Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

The excursion to Abu Simbel was optional but was the highlight of our trip. We were incredibly lucky to be there without crowds and were overwhelmed by the magnificence of the temples and deeply impressed by the feats of engineering (both ancient and modern).

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was outstanding. She was knowledgeable, clear, patient and good humoured. We were particularly impressed that she handled all of the tipping so expeditiously. When I had my accident she was calm and extremely efficient at getting me the help that I needed (in quite difficult circumstances). She was also very supportive of my wife and responsive to the needs of the whole group. She was unflappable and gracious: we felt in very good hands.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This was not a leisurely trip, but it was brilliant. Be prepared for queues, very crowded temples and quite a lot of standing around. Take a good medical kit with you.

Most Inspirational Moment

Difficult to pinpoint. It was just jaw dropping to see and experience how ancient Egyptians created such amazing buildings, structures, art and stories. I was also impressed by the High Dam and implications of that for the success of modern Egypt.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Rania was a ball of energy, always helpful, knowledgeable and well organised. Even more impressive given she is a woman in a man’s world.

Advice for Potential Travellers

It’s a fantastic experience so go for it. Be ready for early starts, a busy schedule and high temperatures in Aswan but all worth it for an amazing adventure. Personally I found the optional trip to Abu Simbel was not good value for money as travel took up most of the time, over 8 hours, and we only got 1.5 hours at the temple. Take English pounds/ US dollars where you can as works best in terms of getting best prices. We were told Dec/ January is a good time to do the trip as temperatures and crowds are more manageable.

Suggestions

The Aswan optional trip should definitely be part of the main itinerary not an optional extra. Not only is it a key part of the Egyptian story but also it was between finishing the cruise and before we got into the Aswan hotel. Not sure what people opting out would do. Hopefully the Egyptian authorities will organise more planned slots for the main sites as seemed to be no control on numbers visiting at any one time so a bit overwhelming plus a bit worrying for their preservation. Also it would be great if there was more information at the sites as was generally left to our group leader to explain everything.

Most Inspirational Moment

I don't know that there was one. There were many enjoyable and "wow" moments.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Abdul was very knowledgeable, always organised and did his best for us.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't imagine you'll have either the Nile or the historic sites to yourselves. You will always be part of a cavalcade of coaches, a flotilla of boats or a throng of tourists. The interiors of some of the temples are so crowded that many of us didn't go into the sanctuaries because of people pushing and shoving. Once you accept this however, just stand back and enjoy the magnificent sites and river views. On the last day we asked our guide if a visit to the botanical garden on Kitchener's Island could be included in the felucca trip. Everyone enjoyed this.

Suggestions

The Abu Simbel trip is worth it. Even the desert journey is quite interesting.

Most Inspirational Moment

Going inside one of the pyramids.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Fantastic. Encyclopaedic amount of knowledge. Imparted to us in an enthusiastic way that was easy to understand. He got us to the front of the queues and managed to keep us all together.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Can be cold at night.

Suggestions

I am afraid the booking process left a lot to be desired. They forgot to book us on the group flight which was only advised 3 weeks before we were due to leave. Call handlers, or ‘Executives’ as they like to call themselves, did not reply to emails, and when I subsequently spoke to my handler on the telephone they did not respond to my concerns by email as they promised to do, which included assurances that we were actually booked on an alternative flight. I had to prompt them to send our final joining instructions, and when they did the flight details contained a completely erroneous flight reference. Not exactly a stress free start to our holiday experience. They did however get their act together in the end. Once in Egypt, their staff on the ground made sure we had an amazing holiday experience.

Most Inspirational Moment

Visiting the pyramids on Christmas Day was a pretty amazing way to start the trip! Karnak temple was wonderful, huge and impressive, and although busy I found a quiet spot to sit and take it all in. The Valley of the Kings was great - being able to go inside tombs which almost look freshly painted was just awe-inspiring. And after all that, sitting on the sundeck of the boat cruising along the Nile and watching the world go by was a pretty good way to spend a couple of restful afternoons.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ahmed was amazing and made us feel so welcome in Egypt! He gave us lots of information in a really engaging way, using the group as characters to tell us the complicated history of the pharaohs. He managed a good balance of guiding and free time for us in the places we visited, and always made sure we had coffee time at the end of a visit. He gave us good advice on how to deal with vendors and was clear about where was (and wasn't) good to shop. Ahmed was always smiling and cheerful, even at 3am! And he was great at dealing with any problems (when I had an issue with a hotel room, he fixed it straight away). A brilliant guide!

