I'm a young American woman and I'm wondering if anyone can tell me how safe it is to travel solo in Egypt. I'd be in Cairo, Alexandria, and out to see the pyramids.

I appreciate any advice!

As far as pure safety goes, I don't think you'd be in any more real danger than traveling with a partner. Pretty much everywhere you go there will be other foreigners around, so you can blend in in most situations, or pretend you're with someone who's just run ahead. Tourism in Egypt is tightly controlled, so it is difficult to get off the beaten track, which has both ups and downs - it does provide the safety of the crowd, but it also means that the worst elements of Egyptian society congregate in a very small number of areas - the ones that tourists are herded to.

Egypt is famous (with good reason) for having lewd and aggressive men making foreigners uncomfortable - even when they're traveling with a husband or boyfriend - and being alone will definitely increase your exposure to that sort of behavior. So end result...I don't think it's strictly speaking a danger thing, but I wouldn't personally recommend such a trip.

I will be travelling from Israel to Egypt in late May. When are you going? Perhaps you'd like to go together???

I'm also a solo woman and am a little worried.

Let me know on here or email me at jrubin@alumni.sfu.ca.

Cheers,
Julie.

There's some more discussion of women travelling solo in Egypt over on this thread.

THanks! I'll check it out.

In a nutshell, Egypt is as safe if not safer for single female travellers than most countries in the world, but you will receive a lot of unwanted attention.

There are some simple precautions you can take to help minimise the hassle, though it's debateable how effective they are.

Firstly, wear a "wedding ring". Tell people you are travelling with your husband (who happens to be very big and possessive, and just happens to be off at that shop, over there). Unmarried western women are perceived as having looser morals than married ones, especially if travelling alone. Besides, the prevailing view here is that a wife is the husband's property; hopefully, you think twice before messing with someone else's property. You will certainly meet other travellers along the way. A male escort can make a big difference at some sites.

Secondly, dress as conservatively as you feel comfortable. There is certainly no need to cover your hair, except in mosques. Ironically, a headscarf might actually draw even more attention to you. If you have blonde or red hair, however, covering it with a hat might be sensible. You should, however, cover your shoulders and ideally wear long sleeves. Same goes for the bottom half: definitely cover your knees; down to the ankles is better. This may seem like a pain in a hot country, but provided the clothes are loose, it will actually keep you cooler as well as protecting you from the sun. Also, it's sensible to avoid wearing tight clothing, no low cut tops, etc. None of this will necessarily prevent the hassle, but it will mean you are a less visually interesting target. Apply these rules even at touristy sites, where many people say you can wear what you want. Sure, the locals in touristy areas are used to provocatively (in their view) dressed foreigners, but this is just as much about making your life easier, as it is respecting the local culture.

Thirdly, be careful how you interact with men. Crazy as it may sound, try to avoid too much eye contact, smiling, or even being too friendly. Definitely no touching, even if you are normally a very tactile person. This can all be (willingly) interpreted in an entirely inappropriate way. The best approach is polite, but slightly aloof. In taxis, sit in the back seat, not next to the driver.

Finally, and related to the above point, is general body language. Act confident and independent, don't come across as needy in any way, and people will have less chance to latch on to you.

How to deal with any hassle is up to you. Personally, I would recommend ignoring any lewd comments or gestures in the street - treat them with the contempt they deserve. Physical touching of any kind, however, should be discouraged. If you are in public, shout and make a scene. 99 times out of 100, people will come to your rescue, and the person bothering you will slope off shamefaced. Hopefully, he will have learned his lesson. Incidentally, don't expect any unsolicited help from the police, who often take a very laissez faire approach. A useful, easily remembered Arabic word to shout if you are being physically hassled is "haram", or "haram a leek". This translates loosely as forbidden, or shame on you, and should get you the desired assistance.

Having said all this, as a previous poster said, Egypt is famous for its sexism, and sometimes nothing you do will prevent it. It's part of the game here; don't let it spoil your enjoyment of an amazing country, with generally very friendly and helpful people.

