If you picture an Egyptian vacation in your mind, chances are you are imagining something hot and sunny. Most of us have never been to Egypt during winter months and nor have we ever seen pictures of the country looking anything other than sweltering and hot. Once you’ve made up your mind to visit this country with thousands of years of history and culture, you can book your trip with professional Egyptologists from Inside Egypt.
In reality, it does not actually get all that cold in Egypt during winter in the daytime. The nights might take you by surprise when the temperature dips below freezing, but the sun still shines during the day and rain is still almost unheard of. For all the development that is happened on Egypt’s land, it is still a desert country and rain is no more likely to fall on it now than it was three thousand years ago during its days of Empire.
Hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world visit Egypt every year for vacations and thousands more would love to come, but are put off by the idea of the baking desert and the unrelenting heat. They would love to see the pyramids and the sphinx with their own eyes, however they do not believe that the discomfort is worth it. In fact, the closest they ever get to seeing Egypt’s legendary attractions is either when they are on television or at online slots websites such as DoveCasino.com. We suppose that a big win at a popular Egyptian-themed online slots game like ‘Tutankhamun’ or ‘Legend of Cleopatra’ is one way to experience Egypt’s riches, but even the biggest online slots win in history cannot compare to seeing, hearing, and feeling the real Egypt with all of your senses. If you are one of those who have always been put off by the heat, visiting Egypt in winter might be the best way to go about it. Not only that, it is often a lot cheaper than trying to do so during the summer months!
Egypt is ready, willing, and able to welcome winter visitors, but there are just a few things you should know before you go, and here they all are:
Do Not Drink The Water
Whether it is the middle of winter or the middle of summer, Egypt will be hot during the day. You will get thirsty when you are out walking and you might want a cold drink when you get back to your accommodation or visit a bar after a busy day of touring. If you do, go for bottled water, and always say no to ice cubes. The Egyptian natives will try to tell you that drinking water from the Nile brings good luck, but your doctor would not agree with that perspective. It is true that the Nile provides most of Egypt’s water and it is also true that the Nile is horrendously polluted. While Egyptian stomachs and immune systems might have evolved to cope with the water, Western bodies certainly have not. If you drink tap water or have ice in your drink, you run the risk of getting ill and ruining your vacation.
Brace Yourself For Floods
Although, the hot weather is more manageable in the winter than it is during the summer, the winter brings weather problems of its own in the shape of storms and floods. We have mentioned that the rain rarely falls in Egypt, but the problem is that when it does, the infrastructure cannot cope with it and a year’s worth of it falls in the space of a few hours. Being caught in an Egyptian flood would be a very bad thing indeed and could totally spoil your travel plans. The good news is that the floods tend to be predictable and only certain areas are classed as flood risks. Where possible, avoid staying in or traveling through areas that have a history of flash floods.
Houseboat Cruises Are More Dynamic
Unless you are prepared to pay massively over the odds, getting a place on a houseboat cruise is out of the question during the summer months. During winter, spaces begin to open up. This may be our personal bias, but we think a houseboat cruise is the best way to see Egypt. The problem with staying in Cairo is that you will likely want to see Luxor or Sharm-El-Sheikh, and both are a long way away. You might even need to get on an internal flight to see all three destinations. A houseboat cruise solves that problem, because your accommodation moves with you as you tour the country. If you do a little searching online, you can even find deals that include all food costs, which gives you one less thing to worry about when you are there.
Bring At Least One Jacket
If you were going to Egypt during the summer, we would not recommend packing a single coat or jacket. We would even consider a thick shirt or a sweater to be a step too far — all you would need would be cotton shirts and lightweights shorts and trousers, plus some pool wear for when you are at the hotel. In winter, that picture changes a little. You will still need a summer wardrobe compared to what you would wear during winter months at home, but you will also want to bring along at least one solid, dependable warm jacket. When the sun goes down, the sudden drop in temperature can catch you by surprise and remind you that no matter where you are in the world, you are still experiencing winter.
Double Check Every Destination And Attraction
In the Western world, a lack of daylight hours does not usually affect the opening hours of an attraction. If somewhere is open from 9AM – 9PM, it will likely remain open between those hours no matter what time of year it is, and how much or little sunlight there is. That is not always the case in Egypt. Some places close earlier than they do at other times of the year. Others open later. A lot of tours will only operate during daylight hours, giving you less time to see and do the things you want to see and do. It will also likely leave you needing to make your own plans for entertainment during the evenings, which is something else to bear in mind. It is not all doom and (literally) gloom, though at the Great Pyramid you will often find a laser light show that is only available during the dark of night. Check before you set off every time, but what you find might surprise you.
Other than that, the usual rules of travel apply. Keep an open mind, keep a smile on your face, and enjoy the experience. Egypt is a beautiful part of the world at any time of year, so travel hopefully and be glad that you are there!
