force customers to go to, because they sell fake and overpriced items.
TOURIST SITE SCAMS
It is recommended to have a local guide at tourist sites, especially the pyramids at Giza. A guide acts as a shield against aggressive touts who will follow you to try to sell souvenirs, camel rides, and tours. If you are blond, you doubly need a guide. I was walking with a blond Irish woman through the gift shops outside of Karnak Temple, and she literally told this tout ten times "No, thank you" as he was following us. The stereotype is that white people, especially, have tons of money and I noticed that the touts were on them like white on rice. That same blond Irish woman told me that she visited the Giza pyramids alone and I said, "Oh, dear!" because I knew that she experienced stalking, and I was right. She said that the touts congregated around her as soon as she got out of the taxi and would not leave her alone. She finally paid one of them $20 for his tour so the others would leave her alone.
Even if you have a guide, you will still be targeted, so remember that nothing is free. Someone walks up to you with a piece of carboard and starts fanning you...tip, please. Someone walks up to you offering to take a photo of you or simply snatches the phone out of your hand to take a photo of you...tip, please. A security guard tells you to go to a particular spot with something cool at a temple and you follow him...tip, please. A security guard starts telling you something about some hieroglyphics...tip, please. A security guard at the entrance of a tomb hands you a piece of cardboard as a fan, insisting that it´s free...tip, please.
I was with a guide at tourist sites, so the guards left me alone for the most part. However, I was given free time to explore the sites and as soon as my guide left, the guards pounced. When they started to talk about the sites and to tell me to go somewhere, I walked the other way. If they got pushy, I would say that I already had a guide and she told me everything about the site. They would insist: "No guide, I'm just security." Don't believe them, touts will lie to your face. Sometimes, I'd pretend like I didn't speak English, but I´ve heard touts speaking Portuguese, Mandarin, Spanish, Japanese, Russian...I heard that Gaelic works to get rid of the touts. Hardly anyone speaks Gaelic.
Museums weren't as bad as the pyramids, temples, and tombs. Once inside the museums, no one asked me for a tip and the workers were a lot less aggressive about offering to take my photo. Some even explained the exhibitions and I was waiting for them to ask for a tip, and they never did.
Entry fees at tourist sites are listed at the ticket counter and only pay the person behind the counter. If you enter the site without a guide, security at road check points and in the parking lots may shake you down for a tip.
Solutions
- Get a guide.
- If someone approaches you to show you anything or they start talking to you about the site, walk the other way.
- Don't accept anything from anybody.
- Pretend that you don't speak English.
RESTAURANT SCAMS
Always ask for a menu with prices. If they don't have one, verify the price of every item that you will order before ordering it, and write it down in front of the waiter. During one of my tours, lunch was included in the tour price. However, the waiter said that drinks were extra. I asked how much were fresh juices and he said, "200 LE." I responded, "That is expensive." Then someone asked for the menu. The menu listed fresh juices as costing 100 LE, which is still a little expensive.
Remember, if there is no price listed, the price is negotiable. Add up your meal to make sure that your total price matches the restaurant's total price. Also, before tapping your credit card, look at the price the waiter punched in. Restaurants sometime add things to the bill that you didn't order.
As mentioned previously, if you opted out of pre-paying for lunch during a tour and your tour guide makes it seem like you only have a few lunch options, you will be scammed. Lunch on your own should be on your own, meaning that your guide can make restaurant suggestions, but he should not go in with you and handle payments. If this happens, the guide and the restaurant have colluded to overcharge you, and your guide will pocket the difference. For example, during my tour in Alexandria with Emo Tours, the guide said that I had two options for lunch: one was a $15 option and the other was a $20 option. Note that a buffet dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel in Cairo overlooking the Nile is $30. The meal was a small piece of fish with rice and some small sides. lt probably cost $5 (or less). Of course, the guide paid the bill and I paid her $20. I knew that I was getting scammed, but accepted her pocketing the extra money as a tip.
Solutions
- Only go to restaurants that have menus with prices.
- If there are no prices, negotiate the price of each dish before you order. Note that Egypt is very cheap. $10 is more than enough for a multi course meal at a fancy local restaurant. A meal with drinks at a regular restaurant shouldn't be more than $5.
- Make sure that your total price matches the restaurant's total price before you pay.
- Check the credit card machine's total before you tap/swipe.
- If you did not pre-pay for your meal, research restaurants near the destination of your tours so that you can choose the restaurant. Don't let the guide choose one for you.
TAXI SCAMS
Taxis in Egypt do not have meters. Therefore, you must agree on a price before the trip starts and before you allow them to take your luggage. Also, Uber, Careem, and inDrive: know them, use them, love them! But understand that just because you use these apps, you are still not free and clear from scams. Scammers always find a way. For example, some airports charge a fee for cars to enter. The fee is usually 20-30 LE and is built into Uber and Careem fares, not inDrive. I had one driver say that the fee at Sharm El-Sheikh airport was 100 LE when it was really 20 LE.
