Health Tips for Egypt Journey

[CRUISERTN]

I have read posts recently where people are expressing a concern about getting sick from eating the food in Egypt. If you take the same precautions you would take in many other countries, you will not have any problem. We were on an overnight tour with Ramses and stayed overnight at the LeMeredien hotel. We were there in November and the weather was very comfortable compared to summer months. It was probably in the high 70's and no one in our party of four got over-heated or sick from the food or in any other way. Ramses also advises their clients about health tips....they sent me the following information, which I thought was very nice to provide to their clients. It read:"Health Tips By RamsesThe only health hazard that you're likely to come across is an upset stomach. The best way to avoid this is to make sure that you only drink bottled water, avoid ice and ice-cream and anything that may have been washed in tap water (salad). All fruit should be peeled before consumption. Milk is unpasteruized and should be boiled. Precautions should also be taken against prickly heat and sunstroke"We took the advice that Ramses gave to us and we were fine. You will have a fabulous time in Egypt!!

[MercedMike]

I have read posts recently where people are expressing a concern about getting sick from eating the food in Egypt. If you take the same precautions you would take in many other countries, you will not have any problem... It read:"Health Tips By RamsesThe only health hazard that you're likely to come across is an upset stomach. The best way to avoid this is to make sure that you only drink bottled water, avoid ice and ice-cream and anything that may have been washed in tap water (salad). All fruit should be peeled before consumption. Milk is unpasteruized and should be boiled. Precautions should also be taken against prickly heat and sunstroke"We took the advice that Ramses gave to us and we were fine. You will have a fabulous time in Egypt!!

 

I agree with this. We did an eight day tour all over Egypt and followed this advice and nobody on our trip had any problems. I would add to the above, carry those little bottles of hand sanitizer and USE THEM CONSTANTLY, and get a little travel roll of Charmin and carry it too. Cleanliness in Egypt, especially in rest rooms, is not what we are used to. Toilet paper may be in short supply. In many rest rooms there will be a guy handing it out for $1 a sheet! But if you sanitize after visiting the rest room, before eating, and before touching your face, it goes a long way. (Actually that is exactly the same advice they give for shipboard use too!)

 

Egypt is amazing! Check out our shore excursion trip report and pictures at http://www.bully4.us/holyland2.html

and our long tour at http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/egyptmain.html

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[CRUISERTN]

Yes, most definitely have the hand sanitizer and wipes with you as well as toilet paper. Egypt is truly amazing....we had the best time!!

[Kerry's Girls]

Outstanding advice! Target has small packages of wipes that kill germs and viruses in the section where travel-sized items are. I kept a package with us at all times and just kept using them. That and following the advice about eating/drinking and we had absolutely no problem in Egypt - even with toddlers who tend to touch everything.

 

Best,

Mia

[TwinsFan]

We used Ramses Tour Company in both Port Said (Cairo) and Alexandria. We read all the cruise ship propaganda about 'a police escort' from Port Said to Cairo and decided to try booking our own tour in order to save a few dollars. Since we were a small party of women, it was important to us to have safe guides. Ramses Tour Company was recommended by other cruisers. Our tour guide (Rasha - also a female) meet us at the port. She took us to our van. We waited for the 'police escort to Cairo' along with the cruise ship buses. But once we got out of the city of Port Said, it was "all men for themselves" The caravan was over. We felt very safe in all of Egypt. During the 1hr plus drive to Cairo our tour guide explained some of the history of Egypt. She later tied that information into our tour of the Egyptian Antiquities Museum. She also talked in very explicit detail about King Tut and the mummification process. It was nice having our own personal translator. She then took us to the Great Pyramids and Sphinx. One of our party was being harassed by a 'salesmen' and our tour guide got the 'salesmen' to leave our group along. Again we appreciated her local 'charm'.

 

We were very glad when Rasha said she was going to meet us in Alexandra the next day. Again we were amazed at the wealth of knowledge she shared about Alexandria. We would have missed so much of Egypt's history if it weren't for Ramses Tours. Well worth every dollar we saved/spent! You won't be disappointed.

[cruiser154]

thanks for great info

[Hydrokitty]

I agree with everything said above and would only add two suggestions:

 

1. bring several disposable face masks (the soft ones not the cone type). The fine, desert sand is in the air and it gave me a terrible hacking cough serious enough that they had to call a doctor to the ship for me.

 

2. Magellans.com has a wonderful and inexpensive "toilet kit" for sale that includes a seat cover, paper and sanitary wipes. I had one in my bag at all times and was very glad.

