Yearning For The Pyramids: Is A Vacation In Egypt Safe?

Fascinating Egypt has so much to offer the tourists, most particularly the spectacular Great Pyramid of Giza, The Great Sphinx and the fascinating Temple of Luxor. Can you now safely take a vacation in Egypt, or is it still a risk?

The enchanting North African/Middle Eastern country has been through a period of strife, what with the so-called Arab Spring back in 2011 and all the troubles that went with it. The country relies so much on tourism that with the situation over the last couple of years, they have lost a lot of money with few people even considering a vacation in Egypt.

However, with the changes in leadership, followed by the sentencing to death of former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, travel authorities and hoteliers in the country are saying it is once again a safe destination for a vacation in Egypt.

The Huffington Post decided to do a little investigation into whether this is actually true and whether people can once again start booking a trip to visit all the fascinating monuments and attractions in the historic country.

Apparently under the rule of the new President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who has been in office for one year as at this month, things do appear to be looking up for tourism and many countries are now downgrading their alerts.

A Cairo travel guide named Mohamed recently told The Washington Post, that over the last few years, they have had nothing and now need everything. He said that the tourism situation is “getting better as people start seeing hope.” Reportedly Andrea Sachs of The Washington Post ran a poll among experts and Egyptian travel companies to find out if it really is safe for Americans to go on vacation in Egypt these days.

“They all told me that the country was safe and stable. Calm had been restored. It was time for Americans to return.”

Sachs visited Egypt and found things to be safe and reasonably normal, but at the same time, analysts are warning that Egypt could still be considered an unsafe destination as the country is still experiencing terror attacks.

What is highly recommended when taking a vacation in Egypt is to do so via an experienced and accredited tour operator – in other words don’t go it alone. Tour operators offer some of the best options, including tours of the various monuments and attractions, as well as excellent hotel accommodation. Your safety and security is utmost and you get to see all the most important sights of this fascinating country.

Egypt offers the most fascinating sights, with the third most UNESCO World Heritage sites in all of Africa, including six cultural and one natural site.

On top of those, a vacation in Egypt can allow you to experience all the wonders of the city of Cairo and even one of the best beach destinations in Sharm el Sheikh. The latter is virtually tourist-built as according to statistics 86 percent of the housing in that area is made up of hotels. Not to forget the chance to take a leisurely cruise down the River Nile in style.

So for anyone longing for a vacation in Egypt, things are definitely looking up – just do it the right way. Book through an accredited tour company and don’t take any chances on your own and you will experience the vacation of a lifetime.

In the meantime, take a brief four minute tour of the sights in the video below.

[Images: Giza Pyramids & Sphinx CC by 2.0 Sam Valadi – Temple of Luxor CC BY-NC 2.0 Ashleigh – Nile River Cruise CC BY-SA 2.0 Dennis Jarvis]