The Nile Basin Tour Companies

Splendors of Egypt - DO NOT TRAVEL WITH INSIGHT VACATIONS TO EGYPT. We had two previous trips with Insight Vacations which were wonderful. We have toured with Gate 1 Travel for the last 5 years but decided to go with Insight Vacations to Egypt, even if we had to pay $1,000 more for a similar tour, because of Insight Vacations “more legroom” coaches and “guaranteed departure”. This trip was for NYE celebration on the Nile and a guaranteed departure. When we arrived in Cairo, the local company used by Insight Vacations called Spring Tours informed us that my husband and I are the only guests on the tour which is a classic tour and would normally have 30-40 guests. We quickly realized that Insight Vacations can guarantee the tour because it doesn’t operate the tour in Egypt but have a local tour company operate the tour so regardless of the number of guests. 2 or 40, the tour operates because it’s the local tour company’s daily tasks of taking tourists around Egypt. All services were provided by Spring Tours. We believe there is safety in numbers so we were very disappointed to be taken around Egypt just the two of us in a small uncomfortable van and not the “more legroom” and more comfortable coach with WiFi on aboard. Had Insight Vacations disclosed the fact that the tour has only two people (us) in it and gave us option, we would have canceled the trip and went with Gate 1 Travel. Spring Tours assigned us a local guide who can hardly communicate in English from Luxor to Aswan and back. Each time our local tour spoke or explain something to us, we would have to put a lot of effort trying to understand what he wanted to say. It was stressful and not an enjoyable tour trying to figure out what the local guide was saying. On the cruise from Luxor to Aswan and back, the cruise staff on MS Medea were very helpful and the food was excellent. However we are expected to give a mandatory tip of $10 per person per day which was a bit too much given that we also tip as service was provided. When our tip didn’t sum up exactly to $10 per person per day, the local guide from Spring Tours brought it to our attention and told us that we were supposed to give the correct amount of tip. This is disgusting as tip is supposed to be “gratuity” and not “supplemental wages” to augment the low wages paid to the cruise crew who sleep two to three hours at night, we were told by the staff themselves. How low can an Insight Vacations go with its local guide interfering with tip issue between guest and the cruise crew? There were days we had two different drivers and escorts. So many people to give tips to that we lost track of how many we have given tips to. On our excursion to Dendarra, we were on an uncomfortable van for 4 hours (2 hours one way) while the Trafalgar (same company as IV) guests were on a comfortable coach. The Splendor of Egypt tour by Insight Vacations costs more than those similar tours by Trafalgar. In addition, since there were only two of us on the tour, the guides didn’t use Whispers. So we had to stay close to the guides to be able to hear and understand the narrative and the guides were not wearing masks! But the scary part of it all was the means of transportation we were on touring Egypt (except the cruise) which was a small van. We were trying to avoid an incident similar to what happened to the Mexicans who got killed due to mistaken identity as they were transported in a different tour van. We booked an excursion to Alexandria on our last day in Cairo. Since our COVID testing time conflicted with the Alexandria tour departure time, we told the local guide to cancel Alexandria and replaced it with two other local tours in Cairo whose departure time was after our COVID testing time. We were told by the local tour company contracted by Insight Vacations that it can arrange a COVID test that can be post dated meaning the specimen can be collected the day before but will be dated the day after so that it can still be within the one day requirement for PCR test for the US and we can still go on with the Alexandria tour. We were even told that is how it is being done in Egypt nowadays. We said NO to the post dating of the PCR test and the local tour company agreed to refund the difference between the cost of the Alexandria tour and the two short tours we had in Cairo. Very disappointed with Insight Vacations. We will never tour with Insight Vacations again.

Amazing trip , especially the hot air balloon in Luxor & the 4 days at Hurghada / prima life resort. Best for our unwinding time. Love it.

IT was a wonderful tour.