Sheikh Zayed & 6th October · 6th of October City
Ski Egypt
Seven thousand tonnes of snow at minus two degrees, inside a mall west of Cairo.
Ski Egypt is the first indoor ski slope in Africa: seven thousand tonnes of snow over seven and a half thousand square metres, held at minus two degrees all year, inside a mall at 6th of October, some thirty kilometres west of Cairo. It opened in 2017 with the mall that houses it. Beside the slope, a Snow Park takes families from the age of two: sledges, tubes, a polar train, zorb balls, climbing towers, and a penguin encounter — enough for half a day without knowing how to ski. It is the only address in the country where you put on a coat in August, and that is exactly what people come for.
The extra bit
Book the slot online before crossing town, and tell the desk whether you have come to ski or only to play in the snow: they are not the same tickets, nor the same length of time. And plan for the way out: one door takes you from minus two degrees back into Cairo's heat.
Know before you go
This is a day out, not a detour: Mall of Egypt is some thirty kilometres west of the centre, with no metro at the door, and the Friday evening drive back is paid for in traffic. Tickets are sold in time slots and the weekend fills up — arriving without one means waiting, or leaving again. The slope and the Snow Park are two separate offers, each with its own minimum age; what the ticket provides and what is hired or bought on top changes from one package to another, and that is worth checking before you set off, not at the counter. Finally, it is expensive by Egyptian standards: for a family the bill climbs fast.