 

don't obsess about the food. If you're eating in a major hotel or restaurant that your tour guide brings you to you should be ok. Make sure you ask for bottled water and make sure they open it in front of you AND that you hear the little "ssssss" when the cap opens! Don't eat anything you get from a street vender, and at the first sign of gastric distress get a little pill called "antinal" it's formula is "Egypt specific" and will cure the mummy's revenge usually in 24 hours. You don't need a prescription, it's available in every drug store and our tour manager had it in his bag for anyone who needed it.

 

It's a wonderful trip....have a ball and one rule to never forget: NEVER BUY WATER FROM A STREET VENDER!! Drink only water that is sold by a store, hotel, restaurant or your tour manager.

[knuts1]

don't forget about the ice that is put in drinks and water from the tap when brusing your teeth as well.

[Hydrokitty]

don't forget about the ice that is put in drinks and water from the tap when brusing your teeth as well.

 

Yup....and keep your mouth shut when you're in the shower!!!! :)

[Turtles06]

don't forget about the ice that is put in drinks and water from the tap when brusing your teeth as well.

 

Indeed, and I want to pass along a great suggestion about this that I read on another web site. Take something with you (we used a ziplock bag) to put OVER the faucet in your hotel, so that you don't get on "auto pilot" and stick your toothbrush under the tap water without thinking about it, or mindlessly take a drink in the middle of the night. This worked well for us.

[cruisemom42]

Excellent tips. I would just like to add that sometimes there is a little hysteria about food in Egypt. The local water is a major problem, that much is true. And salads and/or uncooked vegetables should be avoided for the same reason (e.g., washed in local water).

 

But cooked foods really are no more of a risk than anywhere else. The same rules apply -- if an item is cooked thoroughly and kept at a proper temperature, there should not be a problem with eating it.

 

If you tend to have a "tender tummy" by all means you should exercise caution. But for a lot of people, there is no reason why you shouldn't try some of the local Egyptian foods without compromising your health. While I was in Egypt on my land trip for two weeks, I very much enjoyed eating great local foods when possible. Yoghurt, honey, fresh-baked flat bread, and fruit for breakfast was delicious. Felafel and fuol (sp?) from local vendors did not cause any problems for anyone in our group. I even tried a camel kebob.

 

So if you do have a hankering to "eat local," you shouldn't worry unnecessarily as long as you are smart about it. I'd much rather have sampled more delicious Egyptian food and eaten a fewer "second rate" Western-style restaurants.

 

Again -- I'm not saying it's for everyone. Some people aren't comfortable trying new things; others know they are sensitive to GI upset and should be extra careful.

 

:)

[California Native]

Since I was one of the posters who started a thread expressing my concerns..

I want to say

I do appreciate that each of you continue to post your experiences

While we are savvy travellers and have blazed trails in countries throughout Europe that Rick Steves doesn't even write about!!!

We thrive when we are out of our "comfort zone"!!!

and yet, I still got severly ill in Turkey that lasted close to 6 weeks (that's 3 weeks after returning home)

One thing that I really want to add about bottled water

You MUST read the back of the label OR have your guide translate it.

If it says magesium added ...AVOID IT!!!

Magnesium is a laxative.

Once again, I do appreciate everyone sharing their experiences and how many of you had no issues...

Maybe once our trip get closer I might feel more comfortable eating in Egypt.

[Maxy Mouse]

Much has been said about iced drinks and tooth brushing. What about swimming? I cannot imagine you could take a few laps without taking in a bit of water? From the photo’s I’ve seen the Meridian has a nice pool. It would be a shame to hold the kid out after a long day of touring. Is it safe?

[souto]

Just returned from Egypt and had an exelent time with Ramses. The guide (Ushama) was fantastic and kindly gave us bottled water and took care of us all the time.

[sixfoot]

Great Thread! I do have a sensitive stomach and will be heading there in May. The excursions I'm looking at do have "lunch at local restaurants", dinner cruise, and hotel breakfast. Should these all be safe? I'm looking at Ramses and the cruise ship excursions.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Turtles06]

Great Thread! I do have a sensitive stomach and will be heading there in May. The excursions I'm looking at do have "lunch at local restaurants", dinner cruise, and hotel breakfast. Should these all be safe? I'm looking at Ramses and the cruise ship excursions.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Don't worry, tour operators will take you to "safe" places, but you must still be careful and follow the advice re what not to eat or drink, including: don't drink the water (except from a sealed bottle that you have unsealed yourself), don't have ice in your beverages, don't have salads and things that have been washed in water, don't have any fruit that you haven't peeled yourself.

