As seasoned travelers, we’ve done many tours around the world, but the Royal Tour of Egypt stands out as one of the best. Every detail was spot-on, from our personalized welcome at the airport to the final transfer back.
Our guide, Hossam, was a true gem patient, funny, and deeply passionate about his country’s history. He took care of us like family, and we never once felt like "just another group."
The Nile cruise was elegant and peaceful, with attentive staff and outstanding food. Every meal was beautifully presented, and the hospitality was unmatched.
Even logistics like internal flights, transfers, and hotel check-ins were handled smoothly. We didn’t have to worry about a single thing.
This tour gave us more than just beautiful photos — it gave us a true connection to Egypt. Thank you for an incredible journey!
Overall, this was one of the best trips ever. One suggestion I have, in the past the tour stared off with a tipping kitty that the CEO would collect at the beginning of the tour. Please bring the back. It is very confusing when the people on the tour must figure out how much to tip the drivers and other axillary staff. Please bring it back!!!!!!
Long bus journey but worth it. Major sights visited in Istanbul city.
Gallipolli and Troy well worth visit,very interesting,hard to imagine human cost of war.Trenches still visable. Lots of archaeology at Troy and replica of wooden horse to go in. Good photo opportunities. Ephesus with ancient streets,roman toilets,columns,mosaics and carving of menorah. Amazing amphitheatre at Parmakeele,The Thermal Springs. Lots of people but lots of space. White rocks fab,water not warm,skin felt refreshed after dip. Hotels used were high quality. Breakfasts delicious. Time to visit museum shops and time for coffee break.
Guide allowed plenty of toilet stops.
Start your 9 day, once in a lifetime experience in Athens, a world capital of cultural and historical heritage before you hit the water to relax and unwind on some of Greece’s most beautiful islands. Party till dawn in Mykonos, get lost in the maze of streets; watch the world’s most beautiful sunset in Santorini after a long day of swimming and end your tour in breathtaking Ios.
A wonderful trip, seeing amazing places and beautiful islands. There are walks planned at each stop over, but you don’t have to do them. The weather at the end of September was glorious and hot. So that might decide if you’d like to go on any of the walks or not. All hotels had pools and fairly close to a beach so that might sway your choice as well. The hotels were slightly out of the town too.
Our guide, Peter, was excellent. He really made the holiday easy for us. Everything went to plan, no hiccups. His knowledge of everything Greek was outstanding.
We loved Egypt and Peter was a huge part of why. He was organised, efficient, friendly and always contactable. Peter has amazing knowledge and insight, excellent English and a wonderful personality. A big part of why we enjoyed his tour so much was Peter. If Peter is your guide you cant go wrong!
Ramez is a really nice and kind person. He is really knowledgeable of the history of Egypt. We went to all of the most important sites and he explained all their history. The drivers and the security are great. We were made to feel safe and cared for. Ramez took into consideration our needs and made sure they were met. We had a lot of fun, and we were left with amazing knowledge about Ancient Egypt. I will probably recommend this tour and our guide to my friends and family.
The tour took me and my son through the highlights of Egypt, with something new and exciting everyday. It was well organised. Our time on the Royal Viking boat was amazing, we had the same guide for 4 days. Emad was not only was he a wealth of knowledge concerning Ancient and modern Egypt, but he looked after us like family. The itinerary was great, but Emad made sure the trip was incredible, helping us in all aspects of travel and in everything Egyptian. He was generous and caring. Thank you!
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.
We loved our Bike and Sail (which was actually a Bike and Boat since the boat didn't have sails). The boat was extremely comfortable with excellent A/C in the lower level where our room was. The dining room was always too warm because even though it had A/C, the open door and another smaller opening near the bar allowed hot air to enter the room. Would be nice if fans were present in the dining area. But all in all, the trip was a good experience!
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!
This tour was such a great way to experience Greece. The itinerary was full of highlights. Hotels are standard tourist class, not bad. Food is OK. Guides and drivers are fantastic.
