Luxor & the single woman

gallygirl

Am probably having a week away start of August and can do Luxor for £400, staying at Le Meridien or Isis, I know both are excellent, and is cheaper than Spanin etc so no brainer!

I know will be incredibly hot - but managed Dubai in July before so will be ok.:cool:

Am just worried about single woman thing - any experiences anyone? Have been to Luxor years ago & loved it but with ex then.

Also - anyone know cost of meals - trying to save money but want to eat somewhere nice!

Cheers y'all.

Eliza252

Hi, I went to Egypt (and Luxor) as an independent traveller a few years ago. Myself and my friend (both female) found that we did attract alot of attention as women, - had alot of comments made, people coming up to us in the street, my friend was groped in a market place as well. We were totally covered up - long loose clothing etc etc. Didnt seem to make a difference. It was annoying and it got very tiring at times.
I would go and be aware of this - but dont let it spoil your trip, I absolutely loved Egypt and would go back there in a second - most of the people we actually met and talked too were lovely, very friendly and helpful, for example we took a trip in a felucca (egyptain boat) down the nile with a local crew on board and felt totally safe - it was just with strangers in public that we found we had a real problem.
You will attract attention, but if you want to keep it at a minimum one tip is too wear sunglasses - something to do with avoiding eye contact. I would wear conservative clothing out of respect although to be honest it didnt think it made that much difference in terms of heckling! The one time we were never ever approached was when a male egyptian tour guide showed us around a bit of Cairo, I dont usually use tour guides when I traval but I found that in Egypt they were totally invaluable - there are tour guides which are trained by the egyptian tourist board who are a wealth of knowledge about all the sites - plus i think its a great initiative because they are local people so the money stays local.
Anyway - you may know all this stuff already - but thought I would just post my experiences

forgot to say local food is ridiculously cheap - we ate local all the time (you can get a meal for 20p) and although I did get a really bad stomach upset at one point it was ironically from a tourist restraunt - ps. I know you've been there before but if you didnt go to any of the patisseries you HAVE to go - sweet tooth heaven!

SallyD

I went on a bog standard Nile Cruise on my own. The tour group was led by an Egyptian Government Guide. Eliza 252 is quite right in saying how wonderful these guides are - a wealth of local knowledge and history. I kept covered up and found I did not attract as much attention as those in skimpy tops and shorts which suited me just fine. Too much attention can be really troublesome. I felt quite comfortable walking around Luxor on my own and did not encounter any uneasiness there. I loved Egypt so much that I returned and stayed a month. I travelled with Explore and toured around. Sometimes staying in Guest Houses,hostels and even sleeping out in the desert. The government makes it very difficult for independent travellers to freely travel about within Egypt. If you are happy to stay within Luxor fine but if you want to get about a bit I would urge you to look at the tours on offer by companies such as Explore. Their motto is "with Explore you see more" and you certainly do. I feel you would be missing out if you did not go up the Nile , a cruise takes in wonderful sights and is truly a magnificent experience.Enjoy this facinating country.

pin

Watch Le Meridien or Isis don't hit you with a single supplement (unless you already know about if they do).