Egypt Vacation Review: Friends Luxury Trip, Sailing The Nile River, Perfume Making, Luxor Pyramids, Bazaars, Culture & History

Review by traveler

Deborah d.

5.14.2019

General Info

Traveler Review

Which Country (Countries) did you visit on this trip?

Egypt

Your overall comments on the trip and the travel company:

We were a group of 12 friends who had high expectations for this trip -- a trip of a lifetime. Our expectations were met and exceeded! Our arrival was easy because we were met in the Cairo airport by this travel team's representatives who took care of all visas and brought us to our hotel where we met our guide for our journey. We can't say enough wonderful things about our guide. He was knowledgable and enthusiastic about the antiquities we were seeing from the Pyramids in the North to all of the many spectacular temples and tombs we visited as we moved our way to the southern boarder of the country. But he was also open to questions about life today in Egypt and we very much enjoyed learning more about the celebration of Ramadan which began while we were visiting. He was also just plain fun to be around!
We added a few extras to our basic itinerary from an optional list such as visiting the tomb of Queen Nefertari, and having dinner in the Khan Khalili bazaar in Cairo. And while we were busy, we never felt it was too much. We felt we had visited the most significant tombs and temples and had enough time in all of them. We were never rushed!
Our four night cruise up the Nile was gorgeous and we sailed twice on feluccas once in Luxor and once in Aswan -- both of which were wonderful. Our guide was also able to add in a few items in response to questions we asked along the way. For example: when visiting the tomb of Queen Nefetari we saw a formula for perfumes written in hieroglyphs on the wall. Those perfumes are still made today from those formulas. Our guide arranged for us to visit a perfume maker in Aswan so we could actually smell what Nerfertari wore, learn how it was made, and buy some of our own if we wanted to. (We did!)
All lodging was excellent, and we especially loved the hotel in Luxor and the classic Egyptian-style boat whose staff was outstanding! The vans which ferried us everywhere were clean and comfortable. Can't say enough positive about this tour and planning it with this travel team's owner. He is a very caring professional who really wants you to have the time of your life in his country. And we did!

What were the most enjoyable or memorable parts of your trip?

Everyone had different spots that they loved the most. But high on everyone's list, of course, were finally seeing he Pyramids and Great Sphinx which we had all seen in textbooks our whole life. The Egyptian Museum with its incredible number of artifacts was a high point for two of us who were archeologists in college. Some of us would like to return in 2020 just to see the new museum being constructed near the Pyramids. It is impressive.
Perhaps more moving, however, was seeing the tombs and temples of the Pharaohs and their Queens who ruled Egyptian civilization for so many thousands of years. Through the decorations and story telling on their tomb walls, we began to see them as people and learn of the many challenges they faced. One favorite was Queen Hatshipsut, who was the first woman to attain full power as a Pharaoh and ruled dressed as a man. But not everyone was happy that she had broken the chain of male rulers, and her face and name (in the cartouche) was scratched away in most all places.
The beginning of Ramadan was also a highlight: decorations hung, excited shopping for food in the street and then later partying in the streets late into the night.
We all also loved sailing up the Nile. Early in the morning, you could find at least one or two of our group watching the sun rise and the fishermen on the river. In the afternoon, school children who had just completed their school year would swim then run along the banks and wave at the boat. The top deck was a wonderful place to watch the world of the Nile slowly pass by.
In Luxor, we all loved the Karnak Temple, and despite the long drive we very much enjoyed the trip to Abu Simbel. It was fascinating to see the desert and link that view to where we had started in Cairo. The temple itself is an incredible feat of engineering. We made the decision not to fly so that we could see that landscape. We were happy we did.

If you could take your trip again, what would you do differently?

Truly nothing.
This might be the spot to add a very special comment. During our trip one of our friends became ill during the night and needed to get to a hospital. Our guide, the General Manager of the boat, and his assistant immediately went into action to get him off the boat by ambulance to Luxor. By the time our friend and his wife reached the hospital, a member of the this travel team was there to help them. He stayed with them, helped them change hospitals, and made sure they were taken care of. New flight arrangements were made to get the couple home as fast as possible. Once they were released from the hospital, they were able to get home. The travel team was with them the whole time. The good news is that our friend will be ok. But as they have said over and over again, "Our trip planner and his team were lifesavers."

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Egypt Vacation Review: Friends Luxury Trip, Sailing The Nile River, Perfume Making, Luxor Pyramids, Bazaars, Culture & History

General Info

Which Country (Countries) did you visit on this trip?

Your overall comments on the trip and the travel company:

What were the most enjoyable or memorable parts of your trip?

If you could take your trip again, what would you do differently?

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