I recommend that you pre-book your airport transfer with your hotel or use Uber/inDrive. Don´t even bother haggling with the taxi drivers hanging outside of the airport. They work together and will not give tourists a fair price. For example, I knew that a fair price from Sharm El-Sheikh airport to the city was 150 LE ($3). I approached three different taxi drivers offering this price and they all refused and wanted to charge me 700-900 LE. I was able to talk a 4th guy down to 500 LE. Because it was late and I didn't want to be stuck alone in an airport parking lot (I was on the last flight of the day and the passengers were all leaving on their pre-booked ground transport. Also, I wasn't allowed back inside of the airport), I accepted the 500 LE fare. A few days later, I learned about inDrive.
If you are planning a long distance trip, I recommend taking a VIP bus, booking a taxi through a reputable tour company with a lot of excellent reviews (the more expensive option) or going through your hotel. You should research prices of that route via ride sharing apps so that you can better negotiate a fair price. I wouldn't recommend using inDrive or some random taxi, because I've heard horror stories about drivers threatening to turn around midway or kicking passengers out of the car if they didn't give the driver more money, even though they agreed on the fare before the trip started.
Finally, some drivers will offer to take you to other places or take the scenic route. Know that you will be expected to tip and you need to agree on a price beforehand. Few will do anything for free, especially at a tourist site. Tourists are nothing more than ATMs for touts. This isn't to say that I haven't heard stories about kind locals who genuinely helped a tourist but, sadly, the ones that hang out at tourist sites are usually looking for a human ATM.
Solutions
- Use Uber, Careem, and inDrive set to cash payments.
- Change your name on ride sharing apps to a local name such as Fatima or Abdullah.
- Negotiate the cost of the ride and any extras before getting into the taxi.
- Don't let the driver take possession of your luggage before you agree on a price.
- Check inDrive, Careem or Uber to get a fair price for the route.
AIRPORT SCAMS
The only person you should hand your passport to is the customs & immigration agent, the agent issuing visas, and the airline check in agent. That's it. If anyone else asks for your passport at the airport, just show him the photo page. Do not let anyone take possession of anything that belongs to you, because they will hold it hostage for a tip.
When I entered Cairo airport on my way to Sharm El Sheikh, this guy started to grab my suitcase to put it on the conveyor belt, I quickly told him no. I had a small carry on and didn't need help. Also, he would've, of course, expected a tip. As mentioned previously, if the price isn't listed at the food court, the price is negotiable.
Solutions
- Don't let anyone take possession of your things or do anything for you unless you are prepared and willing to give a tip.
- If food court prices aren't listed, they are negotiable
COST OF THINGS
- Sanitary napkins: 30 LE
- Bottle of water: Large is 10 LE, small is 5 LE
- Dinner: 100 LE to 400 LE, 1500 LE for an all-you-can-eat buffet at the Four Seasons Hotel Cairo
- Ride on a public boat across the Nile: 10 LE, some are free for locals, but tourists are expected to tip
- Fee for cars to enter the airport: 20-30 LE (built into Uber/Careem price)
- Antibiotics: 110 LE
- Taxi from Aswan to Luxor (according to inDrive): 900 LE
- Camel/horse ride at the Giza pyramids: 350 LE/hour (there are signs at the entrance, I suggest taking a photo of the sign).
- Public mini buses: 5-10 LE, depending on distance
CONCLUSION
Ain't nothing free, especially in Egypt. There are a lot of nice people in Egypt, but sadly the ones who approach tourists are mostly scumbags. Research the prices of everything and know that any "help" from a someone hanging around or near a tourist site will come at a price, even if you didn't ask for it. Tourists have complained that they were harassed for a tip, because someone "helped" them to cross the busy street in front of the Egyptian Museum. Nowhere is safe. If you look like a tourist, you will be hassled incessantly. I even read a post on Reddit written by guy who was harassed by the same tout for an hour to take a boat ride while he was chillin' by the pool at his hotel.
I tried hard to blend in, but touts have a keen eye for foreigners. I was walking from the Old Cataract Hotel to the Nubian Museum (a five minute walk) with an American man, and a man ran across the street to sell us his tour and taxi. I was leaving a cafe in Luxor and this guy yelled across the street that he was a taxi. I was waiting for a taxi outside of the parking lot of the Luxor Museum, and multiple people bumrushed me to offer their taxi service. One guy walked alongside me to get me to ride his horse. I was walking to a local restaurant in Luxor (a five minute walk) and it was a gauntlet of people trying to sell me boat rides. It was too much. I, as a solo female traveler, get really nervous when men I don't know get into my space. Cairo was much better. People generally didn't bother me while I was walking down the street. This is probably because a lot of foreigners live in Cairo. Therefore, it is harder to differentiate between a tourist and a foreign resident. Aswan and Luxor were overwhelming in terms of me getting harassed by touts.
Despite the plethora of negative tourist experiences on the internet, I've met many tourists who visit Egypt every year. Once travelers get used to how things are in Egypt and meet good locals (there are plenty), they have an easier time avoiding scams and can better navigate the country. As for me, I will come back to Egypt to see some of the sites that I couldn't fit into my schedule. Two weeks is just not enough to see everything. Cairo, especially, has grown on me. It's a noisy, dirty, crowded city with horrible driving, but it has soul and lots of things to do and see.