Overall, Egypt is a safe place for gay, lesbian, and other travelers who are part of the LGBTQIA2S+ family, but there are some important cultural, legal, and social aspects to be aware of when planning your Egypt adventure.

Gay and lesbian friendly Egypt tours

Want to go on a gay-friendly, small-group tour? I love showing LGBTQ+ people Egypt, my second home, and would love for you to join one of my tours to experience Egypt in a safe and comfortable environment. I have experience taking over 50 singles and couples, both gay and lesbian, throughout Egypt.

Check out my upcoming group tours here, and feel free to email me any questions about what my group tours are like.

Limitations

In this blog post, I will address the topic of gay and lesbian travel to Egypt using the perspective from the numerous clients I have helped travel to Egypt who identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. Unfortunately I cannot speak to the experiences of trans and non-binary individuals, because I have not had experience yet helping those travelers make their way to Egypt. I hope one day to do so, and in the future, I would love to expand this blog post by interviewing individuals who make up more of the rainbow spectrum than just gay men, lesbians, and bisexual people.

Often, even if travelers are a part of the LGBT community, Egyptians will not notice, or not care.

“Gaydar” in Egypt

I want to start by sharing that from the numerous groups of gay and lesbian travelers I have escorted throughout Egypt, not once did an Egyptian person mention a traveler’s perceived sexuality nor ask me about anyone’s sexual preferences. This brings me to my first topic, the ability to “pass” in Egypt.

Egyptians have completely different norms when it comes to their sexual orientation and how that displays in everyday life. For example, Egyptian men will often walk hand in hand or with their arm around the waist of a close male friend or family member, but this has nothing to do with being gay. Egyptian women (and men) will kiss each other on the cheek as a form of greeting, platonically. And Egyptian men are some of the rowdiest dancers and singers, ever! All of these actions might seem flamboyant or “gay” to people from the United States or Europe visiting Egypt, but to Egyptians, these are normal.

When travelers are worried about traveling to Egypt as a gay or lesbian person, they need to realize that first, many Egyptians will not even realize or suspect that they are gay, because Egyptian culture is so different from the culture in the USA or Europe.

The privilege of your passport

Even if an Egyptian finds out that a foreign guest in their country is a part of the LGBT community, another very important factor comes into play: the traveler’s foreign passport, and all of the money they are bringing to the country as a tourist.

Egypt’s economy relies heavily on tourism from the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and many other foreign nations. In Egypt, local people usually could care less what someone’s native language, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation is, as long as they are an outsider who is visiting Egypt, and pouring money into the local economy. Foreign tourists pay the salaries of thousands of tour guides, transportation workers, hotel staff, restauranteurs, and many, many more people in Egypt. To an Egyptian traveler, a gay traveler is simply someone who has come to their country temporarily to spend a lot of money, have a wonderful time seeing all of the ancient and modern wonders of Cairo, Aswan, Luxor, etc., and then leave for their home country, telling all of their friends, family, and co-workers what a great time they had in Egypt. Someone’s perceived or actual sexuality is a moot point, most of the time.

Egyptian authorities will also go above and beyond to make sure foreign tourists are well taken care of. There is an actual branch of the Egyptian police dedicated to protecting tourists, and they go to great lengths to make sure foreign passport holders have a great experience in Egypt. Their country’s reputation (and economy) depends on it.

Tips and considerations for gay and lesbian travelers

Ultimately, being LGBTQ+ is not supported at large in Egypt, either socially or legally. Queer Egyptians face many obstacles to their mental and physical well-being, and are almost always in the closet. So even though foreign tourists who happen to be LGBT are safe traveling throughout Egypt, it is important to keep these tips and considerations in mind:

1. Do not tell anyone you are gay. It may feel like going back in the closet, but while in Egypt, I would avoid talking to anyone about your sexual orientation. If gay couples are traveling together, it is easy to say that you are just friends.

1. When possible, stick to recognized international hotel brands. Staying in a hotel like a Marriott or a Hilton makes it much easier to fly under the radar than at a small, family-run boutique hotel. If staying in a smaller hotel, if possible, request two twin beds (if traveling as a gay couple) instead of one bed.

2. When possible, consider going on a group tour. There are gay group tours of Egypt out there, and there are plenty of LGBTQ+ friendly companies (my company, Egypt Adventures Travel, is one of them!). Being in a group helps with navigating the different culture and norms of Egypt.

3. Avoid all public displays of affection. PDA, like kissing on the lips, holding hands romantically, etc., are frowned upon for ALL people in Egypt, whether they are straight or gay, but gay travelers especially need to avoid any public displays of affection.

4. Avoid wearing any symbols of the LGBTQ+ community. The rainbow is a sometimes-recognized symbol of the gay community, and should be avoided in clothing or accessories. Other symbols of the LGBTQ+ community should be avoided while in Egypt.

5. Use extreme caution when using social media like Grindr. There are many ways queer Egyptians (and foreigners) connect with one another using the internet and apps, but travelers need to be very, very, careful when using these mediums to try to meet other people in Egypt. Overall, I would just recommend avoiding them entirely during your trip.

It is my hope that any gay or lesbian traveler reading this blog post feel empowered with more knowledge of what it is like traveling to Egypt as a queer person, and some tips and considerations to help make an Egypt adventure safer and more enjoyable. If anyone has any specific questions about travel to Egypt as a gay person, please leave a comment below, or email me at gus@egyptadventurestravel.com.