Highlights of Egypt

Customer Reviews

• AK

  Andrew

  · February 23rd, 2025
  Horrible! Scam! This is not your regular tour company. No one has logos, lanyards, or company names of the tour, the tour was just myself and my partner - no group, and they scammed us out of money several times - and that was just the first 4 days! All the 'air-conditioned private vehicle' transports we were promised were the drivers' personal sedans, all without aircon or working seatbelts, the drivers were different each time, didn't speak English, and never seemed to know what was happening. We were often told to just meet a driver and get into an unmarked car without a tour guide, not really sure of who we were meant to be meeting. We were made to pay US$200 cash for flights for the trip from Cairo to Luxor, which I feel was unnecessary as this could have easily been included in the original booking (I am assuming it is, and the guide just pockets the cash). On day 2 we were taken to a papyrus store and a perfume shop (not on the itinerary), both of which sold us fake products. All communication is via a lady called Salwa through WhatsApp, who is apparently organising the whole tour but we don't actually meet her in person. We looked at some other reviews (perhaps a bit too late) and saw that some people were left stranded in Luxor/Aswan for a day, and that things generally weren't as promised. This led us to our decision to leave / escape the tour after day 4 and did our own thing as we did not feel safe in their company, and generally felt like we were just walking ATMs for them. BEWARE! There's a reason its so cheap! Everything is paid for in cash along the way.
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  Ancient Egypt Tours commented on this review

  Hi Andrew, We are sorry you feel that way and if you gave us a chance and communicated your comments with us we would have done our best to make your stay as pleasant as possible, instead you cut all communications without letting us know. All cars... Show more
  Trip date: January 2025
• 

  Ryan

  · February 22nd, 2025
  Overall, this is a very average tour in terms of the guides, the accommodation, and the logistics. Compared to other tour operators, it is a good price, but as the saying goes: buyer beware, you get what you pay for. Accommodation: The hotels are all supposedly 4 star and the cruise is 5 star as you can clearly see in the tour’s description. Be aware the what that means in Egypt will be different from what you might expect in Western Europe, North America, or elsewhere in the developed world. I could image those places were at a 4 or 5 star standard when they first opened or were last renovated, but they’re not in such fantastic condition anymore. For example, the carpets are worn down, the towels are discolored, the windows are not double glazed (a major problem in noisy Giza), the paint is peeling, the bathrooms are dingy. I also specifically asked Salwa, my main contact person at Ancient Egypt Tours, to ensure that I was given one larger bed rather than two smaller beds in my rooms. I did, after all, pay the single supplement cost. Why would I want two twin beds? She gave this message thumbs up, which to me meant she understood and agreed to manage this. Despite this, I spent 6 of the 14 nights in a small twin bed. Guides and Drivers: The guides I had in upper Egypt were really fantastic. They were well prepared, spoke great English, and had a lot of interesting information to share. They could also answer questions and were very friendly and engaging. One of my biggest issues with this tour overall was the guide I had for 3 days in Cairo. Mahmoud was perhaps the worst tour guide I have ever had in my 18 years of travel. His English was at a perfectly fine level for basic communication, but it was definitely not at the level necessary to explain the history and culture of Egypt. Furthermore, he seemed extremely ill-prepared for my tours, walking around a bit aimlessly, pointing out a few things with very limited information, and taking phone calls when he should have been acting as a guide. Furthermore, on the first day I met him, he took me to lunch at a restaurant where I had to pay $20, an outrageous amount of money for a simple lunch of grilled chicken and vegetables in a city like Cairo. He also dragged me around to many shops on the first day where he was no doubt benefitting (or trying to benefit) from me buying overpriced souvenirs. Finally, when he took me to see the pyramids and ride a camel, I asked him to negotiate a good price for me, what I would consider the normal role for a local guide you have paid for. He did nothing at all. He just stood there as the guy told me it cost $40 for a 15-minute camel ride. No doubt he got a cut of that money. I learned after day one with him not to trust him. The other two days he was basically like an escort around the city and not a proper guide. My drivers were all great, especially the one I had all my days in Cairo and Giza named Hamdy. He was perhaps the most reliable, kind, and genuine person I met during my time in Egypt. Be aware: even though guides and drivers are part of what you pay for in this package, you will be told via your itinerary that drivers should be tipped $5-10 per day and guides $10-15 per day. It is “expect but not obligatory.” Nevertheless, I was reminded multiple times by the guides that I am expected to tip. Logistics: In terms of being picked up and dropped off at various times, the logistics were mostly well planned and coordinated. I never had to wait around long for a driver and all of my reservations were in order. Salwa speaks good English and is quick to respond. Her counterpart in Upper Egypt, Tarek, does not have the English skills necessary to do this job and I would have preferred to remain in contact with Salwa during those days because I found it very difficult to communicate logistics with Tarek. One massive logistical problem was my flight from Cairo to Aswan. It was scheduled very late in the day, after 6:00 PM, even though I had nothing on my itinerary that day in Cairo. In fact, I had to check out of my hotel room at noon and wait for three hours in the hotel lobby before I was picked up and taken to the airport. I got to Aswan after 8:00 PM, to my hotel after 9:00 PM, and I didn’t get into bed until after 10:00 PM. I then had to be awake by 3:30 AM in order to leave from Aswan to Abu Simbel and be back in Aswan in time to get onto my Nile Cruise. I can only imagine that my flight was booked this late because it was what was best for Ancient Egypt Tours profit margin as there are flights all day long between Cairo and Aswan. As you can see, it was overall an average experience. I was glad not to have to book all the transportation, accommodation, and guides for myself, but I think the quality would have been better had I gone with a more expensive tour operator from a developed country, rather than one based in Egypt, as they tend to have a better understanding of quality and customer satisfaction.
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  Ancient Egypt Tours commented on this review

