What to Pack for Egypt – Women Carry-on Edition

I have just returned from a wonderful trip to Egypt, where I had a fantastic time exploring ancient sites, as well as relaxing on my first ever cruise, on the Nile. Egypt is a fascinating country, with so much history and home to one of the last 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, the Great Pyramids of Giza. Being a hot country even in winter, it may be difficult to decide what to pack for Egypt. I wrote this guide based upon my own experience, as someone who travels carry-on only. I never check in bags, and I am proud to say that I have mastered the art of travelling light.

In this article I will tell you what I included on my Egypt packing list, and how I fitted everything into my 40L backpack. I also had space for souvenirs such as tea, papyrus and some lovely spices for koftas. 

Weather in Egypt

Egypt has two seasons: winter (from November until April) and summer (from May to October). Most of the tourists will travel to Egypt in winter because of the mild temperatures. During this time, the daily temperatures are pleasant, but it gets very cold at night.

In summer, Egypt gets unbearably hot. This is the low season, when you will find the cheapest prices for tours. However, to avoid the heat you will have to wake up very early to visit them.

What to Wear in Egypt

90% of the population of Egypt is Muslim, which means that the country is quite conservative when it comes to dressing up. As a woman, it is respectful to wear modest clothes that cover your shoulders and your knees. It is disrespectful to wear tank tops, shorts, or revealing clothes.

At the same time, Egypt is a very hot country. I visited at the end of February and the daily temperature was around 26-27 degrees. To be respectful, it is advisable for women to wear long, loose skirts or dresses, and T-shirts that cover the shoulders. It’s ok to wear a bathing suit when you are on the beach or at your hotel pool, but try to opt for an all-in-one rather than a two piece. Also, consider a cover up when you move from your sun lounger.

As tourists, women are not expected to cover their hair, except for visiting certain mosques.

If you visit Egypt in winter, you need to know that there is quite a sharp drop in temperature at night, because soon as the sun sets it becomes really cold, so don’t forget to bring a jacket with you.

Egypt Packing List:

Important Documents 

Passport

It goes without saying that you will need your passport in order to enter Egypt. Make sure you have a copy of your passport with you, just in case, but don’t keep it in the same place as your passport.

Visa – Printed

To avoid spending extra time in the airport, I highly recommend applying for your visa online on the official website, by clicking here. It costs 25 dollars, and the visa is processed in a couple of working days. I applied on a Friday and my visa arrived on Monday afternoon.

Make sure you print the visa, as the immigration officer will take the paper away once they stamp your passport.

Vaccination Certificate – Printed

Currently to enter Egypt you need either a Covid vaccination certificate provided by an official entity (such as the NHS), or a negative Covid test taken no more than 72 hours prior to entering the country. You can easily download the vaccinate certificate from the NHS app as a PDF, and print it. For the Covid test, it can be either PCR or antigen, but it has to be issued by an accredited laboratory and have a QR code.

If you are unvaccinated and plan to travel to Hurghada, Marsa Alam, Sharm el Sheikh or Marsa Matrouh, you will have to take a PCR test on arrival and pay a fee of 30 dollars. You must isolate at your hotel until you receive the result. Here is some more information about the entry requirements for Egypt, directly from the government’s website.

Debit/Credit Cards

Take at least two debit or credit cards with you, just in case one of them doesn’t work. I am used to using my debit card everywhere, so I only take debit cards with me. I didn’t have any problems using my card in Egypt, but I did have to activate the strip from the bank app. There are ATMs everywhere in Egypt, so you don’t need to worry that you won’t have easy access to cash if you need it.

Some Dollars

It’s always useful to have some dollars handy, especially for tipping. I used about 50 dollars during my 10 days in Egypt. It is very useful to have the dollars in small bills, as you would usually tip 5$ for a day tour guide and $1 for the driver.

Luggage

Backpack

Travelling carry-on only means that I am only taking a backpack with me on my trips. For a long time I used a 60L backpack, but a few years ago I downgraded to a 40L one. I went for the Quechua Forclaz 40 Air+ bought from Decathlon because it has plenty of space inside. It also has a great back support and waist straps, which is really important when carrying weight on the hips and preventing back pain.

I’ve used this backpack on quite a few long-haul trips so far and I am happy with it. Usually, my clothes occupy about 1/3 of the space inside, the camera gear and chargers another 1/3, which leaves me some space for souvenirs or impulse buying. The backpack has some handy pockets as well: on the top, on both sides, in front, and on the waist straps. These are very handy for things I need quick access to, such as the water bottle or my keys.

I use the top pocket for my toiletries, so I can take them out quickly at the airport.

Whilst this particular design is not available anymore, as I bought it a few years ago, you can check out the newest model by clicking here.

Day Pack

I used my trusty £3.99 Quechua backpack as my day pack. I bought this a few years ago from Decathlon and it has served me very well during my trips around the world. It is still in very good condition, even though it’s been to many places. This is a very small backpack that will fit a camera, a bottle of water and a pack of wet wipes, plus some small bits in the front pocket. It folds really small and can be packed in the main backpack whilst traveling.

Packing Cubes

Packing cubes are essential in compressing clothes and creating more space in luggage. I will never travel without them again. I actually need to buy a new set as the zipper broke on my main cube during this last trip to Egypt.

No matter which packing cubes you go for, make sure the zippers are of high quality. I’ve had many different packing cubes over the years, and it is worth paying a little bit more money for a set with good zippers.

Waist Bag

During my trip to Egypt, I used a sports waist bag to keep my valuables safe and with me at all times. I bought mine from Amazon a few years ago before my first trip to Tanzania, and it’s still serving me well. I like that it is completely flat, so it doesn’t stand out under my shirt. I usually carry my money, cards, and passport in it. 

