4 things you need to know before you visit Egypt in 2023

Some travel advice is perennial: what the local currency and languages are, health considerations, visa and passport requirements, etc. Other information about a destination changes with time. Before we visited Egypt in January 2023, we had questions about several current events that we can now answer with first-hand experience. Here are 4 things to know before you visit Egypt in 2023.

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Egypt’s inflation is out of control in 2023

Much of the world is struggling with inflation in this post-Covid/Russia-Ukraine conflict era. But inflation has hit Egypt particularly hard. In December 2022, inflation was at 21.9%. The Egyptian pound has slid even further since the beginning of 2023. As of this writing, in mid-January 2023, the Egyptian pound lost more than 50% of its value against the US dollar in the past 10 months. 100 Egyptian pounds is currently worth $3.54 US. The price of imported food and other goods is soaring in the Arab world’s most populous country as Egypt’s central bank moves to a more flexible exchange rate.

What does this mean for tourists? Well, a few things. Number one is that times are hard for the Egyptian people, about 30% of whom live under the poverty line. While tourists may find Egyptians to be aggressive with their sales tactics, try to understand that people are simply trying to put food on their tables. Reframing your perspective this way makes it much easier to tolerate what can be an uncomfortable difference in customs.

Second, you might find that using US cash will stretch your travel budget when you visit Egypt in 2023. We typically travel with a stash of emergency US cash and found that some vendors preferred it to Egyptian currency. They were willing to cut us a deal to execute the transaction in US currency. However, this is not a hard and fast rule. Within the same souk in Luxor, we found that some vendors wanted US cash and others did not.

Covid isn’t a thing in Egypt in 2023

One of our guides quite earnestly told us that Covid no longer exists in Egypt. Not in a “we’re past the peak of the wave” kind of way, but in a “it’s miraculously disappeared from the face of the earth” kind of way. You might see a few tourists here and there wearing masks on planes or in crowded attractions, but they are few and far between.

There are not (currently) any Covid-related entry requirements for travelers, and officially-tallied case numbers might remain low, but it’s unrealistic to think there is no Covid in Egypt. This is especially true given that the country draws visitors from around the world, including regions suffering substantial outbreaks.

Having said that, our first-hand experience did not seem to indicate a lot of Covid in Egypt. We didn’t see noticeably sick locals or travelers on our trip (though we were prepared to mask up if we had).

For us, as Canadians, it was nice to get away to a warm and sunny locale amid our winter. Canada’s Covid numbers always shoot up after the Christmas holidays as people gather to celebrate indoors. It felt safer being in Egypt, where most tourist attractions are in the arid outdoors with plenty of fresh air (save for a few stuffy tombs). Nevertheless, expect virus to be circulating when you visit Egypt in 2023, and take the appropriate precautions depending on your personal risk tolerance.

Photography policies in Egypt are constantly changing and inconsistently enforced

If you are a traveler who uses anything more than a cell phone to document their travels, you’ll want to be aware of this. Egyptian officials have serious concerns about the use of professional-looking photo and video gear in their country. And the more gear you bring, the larger the hassle you can expect.

In mid-2022, to combat a rising number of complaints by social media personalities who have had camera equipment confiscated in Egypt, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced that amateur street photography in public spaces for personal use is now allowed. The problem is that this official position is not enforced consistently at sites across the country.

Up until that point, using a professional-looking camera such as a DSLR at several tourist sites (including the Pyramids of Giza and Valley of the Kings) required the purchase of a special photography ticket. Visitors were allowed to use cell phone cameras for free but needed to show a photography ticket to use any additional equipment. The cost of these photography tickets was several times higher than the price of admission to the site. And occasionally, even with the option of the photography ticket being available, certain camera equipment was still banned from the location.

Photography rules in Egypt in 2023

That rule has since been relaxed, and photography tickets are no longer required, but enforcement varies. We visited in January 2023. I was not allowed to use an 8″ tall gimbal at the Egyptian Museum, the Pyramids of Giza, or the Valley of the Kings. I was, however, allowed to use the video camera that I had mounted to it on its own. I’d heard that microphones still caused a lot of angst for officials. However, I was able to use a lavalier-sized microphone and dead cat on the camera without issue.

There are still a few absolute no-nos. First off, drones are not permitted in Egypt. You need to receive permission from the country’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to bring a drone to Egypt and fly it. If you do not have documentation of authorization, your drone will be confiscated at customs. And authorization is not typically granted to leisure travelers.

Secondly, under no circumstances should you take any photo or video images of any type of police or military infrastructure. Nor should you photograph any installation that has strategic importance – for example, the High Dam in Aswan. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities also criminalized taking “photographs of scenes that can, in one way or another, damage the country’s image.” While this is a vague description of an infraction, punishment for violating the rule can include imprisonment. Err on the side of caution.

The Grand Egyptian Museum is coming. Someday.

The Egyptian Museum in Cairo is currently one of the best places to go see Egyptian artifacts. This includes the Tutankhamun tomb treasures. But a new museum is coming. The Grand Egyptian Museum has been under construction since 2002. It will eventually become the largest archaeological museum in the world. It will house artifacts including the complete Tutankhamun collection – much of which has never been displayed before.

The catch is that nobody knows when the GEM will open. It’s been delayed countless times, even as the Egyptian Museum has slowly been emptied of some of its artifacts as they are transferred to the GEM.

The Tutankhamun treasures will be the last items transferred from the Egyptian Museum to the GEM immediately before it opens. The rest of the Egyptian Museum’s collections will remain in place and on display at that location. The other items that will be displayed at the GEM are coming from other places. This includes the solar boats of Khufu, the staircase of Kings, and the obelisks.

Is the Egyptian Museum still worth visiting in 2023?

What does this mean for your visit? If you are in Cairo before the GEM opens, rest assured that there is plenty to see at the Egyptian Museum and it is well worth a visit. The Tutankhamun gallery still contains the solid gold funerary mask, sarcophagus, and many other treasures from his tomb. The new museum has a sleek and modern profile and promises to include new technologies such as virtual reality. But we truthfully really enjoyed the dusty, old-school Indiana Jones vibe of the Egyptian Museum.

If you visit Egypt in 2023 after the GEM opens, you will be able to see the Tutankhamun collection (among other things) at the new location. But you will also have the option to visit the old Egyptian Museum to see its other collections.

In conclusion…

Current events are constantly evolving. This list is not a comprehensive guide to the current situation in Egypt. But it does address some of the key questions we had before our trip. It provides first-hand information that should be of interest to travelers who visit Egypt in 2023. What do you think – have you visited Egypt recently? Are there any other current issues that travelers should be aware of? Let us know in the comments below.

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