  We appreciate you bringing this to our attention. Thanks for your honesty in sharing this with us. We are so sorry you are not completely satisfied with your experience. We are taking your feedback seriously and are looking into ways to enhance our... Show more
  Trip date: February 2025
• MH

  Michael

  · January 5th, 2025
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  It was the first time I'd dared to take a 12-day trip to a foreign country on my own, and I must say I was delighted with the experience, and thanks to it, I'll try again without fear!
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  Ancient Egypt Tours commented on this review

  Many thanks for taking the time to share your positive experience with us. We are thrilled you enjoyed your adventure. Your feedback made our day and we are so happy that you had a good experience with us. We are looking forward to welcoming you here... Show more
  Trip date: December 2024
• KA

  Karen Anne

  · December 9th, 2024
  I have been dreaming of traveling to Egypt since I was a little girl. This was supposed to be my "trip of a lifetime". From the day of my arrival, this trip turned out to be a big disappointment with one problem after another. I have been home for a week and am still so broken hearted about the way everything turned out. I hold Salwa (the agent at Ancient Egypt Tours) personally responsible for everything that went wrong. DO NOT DEAL WITH HER, she cannot be trusted. She is sneaky and does not give you all the facts, only those she wants to share.
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  Ancient Egypt Tours commented on this review

  Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a review - it's much appreciated Ancient Egypt Tours Team
  Trip date: November 2024
• 

  Christopher

  · November 29th, 2024
  This was undeniably worth every penny. Everything was organized and adjusted, to make it the exact trip that I wanted. Salwa (Cairo Prime) was amazing, not just in the set up and organization. She kept me updated and connected with my guides and drivers, through out my entire trip. My guides: Aya El Ayouty in Cairo and Ahmed M in Luxor/Aswan were amazing. Kind, knowledgable and fun. My primary driver for the trip was Bilal, and he was fantastic. Those three truly made me feel welcome in Egypt. I cannot recommend Ancient Egypt Tours enough. Good price, AMAZING people, worth it.
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  Ancient Egypt Tours commented on this review

  Many thanks for taking the time to share your positive experience with us. We are thrilled you enjoyed your adventure. Your feedback made our day and we are so happy that you had a good experience with us. We are looking forward to welcoming you here... Show more
  Trip date: November 2024
• GM

