This is a must do in Egypt, from Cairo to Abu Simbel, was a fabulous adventure, we enjoyed everything, We had learned so much about the ancient civilization, Egypt has a lot to offer, the food and the service on board was superb, the our tour guide Ahmed is a great guide and very professional and very friendly great photographer,
This was really great for the price. Please keep in mind. The entry fees for the sites and temples are NOT included in your package,
Everywhere you will find people selling merchandise and souvenirs, please always ask your guide where it is better to buy.
Highly recommend it.
My husband and I wrote this review together. For the orderly minds, he's itemized his review below :-) . Regardless, we both agree this trip, without a doubt, this trip was above and beyond expectations. An excursion of a lifetime. We are so happy we got lucky enough to get Ahmed as our tour guide and that we had this opportunity in our lives to experience this part of Egypt.
What I will say is, I did call and reach out to more expensive and well-known tour companies a month in advance of our trip. They either did not respond or those who did response were rude and condescending. Those original encounters with the "luxury" groups were off-putting. I booked this trip nearly last minute before we left to fly to Cairo... and I feel we received such a gift. From my first contact who was the liaison Bassant (more on her later), to our guide (Ahmed, who is so full of knowledge, personable, and great at truly teaching you about the sites) - to the accommodations (which, I was truly terrified about).
Let me take a moment to speak about Bassant directly. I will own that I, myself, am a bit of a hot mess. She was EXTREMELY PATIENT. EXTREMELY FORGIVING. She gave the impression that she truly cared about our experience. And I was so worried about a lot of things and a little disorganized. She first contacted me via whatsapp to ask for our passports - and I was worried, and she reassured so kindly and quietly. On the day we were to fly out to Aswan, I had missed the itinerary for our flight in the messages -- thinking she hadn't sent it -- and panicked in the airport, calling her at 3 in the morning. She, again, kindly and patiently responded -- resending everything (without making me feel stupid -- i'm the one who eventually saw i'd already had everything).
One of the most pleasant surprises was finding out how much time we actually got to sail on the Nile. Again, one luxury tour company I spoke to said their boat would be docked for two days before sailing-- but we sailed after the first night and for most of the trip... and it was incredible. Again, just magical.
But. My husband will give you the nitty gritty. :-)
Things to know.
Pros -
1. Our tour guide Ahmed was the best tour guide we’ve ever had in all our years of travel. He knew everything, knew everyone, and knew how to navigate and game the systems. And we felt safe with him the whole time.
2.We had a small group (2 of 6) so getting to where we needed to was easy.
3. The room on the boat was much bigger and nicer than we expected, plenty of room for two people.
4. And the sites are just spectacular and jaw dropping.
Cons -
1. Not being an all inclusive package was annoying.
2.Not having a written out itinerary with rough time tables was a little annoying, and would have been helpful.
3. Though we were told exact ticket prices for site admissions, it was not clear to us that we had to have it paid in advance.
4. Meals are buffet style, and if you’ve been to a resort before, you know not to expect fine dining. Honestly, the food was the weakest part of the tour.
5. Both of our groups had small issues with our rooms (e.g. clogged bathtub) and relayed them to the staff, but they did not fix them. (sidenote, if you’re over 6 feet, you may have issues standing up in the tub, though I can only speak for our boat; other boats may vary.
Some things to keep in mind:
There were some places we wished we had more time to visit, but due to time constraints we didn’t spend more than 60-90 minutes at each place. We also had to wake up EARLY every day. BUT that’s the trade-off for being able to visit so many places. So before you book, ask yourself… Is it more important to see as many things as you can, or to experience several things as fully as possible? If it’s the latter, this tour may not be for you.
The extra trips that were offered were a trip to a Nubian village and a hot air balloon ride. We loved the Nubian village trip, as we got to go on a little boat (think African Queen), dip our feet in the Nile, and even held a crocodile! That was worth the extra $40 per person. The other group did the hot air balloon and snorkeling. They said the hot air balloon was worth it, though we don’t know how snorkeling was as we separated before they went. That being said we have been snorkeling and went in a hot air balloon elsewhere before, and it is really enjoyable. If you’ve never done them before, and have the money, it’s probably gonna be worth it to splurge.
The stops at the aromatherapy shop and stone carvers shop are part of the reason why the tours have the prices that they do…those businesses pay the tour companies to bring tourists to them. They will pressure you to buy their products, but you are under no obligation to do so. It’s basically like watching a timeshare presentation to get a promotion…it’s the cost of the discount.
Helpful tips:
Definitely recommend bringing a pillow and headphones on the way to Abu Simbel. It is a 3 hour drive to and from.
Most of the temple tickets can be purchased online, to avoid having to wait in line at the entrance. I would recommend bringing about $200 USD (around 10,000 in Egyptian Pounds) in cash for tips and unexpected purchases.
Bottom Line: The pros far outweigh the cons, and absolutely recommend this tour if you want the highlights from Abu Simbel to Luxor. And the fact that you’ll be on a boat traveling down the Nile is an unforgettable experience. The total cost was around $1,100 USD/person, and we still think the tour was worth every penny. If you do book, ask for Ahmed.