 

We were in Egypt last month (overnight Cairo private tour), with two meals in restaurants and one in our hotel. Wherever we ate, we stuck to the cooked meats (the lamb in particular was delicious), rice, breads, desserts, stuff like that, and we were fine.

 

Have a great trip!

[houch]

I have always used the ship's tours, including Turkey, Egypt and none of us has ever become sick and have always been pleased with the tours and enjoyed the food. I know that many on these boards book the private tours and I am not knocking them so please don't take it that way. I just wonder why many have become sick and we never got sick.

[Hydrokitty]

Much has been said about iced drinks and tooth brushing. What about swimming? I cannot imagine you could take a few laps without taking in a bit of water? From the photo’s I’ve seen the Meridian has a nice pool. It would be a shame to hold the kid out after a long day of touring. Is it safe?

 

Only "silly question" is the one you never ask!!! I never thought about the hotel pools, although having a pool in my yard, I would imagine the chlorine kills just about everything. I will say that I've never heard of anyone getting sick after swimming in the hotel pool. I would be cautious about swimming in a public pool though since you wouldn't know what was being done to purify the water.

 

Do try the local foods. Bread was the best I've ever eaten ever !

[sixfoot]

Is it safe to wash my hands with tap water and then immediately follow it with hand sanitizer?

[cruisemom42]

Is it safe to wash my hands with tap water and then immediately follow it with hand sanitizer?

 

I don't see why not, unless you have an open wound (scratch, sore, etc) on your hands.

[Pam]

We are five hours away from leaving Cairo for home, after two and a half weeks of touring (both Egypt and Jordan), sailing down the Nile, etc. We have stayed in 5* hotels, and sailed on a 5* boat. I have brushed my teeth with tap water every single morning, haven't used Purell (washed my hands with soap quite frequently), I'm sure I took in some water when washing my hair in the shower (not a shower person). I did take Immodium two or three times, but that is it. After inquiring, we also enjoyed ice in our drinks in most places.

 

Egypt wants our tourist business, they are going to do everything to keep us safe and happy.

[4774Papa]

I visited Egypt twice while I lived in Saudi Arabia during the 80s. Did Cairo and a Nile cruise in Southern Egypt.

 

Here are my tips (some have been mentioned already on this post).

 

1) only eat at four or five star hotel or really good restaurants. Don't buy food from street vendors (you might get pidgen instead of chicken) or at any restaurants that look slightly seedy or have flys buzzing around.

2) only drink bottled water or bottled beer, leave the ice unless it is at one of this places in #1.

3) only use reputable tour companies or registered taxis. When I first visited Cairo, leaving the airport, the taxi taking me to my hotel in Cairo had to stop at a security check and they took my passport and wrote down my name, where I was going and the taxi driver's name and cab number. Apparently, some tourists were taken to the desert, their valuables taken, and women raped.

4) Egypt is a wonderful place to visit, but stick with first class and reliable companies. There is no place like Egypt, there are soooo many toombs, pyramids, temples, etc. and many are very well preserved.

[cruisemom42]

What foods do we need to avoid as far as not getting sick?

 

Again, it is not the FOODS themselves that will make you sick. It is how they are prepared. So:

 

• Don't eat fresh vegetables or salads that may have been washed (or rinsed) in water.
  
• Don't eat fruit unless you can peel it yourself.
  
• Don't eat foods if you have any reason to suspect that they haven't been kept at proper temperature (e.g., hot foods kept hot, not lukewarm; cold foods kept chilled). This can be a problem at buffets.
  
• Drink and brush your teeth with bottled water only
  

Some have reported problems with dairy items (e.g., ice cream, milk), but this wasn't an issue in our group.

 

Keep in mind that any GI illness can be caused not just by the food you eat but by germs that you pick up on your hands and spread to your mouth. Use hand sanitizer generously.

 

Unless you have a very sensitive stomach or compromised immune system, there is really no reason to have huge fears about eating in Egypt.

[cruisemom42]

Don't buy food from street vendors (you might get pidgen instead of chicken).

 

Nothing wrong with a little pigeon. :D

 

It's unlikely that it would be served deliberately instead of chicken, as pigeon is a desirable food in Egypt. Perhaps you might mistake it for chicken, but I doubt there is any deception involved....

[texancruzer]

Just watch Andrew Zimmern.......pigeon is delicacy in many places.....