Make Your Next Trip Extraordinary

Travelers visiting the Sphinx in Egypt.

Laura Chaverri and her son had the Sphinx almost to themselves.

I traveled to Egypt from November 24 to December 7, with my adult son.

First of all, let your travelers know it is extremely safe there and the lovely Egyptians need to have the tourists back. They have lost 30% of their business. There were no demonstrations at all and everything appeared status quo. I was more afraid of getting into a car accident in Cairo than anything else!

Still coming down from the excitement of our fabulous trip. It’s hard to pick our favorite part of the trip, we enjoyed every minute. Perhaps the Giza pyramids were the best, they are indeed magnificent. But so was the Valley of the Kings and the Karnak Temple.

At all times we were well taken care of. Everyone was prompt and very professional. We never had to wait for anyone at any time. I guess there was a last-minute change for the guide and we ran into him at the Cairo hotel and he knew us by name, as he had prepared for being our guide.

Mina was waiting for us as the escalator came down at the Cairo airport. He had done his homework, he recognized us before we even saw his sign. As the local staff person he helped us negotiate the airport and logistics of getting through all the immigration stuff and on the way home he even filled out the passport control paperwork for us and stayed at the luggage check until he made sure we were ok. For some reason there was something that was causing concern in my carry-on (it was the placement of my camera) and they kept yelling at me in Arabic. He was very sweet and very professional and we made him share stories about his little girl.

Titto, the guide in Cairo, was excellent, as was the driver Mohammed. He kept us from being killed in that crazy traffic. It was so nice to be in a private group. Before I left for the trip, I injured my knee (turns out I tore the meniscus) and although I felt a bit better by the time we left I needed a walking stick and patience getting in and out of the van and a little more time managing the ramps in the tombs. They were flexible with the schedule if we wanted to stay somewhere longer or cut time down on something else.

The lunch at the Pyramids Lounge was one of the highlights! We took photos there and they all looked like they were green screened. The food tour was great and it was nice to get an idea of what life is like for a Cairo native from the perspective of a young person. However, I would recommend not scheduling the food tour the same day as the lunch in the city (by the Bazaar) because we were not hungry. Luckily the food tour company has an agreement with the restaurants and they package it to go and add a little extra and it was handed out to someone on the street who could use it (usually a woman with a child). Maybe on the day of the museum?

The cruise on the Farah was beautiful; thanks for letting them know it was my birthday month! They had a little gift for me and a birthday cake with an Egyptian happy birthday. The food on the ship was the best. They had a wide variety and their staff took good care of us. From Cairo we got into the habit of having strawberry and mango juices and they had them waiting for us at breakfast daily. Andy (my son) is the same age as most of the crew so he got along with them all. I asked the executive chef how he made the rice and with a translator he sat down and told me step-by-step how to make it. Then we started talking about cooking, etc. Then he later came out with a tray of containers with all the 7 spices for me to take home! That was so sweet. Then that evening for dinner, he made a special dinner with about 6 different typical Egyptian dishes just for us. That was extremely nice of him, he was very proud to show off his cuisine.

We did have a little more dead time at the beginning of the cruise, the day after we boarded when we were still docked, that I wish we would have known about so we could have scheduled an excursion. Some other passengers went to Abu Simbel and although I wouldn’t have wanted to go all the way down there I wish we would have known and perhaps have gone elsewhere. By the way, I don’t regret not going down to Abu Simbel, we saw so much already!

And of course, the Old Cataract Hotel was divine! My friend who recommended we stay there was right, you never want to leave! Little kittens playing at the restaurant during dinner. What could be better? And they have the softest, fluffiest beds I have ever slept in. I was so tired when I laid down that I didn’t even want to get up to put on my pajamas. Chocolates and macaroons waiting in the room along with sweets and fruit! A huge wide balcony facing the well manicured gardens that were lit waiting for Christmas. We had dinner overlooking the Nile close to sunset. It was like Moses was going to pop out amongst the rocks any minute. Everything looked like a well-composed photo. Teak and walnut floors. Ornate doors and entry hardware. Moorish architecture. The lighting fixtures! The waiters dressed in typical dress appropriate for the period in Egypt, wearing fezzes. I never got tired of that perfect view of the Nile and the sailboats. So gorgeous!

This was a bucket-list trip for me and I am happy I extended my proposed budget and opted for private guides. It was soooo nice to bypass the large groups with guides with little flags. We were able to go around everyone and scoot around them. It was a much more efficient use of our time and we could ask all the questions we wanted and really ask about how life is for a typical Egyptian, politics, daily life, customs, education, etc.

