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In a month I'm traveling to Egypt for a two-week tour that stretches from Alexandria and Cairo in the north, to Aswan and Abu Simbel in the south.
On some internet sites, I've read that binoculars are illegal in Egypt. But on other sites, I've read that binoculars are highly discouraged, though not outright illegal. The reason, I gather, is to keep people from studying military and police sites.
Can anyone here confirm the status of binoculars in Egypt? I'm a birdwatcher and would love to have my bins with me on the trip, but don't want to risk having them confiscated if authorities really do see them as a threat.
I've also read that cameras in Egypt can be a bit problematic, not only for the military/police reason mentioned above, but also because of restrictions on cameras in museums and archaeological sites. A lot of pages I've read say that use of cellphone cameras is generally more acceptable, however.
So, I'm not sure if I should leave my tourist camera and binoculars at home and just rely on a much smaller pocket camera and my cellphone. Any thoughts?
Why not purchase an inexpensive set of travel binoculars just for this trip? Then you don't have to risk your high-quality birding binoculars being confiscated. (I doubt you'll have any problems, though, as long as you are sensible about when and where you use your binos. But it will put your mind at ease not to have to worry about your good ones!) Something like this or this will perform well and won't break your budget. (I took the 9X28 mm Pentax binos on an African Safari and they performed well.)
I don't see a good camera as a problem, so long as you use it sensibly and recognize that in some places it won't be allowed and you'll have to use your cellphone camera or (brace yourself) your eyes. I think the bigger problem is that an expensive camera clearly makes you out as an affluent tourist. Ditch any branded straps (no NIKON or CANON labels) in favor of plain ones like the ones Op-Tech makes, and use a discrete bag that isn't obviously a camera bag to hold you camera, lenses, and accessories in. (A mirrorless system is nice here, as everything can be so much smaller.)
I don't know about binoculars but I would suggest bringing your camera. And, affluent or not, because you are a tourist, that automatically makes you a target. I had dressed simply and carried an inexpensive camera, made no difference whatsoever.
When I visited Egypt years ago, there was a ban on photographing the interiors of the Cairo Museum, the Catacombs in Alexandria, the pyramids and the tombs in the Valley of the Kings. And yet, despite the official ban, I distinctly recall being taken aback when one of the tomb guards in the Valley of the Kings asked if I wanted my picture taken--of course, for a small fee (ie baksheesh). Now, however, the policy on photography seems to have been relaxed in some of the previously restricted sites, and using your camera is now allowed after paying the permit fee.
In general, taking pictures was not an issue for me. I took pictures of various temples, Roman ruins, churches, mosques, bazaars, and even a military museum.
I don;t see how this can be true in practice. Every teenager on earth is carrying a camera-equivalent 24/7, even in Egypt. Nearly every nation has a stated law that they can seize any camera used in "sensitive areas" in terms of military activities.
You won't need binocs, unlesss you a hard-core nature nature-watch (or a real spy) so just leave that home. If in doubt, buy a $30 WalMart bubble-pak, and donate them to a guude before you go home.
But if a sign says "no cameras", take it seriously, they really mean it. Never photograph a soldier or military attachment.. Just don't. Anywhere.
You won't need binocs, unlesss you a hard-core nature nature-watch (or a real spy) so just leave that home. If in doubt, buy a $30 WalMart bubble-pak, and donate them to a guude before you go home.
The OP IS a hardcore nature-watcher (the username is a dead giveaway of that). He/she isn't going to be happy going birding with a $30 pair of binoculars from Walmart. But the decent-quality travel binoculars I recommended will provide very good performance at a price that won't make the OP cry if something bad happens to them.
The OP IS a hardcore nature-watcher (the username is a dead giveaway of that). He/she isn't going to be happy going birding with a $30 pair of binoculars from Walmart. But the decent-quality travel binoculars I recommended will provide very good performance at a price that won't make the OP cry if something bad happens to them.
Then Empid probly knows there are plenty of google hits at /birding trip report egypt/ through which he can make personal comtact with other birders, to diacuss experiences. And birding forums like this. Birding circles are pretty open and friendly. And the world's police pretty aware of the "birding" concept, except in the southern US "Whatcha doing snooping around with them big field glassas, boy?" Possession of a Bird ID field guide would certainly get you off the hook, if queried.
Empid, chances are we've met somewgere, maybe Horicon.
Googling, I could not find a single reported incident of a legitimate traveler even being challenged. There are plenty of camera and binoc shops all over Egypt where these "banned" items sell openly.
Most countries have rules on what you can photograph, and Egypt fairly strict, such as children or scenes showing the country in a bad light. US border patrol once pulled me over on I-75 to ask me why I had pulled off the road to look at Lake Michigan, 50 miles from the Canadian border. All kinds of things can happen when you give mall cops a badge and a whistle.
Thanks for the ideas and encouragement. Yeah, I'm pretty intensely into birding: The thought of having my beloved Eagle Optics bins taken away spurred me to take advice here and order an inexpensive pair of bins for situations like this. In a few days I should get a delivery of 12 x 42 Gskyer bins--$30 total.
And if these bins should part ways with me prematurely, I've located a Fujifilm near my Cairo hotel where bins are sold.
I'm still thinking about the camera issue. I have an old (10+ yrs) Panasonic Lumix that will fit in my pocket, and it's no big deal if I lose it. OTOH, I really like my newish Nikon Coolpix p900, but it is kind of big and clunky. It's good for low-lit interiors, though, whereas the Lumix is useless for that. But I've read that at some sites, tourists have to leave their cameras with a guard, and even though this is probably okay with a little baksheesh, it's like handing over a pet or my grandmother to someone.
So, still thinking about it. Small, portable, but merely fine; or clunky and very good. I'm not really a photographer, but I do like to take pictures.
Of course, there's my cell phone camera. It's very cheap and basic, but maybe I can get it to work in low light.
First-world problems, I know, but so be it.
And yes, arr430, we've probably crossed paths at Horicon. So lucky to have it just a short drive away.
Tough call. If your Eagles are the baic Celestrons, that's a risk of maybe $250. Binocs bought in third world are very dicey, only glitzy models with no focus, etc. I got some Chinese Celestrons, very nice, $30, but both pairs poorly aligned but serviceable. Your 12x42s will be very heavy and hard to steady, but worth atry at that price.
I never birded Egypt, but unless you worked really hard on your itinerary, birdable sites may be sparse. Things like watered hotel lawns, like where I saw a nice flock of hoopoes in Dubai.
But, again, a google search failed to turn up a single account of a birder losing his optics, so I think I'd just go for it. And be careful about where I flashed them around. Make lots of notatioms and dog-ears in your field to make it looked well-used, that's good evidence of your intent.
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If I had any question I would be hiring a birding guide who will undoubtedly have their own spotting scopes.
I get nervous travelling for ecotourism too, but more if my tripod doesn't make it in checked luggage, or film issues. It's a tough one, but if you have local guides I'm sure they could navigate it all.
Horicon is great. Did a bunch of blandings work there years ago, and some rookery surveys. A past life.
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