10 Tourist Traps You Need to Avoid in Egypt

Egypt is an excellent ancient getaway that is attractive all year round and you will have a wonderful time whenever you go. However, like most tourist destinations, there are countless tourist traps and scams in Egypt.

Some of the tricks are quite direct and involve shortchanging guests while the rest of them are more intricate — for example, people act like dependable practitioners and sell their services or souvenirs at skyrocketed rates.

With this guide, we are trying to offer you the best possible experience in Egypt by showing you how to recognize and avoid the most common tourist traps that you may encounter during your trip to Egypt.

1. Hire a Bad Guide

One of the top traps in Egypt is that the local people will tell you that you need a guide while traveling to famous attractions, such as the pyramids and museums.

This is partly true as travelers can easily miss the key information, such as the stories behind the pyramids, how they were built, and some unofficial history. However, you can visit them on your own if you are not that interested in knowing all of the information or if you have already done a lot of homework beforehand.

What's more, it is believed that most of the people shouting at you in front of the attractions may not be licensed at all. They could tell you incorrect information that they have heard in their neighborhood or simply make it up for you.

Don't expect them to be satisfied with the agreed payment if you hire any of them. A common ploy is to increase their fee by asking for tips and telling you how hard they have worked. If you do need a guide, try to hire one in advance through official channels (such as TripAdvisor, the official website of any reliable travel company, or at your hotel), check their license, and sign a contract. Or you can contact us to tailor make your trip in advance for a worry-free booking.

Get to know more information about planning a trip to Egypt for a hassle-free experience>>>

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2. Meet Unofficial Personnel When Visiting the Pyramids

Your trip to Egypt would be incomplete without visiting the Giza pyramid complex; however, you should ignore the people at the gate and inside the complex as they always try to convince people to hire a guide if they don't already have one. They will keep walking with you even if you say no to them and will provide you with "tips", asking for money once you follow any of these tips.

One of the most common tips is that you shouldn't enter through the official entrance but go through a side door instead to save time. Do not do this because you will be charged for an expensive service and may possibly receive a fine.

A good way to protect yourself is not to talk to any strangers and try not to make any eye contact with these people. This will prevent you from encountering any problems. Go and find the tourist police at the pyramids if you encounter any issues caused by the fake guides.

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3. Ride Camels: You Don't Have To

One of the tips offered by the "guides" at the pyramids is that walking is not allowed inside and visitors have to ride a horse or camel there. That is not true. You can walk, ride a horse or other animal, or take a private van there. If you are visiting the complex with a group, you should probably ride in a bus instead.

The cost for a horse or camel ride can be expensive if you book it with the people you meet on your tour. Try to prearrange it or ask your private guide to assist you with booking a ride — it will save you time and money.

For camel rides at other places, the locals may ask for tips after the ride. Be aware of this and make your own decision according to the quality of service that you have received.

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4. Visit "Museums"

Almost every site has a museum in Egypt due to the country's long history but be aware that some of the "museums" may just be shops. For example, be careful when someone introduces you to perfume museums, papyrus museums, or museums relating to any type of jewelry or carpet. They probably just want you to buy the overpriced items on display.

Google the name of each attraction on your list if you are not sure exactly what it is.

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5. Take Photos

Of course, most of the locals in Egypt are friendly and kind to visitors. However, sometimes there are people who will ask you to take a photo of them and then ask for money because they have been your model.

In other cases, people may lead you to a perfect location for a photo and teach you some poses. They may ask for a tip after you have had your photo taken. This is acceptable to some travelers but you can refuse them politely and do not follow them if you don't need this kind of service.

Some of the attractions sell tickets to allow you to take your camera inside (for example, the Egyptian Museum in Cairo). You can purchase this kind of ticket if you plan to take your professional camera (a DSLR, for example) with you and take photos with it. Make sure you follow the rules of each attraction as some of the temples, museums, and pyramids do not allow photos inside.

6. Take a Fake Taxi

Be aware of fake taxis when you are in Egypt as there are a lot of people driving personal vehicles who pretend to be taxi drivers and usually want to charge you more.

For your information, all licensed taxis in Egypt have orange license plates and the starting price for a taxi in Cairo is about 7 EGP. After that, it's 3 EGP for every kilometer and if you ask the driver to wait, the cost is 20 EGP per hour.

You can negotiate the price if the taxi driver doesn't want to use the meter. Only get in the taxi after you have confirmed the price.

You can use Uber for a more accurate rate and a reliable driver.

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7. Purchase Souvenirs: Beware Pressure Salesmanship

When shopping for souvenirs, some of the vendors may ask for your name and other information. They may write it down on something, such as a papyrus roll or in hieroglyphs, and then give it to you as a present. Then you will have to make some purchases or you might feel guilty if you don't.

What's more, they may tell you that they will be moving away soon or that there will be a wedding for their family members and that they will be offended if you don't spend any money there.

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8. Pay Cash

When making purchases, the vendors may ask you to change your coins into bills or vice versa. This can sometimes cause problems, such as being given fake money or the wrong amount. This is simply a waste of your time as this should be done at a bank instead of at the markets.

You may also be asked to pay in a foreign currency, such as USD, EUR, or GBP, for a souvenir or service. This is not necessary because Egyptian pounds are the only legal local currency in Egypt unless clearly stated otherwise in writing. This often means you can pay less in EGP.

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9. Be Invited

A friendly and hospitable Egyptian may invite you to a family party or event. In most cases, this is a genuine and sincere gesture but some poor travelers have been robbed or sexually assaulted.

We are not saying that these invitations are completely untrustworthy or to always assume the worst but you should never take the risk when traveling.

10. Order Food

Ordering food in restaurants is not like it is in the markets where you can cut almost 50% off of the total price given on the label. There is normally no bargaining at the restaurants in Egypt.

When ordering food, you'd better take a photo of the menu as well as the food that is served. There have been some complaints on TripAdvisor that people have received different dishes to the ones they ordered, which were much cheaper, and they couldn't make themselves understood because of the language barrier.

Emergency/Distress Hotline

There are tourist police at most of the main attractions, such as the pyramids, Egyptian museums, and temples. Most of them can speak English so you can go to them for help if you find yourself being the victim of a scam. You can also dial 126 for the tourist police (and 122 for the emergency police). Don't worry about the language barrier as there are interpreters on hand to translate calls.

We, at Global Highlights, would be remiss if we did not take the time to mention that the majority of Egyptian people are honest, hardworking people who do not seek to exploit tourists. There is a saying that "One shouldn't have the heart to harm others but must be vigilant so as not to be harmed". You should be aware of the possible scams when traveling — all we want is for you to have an enjoyable vacation that is completely worry-free.