Thanks to all for a memorable trip!

This was our second trip back to Egypt. We had honeymooned in Egypt 17 years ago but were anxious to take our teenagers back this year. We hesitated just a moment due to the regional conflicts, but we were so glad we went. We never felt unsafe for a moment, and the country and all its treasures did not disappoint. There were no crowds anywhere!

We booked a trip with Jim Berkeley, the recommended travel agent on this site. Here is our feedback:

1) Arlene did a great job with the itinerary and was wonderfully flexible about moving things around when we had an emergency and had to return to the US sooner than expected.

2)The logistics of movement were terrific. We were escorted every step of the way and never had to wait anywhere.

3)The Four Seasons is a solid choice, the Chinese restaurant and the Italian restaurants at the hotel are exceptional and a welcome break. We stopped in at the Ritz. It is also worth consideration.

4) The Winter Palace in Aswan is a laughable relic but the service is good, the rooms are comfortable, the breakfast is great and the service is on point.

5) Arlene set up exceptional experiences for us. We had the Egyptian Museum to ourselves one night, and the entire Luxor temple complex another night. We also had special access to several tombs in the Valley of the Kings.

6) Restaurants to recommend: in Cairo, Pyramids restaurant and Nagib Mafouz in Khan el Khalili. For the best Koshari then it is Abou Tarek in Cairo. In Luxor, we loved Thai and Italian food at Steigenberger. After a long day in the Valley, lunch at Marsam is unmissable.

7) Our kids loved climbing through the pyramid in Giza. We thought Sakkara was wonderful as well.

8) If you are looking for an alternate activity consider dune-buggy riding in Luxor.

9) The guides accompanying us were well-versed in Egyptian history, and we had a particularly delightful experience with Ramy, who exhibited remarkable flexibility and made extra efforts to grant us access to an off-the-beaten-path tomb in the Kings Valley. While we greatly appreciated their expertise in ancient history, we did wish for more in-depth conversations regarding modern Egypt, current events, and contemporary life, especially Islam. However, they seemed less equipped to engage with us on these topics.

10) Unfortunately, our Nile cruise was a low point. The Dahabiya (Merit) left much to be desired in terms of quality. Despite not having anticipated a luxurious “cruise” experience, what we encountered felt closer to a 2- to 3-star hotel, at best. While the rooms were fortunately clean and comfortable, the overall amenities left a lot to be desired. Some aspects were even so comically subpar that they became a source of camaraderie among the 13 passengers on board. Thankfully, our group included three teenagers, and we had the foresight to stop at a local supermarket to stock up on snacks. These snacks proved invaluable during the extended intervals between meals (sometimes 8 hours while sailing the whole day), and we shared them with our fellow passengers. Unfortunately, there was only one crew member who interacted with the guests, and his presence was primarily limited to meal times. We humorously referred to it as a “phantom cruise” due to the scarce visibility of the crew throughout the journey. On Christmas Eve, the promised 9 pm entertainment did not materialize until midnight, and as the cruise neared its end, it became evident that the food was being visibly recycled.

9) A special shout-out to Mahmoud, who tried to help us when all our luggage was lost during our flight from Aswan to Abu Simbal to Cairo and onward to Zurich. We had been advised to do this by the local representative who was with us in Aswan and even by Egypt Air at the airport. However, when I was finally able to track down the airport manager at Cairo Airport, he told me that travelers should never check their bags from a regional airport onward to an international flight. They should always reclaim them in Cairo and recheck them.

Despite a few low points, the overall trip to Egypt was fantastic and we highly recommend it as a family vacation destination.

We would like to express our appreciation and personally thank Arlene and her team for orchestrating a smooth trip to Egypt and Jordan. Despite the situation happening in the region, Egypt and Jordan are safe and it turned out to be a great trip for us, very nice weather and not too crowded for a peak season.

CAIRO
Cairo is amazing. There were many highlights during our trip. From the moment we arrived, the VIP arrival service was fantastic. They picked us up right in front of the plane and drove us to the lounge without passing the terminal. They took care of everything from the immigration process and luggages. Arlene also sent the best team for us, from the representative to the driver and the guide. We loved our Cairo team!

Shoutout to the representative, Mina, who did an excellent job to make sure everything went well. And it went very well. He was not just working, he did everything sincerely.
The driver Mahmoud is super friendly and professional.
The guide and egyptologist, Ahmed, is a passionate guide and knowledgeable.
When we left Cairo, we knew it would be hard to beat Cairo’s team.

