30 Apr 2021
It was our dream to travel on Nile and see the main attractions at the same time and it came true. Thanks the team for organizing our trip. Guides and transfers were on time and the manager was always with us through whatsapp.
Pros:
- Good organization overall
- Good guides in Luxor (ours was Gada) and Abu Simbel (from Aswan) - English speaking
- Good food and accommodations on the boat
- Balloon flight not very expensive
- All entry fees for temples were included in our trip
- Support in Whatsapp almost 24/7
Cons:
- Sales people in bazaars near all tourist attractions. They are noisy and can be aggressive. If you don’t want anything from them, just walk straight through without speaking to them. As in our case my friend was practically robbed of some of her money. I think the agency should have asked their guides to instruct people beforehand. Several times I felt that we were intentionally left near shops. In any other country it would be ok, but not in Egypt.
- Tips is another story. Almost every person expects to get some money from you. It’s a part of mentality here, so expect to spend at least $50 plus on tips for the guides, drivers, people on the boat, people at the railway stations.
- Drinks on the boat are not included at all. Even simple water. The prices are 2-3 times higher than in shops. So bring your own water or be ready to pay another $40-50 for drinks. (It was around $40 for the both of us, but we were not strong on alcohol.)
- We went to Egypt during Ramadan, so every cafe was closed. Buy your food for the trains beforehand if traveling on holy month.
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Trains. If you are not ready to spend more than 10 hours on a train, consider making your tour with direct flights from/to Cairo. In our case we wanted to have that experience and were ready for that. Sleepy trains are much more comfortable, but you won’t be in time for balloon ride (If you choose it on the way to Luxor). Moreover, egyptian trains tend to be late for several hours. We reached Luxor in 10 hours instead of 8, and Cairo in 15 instead of 12. It’s about 2-4 hours late.
To the team:
I recommend that you make a schedule with time for that trip. Start to Abu Simbel was at 04:30 A.M. It was a little unexpected.