Egypt: Alexandria to Aswan

This was our thirteenth Exodus trip and this Egyptian odyssey certainly didn’t fall short of the high standards that keep bringing us back to Exodus as a travel company. Alexandria to Aswan is jam packed with breathtaking sights, extraordinary monuments and mind-boggling history, as well as moments of serenity and beauty, especially when drifting along the Nile either on the cruise ship or on a Felucca. My one reservation is that because so much is packed into what is effectively just twelve days it does feel a little rushed at times. It would have been good to spend perhaps an extra night in Alexandria and also Aswan. For me the the best Exodus trips do have a bit of time to breathe. Yes, it would make it a bit more expensive but this really ought to be a full two weeks. However, this shouldn’t put anyone off. It’s full of thrilling awe inspiring moments but you will need a good deal of energy to enjoy it all. Although thankfully there’s nowhere near as much driving as in some Exodus trips.

Excellent, well conducted trip

This was overall very good, with so many wonderful historic sites to explore and gaze in awe at the immense pyramids/temples and intricately decorated tombs. For me, the Cairo part of the trip should be redesigned, and the number of optional trips greatly reduced (there are too many half/not full -even if described as such- days, with optional extras) with more incorporated into the trip.

A great introduction to Egypt, with a fantastic guide who really brought it to life. Always on the move, and two or three really early morning starts. Perhaps a day to long in Cairo and the food tour in Cairo was a bit disorganised/rushed. Stops on the way to Alexandria were underwhelming.

Alexandria to Abuu Simbel.: Egypt from top to bottom! This trip packed so much into 11 days, yet it never felt rushed. The archaeological sites are awe-inspiring, in terms of their size, antiquity and elaborate carvings and wall paintings. No amount of looking at photos will prepare you for what you see in person.

A very well planned and operated trip, one of the best I've been on with Exodus. We were a capacity group of 20 and were provided with a superb 40 plus seater luxury coach throughout which greatly enhanced the long often slow travel journeys, particularly in Cairo where our elevated viewing position above the traffic mayhem was a delight. The hotels used and the cruise ship were all of a very high standard throughout the tour. I found the staff welcoming and helpful, particularly on our cruise ship MS Style. The cuisine on the cruise ship was exceptional, and breakfast buffets in the hotels were all very good. My one criticism is that where packed breakfasts were provided these were singularly unimaginative, being heavily bread based, with excessive non recyclable plastic packaging. The Hotel Metropole in Alexandria is an Art Nuveaux time capsule and a real experience to stay in. The Luxor Iberotel Hotel is superbly sited with beautiful gardens and a swimming pool overlooking the Nile; great for winding down at the end of your holiday.

Unfortunately, I became quite ill on the fifth day of the trip requiring thAT I return to the United States. That portion of the trip in which I was able to participate was very good. The Exodus trip leader, Andrew, was excellent.

Amazing.

We had a most excellent guide in Andrew who was very knowledgeable and experienced. This trip offers many of the highlights along the Nile.

The trip is really interesting and we definitely learnt a great deal about Egypt's history. Starting in Cairo my disappoint came from the choice of hotel. We stayed right on the outskirts opposite the new museum (not open yet) with a great view of a Pyramid opposite. The hotel was of an acceptable standard, but overall, the lowest of our trip, but so far from the city it was difficult to venture out for sightseeing or dinner. The group all agreed that our trip to the museum was too short and as we arrived back at our hotel quite early, we could have stayed longer as there is so much to see. We travelled to Alexandria from Cairo via El Alamein and visited the war museum which is not particularly good. The old colonial hotel in Alexandria is a great spot with a superb rooftop terrace & restaurant. The local fish restaurant was poor quality although it had a great view, so a different venue would have been better. The following morning, we visited the castle which was good, but then on the road again to Cairo for our sleeper train. The round trip took over 9 hours by bus for a one-night stay and although I wanted to visit Alexandria 2 nights would have made the round trip more worthwhile. The sleeper train to Aswan went without hitch and better than I expected for a developing country. Aswan was great and the activities were good with one small issue in that we had a really great meal on our Felucca trip and in the evening a Barbeque on a Nile Island which was much too soon after. The cruise to Luxor was very good quality and my only comment would be lack of language training of the waiters which I think may be due to Covid disruption, although our guide ate with us and was always there to help. The temples were incredible and certainly lived up to or were better than their reputation. The engineering fete of moving 22 ancient monuments is almost as incredible as the original build and Abu Simbel really shows this. A word to would be travellers, this trip is full on and with many early starts to beat the crowds or comply with the Tourist polices schedules. The tourist police are very apparent throughout the trip and in fact on our trip to Alexandria with had an armed guard on the bus who was I have to say was pleasant guy. All in All, the trip was well organised and ran smoothly.

