I’m a female solo traveller and I would never visit Egypt alone after terrifying incident in the Cairo Bazar

• A traveller has revealed why she would never visit Egypt alone as a woman
• TikToker ‘@tarkatims’ was in Egypt with her best friend when she made the video
• READ MORE: I’m a female solo traveller and I’ve felt unsafe in these countries

Solo travel is something many young people want to experience, either to ‘find themselves,’ or just so they’re able to see more of the world before settling into work.

However, before you jet off, you should thoroughly research where you’re heading and make sure it’s a safe place for you to go alone.  

One traveller has revealed why she would never visit Egypt alone and why she believes it’s unsafe for women to do so.

Tara Katims (@tarkatims), 24, was in Egypt with her best friend when she made the video – she replied to a commenter who wrote ‘wait, so it’s not safe for solo travelers?’

Answering the question along with some footage of her trip, she said ‘This is Bazar in Cairo where I went with my best friend and I don’t even want to know what would have happened if I went alone.

Tara Katims (@tarkatims), 24, was in Egypt with her best friend when she made the video – she replied to a commenter who wrote ‘wait, so it’s not safe for solo travelers?’

Answering the question along with some footage of her trip, she said ‘This is Bazar in Cairo where I went with my best friend and I don’t even want to know what would have happened if I went alone

‘There were tons of men harassing us, we just kept our sunglasses on, heads down and pretended like we couldn’t understand but then we got really lost.

‘It was so overwhelming. This elderly looking guy appeared and was like, ‘I can tell you guys are really lost’ – he spoke good English and was like I’ll lead you back to the main part of the bazar’.

She continued ‘We thought he was super nice and so we followed him, leading us back to his perfume store and pleaded with us to check it out.

‘He took us inside what is the equivalent of a perfume closet and then he locked the door. 

‘For an hour and a half he was rubbing different essential oils and perfumes on us and we tried to leave multiple times but he wouldn’t let us.

‘There was no ventilation in here and I thought I was gonna pass out from the fumes.

‘We eventually realised he wouldn’t let us leave until we bought something and even when we did buy something he tried reaching inside our wallets and grabbing our money and then stalked us down the street.’

She said ‘There were tons of men harassing us, we just kept our sunglasses on, heads down and pretended like we couldn’t understand but then we got really lost’

She continued ‘We thought he was super nice and so we followed him, leading us back to his perfume store and pleased with us to check it out’

READ MORE: Revealed: Top tips for solo trips, from how to stay safe to ways to avoid paying the dreaded single supplement

The TikToker concluded ‘We got away but I seriously don’t know what I would have done in this situation if I wasn’t with my best friend and I really wouldn’t recommend for a girl to travel to Egypt alone because we had so many situations like this happen to us and it was hard to navigate at times.’

The area the pair were visiting was Kahn El Khalili Bazar, somewhere they thought would be safe as it looked touristy online. 

Adding pictures of the area, she explained ‘Only one part looked like this, the rest was so dirty and crowded. 

‘There are tour guides who can take you here and it’s so worth it to have a local speaker as it’s so easy to get lost. Don’t let the baby kittens fool you, the bazar is not safe to do alone.’

Advising ‘There are tour guides who can take you here and it’s so worth it to have a local speaker as it’s so easy to get lost.  

‘I really thought I was going to be terminated in that room. We went to get Koshari to heal the trauma afterwards.

‘Koshari is a must-try dish, this place is the best (Abou Tarek) safe to go here alone, they will not lock you in a closet.’

Commenters agreed with the TikToker’s advice, writing ‘I never hear good stories about Egypt’ and ‘I’ve done 25+ countries solo. I’m glad I didn’t do Egypt solo’.

Another girl wrote that she had a similar experience: ‘This exact same thing happened to me! We were lost, an old man told us he would show us, led us to his shop and wouldn’t let us leave. Terrifying.’

The original poster replied ‘I’m so sorry but I’m also so glad we are talking about this so other girls don’t fall for this nonsense !!!’

Tara explained ‘For an hour and a half he was rubbing different essential oils and perfumes on us and we tried to leave multiple times but he wouldn’t let us’

She told MailOnline that the advice she would give to women who do choose to travel there is to ‘always take Ubers, so there is a record of where you are going and who’s taking you places’

One viewer advised ‘It’s important to do your research and prepare when you travel abroad especially a country like Egypt. Stern boundaries and dress conservatively’.

However, the TikToker argued that she ‘had researched for the past year’ and also ‘dressed as conservatively’ as she could while backpacking.

She told MailOnline that the advice she would give to women who do choose to travel there is to ‘always take Ubers, so there is a record of where you are going and who’s taking you places’.

Secondly, ‘assume your being ripped off as a tourist 100% of the time and bargain prices when shopping on the streets and wear loose clothing and travel with tour guides as much as possible.’

Finally, it’s good idea to ‘Learn how to say thank you, “Shukran”, as locals appreciate it.’

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