Great trip, variety of experiences
First, it's important to know that the primary role of this tour operator (the people you pay the money to) is to provide guides and transfers from one transportation mode to another. It's a different guide in each place, and they were pretty good, except for the trip to Abu Simbel, where the guide didn't show up; this wasn't much of a problem.
Now, for the components of the trip:
- Overnight trains to Aswan and from Luxor: you wouldn't expect trains in Egypt to be like the ones in France, and they aren't, but they are adequate. And unexpected benefit is that they provide meals, and they were pretty good. One problem on the southbound trip was people smoking in the hallways; this didn't happen on the northbound trip.
- The boat trip was pretty good; good food and lots of it. The cabin was great. One pleasant surprise was the Isna locks; it's a technology you learn about in school, but rarely experience. Two problems; The sun deck (the entire top floor, which includes a pool and a bar) was "smoking everywhere". A lot of the staff were "trained seals"; they have a rudimentary knowledge of English, and aren't really capable of responding to requests.
GuanajuatoBob · dic 2019 · vía Tripadvisor
Gran viaje, muy bien coordinado.
Este fue un gran viaje y realmente la mejor manera de ver las vistas de Asuán y Luxor. Nuestros guías - Magdi (Big Mac) en Asuán, Mohammed en Kom Ombo, Khaled en Luxor y (no obtuve su nombre) en Edfu - fueron fantásticos y muy informativos. En todos, excepto Edfu, mi amigo y yo éramos los únicos en la gira, por lo que fue esencialmente una gira privada. Todos nuestros conductores fueron muy amables y amables, y es muy agradable conducir de un sitio a otro en un automóvil con aire acondicionado. El tren cama era mejor de lo que esperaba en base a otras críticas, con baños limpios y camas lo suficientemente cómodas. Nuestro barco era el MS Hapi V, y también me sorprendió gratamente la cabina, tan grande como una habitación de hotel, y la comida era buena. ¡Definitivamente recomendaría este tour y esta compañía!
sab11 · dic 2019 · vía Tripadvisor · Traducida
Very good and informative guide
Talaat, the guide met us much before our tour started, briefed about the entire 4 days of the itinerary for us to be prepared and have an idea of the entire plan. He was really very informative and was really kind and patient to answer us if we had any repetitive questions. He was there ready for us much before time . Very pleasant and smiling person and I really recommend him to everyone . We had a great stay and tour with him :)
Shrutiramesh10 · dic 2019 · vía Tripadvisor
Very good guide!
Talaat was very knowledgeable Egyptologist! Very clear and thorough in explanations. Additional tours were over priced compared to others serviced by a different vendor in the same tour. I’d encourage some transparency in pricing to avoid surprises and improve customer experience.
RavindranRR · dic 2019 · vía Tripadvisor
Tour guide is great & worked very hard to have the best tour experience while selection of cruise lines could be better
Egypt Best Holiday tour group guide is very customer focused. Especially when the issue arises, they were working very hard to resolve the issue. For example, while our return sleeper ticket needs to be on an early train when the original ticket was for later train for us to catch our flights, Tour guide worked very hard to change the ticket to an earlier train so it gives us ample time for our flights. Tour Guide should get a 5 star -rating while selection of cruise line deserves a 4 star rating as comparing with other cruise lines based on the service like Wi-Fi and quality of cruise facilities.
John_L · nov 2019 · vía Viator
AWESOME ASWAN TO LUXOR NILE CRUISE
I have traveled multiple times on an ocean liner, but this was my first 'RIVER' cruise, and it was everything I expected. Unlike ocean liners, which are basically floating cities, this Nile boat was laid back and relaxing. My cabin was on the first floor - which I initially did not like because half my cabin was below water level, but the view was gorgeous. The suite had a big panoramic window which was only inches above water level, offering a fantastic view ACROSS the water. I found it most delightful and grew to appreciate being on the 1st level. Definitely 5 stars for the staff who where all friendly, helpful and called you by your name (very impressive). Meals were buffet style and each dinner offered a different international theme. Accommodations were comfortable and exceeded expectations. My ONLY complaint was that coffee was complimentary at breakfast, but cost money if you had coffee at different times of the day. I am an avid coffee drinker, drinking 4-6 cups of coffee a day, so it was bothersome to have to pay for it after breakfast. Excursions were plentiful and well planned. OVERALL, it was an excellent experience and I enjoyed the entire trip.