Advice for Potential Travellers

The one thing I would change is when I arrived - the group flight arrives late in Cairo (and later for us as we had a two hour delay at Heathrow) so we didn't reach the hotel til gone midnight and left at 7.30 the next morning for the pyramids (and then the following day is a very early start for the flight to Luxor). I'd highly recommend coming in a day early to avoid that first morning exhaustion, but also to see more of Cairo, as there is a lot to see that I didn't get to (the Coptic cathedral, the Citadel). I'd also say do as many of the optional excursions as you can - Philae Temple in Aswan was wonderful and Abu Simbel, while an early start (and a pricey trip) was well worth it.

Suggestions

On days 6, 7 and 8 there is only one included activity (the one-hour felucca ride) and everything else is optional. Given that our whole group chose to visit Philae Temple, it would be great to include this in the itinerary for everyone, otherwise it's possible to have 3 full days with very little planned if you don't want to pay for optional trips, or don't feel confident going off by yourself. The visit to the mosque in Cairo was a little uncomfortable - I would lose this and the bazaar from the itinerary and perhaps visit some of the other historical sites in Cairo instead.

Most Inspirational Moment

The story telling by are guide using the group to take on roles in history truly brought the ancient Egyptian timeliness to life. Every day was inspirational.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ahmed was one of the best leaders I have ever had on a trip. He was well organised, knew his history, told stories in such away the history came to life and he was respectful of the group, other tourists and the monuments we visited. Could not of asked for anything more.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Do take USD to pay for the option trips as by card they add 3%. Do arrive a day earlier to Cairo. The local guide arranged for 7 early arrivals a day out to Memphis, Citidel and Sakkara. We also stayed extra nights in Aswan. This meant we dropped out of optional trip to Abu Simbel and spent a day chilling on the cruise boat docked at Aswan. We then made our own arrangements after the cruises left and arriving at 10.30am had the place near to ourselves whereas the group left at 4am and were queuing. Note we were disappointed with cruise room view as assumed we would have a nile view. Unfortunately as the boats dock adjacent to each other we spent the entire trip docked against another boat looking straight into another room. No natural light or air. Not what we expected but all boats the same.

Suggestions

We think the Dam and Philae temple should be included in the trip at Aswan as only the 1 hr felucca was included. Everything else was extra. Overall highly recommend

Thoughts on Group Leader

He was incredibly professional, knowledgeable and accommodating to all guests. 5 Stars.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring Snacks. The itinerary provided prior to the trip is very limited/general. You will be advised of each start time, the afternoon prior. Most meeting times will be from 430 AM (Flight to Luxor) to 6 AM when visiting sites. You should pack food for every day of site seeing because lunch will not be available on most days until approx. 1 PM or 2 PM.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the Pyramids and going inside the main one up to the burial chamber. A long-time bucket list must-do.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Andrew was brilliant - an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Egyptian gods, pharoahs, temples and history and extremely good at advising us of what to do (and not do) at the various sights. Friendly, helpful and efficient - a real star.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The persistent hawkers can become a bit wearisome after a while - just keep your cool. You're better off shopping at the organised stands where you can browse and they don't hassle you.

Suggestions

I would add the Nubian museum, which we all visitied voluntarily on the last day in Aswan, to the itinerary as it is well worth it.

Most Inspirational Moment

Having seen the Valley of the Kings before I knew what to expect but it was still awe inspiring.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The tour leader was excellent. He took good care of all of us and had a bag like Mary Poppins - everything needed was in it. The history of Egypt is too much to take in in one go but he did an excellent job in explaining the key elements.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for early starts to avoid the worst of the heat and the crowds.

Suggestions

I would have preferred some of the excursions to have been included in the price of the holiday.

Most Inspirational Moment

Abu Simbel, Karnak, Luxor, Valley of the Kings, Aswan. All the visits were great both optional and included but I was truly blown away by Abu Simbel. We took the coach to Abu Simbel, it wasn't cheap but definitely worth it.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Tefa was great and extremely patient. He was always concerned about our wellbeing. If there was an issue with accommodation or food, he made sure it was sorted. He also spoke very good English so his explanation about the various excursions were very interesting. Top bloke.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just be prepared for the early starts and long hot days. You'll need sunscreen, hat and water. Fortunately, water was provided free throughout the trip. We didn't have much time to shop so if you find something you like at any of the site bazaars then go for it and haggle hard. Avoid buying anything at the Cairo souk/market as you'll come across nicer things during your trip. Accepted currencies: Egyptian pound, Sterling, Dollar and the Euro. The Egyptians live on tips so be prepared to be asked for tips for the smallest of things like taking a photo, going to the public loo etc. It's a good idea to take your own loo roll when on excursions as it's not always available and more often than not, the loos are pretty dirty.

Suggestions

Just go with the flow and enjoy.