Since the planing of the trip I felt supported with the high level of professionalism. The guides Seif, Youssef and Ihab are great and generous people who cared for our well being and experience. I highly recommend Memphis tour.
BOOK WITH MEMPHIS ASAP. Do not hesitate, they are the BEST service I've EVER worked with.
Starting from the beginning...
I wanted to take a YOLO solo trip to Egypt (an absolute dream of mine since I was a child) and booked my hotel through Chase points literally a week before the trip. I stayed at the Four Seasons First Residence and messaged the concierge for private tour recos. They directed me to Memphis Tours.
Within a few hours, I was chatting with Fatima at Memphis and shared my ideal itinerary and she put together options, costs and timing very quickly. I had 5 days, 6 nights in Egypt and wanted to do A LOT.
Once we confirmed my itinerary, Fatima sent me a link for payment. TBH, it seemed a little bit sketchy, as it didn't seem like a verified payment site, but after confirming on TA and through the hotel that that was normal, I was ready to book.
Fatima put me in contact with my on the ground tour manager, Ahmed Kassab. Ahmed was SUPER responsive (the man never sleeps lol) and kind from the jump.
My first evening, Ahmed picked me up with a driver and took me on a Felucca cruise at sunset on the Nile. Great experience and great chats with Ahmed. He recommended an AMAZING restaurant in Zamalek, Abou El Sid.
My next day was a tour of the Pyramids and the brand new Grand Egyptian Museum. I was picked up by my tour guide, Nesreen Mahmoud. NESREEN IS AN ANGEL FROM HEAVEN. Not only EXTREMELY knowledgeable, she was SOOOOO kind and genuine. I truly cannot rave enough about her. She was caring, smart, funny, introspective, literally every good adjective I could say. She was family by the end of the tour. Also, my god, the pyramids and the new GEM are STUNNING! Dream achieved.
The next day, Nesreen picked me up and went to the Citadel and Muhammed Ali mosque - my first time in a mosque and Nesreen shared so much information about the Islamic faith and history of Arabic influence in Egypt. We then went to the Bazaar and did some shopping and grabbed Turkish coffee at the oldest cafe in Cairo. Followed by a trip to the Egyptian Civilization Museum where all of the mummies are displayed (don't miss this!). We had lunch and then I sadly had to say goodbye to Nesreen. Right before sunset I did an ATV tour around the pyramids. Holy sh*t that was the coolest experience EVER, just make sure you bring a mask or buy a scarf there :)
My last day with Memphis, Ahmed picked me up from my hotel at 3am (see above never sleeping) for my domestic flight and day tour to Luxor. I landed in Luxor at 6am and was picked up by Waled and then another Ahmed (Luxor Ahmed, grew up in Luxor and knew EVERYTHING about it) took me around to some of the most STUNNING sites in Egypt: Karnak, Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's Temple, the best lunch I had in Egypt at the Marsam Hotel (it's like a Tuscan Villa with camels :), Habu Temple (this was extra, but amazing) and then ended at a hotel on the Nile and I grabbed a bottle of wine and watched the sunset while I waited for my flight and pick up from Ahmed in Cairo.
I cannot say enough about my experience, honestly. I work in client services myself, so I know the difference when someone's heart is into it and I can tell you FOR sure, everyone at Memphis DEEPLY cares. Also, people say that you'll get scammed and harassed in Egypt, but I felt safe and protected by the tour leaders because they knew everyone and no one was going to scam me. The knowledge, passion, dedication to communication and friendliness really set them apart and made my trip an experience of a lifetime. I now have lifelong friends in Nesreen and Ahmed and can't wait to return.
Last thing, for 4 days of private solo touring and excursions, lunches/water whenever needed and straight up peace of mind, the pricing was extremely reasonable. Make sure you tip your guides!!!
Il nostro hotel Holiday Inn (Ottimo) ad Il Cairo era troppo lontano da tutto: lontano dall'aeroporto, lontano dal centro, lontano da Giza ed il traffico intensissimo ha ulteriormente condizionato gli spostamenti.
Inoltre, anche se non ne è responsabile l'agenzia, sarebbe una buona cosa organizzare il numero degli accessi ai vari siti archeologici lungo il Nilo per meglio apprezzare le indiscutibili meraviglie che abbiamo visitato.