Egypt Adventure Trips

The trip was full on, as advertised, but not too much so. The itinerary and organisation were first rate, the transport and accommodation excellent. Our guide Ahmed was fantastic, always cheerful, knowledgeable and very kind. He went out of his way to deal with any little problem, even retrieving my Kindle when I stupidly left it on the train - he got someone to go back to Luxor to pick it up and bring it to me in Aswan! I really enjoyed the whole trip and would recommend it to others.

We travelled a day early so as to be fresh for the first day. Explored Cairo. It is hot, dirty, poor and broken but that doesn’t mean it’s not a vibrant exciting place to visit. There’s lots to see and do and once you’ve realised that even though most people are friendly, they are after your money. Learn this lesson early. But it feels very safe., Ahmed was our guide for the 10 days. A very proud Egyptian and Muslim. A font of all knowledge and a lovely guy. The Pyramids of Giza are amazing and great fun to explore inside. Certain level of fitness needed but worth the sweat and pain. The over night train. An experience that will stay with me for life. To describe it as first class is stretching it a bit. A moment that if you didn’t laugh, you’d cry. I have since relayed my story to friends and ended up crying with laughter. So it was worth it. My wife complained that I was snoring so it couldn’t have been that bad. I’ll let you discover the toilet . Needless to say that the track flys by when you look down the pan .. Onto Aswan. The Temple at Abu Simbel was breath taking and worth the extra fee. It is a very early start and long drive. Because of the numbers we had a mini bus where a coach would have been more comfortable. The Cruise. The boat was pleasant and the food good and they serve beer. Traveled up to Luxor where it got a lot hotter. Another early start for the optional balloon flight but well worth it for the sunrise and views over the Valley We saw a lot of temples and tombs and when you think you’re templed out , you see something that makes it worth it. The tombs in the valley of the kings are amazing in their feats of engineering and decoration. We had a nice meal with a family on the way back and I recommend the meal with the Nubian people in Aswan. It’s difficult to find negatives. It is full on. Long days and a lot of time on your feet. You’ll always have the option to sit out some visits of your tired and the boat trip gives you time to recharge.

The itinerary was very robust, while still offering some 'relaxation time'. The only thing I would have liked to experience that we did not would have been a visit to a Coptic Church. We passed by several churches, but it was just that, a passing by happenstance. I would have liked to learn a little more about that important part of the Egyptian population and its history.

This trip is better suited for those with no mobility issues. Because of heat or flight schedules one should be prepared to get up very early, which is worth it in the end.

The first day is too much. We arrive in Cairo at 5:00 pm. It took two hours to get to the Cairo Marriott Hotel. There was a group meeting at 7:00 to 8:00 pm. THEN, WE HAD TO LEAVE AT 3:00 AM (YES, THAT'S RIGHT, 3:00 AM) TO GO BACK TO THE AIRPORT TO CATCH OUR FLIGHT FOR THE CRUISE!!!! That was entirely too much for Day One!

This was a great trip, showing us as many temples and tombs as one could want to see. I definitely feel like I have 'done Egypt'. The tour was well structured, and our guide was excellent. The benefits definitely outweighed any bad points, but there were a few aspects that I felt could be improved: 1) I was surprised that our guide didn't have a 'contact list' of local restaurants that he usually took tour groups to. We went to some very strange places - sitting on the street at a restaurant with no menu on our first night in Cairo was not a high point. We also spent ages on another Cairo day driving round looking for an open restaurant for lunch (this was limited by Ramadan, but still frustrating) 2) I felt there were too many optional trips and some of these should have been included. Nothing was included on the second full day in Cairo. The Saqqara pyramid trip should be included. As should Abu Simbel. 3) The Red Sea - is that really the best accommodation that Explore can find? It is an all inclusive hotel with the majority of guests being from Russia. This means that entertainment etc is in Russian. The food was boring and repetitive, with the 'dining room' being reminiscent of a school canteen. We were aware of this beforehand, and were happy overall, I just think it could be better. We also arranged our snorkelling trip through an offsite company and seemed to have a better trip than that arranged through the hotel by other guests. And beware - the weather at the Red Sea in March is not always sunbathing weather! overall, the trip was great, we've recommended it to others, but there were a few points we felt people should be aware of. PS - make sure you go to the Old Cataract Hotel in Aswan. Dress code isn't overly strict, and the 'fee' to get in covers the first round of drinks.