Kite Safari and the War in Iran – Updates

Whenever the Middle East region experiences turmoil, North Africa, and Egypt in particular, is often affected as well, mainly due to geographical proximity. I am currently in Egypt, which allows me to provide real-time updates on the situation here and explain how this may impact my kite trips (but I would say everyone’s kite safaris) at the beginning of this kiting season in Egypt.

IS IT SAFE?

Simple answer: Egypt is safe and our kite safari are running regularly.

Egypt has been a major tourism destination for years, and even during periods of regional tension, including the Israel-Palestine conflict, daily life in Egypt remained normal, with no internal problems. The current conflict involving Iran is primarily affecting Israel and the Emirates. In the south of Egypt, especially in the Hurghada and El Gouna area, everything is calm as usual.

I personally drove from Cairo to El Gouna on March 1st. During the drive, I spoke with a trusted local driver I have known for years. His only concern was the potential decrease in tourism from the Middle East. For example, he was expecting a couple of tourists arriving from Lebanon tomorrow, and they will likely not make it.

The safety of people in Egypt, locals, expats, and tourists, was not even part of the discussion. It is simply taken for granted.

I am the first person who would pack up, take my dog, and leave immediately if I felt there was any real risk. At the moment, that is absolutely not the case.

FLIGHTS ARE THE ISSUE

Dubai and Doha are two of the largest international hubs in the world, connecting Asia with Europe and Africa. At the moment, both airports are temporarily closed because they are directly impacted by the conflict. This means that if you are based in Dubai (or rely on connections through those hubs), traveling right now may be complicated (borderline impossible) simply due to flight availability.

If you are in Europe, with direct flights to Hurghada or connections via Istanbul or Cairo, you should not experience issues. Of course, I do not have a crystal ball and cannot predict how the situation will evolve in the coming days. My second kite safari starts on March 14th, and I will continue to monitor everything closely and provide updates if anything changes.

PREDICTIONS

I could be wrong, but I expect the situation to stabilize relatively quickly. Major international airports typically cannot remain closed for long, and the global economic and political interests in the region are too high. There will likely be strong pressure from multiple sides to end this conflict quick.

REFUND AND CANCELLATIONS

If any airport is closed – either your departure airport in Europe or Hurghada Airport in Egypt – making it impossible for you to travel, you will receive a full refund of the amount you paid us. It’s that simple.

I will continue updating this page as things develop. Being on the ground in Egypt allows me to have a direct and realistic sense of what is actually happening, beyond headlines and media speculation.

As always, if you just want to ask me directly, feel free to contact me.