Northern Africa · Capital Cairo
Each opens that government's own advisory for Egypt — the authoritative version, updated far faster than this page.
Egypt's tourist corridor — Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, the Red Sea resorts — is heavily policed and sees very little violent crime against visitors. The constant is commercial pressure: relentless, skilled and exhausting.
Security restrictions are geographic and firm. North Sinai carries do-not-travel advice from every major government, and the western desert near the Libyan border is closed to independent travel.
Each region is coloured by the advice that applies to most of it, drawn by hand from the wording of all five government advisories. Numbered markers flag localised warnings — usually a border strip or remote interior — that cover only a small part of an otherwise lower-risk region.
This map reads stronger than the world map's colour, and both are right. The world map shades Egypt by its Atlas Risk Score — 47, Moderate — which blends government advice with crime, health, roads and natural hazards. This map shows the advice alone, and the strongest level anywhere in Egypt is “do not travel”.
A numbered marker warns about the small area described in its note — the rest of that region carries the base advice. Mapped by hand from the official wording in July 2026; always check the current advisory before you book.
Each pillar is scored 0–100 against every other country. Longer bar = more risk.
Biggest factor here: conflict & terrorism. Armed conflict, political violence and terrorism exposure.
The things worth knowing before you land.
Average daytime high and nightly low for Cairo, over 2010-2019. Bars are rainfall; the colour band is how hot the days get.
Mildest and driest around October to April.
Patterns reported repeatedly by travellers and local police. None of this is about individual businesses — it's about set-ups you can learn to spot in seconds.
A ride is offered cheaply or as included with your ticket. Once you are on the animal and away from the entrance, a much larger sum is demanded to be brought back down.
How to avoid it: Agree the total, in writing on your phone, including the return, before mounting. Better: walk. The site is walkable and there is an official ticket-only entrance.
Sources Egypt Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities r/Egypt scam threads
A man in plain clothes, sometimes a site guard, unhooks a rope or points out a detail, then demands a substantial tip. Some open restricted areas and then threaten to report you.
How to avoid it: Decline all unsolicited guidance. Licensed Egyptian guides carry a Ministry of Tourism badge and are booked in advance.
Sources Egyptian Tourism Authority
A driver or guide includes an unrequested visit to a workshop that pays commission. Prices are many times the market rate and the papyrus is usually banana leaf.
How to avoid it: State before departure that the itinerary includes no shops. If you are taken anyway, do not buy.
Meters are refused, or a 200-pound note you handed over is replaced with a 20 and more money demanded.
How to avoid it: Use ride-hailing apps, which work well in Cairo and remove the argument. If paying cash, hand over exact change.
Specific places that come up again and again — either in government advisories or in traveller reports. Everywhere else in Egypt is not automatically fine, but these are the areas worth a plan.
Do-not-travel advice from all major governments. Entirely separate from the South Sinai resorts.
Closed military zone; independent travel is not permitted.
Long desert transfers at speed, often at night. Egypt's road death rate is several times European levels.
At the Pyramids, Luxor temples and Khan el-Khalili you will be approached continuously. The techniques that work: do not stop walking, do not accept anything placed in your hand, do not answer 'where are you from', and use a firm 'la shukran' without breaking stride.
Anything described as a gift will have a price attached later. This includes headscarves wrapped on you, camel rides that start free, and someone photographing you with your own camera.
Do not drink tap water anywhere in Egypt, including for teeth. Travellers' diarrhoea is near-universal on longer trips; pack oral rehydration salts. Nile cruise buffets left standing are a common source.
Vaccinations, malaria and outbreaks. This atlas does not give medical advice — it is personal, it changes, and it is the one thing worth getting from a doctor. Both national services publish current advice for Egypt:
Check the official advisory before you book. This page reflects data as of August 2026. Advisories change without warning, and only your own government's advice affects your travel insurance.