In case you are wondering, no I am not female! I did, however, lead tours around Egypt for two years, so have seen all the hassle here in its many forms. I could always predict which women on my tours would get the most hassle and attention - at the end of the day, much of it does come down to how you carry and conduct yourself, and how you do deal with low grade hassle if (or when) it does arise.

Incidentally, you mentioned you are going to Cairo. If you haven't already, it's not a bad idea to check out the interactive Cairo trip planning site NileGuide for some great ideas on what to see and do, and where to eat and stay. Cairo doesn't tend to be too bad for hassle, compared to more concentrated tourist hot spots such as Luxor and Aswan. You didn't say when you are travelling I don't think. Just in case, be warned that Alexandria in the summer can be a nightmare for lone females: much of Egypt holidays there, and you get the normal kids away from home mentality. If you are planning to go to Alex in the summer, I'd strongly suggest taking a male companion if you can.

Sorry for the long post; I hope it's been of help. Egypt is a wonderful country, and I'm sure that knowing what to expect will help you to have a wonderful time. Enjoy!

I traveled alone in Egypt for 2 weeks, and I had the time of my life! I took buses, trains, metros, and cabs by myself. I guess I was never really alone because there were so many tourists everywhere. Avoid physical contact, smiling back, cigarette smoking (a sign of being loose), and cabs. Have a sense of humor. I wore a hat and sunglasses at all times in Cairo just because the sun was so strong. Most locals don't wear sunglasses for some reason, so it's not like sunglasses help you blend in. The only time I felt really awkward was on a 10-hour bus ride, where I was the only female/foreigner. They left the seat next me empty even though the bus was packed... so that was nice.

I did learn how to say, "Shame on you!" in Arabic. I made a scene once when a cab driver was blatantly scamming me. A young guy came over, talked it over with the driver, and paid him before I could protest. I was like, oh crap, he's now going to expect something out of me. But he didn't. He just gave me his phone number in case I need help with anything else, and I never saw him again.

hullo! I was in Egypt for a month and never had a problem at all. Sojanet had some great suggestions, the most important was to have a sense of humor! It doesnt matter where in the world you are, what sex, nationality, or religion...the thing to remember is that you get what you give. If you are constantly worried and expecting the worst then that is what you will experience...but if you have an open mind, a sense of humor, and a respect for other cultures, well...youll have the time of your life in Egypt, and anywhere! For example...alot of people, both women and men, find Islamic Cairo and the markets to be overwhelming with the sales pitches and the whole "market" mentality of sell sell sell! But even though I was a woman alone, I just went with a big smile, a friendly mentality, and alot of laughter, and ended up making wonderful friends with those in the market, sharing mint tea with people who were, sure, trying to sell me something, but really didnt care if they actually MADE the sale so long as they had some good conversation and could try out some of the jokes in english theyd been practicing, most which had me in tears with laughter. Just enjoy yourself, and remember, no matter the culture, people are people, and friendly smiles and laughter are a universal language!

i travelled in egypt alone for a week, never had any problems. i took public transportation everywhere, even those crazy shared taxis in alexandria.
if you need to find water, bathroom, anything, ask the women around- everyone was super friendly!
the earlier posts are right about receiving male attention even from the hostel staff. just learn to ignore the comments on the streets and avoid physical contact, even eye contact.

Two things I would like to add to this discussion. One is a disadvantage and the other is an advantage:

1) Disadvantage of being a woman: When I wore pants, men would touch my backside. This never happened when I wore dresses.
2) Advantage of being a woman: Sometimes there is a separate much shorter line to buy train tickets "the women's line". The only issue is that they only speak Arabic in that line. However, I used this once to buy train tickets in a hurry - a very nice man taught me how to say "two" and "Alexandria" in Arabic so it worked great. (By the way, you can buy tickets for men in this line, but only women can stand in the line and buy tickets.)

Thanks, this is all really good advice! I've always wondered about travelling alone in countries like this. I think people tend to think places like Egypt are super dangerous for women travelling alone, but I think many of the users are right in saying that you will constantly be surrounded by other tourists, so there shouldn't be any trouble in that sense. You have to know how to ward of hagglers and move on from all the hassle, but that you would have to do whether you were alone or travelling in a group.