What to Pack

[ruecatt]

I will be going to Egypt in the beginning of May. Any advice on what to pack? :)

[Moonglow]

If you want to know what to pack as far as the temperature is concerned, I would check Weather.com just before you leave for the ten day forecast. If you are going to Luxor or Aswan, it will be much hotter than Cairo. Bring a hat! If you are asking about what type of clothes to bring, stay on the conservative side. Long pants or long skirts and I would keep shoulders covered. No shorts or tank tops. That's for women. For men I don't think it matters too much what they wear. However Egyptians don't wear shorts. This Fall on our trip to Egypt, I noticed more women wearing head scarves and long sleeved shirts under their fashing tops. I don't know if this a fashion statement or a more conservative outlook. Anyway, being more covered up will help with the sun.

 

Carol

[cruisemom42]

It will be hot in May, so I'd suggest loose-fitting lightweight capri pants or loose, long skirts (like the broomstick skirts) for most days. A t-shirt with short sleeves and modest neckline is generally fine, although I often would layer a gauzy shirt with longer sleeves over the t-shirt if we were somewhere in a city (as opposed to in the desert or visiting tombs or temples...)

 

As the other poster said, I wouldn't wear shorts, and definitely pack a hat. The sun is quite strong even in the mornings when it may not feel that hot.

 

Keep a scarf handy in case you visit any mosques that require you to cover your hair; although most mosques that travelers visit do not require it. You WILL have to take off your shoes. I took along a clean pair of socks each day to put on if I had to do this.

 

Egypt (particularly Cairo) is definitely becoming more conservative. You will get some stares if you are showing a lot of skin.

[ruecatt]

Thanks for the tips. I am planning to go through my cloths today to see what I have to wear. I will go by the store and see if I can find a head scarf just in case I need it.

[capecodder2]

You can buy light cotton headscarfs in Egypt for very little and it can be a little souvenier as well. They are also very comfortable.

BTW, to make it clear, men should not wear shorts either, Egyptians are really quite conservative. I tried to get my husband to wear the local men's galibeyah(?), but no way. Looks like it would be cool and, personally, I find skirts cooler than pants. Ah well, next time.

[lambs2]

I bought a lovely pashima on the ship that I could use as a headscarf or a light wrap at night on the deck. PERFECT!

[ruecatt]

A pashima is a great idea. Iam going to look into getting one Thanks

[gerena]

The only place where I wore a scarf was in Job's tomb in Oman. We also had to take off our shoes and I had taken socks with me as a previous CC member has suggested, but forgot them in the car! The scarf can just be a simple nylon one you can put in a pocket---nothing special. It's on for such a short period of time.

 

There may be some places, depending on your tour in Egypt that would require head covering such as a mosque, but we did not go into any of those.

 

I checked with Nile Blue, our tour guide for both Luxor and Cairo. I knew it would be hot this last May. I am always concerned about dress so as not to be an "ugly American" and to respect the people of the country we visit. I particularly asked what appropriate dress was and they said that shorts were fine. I wore conservative shorts as did my husband. The places we visited were more had mostly tourists.