Jeff L · nov 2019 · vía Tripadvisor
Excellent, well-guided tour
I am, by nature, an independent traveller. I am also not a cruise ship person. However, when I decided to visit Egypt, after much research and assessing prices of various components, I decided to go with this tour. I was 100% satisfied with it and felt I got excellent value for money.
The package included pick up/drop off in Cairo, trains from Giza to Aswan and Luxor to Cairo in a sleeper cabin (all to myself), 4 days/3 nights on a quality river boat, a guide (Talaat) who was with us at all times, all transport components to and from the boat and train stations. What it did not include was drinks, tickets to sites, and the ever present tips along the way (I will add, I grew to be increasingly comfortable with this as life can be challenging in Egypt, and working in the tourism industry is a decent job, and all of these guides help support a large community).
Let my start by saying the operator (Peter) was very professional and responsive to manage my expectations. Next, Talaat was a rock star and did an exceptional job - juggling our group’s diverse trip plans, ensuring we got to all the sites and keeping us on time, understanding that we were independent travellers and avoiding the typical stops at artisans, guiding us through each site to ensure we got the best possible experience, and most importantly, was a wealth of knowledge and provided valuable context to why each site was important. I really can’t thank him enough for working with me and making this trip special.
The ship was comfortable and the food was of decent quality (there is good food here in Egypt, but it isn’t quite the culinary destination),and I was able to easily work around my no wheat/sugar/deep fried restrictions and eat quite well. The cruise was also a great way to witness the land as we headed down the river. And their unique docking protocol and going through the lock in Esna added to the experience.
Overall, I got to visit 9 significant sites, of which 6 were UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Highly recommend.
Blythesville · nov 2019 · vía Tripadvisor
Nile River Cruise
Sleeper train - not much of a sleeper train, very cramped, loud and noisy. Instead of taking the train the last day we booked a flight from Luxor to Cairo we did not like the train!
Nile Cruise - the customer service was great, bedrooms were very nice, unfortunately our room was near the engines and was extremely loud while the boat was moving, we couldn't be moved because the boat was full. I highly suggest asking to move if you can! Food was mediocre but enough to get by. The pool on top deck was small but just want you needed.
Tours - Most of the entrance fees are extra so be prepared to spend a bit more than what is listed on the price plus tipping. Lots of tipping, everywhere you go they ask for a tip. Try to carry small bills for that reason. The tours are mostly In the early mornings 5-6am and they try to get you back before the boat leaves again around 8-9am. Sometimes you felt a bit rushed due to this factor. All tour guides spoke very good English and very knowledgeable.
Overall, It was a great way to see the country and sailing on the Nile was beautiful. I wish the whole price included the entrance fees, so maybe tack on an extra $200 per person for that maybe even more.
Zachary_S · nov 2019 · vía Viator
Amazing tour
This was an amazing tour with Hany Yassen. He did a great job explaining all of the sites we visited and took perfect pictures. He was funny, friendly and very knowledgeable. This was my first time in Luxor and I learned so much. He greeted me with a smile and kept smiling all day. Amazing man and amazing tour. Thank you Hany Yassen for making this trip memorable!!!
symonebw1 · nov 2019 · vía Tripadvisor
Miss michelle
Excellent service. Even sorted out my transportation. Stress free on my last day in Egypt. Hany Yassen was very helpful and gave a lot of information in Luxor. Cruise was very good and sleeper train was a good experience. Would definitely book with them again and recommend to friends.
Mikaela32 · nov 2019 · vía Tripadvisor
