*This post was written based on my trip in October 2022*

When I planned my trip to Egypt, I had planned a day trip in Cairo through Airbnb experiences, and it was canceled last minute because the guide was sick.
At this point, I asked the hotel about a possible tour, but they quoted me $150 for a guide and a driver, plus my entrance fees to any place we went. My original tour had been $70, so I wasn’t interested in paying double the price I had planned. I also felt that once I entered the Egyptian Museum I wouldn’t need a driver for several hours. The hotel also charged $30 for a car to the airport. I had been in Egypt for 8 days now and had my bearings. I had read that Uber was readily available in Cairo. So, I decided to navigate Cairo on my own.

In two days, I navigated to the Egyptian Museum, the Khan el Khalili Bazaar, a local coffee shop, my friend’s house, and the Cairo airport through Cairo’s busy streets. Overall, I had a great experience that saved me a lot of money, so I wanted to share my experience with anyone else planning a trip to Cairo. Uber is not available all over Egypt, so if you’re traveling around Egypt double-check where it is available.

Super affordable.

Like in the US, I like that I know exactly how much the cab fare is going to be, and there is no haggling over the price. Most of the Ubers that I took cost me around 100 Egyptian pounds which is about $5 USD. The most expensive Uber was from my hotel in Giza to the airport at around $7. All in all, I took Uber 5 times, and the total cost was $25.44 with an extra tip to the driver for each of these rides. I spent about $26 for my entrance fee to the Egyptian Museum, buying coffee and lunch, and some souvenirs; so, I saved about $130 navigating Cairo on my own!

Safety

Because my travel partner had gone home by this point, I was cautious as a solo female traveler. I was paying for international data on my phone, and I liked that my rides were tracked by GPS. I shared every ride with my sister in the US. Twice, I was stuck in traffic, and I got notices from Uber asking if I was safe, which I was able to confirm that I was. I didn’t have a problem with any of my Uber drivers. They were all very professional. Traveling always has inherent risks, but I felt very safe in the Ubers that I took.

The license plate will be in Arabic.

I knew this from reading other blogs. This Rare Earth also has a post about navigating Uber in Egypt and has a template for reading the license plate. However, it wasn’t practical for me to translate the license plate. Instead, I looked for the car details. Most of the drivers that I rode with did not speak English, so to confirm that it was the right vehicle, I just help up my phone and gestured to see theirs. My name was in English and in Arabic on the Uber driver’s app.

Bring a power bank.

I took a fully charged phone out, but I was at 4% before getting my last Uber back to my hotel. My phone died on the way back, but at least I got in the car before it did. In particular, I was trying to get picked up at Khan el Khalili, and the traffic was pretty bad. I had three Uber drivers cancel on me before the fourth picked me up. I was stuck as I watched my battery die from 20% to 4%, but I was grateful that I caught a ride before it gave up. I use an older model of this power bank (but left in my hotel room), because it’s strong enough to charge my phone and laptop and typically will last a two-week trip without needing to be recharged (affiliate link).

Paying with a credit card.

I also liked that I could pay with my credit card through the Uber app. It does have the feature to switch to cash, but I was limited on cash and never had a driver ask for cash, so I didn’t worry about this feature.

Uber at the Cairo Airport is difficult to find

When we arrived in Cairo, I had planned for us to take a hotel shuttle, but we found out that it had to be reserved 24 hours in advance. This left us at the airport, jetlagged, and overwhelmed by everything going on. I could not find the Uber pick-up location. I was told later it’s in the parking garage across the street, but it was 1 am, and I didn’t see it. We ended up paying more for a private driver. My suggestion here would be to make sure you either have a ride through your hotel or a guide arranged before arriving. When I left Cairo, I ordered an Uber and was dropped off near the entrance with no issue.

No seatbelts.

As I said, I road in 5 different Ubers in two days and not one of them had a seatbelt in the back. All of the drivers wore their seatbelts, but there was not one available in the backseat.

If it’s raining, plan extra time…lots of time.

During my trip, Cairo experienced a rare rainy day. Because I knew the rain was coming, I left for the airport super early, and it only took an extra 20 minutes. Because there is little drainage, the roads started flooding within 10-15 minutes of the rain starting. Many of the cars that I saw in Cairo didn’t have windshield wipers either. Later in the day, people at my gate said it took hours for them to reach the airport because the roads had flooded. Here is a view with the rain clouds over the pyramids early in the day.

If you’re planning a trip to Cairo, I hope these tips are helpful for you. Have you navigated Uber in Cairo and have additional tips? Leave them in the comments!