A fabulous trip with a great group. Top to tail of Egypt, seeing the sites with a great tour guide. History, culture and fun.

My first trip to Africa was a revelation! The history and archeological monuments of Egypt greatly exceeded my expectations. The culture is very different from North America and took a bit to get use to. Fortunately our Guide, Andrew N. , did a superb job of bridging the gap between our reality and theirs. Andrew was so much more than a guide , he is academic Egyptologist. We learned so much. Thank you Andrew. We visited over twenty major attractions in the 14 days, each one special and unique. We felt safe every step of the way and I have no problem recommending this trip to those who revel in ancient Egyptian and are not afraid to experience African culture .

The trip was varied, and stimulated all the senses. It introduced us to many sides of Egyptian life, modern and ancient. The variety of transport allowed us to experience a variety of views from the bustling markets in the side streets and traffic jams of cities, to the beautiful coastal front of Alexandria and its nearby crystal blue sea, the green farmland near the Nile, the epic pyramids and temples, whether it be by bumpy ride on a camel, a rickety ride on the overnight train or a slowly-bobbing felucca.

The trip was varied, and stimulated all the senses. It introduced us to many sides of Egyptian life, modern and ancient. The variety of transport allowed us to experience a variety of views from the bustling markets in the side streets and traffic jams of cities, to the beautiful costal front of Alexandria and its nearby crystal blue sea, the green farmland near the Nile, the epic pyramids and temples, whether it be by bumpy ride on a camel, a rickety ride on the overnight train or a slowly-bobbing felucca.

Thoroughly enjoyed this trip. We had a great variety from ancient Egypt to modern (such as the library at Alexandria). Our guide was terrific, always attentive and prepared. The Nile cruise was a highlight. There were more early starts than I might have liked, but that was dictated by distances we needed to cover. The hotels were rather bland (except for the wonderful one in Alexandria), but no doubt chosen for their cleanliness and safety. The overnight train was a real adventure, although most of our group found it hard to get any sleep. We had an armed guard with us for most of the trip, which was both reassuring and a bit alarming!

This is our 11th trip with Exodus and this is the first time there were no significant criticism. We felt all fellow travellers gel very well as a group with lots of laughs. We made new friends which is always a bonus. The itinerary is jammed packed with a few early starts but we went with the flow. Perhaps an extra day would help. We saw lots, exceeding our expectations. From the ancient pyramids, temples, monasteries, Nubian culture & hospitality, bazaars, crazy Cairo traffic, visit to war cemetery, sailing on the Nile, hint of a glamorous era in Alexandria, funeral treasures in the Cairo museum, lunch on a felucca experience, camel rides to Egyptian cuisine - we enjoyed it all.

I and my wife visited Egypt in this tour with Exodus during Christmas holiday 2021. We have been travelling quite a lot with Exodus and other tour companies. All I have to say, Egypt: Alexandria to Aswan is one of the best tour we had so far. Egypt is a fascinating country which you have to see and to learn. The tour we had worth every penny we paid for. Our guide, Andrew was absolutely helpful and knowledgeable. Very effective and efficient. I have learned a lot from him about ancient Egyptian culture. He opened my eye. Thanks Andrew. The only thing not satisfactory may be the overnight sleeper train from Cairo to Aswan. Our cabin was so cold and the heater was not working. They, the train staff certainly can do it better but they seems just don't care. Overall the tour is good and again very knowledgeable for everyone who has a passion to learn. If you travel in winter and use the overnight train, my advice is to take some warm covering with you.

