This has been one of the best choices I made on my trip to Egypt: a fantastically curated private tour of Luxor's cultural treasures. I am not good with crowds of tourists, and despite being one myself, I consider the world's cultural treasures the responsibility of everyone who visits them. So, in general, my relationship with other tourists is not that good because of the lightness with which they behave and the irresponsibility and rudeness that they express in other nations and places. So, a private tour was just perfect.
Luxor archeological treasures are a crown of Egyptian art and culture that must be seen at least once in your lifetime. My tour started by being picked up from my hotel in Cairo, brought to the airport and flying to Luxor, where I was expected by my tour guide, Marian Azer. I spent two days in Luxor and stayed overnight in the Luxurious Hilton Luxor. Those were two days full of learning and exchange of ideas and knowledge with my fantastic guide.
The experience included the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple, the Colossus of Memnon, Karnak Temple Complex, and Luxor Temple Complex. Each one of those places would not have been as half as amazing without the expert guide of Marian Azer.
Marian is an incredible professional Egyptologist. She is not only an encyclopedia of facts but also an amazing storyteller who is able to connect history with the monuments without making you feel like this is a school lesson.
She was always attentive and extremely kind, always making sure the information was in the right amount to not overwhelm you. In my case, I am really an avid learner; I am a university scholar at Concordia and Ottawa Universities in Canada (neuroscientist, artist, educator), and questions are always being formulated in my mind. I have studied many of the places I visited on this trip, corroborated facts and get additional, a lot of amazing additional information, sometimes can be challenging, but Marien was always ready to answer and always prepared to walk the extra mile to provide quality content.
We had such fantastic conversations. I discussed points that are usually hard to discuss in tours because the guides are scripted, but Marian really knows her subject.
Additionally, she always allowed me time to explore by myself, which I also really appreciate since I can meditate on the place, its importance, its contributions, and how these monuments keep teaching us about ourselves and how to face modern-day challenges. Again, I appreciate that flexibility, something that you do not find in crowded tours with strict, tight schedules and people roaming around you.
At the end of the second day, it was hard not to feel like I was talking to an old, very respected scholar friend. An extremely intelligent and knowledgeable person with vast knowledge and appreciation of Egyptian culture and its value. I would recommend this tour to anyone for the marvellous things you will see, but I would especially recommend this tour WITH Marian, to anyone who really wants the flexibility, knowledge, attention to detail, kindness, and professionalism that she brings to the table. You guys have a fantastic jewel in your guide arsenal. Congratulations, and thanks for it.
Date of experience: April 26, 2024
Khalid was our guide, and he was fantastic, friendly and very knowledge. He explained in great detail the history at each site, we had plenty of time on our own to take pictures and browse at our leisure.
Really recommend the 2-day guide as it gets really hot and too much to do in one day