Clothes to Pack for Egypt

This packing list for Egypt is based on a 10-day trip. As I moved quite often from place to place, I didn’t want to bother with laundry too much. I knew I was going to be on the cruise ship on the Nile for 4 days, and I planned to wash a few T-shirts there, but the hostel I had just stayed at in Aswan offered free laundry, so I took advantage of it. 

This is what I had in my luggage:

One Maxi Dress – I wanted to bring a maxi dress with me because it’s a versatile piece of women’s clothing and it can be worn on many different occasions. Mine has quite a bit of a cleavage so I wore my bathing suit underneath, to cover up. I wore my dress on the cruise ship, on the deck and in the restaurant. There are many different types of dresses for women that you can bring with you, but I would suggest a maxi because it doesn’t need ironing, it’s lightweight, comfortable, and doesn’t need special packing.

Seven T-shirts – Mostly neutral, light colours. No tank tops, because I didn’t want to be disrespectful, so all my t-shirts covered my shoulders.  

Two pairs of comfortable jeans – I ended up only wearing the same pair because most of the places were very dusty and I didn’t want to get the second pair dirty, because I wanted to wear them on the plane on my way back home. If you travel in summer, make sure to bring one long skirt rather than just jeans. I usually wear light trousers but for this trip, I didn’t have enough time to buy a new pair before I left. 

A 2 in 1 North Face jacket – Temperatures in Egypt during my trip at the end of February, varied a lot during daytime and night time. I used my North Face jacket, which I reviewed here, as a winter jacket back in the UK. In Egypt I separated the fleece from the main shell and used it as a jumper in the evening when the temperatures dropped.

One full swimsuit – As many of the passengers on the cruise ship were locals, I opted for a full swimsuit rather than a two piece. I wore it on the top deck, in the sunbathing area.

10 days’ worth of underwear and socks – I didn’t want to do any washing, and underwear doesn’t take a lot of space, so I just brought one pair for each day.

One Pyjama set– I opted summer pyjamas and I did regret it. I wish I had brought winter ones. Whilst wearing a t-shirt to sleep was ok, with shorts my legs always felt cold. If you travel to Egypt in winter, bring long legged/sleeved pyjamas.

One pair of flip flops – Flip flops are very handy in the hotel room and on the cruise’s sun deck. Most of the hotel rooms have tiles on the floor.

One pair of comfortable trainers – You will walk a lot in Egypt, mostly on uneven terrain. I brought a comfortable pair of Sketchers with me, which I wore everywhere. I didn’t bother bringing any other shoes as this was an active holiday.

One scarf – I brought a scarf with me to cover my head whilst visiting the mosques in Cairo. Most of them however do allow women tourists to visit without needing to cover their hair, except for Al-Azhar Mosque, where you need to wear an overskirt as well as a head scarf.

A hat – Even in winter the sun in Egypt is very strong. Most of the temples are exposed to the full sun, so it’s advisable to wear a hat. Make sure it has a strap, so you don’t lose it when it’s windy. It can get very windy on the top deck of the cruise ship when sailing on the Nile.

A world map laundry bag – You can use a plastic bag for your dirty clothes, but why, when you can have this beautiful world map laundry bag? I received mine as a Secret Santa gift one Christmas and it was love at first sight.

Electronics

Phone – I highly recommend buying a local sim card whilst you are in Egypt. Vodafone sells sim cards with 16GB of data for just over 200 Egyptian Pounds (around £10).

Camera – I use a Sony A7

Lenses – I mostly used my 28-70 lens during my trip to Egypt. I didn’t feel the need to use my zoom lens at all, even though I carried it with me.

Chargers – Make sure you bring chargers for all your electronics. If you have two phones, bring two chargers, not just one.

Extra batteries – I have two extra batteries for my camera.

Travel adaptor – Egypt has the same plugs as in Europe. If you are from the UK like I am, you will need an adaptor. Make sure you bring enough adapters for all your electronics.

Power bank – This is very useful when you travel overnight by train and don’t have a plug. Whilst the night trains do have plugs, they are for shavers only.

Toiletries

• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Soap
• Toothpaste
• Toothbrush
• Mouthwash
• Feminine products
• Deodorant
• SPF 50 sunscreen
• Hand sanitizer
• Lip balm

First Aid Kit

I always have a basic first aid kit with me, no matter where I travel to. I did notice that medicine in Egypt is very affordable when I accompanied my cruise travel buddy to the pharmacy to buy an anti-allergic.

It is always best to have the medicine you need with you, rather than trying to find a pharmacy on the way.

My first aid kit includes:

• My prescriptions
• A pain killer
• An anti-allergic
• An anti-acid
• Imodium
• Motion sickness medication
• Electrolytes 

Besides these, I also bring a jungle strength mosquito repellent. I did not have to use it in Egypt as I didn’t get bitten at all by mosquitos. However, my travel buddy managed to get a nasty allergic reaction from a few mosquito bugs, so better to be safe than sorry. 

Misc

A pen – You will need to fill in a few forms out before you enter Egypt and when you leave. There are no pens available in the airport. I had to borrow one from someone each time I had to fill in a form.

A book – I wished I had a book with me when sailing on the Nile,. A book doesn’t take a lot of space and it can make the time pass faster when you are sunbathing or when you are travelling by night train and the journey time is 14 hours or more.

Baby wipes – I was inspired to grab a pack of 99p baby wipes at the airport. They were very useful, especially during the night train journeys. The toilets on the train are not the cleanest and sometimes the toilet paper is lacking as well. The baby wipes are indispensable, especially if you are a woman!

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This article has been written in collaboration with Ego.