Egypt Packing List

What does one wear to an Islamic country that is also known for desert temperatures? The question of the day! Below I’ll share my packing list with you for our March trip to Egypt, including both what I’m so glad I brought and the things I wish I brought after I was there.

Generally the spring timeframe is a great time to go to Egypt, as the temperature ranges from 50s in the evening to 80s in the afternoon. I’ve learned in my trips to more conservative places (like Mexico City) that I feel more comfortably dressing in full coverage and nondescript. I know, not a style influencer. I was thoroughly embarrassed in Mexico city with hot pink shorts over memorial day and EVERYONE staring at me. No shorts. Ever again.

That said, here is what my Carry On packing list included for our 2 Weeks in Egypt:

Luggage	Clothing	Workouts	Electronics	Other
1 Carry On Suitcase	1 Travel outfit (Joggers, tank top, light pullover)	1 Pair Running shoes	Power Bank for electronics	Plane Snacks (Justin’s nut butters, trail mix, Epic bars)
1 Backpack	1 Conservative Dress with sleeves	5 Biker shorts	iPhone/iPad chargers	Sunglasses
1 Plastic bag for dirty clothes	1 Pair black tights	1 Pair Nike Shorts	iPad with shows downloaded	Chapstick
1 Crossbody Purse	1 Bandeau	1 Full Length Black Leggings	Save destinations in phone	Sunscreen
	8 Pairs of undies	5 Workout TShirts		Toiletries
	5 Pairs of socks	3 Sports Bras		Glasses
	1 Northface jacket / Heavy shell	Spi belt		Comb
	1 Pair PJs	Phone Arm band		Eye mask
	1 Pair Black Boots	Hair ties		Ear plugs
	1 Pair of Black Jeans	Bikini		Contacts
	1 Pair of Blue Jeans	Garmin with Charger		Extra contacts
	1 Pair Earrings	Flip Flops		3 Mini Hand Sanitzers
	3 Long Sleeve Tops	Earbuds / Airpods		3 Masks
	White T shirt			Empty Camelbak Water bottle
	2 Scarf			Passport
	1 Hat			3 Buffs
				Nuun
				Travel Yoga Mat
				Notebook
				Retainers

The Packing List Pro Moves:

Backpack – People in Egypt don’t seem to drink any water and we were out walking around for hours, so we were thankfully we could keep our hands free and just have a few water bottles and snacks tucked in the backpack. The most annoying thing (in my opinion) is carrying around a water bottle especially when it is empty. This also allowed me to stick the jacket I wore on cooler mornings in the pack during hot afternoons.
Buff – Even in a post-covid environment, bring a buff. On our pyramid day we were caught up in an actual sand storm. Sand in the eyes, hair mouth, you name it. I was glad to pull up the buff, put on the shades and be mostly protected from the exfoliating sand blasts.
Hat / Sunscreen – Egyptians are tan, they don’t need sunscreen like my pale self, so there is a good chance you won’t find sunscreen as easily at a pharmacy upon arrival. Egypt has almost zero shade, so while the temperature isn’t terrible, the direct sunlight is very intense in the dessert. Plan ahead and bring the appropriate coverage.

What I wish I brought:

Linen on linen on linen – A woman on our trip had the cutest linen pants that I was beyond jealous of. I brought my skinny jeans which were appropriate, but got very sweaty and hot in the mid-afternoon. I wish I had something lighter weight like linen as we tromped around temples. It isn’t always fashionable, but it is an incredibly practical fabric.
Single serve instant coffee – Why don’t Egyptians chug coffee like we do? Every hotel had a tea pot, and most had one or two single serve instant coffee mixes, oftentimes the Nescafe sugary version. They are not the coffee drinking culture I’m used to, so I had painful caffeine cravings trying to get my fill. I’ve seen this in a lot of countries at this point, so truly it is on me. I should’ve brought my own single serve coffees to add to hot water in each place.
Columbia Long sleeve – If only this was sponsored. There was a man on our Nile cruise that had the athletic fabric Columbia long sleeve like this in white, that was both light weight, conservative and allowed him to not worry about sunscreen.
Not so many workout clothes – Thankfully this didn’t take much room in my suitcase, but what I didn’t realize about Egypt was how active we were going to be, hauling around the sites all day that by the time I got back to our lodging I was totally wiped out. I was glad to have my yoga mat to stretch, but heavy duty exercise was completely unnecessary given how active the trip was.