Backpacking in Egypt - Off the Beaten Path in Luxor?!?

Egypt is almost a cliche as far as tourist destinations go. Tourism isn't exactly a new thing here. It's been going on since at least the Greek and Roman empires.

Alexander the Great came for a visit, as did Julius Cesar and later Mark Antony followed in his footsteps (so to speak). But tourism comes with a price. Its almost as though the term "tourist trap" was invented in Egypt. There are a lot of tourists here.

Despite all that Egypt isn't much of a backpacker destination. Its one of those places even hardened budget travelers seem to avoid or organise some sort of package tour. Even though there are a lot of tourists personally I recommend Egypt highly as a budget travel and backpacking destination and oddly enough somewhere that its easy to "get off the beaten path" (just to throw in yet another cliche).

What about all the "Hassle" - Luxor

One of the things I hear about Egypt, and saw first hand was the "hassle" that goes with some places in Egypt. Picture this: a big floating cruise boat docks on the Nile in Luxor. It is one of about twenty in port that day. The tourists are moved en mass to attraction #1 - the Temple of Luxor where they get to follow a guide with a flag around the gated complex. After that they've got half an hour to wander about the tourist market to buy souvenirs. Before they get ferried back to their ship for the night ready for a morning tour of the Valley of Kings the next day.

At the market they encounter locals, some of which want to sell their goods, and others that have nothing to sell. The locals know that the tourists are only in their area for about 15 minutes - if they don't make a sale or secure money then and there, they never will. The beggars also know that tourists are uncomfortable with being hassled. One tourist buys a can of Coke for $2. A second buys a souvenir dagger for $10 while a third tourist gets sick of a persistent beggar and eventually gives him a dollar to go away. When the tourists are gone all is quiet again in the market, until the next boat-load arrives.

Put this scene in context. The average Egyptian earns about US$5 per day (about $2000 per year) - take out the top earners from the averages and incomes are often less. On world income per capita rankings Egypt doesn't make it into the top 100. Don't let the razzle dazzle of archaeological wonders fool you - Egypt is a poor country with poor people.

Tourists come from their floating palaces and interact with locals on the cusp of some of the poorest areas for all of about 15 minutes. Its little wonder that many locals have little time or respect for these visitors. Two have just paid about 5 times too much for their purchases, while the third has just giving away money. This is in a country where haggling is a custom, and lack of knowledge about how to handle money is a sign of stupidity.

Staying Locally

Instead of arriving on an overgrown houseboat, I arrived in Luxor by train, and found a budget guesthouse by tramping around like a hobo with a large backpack.

After attempting a night on the East bank (which is closer to the temple of luxor) I moved across to a guesthouse on the West bank of the Nile - about 5 streets back from where the river. I was able to find a nice hotel room in a locally owned guesthouse overlooking the Nile, had a nice breakfast included and the nightly bill was less than $10 er night. It was one of the nicest and friendliest places I've stayed. It confirmed something I've found consistently - if you travel on a low budget, stay in locally owned places and take your time to get to know somewhere, you get great service, people are friendly and you'll get a very different impression of a place then when you arrive as part of a tourist hoard.

Advice for budget travelers in Egypt

So why is Egypt a good place for independent travel?

• Budget: independent travelers can get by for less than US$30 including all expenses
• If you literally go 3 blocks from the tourist trail, you'll get to the "real" Egypt.
• Apart from the pyramids there are a long list of things that are truly amazing - the northern Sahara and White Desert, Alexandria (even though you're a few centuries too late to see the lighthouse), the Muslim quarter in Cairo, the Temple of Luxor, the Valley of the Kings, Abu Simbel, not to mention some great diving in the Red Sea.
• Student discounts: If you have a student or teacher card, make sure you bring it along - most attractions will give a 50% discount for teachers and Students!