Egypt Travel Info and Tips

Water Safety & Availability

• Avoid Tap Water: Although the Nile water is treated and considered safe for locals, tourists shouldn’t drink it or use it for making hot beverages (like tea or coffee). Your system may not be accustomed to it.
• Mineral Water is Key: You do not need to worry, as bottled mineral water is widely available throughout Egypt at low prices.

Beverages: What to Try & What’s Included

• Local Specialties: Be sure to sample traditional, healthy, and tasty Egyptian drinks such as Sugarcane juice, Hibiscus (Karkade) tea, and Doom juice.
• Inclusions: Generally, all drinks (including mineral water) are not included with your meals across Egypt. The exception is tap water, which is free if you choose to drink it.
• Hotel Exceptions: Tea and coffee are typically served and included with breakfast in hotels.

Food: What to Expect & Egyptian Cuisine

Meals for Tourists (Hotels & Cruises)

• Lunch and Dinner: The main courses usually consist of beef, chicken, or fish, served alongside staples like rice, pasta, or fries, and completed with a favorite salad.
• Breakfast: Hotel breakfasts commonly feature items such as cheese, honey, boiled eggs, omelets, beans, yogurt, green salad, various breads (including pita), and fruit salad.

Local Cuisine Highlights

• Staple Local Foods: Egyptians frequently eat brown beans (foul), falafel, eggplants, green pepper, chips, green salad, and pita bread.
• Unique Egyptian Dishes: While Egyptian cuisine is sometimes considered simple, it has a few distinct inventions:

• • Koshari: A famous national dish that combines pasta, rice, lentils, and chickpeas, topped with fried onions, tomato sauce, salt, and vinegar.

  • Mah’shi (or Dolma): This dish consists of vegetables (like cabbage, grape leaves, eggplants, or green pepper) stuffed with rice. You will often find Mah’shi offered among the salad choices in tourist restaurants and on Nile cruises.

• Popular but Not Original: Dishes like Shish Kebab and Shish Tawook are widely consumed and often considered Egyptian by locals, but they are originally Turkish.