Luxor Adventure Trips

Our tour leader Mohammed Ali is very knowledgeable, passionate, warm, and fun. I learned so much from him about Egypt and really enjoyed his stories. He has great personal skills. I really liked him to tell us what we would do and how long we would be out each time when we got off the bus so we would bring enough water and snacks. He always checked our wellbeing. He took many nice pictures for us. He took very good care of us. It was a memorable trip.

This is a great and varied trip to visit some of the main sights of Egypt. There is a lot packed into 10 days. The optional trips of Abu Simbel, saqqara and dinner in a Nubian village were worthwhile and enjoyable. The overnight train was an experience and the Nile Cruise was relaxing. The visit to Kom Ombo temple was not fun and much too rushed and crowded as all the cruise ships arrived at the same time. The guide Amr was very good with an amazing knowledge of Egyptian history that they he enjoyed sharing with us. He worked hard to make sure everyone could do the things they wanted to.

This was a great trip full of lots of amazing sites, experiences and information. I would definitely recommend the optional extras of Saqqara and Abu Simbel. When packing, I would recommend bringing dollars to save lugging Egyptian Pounds around (you will need a lot of notes!). A lot of places accept card which is a blessing as well. However, you will need small denominations of Egyptian Pounds for tipping and any toilet trips (paying to use the toilet is standard). The overnight train and Nile cruise were contrasting experiences but great fun. Personally, I found my sleeping bag liner really handy on the train - but no one else had one and it didn’t bother them. We also didn’t need the extra snacks on the train as the food was ok. Long, floaty trousers or skirts are a must to ensure you are respecting the culture of Egypt. However, I did feel ok in a tshirt but always had a loose, long-sleeved shirt in my bag ready to wear. The group we travelled with were great and Amr, our guide, could not be faulted on his knowledge and passion of Ancient Egypt. I have learnt a lot! Thank you.

This was a fantastic trip, very full on but this was known at the time of booking but the early starts are definitely needed. Would recommend that the optional trips of Saqqara and Abu Simbel are done - they really should be part of the itinerary as Saqqara is part of the evolution of the pyramids. Great group to travel with and Amr our guide was fantastic - tried to make sure we all had a great time and was so passionate about Egypt and Egyptology. The overnight train was an experience - but that's what we travel for isn't it! Experiences and being in front of the pyramids was like being on a film set and the colours in the Valley of the Dead - wow! The experience of certain visits was so busy and not fun but that was definitely not the guide or Explores fault - that is the tourist police telling the boats when they can arrive at certain places! Be prepared for lots of busy days but the experience is so worth it though we were disappointed that the nicest hotel you only stay in for one night and if you go to Abu Simbel it's a really short night! A few recommendations for future travellers - the optional extras are all referenced in dollars for a reason - it is definitely worth taking dollars as so much easier to pay for the trips in this as the exchange rate means lots of Egyptian pounds and the optional tombs in the Valley of the Kings are only payable by card.

Two minor gripes. 1) It would have been nice to have been warned that the hotel in Cairo did not serve alcohol. 2) Explore should advise its clientele that a visa should be purchased at Cairo airport. The so-called e-visa offered by the embassy involves wrestling with an outdated website which frequently crashes, and requires a photograph of the passport at a resolution far lower than any smartphone will offer - I had to set my scanner at the lowest resolution possible to produce a file which the system would accept. Otherwise, things were great - especially the guide who went the extra mile to ensure that a visit to the Luxor workers' tombs was possible on the morning of our departure when officially her duties were complete.

An excellent guide and a busy itinerary made this an unforgettable, once in a lifetime trip. It is not aiming at the luxury end of the market and requires some individual stamina but overall it was comfortable and fun. A group of 12 people was a good size.