Ill give an honest and balanced review - including prices and tips
Boat 3/5 Itinerary 3/5 Egyptologist guide 5/5 Our group were given an emotive, time-sensitive request to review the tour before it ended. I wonder if this is a standard approach that skews reviews? Well im stubborn and I waited. Ive included below 1) what we actually did each day in detail 2) the good and the bad 3) general tips if you do decide to book ACTUAL ITINERARY WITH PRICE DETAILS DAY ONE We were collected on time at 11am as promised from our hotel by a minivan with some other friendly guests. We arrived at the boat and given a hibiscus welcome drink. Our tour guide Hady was there to greet us and from the beginning gave clear explanations of when and where we needed to meet him and the main sites we were visiting. Our group turned out to be 21 adults and 5 children. All friendly and a diverse range of ages and cultures. Our guide and all the staff were courteous, kind, and good humoured. They took our passports at check in, and we didn’t get them back until the evening. Without this explained to us at the time, we were nervous, but it was ok in the end. Our boat and room was older than expected and three star in terms of style/service/amenities (definitely not five star). Our bed were two twins pushed together and they slid around when we slept/sat up - not exactly romantic 😂 Surfaces were a bit grubby too, but honestly having hot water and our own shower on a boat on the Nile felt like a miracle so we were grateful! The top deck was a highlight. A little swimming pool, loads of deck furniture. Sailing on the nile with those views is truly magical! We were given lunch at 1pm which was a typical western buffet lunch. Water (~100EGP), tea and coffee was almost always extra cost - which felt inappropriate for full board. Service to order drinks was a bit slow and disorganised. The wine (~800EGP per bottle) and coffee (80 EGP) were fine - definitely drinkable! You can also buy a bottle for them to keep at the bar for you to drink when you like. We met our guide at reception around 2pm and took a bus to a motor boat to the Philae Temple. The boat was fun and the site was incredible. Our guide Hady gave a good explanation. Hady is a qualified archaeologist with a Masters degree in hieroglyphics. He really was a highlight. Hady advised us at this point to tip a minimum of 500 EGP per person for the boat crew at the end of the trip (in the reception tip box), and to give him the same amount upfront to tip all the drivers etc as we go on our outings, on our behalf (which we happily did - we were glad not to have to think about it!). We also tipped him at the end (he wasn’t covered by either of the other amounts). I didn’t know how much but with a bit of googling I landed on 1000 EGP from both of us. Hopefully that was ok. We returned unexpectedly late that first evening because of a one hour undisclosed stop at a perfume “museum” which was really just a sales pitch. Meaning we didnt get back until around 8:30 pm for dinner. With a 4am wake up the next day, this felt like an unnecessary extra, especially for the families with little kids! Bear in mind Hady was likely following company instructions so couldn’t skip these salesy stops. DAY TWO The room phones were ringing from around 3am for wake up calls. With the loud music the night before, we met our sleep deprived comrades for a 4am departure to Abu Simbel. Our guide Hady kindly escorted us in a convoy of minivans. The four hour drive was gruelling, but there was a scruffy toilet stop (20EGP) that made surprisingly ok coffee (~100EGP) and we didnt have to worry about the otherwise intimidating check point because it was all taken care of. Big plus! The temple was truly incredible and worth the early wake-up (don’t miss it!). We were given a breakfast pack of bread rolls with cheese, jams, a juice box and water bottle, pastries, apple and banana which seemed ample. We got back around 2:30pm and given a late lunch too (same buffet). We sailed for about two hours. I opted to skip the afternoon temple trip as I was too exhausted. Dinner was served at 8pm (an Egyptian buffet this time which was much more interesting and tasty!). The staff continued to be so lovely. DAY THREE Another chorus of wakeup calls and 4 am departure (😱). We had asked twice for no call from the staff but it came nonetheless. Hady met us with a smile as always and we headed in a bus to Edfu temple. We were close to the front of the queue for opening, and honestly it was stunning, even with the crowds. On the way back, we were asked by Hady to do a five star review that same day to help secure his work. We all loved Hady so most obliged but it did make me uncomfortable/ a bit skeptical (perhaps unfairly) We returned around 6:30am for a buffet breakfast (standard western buffet) and set sail for a few hours. The hawkers on paddle boats coming up to the cruise boats mid-sail was hilarious. We left again with Hady around 5pm for Luxor temple. Again, after an explanation we were given a bit of time to explore. Usually we were given about 30 minutes after about 15 minutes explanation, which seemed fine for us but likely felt too rushed for some. On the way back we were taken to a papyrus “museum” for another sales pitch which meant we didn’t get back for dinner until 8:45pm. We were advised on the drive home that sadly the hot air balloons were cancelled due to the winds (understandable) so we did not need to depart until 7am the next morning. DAY FOUR The 3:30/4am calls came unnecessarily - fortunately we were missed but some of the other guests were not so fortunate and looked pretty miserable at breakfast. With a 7:30am check out and departure we headed off with Hady in a bus for an epic day out. We visited the colossi of Memnon for five minutes, the Valley of the kings for two hours (we could visit three tombs of our choosing with our ticket, plus get tickets for more if we wanted and time allowed). Both awesome. Unfortunately another unnecessary salesy stop at an alabaster “workshop” for about 30 minutes - precious time that could have been rest or longer at the awesome sites - and then the mortuary temple of Hatshepsut. Again Hady was excellent at all these stops but by this point our group were very tired. We went to “Paris restaurant” for a traditional Egyptian lunch which was an extra 500 EGP each (could pay cash/card) and I thought it was great. Finally the Karnak temple. We were meant to be back at the boat for our transfers out by 2:30pm but arrived at 4pm which was a rushed departure for us for our flight. We had also been told we could pay our tickets by card at the end but I was asked to get cash out instead from a dodgy ATM which cost me 10USD which was a shame. PROS Sites, including temples and being on a boat on the nile in Egypt - incredible! Things were organised for us - planning/tickets/tips - and we felt safe Knowledge of our guide Hady Kind, welcoming and good humour of ALL staff (guide, boat, drivers) Hygiene - none of our tour group got sick Reasonable price CONS Very difficult to sleep or rest with the way the boat and tour schedule is operated Unannounced sales pitches - could have been an extra hour sleep or precious time at sites!? Cleanliness and dated nature of rooms/boat Just too fast paced/tiring overall TIPS Expect crowds Have Egyptian pounds not USD - and cash (for x2 pax 10,000 for tickets (5000 each), minimum 3000 for tips, and smaller notes for toilets, coffees etc.) Avoid the blue ATMS which whack you with dodgy fees. Look up a local “supermarket” on your first day and stock up on water (1.5L for ~10EGP) and snacks - there’s even a fridge in your room 🙂 Bring earplugs!! And a pillow to snooze in vehicles. Forget the wifi (for any tour on the Nile) and sort an eSIM for when you arrive. Understand you will likely be in a multicultural group who will have different approaches to punctuality on the outings! Expect lots of hawkers. Just politely and repeatedly say “no thanks” Expect for each site, the guide will provide an explanation for 10-20 mins and then 5-60 mins “free time” to explore (usually 30 minutes). Check the approved collection AND drop offs in advance to avoid potentially stressful alternative arrangements.
louisecB7394WA · feb 2026 · tramite Tripadvisor