Highlights:
— Mina, Mahmoud, Ahmed. They provided exceptional service.
— Special access to Sphinx Paws definitely takes the win.
— Four Seasons Nile Plaza was the right choice for us, they have great restaurants as well.
— 9 Pyramids Lounge and Khan El Khalili Restaurants were perfect choices for us for lunch

LUXOR
Rep Yasser and driver, Milad, did a good job.
The guide, Michael, very knowledgeable and he arranged good timing to visit the places.

Highlights:
— the visit to a special Nefertari tomb and Karnak Temple were amazing.
— Thank you for the WOW Moment so that we could experience sailing the Nile River on a private felucca for sunset, with food and beverages provided. The sunset was amazing.
— Moudira Hotel, the best choice. They upgraded our suite as well. Wven though the location is not in downtown, we loved this hotel very much. It is like an oasis. Great food as well.

SHARM EL SHEIKH
Representative Islam was as good as Cairo. His hospitality is at a high level and he made sure everything went well. He did a simple brief to the boat team to make sure they provided good service.

Highlights:
— Rep Islam.
— Rixos Sharm El Sheikh is a great choice for spending New Year’s Eve. Great daily parties, and we had fun at the NYE party. The suite was fantastic, clean and spacious. The service is on and off, the buggy drivers are all great, but the service at the restaurants is inconsistent.
— Private Boat Tour. This is what we loved most during our stay in Sharm el Sheikh. Islam told us that we were going to have the dive instructor with us on the boat, so we decided to dive instead of snorkeling. We did the introductory dive as we are not certified divers. The underwater was beautiful and super fun. The crew provided the best service to make sure we were comfortable. The captain, chef, server, dive instructor, photographer, everyone did great.

PETRA and AMMAN (JORDAN)
The driver Jacob is very friendly, professional and helpful. The guide Eyas is a very intelligent, passionate guide and he knows everything.

Highlights:
— Driver Jacob and guide Eyas
— Petra by night is something different, we enjoyed it during the day too. This has been on our bucket list for a long time.
— Jacob and Eyas offered to drive us past the Dead Sea on the way to Amman, which gave us the opportunity to see the Dead Sea for our trip.
— The lunch at Food Basket Hikayet Sitti in Madaba was a fantastic choice. The owners are very friendly and we loved the food here.

After all, we had a great, hassle-free, memorable and safe trip in Egypt and Jordan.

We’re aware that this trip was just an introduction to Egypt and Jordan. There are many places we are interested to explore in both countries. We do hope we can go back to Egypt and Jordan in the future.

Thank you Arlene and team.

Travelers on a camel ride near the Pyramids of Giza.

Ashley Point and her family on a camel ride near the Pyramids of Giza.

Wow! What an amazing trip. We just returned from Egypt. Jim, Glenda and their team did an extraordinary job planning our 2-week trip. Our family of 5, including 3 kids aged 6-11 years old, started in Cairo with the Pyramids of Giza (including camel and ATV rides around the pyramids). Our guide, Eman Shawky Mahmoud, was wonderful. She is pursuing her PhD in archaeology and knows everything about Egypt. Our 11-year-old had just completed ancient history and he asked so many questions and she answered them all. For three days we toured pyramids, museums, etc. We all enjoyed climbing into two pyramids. We also did a Bellies en Route walking food tour. It was wonderful to see and taste the city with the help of a local. We stayed in connecting rooms at the Four Seasons. The food, service and rooms were top-notch.

After 4 days we flew to Luxor and met with our second guide, Bishoy George. He has two children and knew how to accommodate our needs when the kids were tired. He too is an expert on the history and culture of Egypt. We stayed at the Winter Palace. It was beautiful. The kids woke up Christmas morning to stockings filled with candy and gifts from the hotel!

After two nights, we boarded the M/S Farah and cruised the Nile. This smaller boat (120 passengers) was perfect for our family. The pool was a nice distraction after a long day of touring. They offered to make special meals for the kids, but they weren’t needed because the kids loved all of the dishes served. The staff on the Farah were the best with their towel creations each night, ice cream every afternoon and very clean accommodations. George met us at each port and showed us around each city. He answered all of our questions about the history, culture, politics, and people of Egypt. On our last night of the cruise, we went sand surfing in Aswan. It was a blast!

The next day we flew to Abu Simbel, then to back to Cairo to enjoy two more days with Eman at the GEM and Islamic Cairo.

Jim addressed all of our safety concerns, but we trusted that he knew Egypt best and he did. We never felt unsafe. The Egyptians were kind and friendly and happy to share their beautiful country with us.

We are already booking our next trip with a WOW planner!

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