What can I say...this tour was amazing. Never thought I'd see the sights I saw on this trip, never thought any of this would be possible in my lifetime. Egypt seemed too far, too exotic, too expensive. As soon as I saw the listing for this tour, it suddenly seemed like it might be possible.
We had reservations about going for sure. We have kids, 10 and 13. There's a war in Israel. It's summer in a very hot part of the world. Do we need Yellow Fever vaccines? Will the food make us sick? Americans kept telling us it would be too dangerous to go.
None of that turned out to be a problem. Egypt was very very safe. There are police and military personnel on the streets and at cultural sites. I saw no crime, no people sleeping on the streets. No people panhandling. Going to ATMs to get cash was very safe and easy. We went everywhere from big tourist sites to small neighborhoods. Food was great and we never got sick. We didn't drink the tap water, but bottled water and soft drinks are everywhere. It was hot, but air conditioning, pools, and headscarves manage this.
I'll say this again, because I have heard a lot about this:
Egypt is safe.
It's kind.
It's welcoming.
People are excited that you're visiting from America.
The food is great, and safe.
The hotels were amazing:
Steigenberger in Giza is clean, beautiful, has a nice restaurant with free breakfast, and has a view of the pyramids, which is pretty wild.
Movenpick in Aswan is spectacular, taking up a large portion of an island in the middle of the Nile, with pools and sustainable farms on-site.
The Jaz cruise up the Nile was really nice, with good food and comfortable quarters.
The Continental hotel in Hurghada was seriously ridiculously lavish, with a private beach on the Red Sea, giant pool, a dozen restaurants, and a shopping corridor.
And the Ramses Hilton in Cairo is clean, elegant, and right in the middle of the action of downtown Cairo.
We saw a million places from ancient Egypt I never thought we'd see. I can't overstate how incredible it is to stand in front of the Sphinx, the pyramids of Giza, Luxor temple, Kom Ombo, and especially the incredible monuments at Abu Simbel...this is an optional extra tour, and a bit expensive, as it's a whole day trip, but my goodness, it's worth the long drive. Incredible.
Overall, this trip had probably the most OMG moments I've had on a trip. And I've been to some pretty spectacular places, including India, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Peru (Machu Picchu), the UK, and more.
Please trust me and take the trip. Ignore the warnings. It's so worth it.
Egypt is one of those places which truly amaze and confound even seasoned travelers with its unbelievable ancient sites and unforgettable culture, despite the glaring poverty which seemingly surrounds and swallows up nearly everything and everyone in the country. Some would have questioned my sanity to bring four young children to Egypt when some areas still remain off limits to travelers due to possible terrorist activity. Given all of these concerns why and how did we visit this amazing country of Egypt you may ask. Why, that's simple, its a cradle of civilization and for learned people a once in a lifetime destination not to be missed, simple as that. How, well... it could have been done differently no doubt, but I am very happy to say that I used a well known and highly capable local tour company. They took what I wanted to see, my budget, and applied the local knowledge required and essential to ensure that the trip would be safe, hassle free, and memorable. They did a fine job on this long 16 day trip across Egypt including visits to Cairo, Giza, Saqqara, Luxor, Aswan, Hurgada, and Alexandria. Some of the many highlights included cruising the Nile in a ship and visiting ancient ruins saved from the flooding of Lake Nasser (Abu Simbel). A brief respite from the sightseeing midway through the trip at the lovely and truly perfect family resort of Steinberger Aqua Magic in Hurgada recharged our batteries before diving back into the amazing scenery of Lower Egypt after a packed trip to Upper Egypt. The guides and drivers all did their absolute best to ensure we were always safe and that the children had extra time if needed such as to accommodate an extra trip to the WC or a quick nap in-amongst the sightseeing. At no time did we ever feel unsafe or unwelcome during our trip to Egypt, and on the contrary were made to feel very welcome by everyone we met be it in the street, at the hotel, in a restaurant, in the bazaar, etc etc. The truth is, you could spend a year in Egypt and only scratch the surface of what the country offers travelers, but for our family and budget we feel that our 16 day full tour of Egypt was exceptional in the quality, breadth and value offered by the tour company, and I deeply thank them for this life changing trip to Egypt. I only hope that I have the means and health to visit again in the future to this amazing country, and when I do, I will be sure to use this company once again. I hope this helps anyone contemplating taking on the Egypt trip with young children, best of luck!
A wonderful family vacation with well-executed planning and management by the tour company.
Special thanks to our tour guide in Cairo "Haytham" for his friendly and in-depth information regarding the historic sites. Also the tour guide "Imad" for Luxor and Aswan. Last but not least "Salah" for transfers.
Our tour of Egypt was amazing from start to finish. We really appreciated all help you provided in planning and customizing the tour to our desires. We found your staff very helpful throughout, expediting our passage through customs to get a the visa, and making sure travel from hotel and between sites was easy. Each guide provided was an expert and helped us gain a greater appreciation for both the history of ancient Egypt and the people of modern Egypt. We saw so many incredible things and learned so much about your country. I do hope to visit again sometime in the future.
I have spent the last 3 days visiting Abydos & Dendara (1 day) and Luxor (2 days) with my guide Ahmed Haggag Ali.
First of all, I would highly recommend Abydos to anyone (even if it is way out of any route, +3h by car from Luxor). Abydos is truly a special place, thanks to its colorful paintings and design. And Ahmed provided me with all the history and explanations related to this temple. He knows eveything!! He has been able to answer all of my questions so far (and believe me, I have had a lot!) We later had a delicious 'fuul' in a local restaurant (see pic).
Luxor is, of course, a must see if you plan to visit Egypt. I spent one day in the east bank and another in the west bank. The Karnak and Luxor temples on the East bank are fascinating, and the Valley of the Kings in the West bank has beautiful tombs. Of the 3 tombs I visited, Ramses III was my favourite, extremely colorful. If you have the budget, I also recommend the hot air balloon trip, which is just breathtaking.
I will spend 3 more days with my guide Ahmed Haggag Ali to visit Edfu & Kom Ombo, Aswan and Abu Simbel, and I am very much looking forward to it!