The short version: drink water from sealed bottles, peel your fruit, eat meat well cooked, stay in the shade at midday, use insect repellent on the coast during the day, and do not swim in the Nile. Do that and most people get through Egypt with nothing worse than a brief upset stomach. The rest of this page explains why, and what to do if it catches you anyway.
We are not doctors, and this is not medical advice. See your GP or a travel clinic well before you leave. Which vaccinations are recommended and what is needed at the border is covered in Egypt entry requirements: visa, passport and health. This page is about the days on the ground.
Your stomach: the most common problem
An upset stomach is the complaint you hear about most on a trip to Egypt. Usually it is not one particular dish but unfamiliar bacteria, heat and long days together. A few habits make a real difference:
- Drink from sealed bottles. Check the cap has not been opened. Bottled water is always in the car on our day trips.
- Skip ice and tap water, including for brushing your teeth if you have a sensitive stomach.
- Peel fruit, and be careful with raw salad. Cooked, fried or peeled is the safer choice.
- Eat meat well done. The German Foreign Office notes repeated reports of EHEC infections after stays in Hurghada and Marsa Alam, linked among other things to raw fruit and vegetables and undercooked beef and lamb.
- Wash your hands before eating, and carry a small bottle of hand gel.
- At the buffet, choose what is freshly cooked and hot over what has been sitting lukewarm for hours.
None of this means avoiding Egyptian food. A busy local kitchen cooking to order is often a safer bet than the salad bar in a resort.
If it catches you anyway
Drink plenty, and not only water: oral rehydration salts from a pharmacy replace what your body is losing. Take a quieter day, eat plainly – rice, bread, tea. Most uncomplicated cases pass within a day or two.
See a doctor if you develop a fever, see blood in your stool, cannot keep fluids down, or are not improving. With children, pregnant travellers, older people or anyone with a pre-existing condition, go sooner rather than later. The German Foreign Office names haemolytic uraemic syndrome, which affects the kidneys, as a rare but serious complication of EHEC – another reason not to sit out bloody diarrhoea.
Heat and sun
Almost everyone underestimates the Egyptian sun the first time. Luxor and Aswan are drier and hotter than the coast, and the breeze on deck or on the beach hides how strong it is.
- Drink steadily through the day rather than waiting until you are thirsty.
- Hat, sunglasses, high-factor sun cream – including the back of your neck and the tops of your feet.
- Spend the middle of the day in the shade. That is why our day programmes start early, so the outdoor sightseeing falls in the cooler morning hours where possible.
- Light, long clothing often protects better than sun cream alone.
How hot it gets and which month suits which trip: the best time to visit Egypt.
Mosquitoes, dengue and malaria
Malaria is no longer a concern in Egypt: the World Health Organization certified the country malaria-free in October 2024.
Dengue, however, does occur. According to the German Foreign Office, the day-biting Aedes mosquito transmits it on the Red Sea coast (it names Hurghada, and occasionally El Gouna and El Quseir) and in South Sinai. A vaccine exists; whether it makes sense for you is a question for your travel clinic. Either way, the basics help: repellent on your skin during the day as well as the evening, long light-coloured clothing after dark, and air conditioning or screens in your room.
The Nile: look, but don’t swim
Fresh water in the Nile valley and delta carries a risk of schistosomiasis (bilharzia), a parasite that enters through the skin. Enjoy the river from the deck, a felucca or the bank, but stay out of it – and out of canals and still water too. The sea and hotel pools do not carry this risk.
What to pack
What you need depends on you, so go through the list with your pharmacist or doctor. As a starting point:
- your own medication, with a few days in reserve
- oral rehydration salts and something for diarrhoea
- painkillers and something for fever
- insect repellent for the skin
- high-factor sun cream and something for sunburn
- plasters, blister plasters, antiseptic
- hand gel
Keep your own medicines in your hand luggage, ideally in the original packaging. For strong painkillers, ADHD medication and anything that may count as a controlled substance, check with the Egyptian embassy or a consulate before you travel whether and how you may bring it in. That is not something to find out at the airport.
If you need a doctor
According to the German Foreign Office, medical care in Cairo is adequate, while outside Cairo – including the main resorts – it often does not match Western European standards. Two practical consequences: hotel doctors can be very expensive even for minor treatment, and most clinics want payment or a guarantee from your insurer before they treat you.
That is why we treat travel medical insurance that includes repatriation as essential, not optional. Our trip prices do not include insurance. Save your insurer’s emergency number in your phone and carry the card.
The Orientoura team is always glad to help our guests with any questions.
Frequently asked questions
Can I drink the tap water in Egypt? We advise against it. Drink water from sealed bottles; it is cheap and available everywhere.
Do I need malaria tablets? No. The WHO has certified Egypt malaria-free since October 2024.
Can I swim in the Nile? No, because of bilharzia. The Red Sea and hotel pools are fine.
Which vaccinations do I need? None is compulsory if you arrive directly from Europe or North America. Recommended travel vaccinations are in our entry requirements guide – the decision is yours to make with your doctor.
Sources
- German Federal Foreign Office: Egypt travel and safety advice, health section (in German, accessed September 2026)
- WHO: Egypt is certified malaria-free by WHO (20 October 2024)
Health advice changes. Check your own government’s current travel advice before you leave.
Other things worth knowing before you go: money in Egypt and how much to tip.