Egypt Luxury Vacation Review: Cairo, Giza, Dahshur, Aswan, Abu Simbel, Nile River, Luxor

My overall comments on our trip are uniformly and enthusiastically positive. We wanted to do a two-week tour of Egypt focusing on the antiquities in Cairo and Upper Egypt. The tour that was organized for us included all of the sites we wished to see (Cairo, Giza/Saqqara/Dahshur, Aswan, Abu Simbel, the Nile, and Luxor). These sites were spectacular and endlessly interesting, blowing away any expectations we may have had. I recommend this or a similar itinerary to anyone interested in an overview of Egypt.

My overall comments on Zicasso's travel company are also enthusiastically positive. Before we looked into booking the trip, we looked into commercially available tours (including Nile cruise programs) and had a general sense of what we wanted to see. When we were put in contact with our travel agency, the first thing they did was ask a series of questions to determine what kind of travelers we were and what kinds of things we wanted to do. Then, they listened to the answers and proposed an itinerary that matched up perfectly.

We were interested in historical and cultural sites, but not so interested in adventure travel (bikes, balloons, camels, etc). The best suggestion had to do with spending time on the Nile. I assumed we could book a three-night passage on a river cruise ship. They suggested we book a cabin on a dahabiya (a sailing vessel with six cabins, of the sort used prior to steamships.) This was the highlight of a trip filled with highlights. In addition to the fun of being on a 45-meter sailing vessel, that boat could tie up at sites not accessible to larger boats, so we got to see sites at Gebel el Silsila and Al-Kab, at which we were the only visitors.

When we took the trip, the value added by our tour operator became very evident. First, we were, at all times, in the hands of thoroughly professional (and thoroughly pleasant) guides, drivers, and transfer agents. We were met each day, and at each airport (or dock) or our hotel, by a qualified Egyptologist and driver. All were superb, both knowledgeable and ready to respond to our questions.

We were booked at iconic hotels with rooms that were the best in terms of accommodations and views (the Great Pyramid out of our window, the Nile at Elephantine Island, and the beautiful garden at the Winter Palace).