This trip has lots of early starts, in fact most days and long days on the road. Reasonable quality hotels are used throughout, excluding the overnight train which was basic first class. It was disappointing that the best hotels had the shortest stays. Trip content was good but often intense, sometimes it felt like too much was being crammed in, but I would argue that the time devoted to the Cairo food tour was excessive, in fact I used it to get a better look at Misra St. Maybe there is room for some rescheduling here, particularly given that the day leads up to the overnight train journey. After the train journey, although the long days continued the intensity relaxed a bit enabling the highlights of the Valley of the Kings and Abu Simbel to be enjoyed. Although the Nile cruise was relaxing, I was not prepared for the convoy of cruise boats, although I understand that this is to enable better security for this stretch of the Nile, it does detract from 'cruise' element.

Brilliant glimpses into the ancient world with access to many fantastic sights. As with most Exodus trips it is often full on with some early starts, but these do pay dividends. The tour party, at 20. was probably too big as you travel as fast as the slowest person on the trip. Accommodation was mostly good with a couple of more modest places, but locations were always excellent. I personally could have done without the trip to Alexandria which didn't compare to having had more time in the amazing Cairo museum.

This trip offered a wide variety of experiences along the length of the River Nile.The trip was very well organised and Andrew our guide was extremely knowledgable and helpful. The trip was full on with many early morning starts. Take extra money for the add on activities as without them the holiday would not have been so exiting.Be aware of extra charges at some of the sites such as a camera tax. In my opinion the group size was too large and made it difficult to hear the guide at some sites that were always crowded.However the chemistry of the group was excellent and I very much enjoyed everyones company. Accommodation throughout the trip was satisfactory to excellent.The Nile cruise experience was something I’ll never forget, but the highlights of the trip were the astounding places we visited.My favourite was the Valley of the Kings that simply ‘blew my mind away’. I left this holiday with a feel good factor and my only regret is that we didn’t have more free time especially in the Cairo Museum.

I was blown away by the history of Egypt and how ancient the civilisation is. This trip gives an excellent overview from the first pyramids to the time of Cleopatra with a bit of 20th century thrown in. The biggest surprise for me was the Egyptians who I found to be very friendly (but excellent salesmen). Our guide was superb and I felt very safe throughout the trip. Choose your time carefully because of the heat but I strongly recommend Egypt. It is one of the few trips I was not ready to come home from.

A fascinating, informative, and very enjoyable tour with the chance to dress up thrown in for good measure! As with all Exodus trips we had some early starts and long days with now wasted time in between. If you want to see a lot of Egypt and experience its history from ancient times through to the modern day then this is the trip to take.

Egypt is a fascinating country and we covered so much of it and some 4,000 years of its history most of which was new to me. A land of many contrasts from the great cities of Cairo and Alexandria to the great Pyramids to the El Alamein battlefields down to beautiful Aswan the Nubian desert to Abu Simbel and to the treasures of Luxor everything bound together by the Nile river - Egypts lifeblood. The different modes of transport we used helped to bring out the contrasts.

This was one of the best trips I have done. The guide Ahmed is fantastic, he knows EVERYTHING about his country He explained everything really well with just enough detail. He was also great fun, a really nice man. The trip is physically easy, however, there are some very early starts but Ahmed organised wake up calls for us. The monuments will take your breath away, I can’t pic a favourite place. The hotels are good and the level of service is excellent. The first and last hotels are really good and the cruise ship was stunning. I stayed an extra couple of nights and I’m glad I did. What a fantastic experience!

This trip is not for those who are looking for a quiet, relaxing holiday. Lots of early starts made the most of the opportunities we had to get under the skin of this brilliant country. There is a lot to see and while some of the trips are optional, it's worth trying to add several to your itinery, so budget accordingly! We had a great group of travellers and a brilliant tour guide who was funny, patient (I had lots of questions) and always kind - thank you Ahmed! When you make short stops, particularly early on on the tour, leave everything except your camera (and maybe a small amount of money) in the tour bus - there are often crowds and there are hawkers everywhere - there's always an opportunity to buy souvenirs in Egypt! The vegetarian food is adequate, but not always super interesting - the food tour of Cairo, the Nile boat and the Nubian fellucca ride were hi-lights! Take the tour leader's advice - he was usually right!