  Grant

  · November 5th, 2024
  Excellent coverage of all major sites in Egypt.
  Trip date: November 2024
• WS

  Wayne

  · November 3rd, 2024
  I was very pleased with this tour organisation, I had the same driver each time I was in Cairo and Nabil meet met at airports and day tours, was always on time and nothing went wrong from start to finish. Salwa from Ancient Egyptian Tours was amazingly helpful in answering any questions and always very prompt. Had great guides in Kom Ombo and Edfu and all were very knowledgeable. My guides in Cairo and Luxor were above excellent,, in Cairo Walid was excellent and very friendly and had great knowledge of Egyptian history and culture and always willing to impart his knowledge to me. In Luxor, Ahmed an Egyptologist was so knowledgeable and he took me behind the scenes at Karnak temple to show what he was working on there. As with all tours, there are some cons, one was the hotels for Cairo and Alexandria were far from downtown but on the up, Ubers were cheap and easy to get around. Be warned don’t expect good reliable wifi in Hotels. I walked to the pyramids from the Giza hotel in around 30 minutes The highlights of Egypt tour I did was 15 days and in my opinion, I would have preferred an extra day in Luxor, rather than Cairo as I arrived early for the tour and had an additional 2 days in Cairo. This tour included a three night cruise from Aswan to Luxor but be warned, going in this direction results in early starts and millions of visitors visiting sites at the same time, my visit to Edfu was disappointing because of the crowds and you could barely walk into the temple whereas the feedback I heard that cruises that run from Luxor to Aswan reach these sites in afternoon when they are quieter. It’s Egypt so expect crowds at this most historical country. Also they market this as a three night cruise but in reality it is two because you spend the first night in Port in Aswan. Overall would recommend the tour and the highlights of Egypt are amazing given the age and historical value and it pays to have a guide who can explain and show you things you’d ordinarily miss. Ancient Egypt a tours is a well organised company and go out of their way to provide you a memorable holiday. Be warned don’t expect good reliable wifi in Hotels.
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  Trip date: October 2024
• 

  Eleanor Margaret

  · October 17th, 2024
  The tour included everything and more than we expected. We saw all the highlights and other places and things we did not even know about. Our guide Waled Abuelnaga for Cairo and Giza was a fantastic guide. He took care of everything and has so much knowledge he was more than happy to share with us. He answered all our questions with patience and professionalism. I would recommend Walid to anyone wanting to travel in Egypt. Our driver for Cairo and Giza was Hatem who also looked after us so well making sure we were comfortable and safe. He is an amazing considerate driver in the chaos of Cairo traffic.
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  Trip date: October 2024
• 

  Eleanor Margaret

  · October 16th, 2024
  Our time n Cairo and Giza was excellent. Our guide Walid Abuelnaga knows so much history and so very happy to tell us and to answer questions. Nothing was too much trouble and he also organised a trip to the brand new Grand Egyptian Museum which was a highlight.
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  Trip date: October 2024
• 

  Lyndall

  · September 17th, 2024
  This tour was busy but exciting, comprehensive and a great way to see many places in Egypt. We chose this tour especially because it went to Alexandria as well as visiting all of the iconic sites in Egypt. The optional activities were also excellent, offering a further insight into the history and lives of Egyptian people. We especially loved Luxor and the many sights plus the very friendly locals. Cairo and Alexandria were also both excellent mainly because of our guide Walid in Cairo whose depth of knowledge and passion for the sites we visited was exceptional. Both Ahmed in Aswan and Ahmed in Luxor were very good and also very knowledgeable and flexible with our itinerary when required. Our drivers also were excellent especially Hamdy in Cairo and Abdul in Luxor. Thank you all for making this a memorable experience. Lyndall and Robert Smith (Australia)
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  Ancient Egypt Tours commented on this review

  Dear Lyndall & Robert Many thanks for taking the time to share your positive experience with us. We are thrilled you enjoyed your adventure. Your feedback made our day and we are so happy that you had a good experience with us. We are looking forward... Show more
  
  Trip date: September 2024