Splendours of Egypt, a Women-Only Tour

This is a busy itinerary but we also had some down time to recover from the heat!

Learn about the spaces you will see before you go. It is alot of information which Evan be cemented in memory once you visit.

Visited all the expected sites as well as some unexpected ones. Cocktails at The Old Cataract Hotel was a treat! I was glad I came in a day early as the first day was a super early start and full of touring. Maybe add a day on the front end of the trip? I was a bit disappointed that at least one dinner out in Cairo wasn't included. With a group of women and the traffic in Cairo none of us were up to venturing out on our own to find a restaurant. A bit disappointing to eat all our meals at the hotel.

I had an amazing time with our Wonders of Egypt Tour Women Only Tour with Insight Vacations. From arrival airport transfer to departure transfer, everything was well planned and executed in a professional manner. Our tour guide for the entire trip, was excellent. Very professional, courteous and informative - she gave enough history to educate us but not overwhelm us, loved the way she explained often complicated stories of the myriads of pharaohs & Egyptian gods. She took excellent care of us and was flexible in accommodating our requests to start our excursions early in the morning to beat the heat and crowds which worked out really well as we thoroughly enjoyed our highlight on the last day at Giza with hardly any crowds as we braved the narrow tunnels into the tombs of the pyramid. This Wonders of Egypt-Women Only Tour covered the highlights of Egypt including the wonderful high tea at the famed Old Cataract Hotel in Aswan, the enchanting felucca ride, a visit to an Egyptian family farm , all the mesmerizing ancient monuments, temples plus the awe-inspiring history of the ancient Egypt civilization and Egyptian mythology. This was an absolutely not-to-miss tour!

The only thing I would change is that the first day - coming right after most people had taken trans-oceanic flights and still had jet lag - was too demanding (flying to Luxor, touring Karnak before checking into ship). It would have been better to have a lighter Day One to allow for rest and time zone adjustment, and do Karnak on the way back. The all-women's tour group and the Tour Director were outstanding and hugely enhanced the experience. Tipping became a constant irritant and would be better if Tour Director handled tips and Insight appropriately raised the package cost, to alleviate that daily chore (ensuring correct currency & denominations, ATM visits, etc.). PS - bring American dollars in small bills. Overall, a fascinating country, knowledgeable and constantly helpful Tour Director, and a good balance of historic and current experiences. Aswan (and the Cataract Hotel) was a definite highlight, and don't pass on Abu Simbel. It is worth the cost; as is the Aswan boat tour of the Nile (two options worth doing).