Nice drive, lacking communication
The driver was perfectly fine and safe and the car was comfortable, but the communication from the tour operator was lacking.
We always get some kind of WhatsApp message from tours confirming everything and giving instructions the day before but I received nothing and had to reach out to them myself the night before.
After we arrived at Abu Simbel the driver said to be there at 12 30 for pickup. When he was nowhere to be found we reached out to Emo Tours and they read the message but got radio silence. Thankfully the driver arrived 20 minutes later since we didnt receive a message from Emo until almost 5 hours later.
Taylor R · февр. 2026 г. · через Tripadvisor
No complited tour guide
I signed up for a tour with a driver and guide. The driver will pick you up at the hotel and the guide will meet you at the abscissabell. We arrived and met up with our guide, but were handed over to another guide, who explained to us about the Temple of Absimbel for about 10 minutes. All we had to do was look around as we pleased. So I complained to the local tour companies about the content, which was hardly a guided tour. However, although the driver only spoke a little English, he was kind to us and we were grateful. The place was quite crowded, so buying an online ticket and a private tour were the right thing to do. Other group tours had a short tour time and some people complained. You will not receive any drinking water, which is listed as included in the tour. We recommend that you bring your own.
Sita_K · февр. 2026 г. · через Viator · Переведено
Great place but nightmare tour operator
Huge red flags when I never got messaged by the tour operator. He showed up 20 minutes late for pickup then didn't show up at the meetup point at Abu Simbel exit. I wandered around for 40 minutes searching for him. I had no number to call him at as he'd never messaged me. I had others involved searching for him before he managed to appear, saying he'd been "sleeping." I'm livid to have spent so much on a trip where the driver and tour operator had no business even doing the job.
sesnjo3176 · февр. 2026 г. · через Tripadvisor
The driver was prompt and...
The driver was prompt and the tour was on time, however the guide was smoking the full time and only spent 30 minutes explaining the history and significance of the site and then left us for 1.5 hours to see the monuments ourselves. Also did not take us back to our taxi, which meant we were stranded for 30 mins in the parking lot and had to contact viator to find out driver again at the end of the tour.
Pranav_c · февр. 2026 г. · через Viator
Don't pay for a guide, ours was not worth it
Driver, journey and temples were very good, but the guide was not worth the money. He only showed us a few pictures with a quick description, then left us.
Valerie_R · февр. 2026 г. · через Viator
Don’t skip Abu Simbel!!
I am so glad we did this trip, and with this tour company (Emo Tours). They picked us up in a super comfortable mini van even though it was just my husband and I. There were 2 drivers so that no one would be too tired of driving that day. And our guide “Max” was super knowledgeable. The entire team was super helpful and professional.
Communication between the man agency and the drivers was not as flawless, so I suggest you make sure to communicate very clearly with them to avoid mixups (we changed our pick up spot and they sent the driver to the original place. It took us a bit of back and forth until they realized they sent the drivers to the old hotel)
Ana_O · февр. 2026 г. · через Viator
An excellent tour!
"An excellent tour! The guide explained everything very clearly, but I want to make special mention of our driver. His support was essential; he was attentive to every detail and explained aspects of the journey that we did not expect. He deserves a 10 on everything. If you are lucky enough to have him touch you, please value your effort with a good tip, your service is totally worth it!"
rosamariaa553 · февр. 2026 г. · через Tripadvisor · Переведено
Abu Simbel Experience
Our pickup was right on time. We had 2 drivers, each one drove one way. Our guide was Zack, who was knowledgeable and friendly. He showed us postcards of the inside artwork and gave us plenty of history. Abu Simbel was amazing. We had an hour to tour the 2 Temples. On the drive back I asked if we could stop and see the High Dam. Tickets cost $20 each so we went. Interesting history and the military guards the dam. We never received a bottle of water, glad we brought plenty in our backpacks. The guide was dropped off 2 miles before we got back to our ship. He told us to see the Coptic Church and Museum, which we drove by. A long, Interesting day.
bcrman · февр. 2026 г. · через Tripadvisor
Amazing temples but don’t book the guide!
We booked a private tour with driver and guide. The driver was very good, although he was late picking us up and then stopped to get the paperwork for the checkpoints and get himself a coffee. We thought he could have done this before collecting us! The guide met us at Abu Simbel and was pointless! He spent about 5-10 minutes taking us through a photo album about the first temple then left us to it until after we’d visited both temples on our own. He went through the album for the second temple after we’d seen it! We discovered that guides are not allowed inside the temples, so unless you get someone willing to spend more time explaining the history of the site etc you’re better off saving the money on the guide and read about it online or in your own guide book. All that said we thought the temples were amazing and well worth the 3+ hours drive each way to get there and back.
Pat_H · февр. 2026 г. · через Viator
Extremely Disappointed (Abu Simbel Private Tour, Aswan)
I booked a private day tour to Abu Simbel from Aswan through Viator with Emo Tours Egypt for three people, costing around £160. The only reason we travelled to Aswan was for this tour — we even booked an early flight from Cairo, arriving at 6:30am for airport pickup.
When we landed at Aswan Airport, there was no driver or tour guide waiting. We searched everywhere and waited, but no one from the tour company appeared.
We contacted Viator for help. Their adviser gave us a WhatsApp number for Emo Tours and asked us to contact them. We tried multiple times — no response. Viator also attempted to contact them and couldn’t reach anyone. At this point, we were stranded at the airport with no tour and no assistance.
The Viator adviser asked what resolution we wanted. I clearly explained that I expected:
A full refund, and
Compensation for our flights, as the trip to Aswan was solely for this tour.
Later that day, I received a refund notification. However, the situation then became even more frustrating.
The tour company contacted me asking why I had requested a refund and claimed their driver was at the airport. This was completely untrue — we were there the entire time and no one from their company appeared. They could not provide any evidence that a driver had been sent. After challenging this, they eventually agreed to refund us but only paid £51.45.
Two days later, I contacted Viator again, provided screenshots of all conversations (including their adviser’s messages and the tour company’s responses). Only then did Viator issue the remaining balance for the tour.
What is unacceptable:
It took two days to receive the full refund.
Viator refused to honour the promised compensation for our flights.
No clear response when I asked what action would be taken against the tour company or whether they would continue to be listed.
Poor communication and lack of accountability.
I chose Viator because I believed it was a reliable and reputable platform. After this experience, I’m very disappointed and have lost confidence in their service.
I have formally requested that Viator contact me regarding this complaint.
Would not recommend based on this experience.
Shahzad_m · февр. 2026 г. · через Viator
