Egypt - which tour?

[Benita]

So many choices. It seems that everybody has an Egypt and Nile cruise itinerary. Some fly to Abu Simbal on the way to Aswan and others have you cruise for three nights on Lake Nassar from Aswan to see it. Some have 3 or 4 night cruises on the Nile, with hotel stays in Aswan and Luxor and others have you stay on the river boat for 6 or 7 nights. Some are amazingly low cost and others very pricey. We don't mind paying more, if the value is there. Uniworld, Viking, Grand Circle, OAT, Vantage, Tauck, Colette, and Amadeus all seem to have trips, as well as Globus, General, Gate1, Insight, and Trafalgar. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[murphysmum]

Hello...

 

Two years ago, I had the same problem you're having with deciding which tour company to use. Money was not so much an issue, but I was determined to be on a certain Nile cruise ship, and use certain hotels.

 

I had long admired the Oberoi Philae (see at Oberoi Hotel site), but could not and still have not, found a tour company using this ship. They offer two with similar ship names, but they're not quite the same. After much investigation, I booked a 4 night cruise directly through the Oberoi site; there was an option for a 7 night cruise and next time I will choose that one, giving me more time to simply enjoy the atmosphere of the beautiful ship. It's one of the few on the Nile with it's own docks and BALCONIES (for some reason missing on many high end ships), decorated in exquisite British Colonial style. If you prefer chrome and steel, this is not for you.

 

I also booked the Mena Oberoi, Palace Room, Pyramid Room with Balcony,

the Old Cataract with Nile View room with Balcony, and, in Cairo, the Four Season's Residence.

 

As I wanted to visit friends in London, I booked LAX-LHR on American, but then booked Egypt Air to Cairo and for inter-Egypt flights including Abu Simbel. I booked business class; coach actually looked quite spacious. The food and service was quite good.

 

I made these reservations on my own, but could just as easily have had my travel agent do the entire thing. I'm just a control freak and wanted to request certain rooms, views, etc. and not drive my travel agent nuts.

 

I filled in the tour through my travel agent, hiring a driver and guide from a Cairo tour company for airport pick-ups and delivery, private tours in Cairo and Aswan and the entire tour was "perfection".

 

Since the Oberoi Philae divides their passengers into groups of 8 or 10 with a guide/air conditioned van, we did not need a tour guide while on the ship and we enjoyed their luxurious accommodations as well as the company of our fellow passengers...a mix of South Africans, British, German, Italian and Spanish travelers. We were the only ones from the US and fit right in.

 

Bottom line...We were 100% pleased with our tour. It was completely private so we could go where we chose and avoid the usual tour shopping stops and annoyances of group travel.

 

I was surprized to find that I had paid about 1/3 of the price we would have paid for a moderate to high end organized tour. It might be interesting to have your travel agent price out an independently planned tour of Egypt. You might be pleasantly surprised.

 

However you decide to travel, Egypt is such an incredible place with the MOST interesting people. Enjoy yourselves!

 

murphysmum

[Spikesgirl]

Benita - we have, likewise, been checking out various Egyptian tours. At first, we were going mainstream (Princess), but it just didn't offer the time we wanted there, so we researched like crazy. I made a list of what I really wanted to see in order of importance

 

We have narrowed it down to either GCT or R Crusoe and Sons. The latter is a premium group with a maximum of only ten people per tour. Because the groups are small, you have more access to more places. However, one of my concerns is that they only offer three days in Cairo, as opposed to GCT who had a week. That tour is nearly a week longer than the Crusoe tour, but has a larger tour group. It's also about half the price, so I figure you are going to get what you pay for with it, but I can't get any real feedback at all from anyone who's been on the R. Crusoe and Sons trips. That has me just a little leery.

 

We have friends currently on the GCT in Egypt and will make a decision once they come back with their report (April 6).

 

Charlie

[GMoney]

Murphysmum - Thanks for your very helpful post; I appreciate it! I'm going to see if I can swing Oberoi in 2009.

[Louise22]

Check out Maupintour. They do a great trip for a reasonable price. They use the Oberoi Philae for a longer 6 night cruise. I did the trip several years ago so a couple hotels have changed but every place we stayed at that time was first class. Several other groups of friends have raved about the trip also.

[seafun]

:) See, I knew you'd get some good answers on this board!

[smeyer418]

We just were in Egypt last November and had a wonderful time. We went on a Gate One tour after investigating a lot. Money was a consideration for us and we feel we had a fabulous experience at any price.

 

The Gate One tour was too short and rushed for us so we customized and added to it. They arrived in Cairo stayed at an airport hotel that night, the Sheraton which was fine. The next morning we left for Aswan saw the damn and Philae (sp) Temple on the way in and got on the ship that afternoon. At sunset we took a cruise on a small sail ship, the name of what they're called escapes me at the moment.

 

We booked the high end version of the tour and were on the Movenpick Lily a brand new ship with all the bells and whistles, they also have the Lotus which is also really new, as in less than a year. (I may have the names reversed) Even better than the ship was the fact that there were only 8 in our group! So we got a very small group experience for a much lower cost.

 

Trip to Abu Simbal was next morning and our amazing tour guide knew to book us on the 10 AM flight as opposed to 7 so by the time we got there most others had come and gone. Plenty of time to do anything we wanted to there. That afternoon we started sailing. Sights were one all ships seem to stop at. In Luxor I forget the name of hotel we stayed at but it was right on the Nile and old fashioned luxury hotel. We were there 2 nights and saw all the Luxor sights. Then back to Cairo for 2 nights at luxury hotel on the Nile. The next day they saw highlights of Cairo -pyramids, Islamic Cairo, bazar etc.

However since we thought the time in Cairo was too rushed we came to Cairo a week earlier and could do so without any additional costs just by booking that way. We stayed at the Hotel Longchamps a small hotel in Zalmalack (sp) on an island in the middle of the Nile. Centrally located in a

residential area with lots of expats and embassies. It was a good choice because Cairo is so frenetic that to be somewhat removed from it was a relief at the end of the day.

 

We booked private trips in and around Cairo with tourist agencies. Places we went were Suez Canal, including some 1973 war sites, tour of 3 pyramid fields - one there was no one there but us and met great tourism police. Another day we we took a sunrise camel ride to have breakfast picnic with a view of the Giza Pyramids and afterward book a day room at the Oberoi Mena Palace Hotel. We were only people at the Pyramids and it was amazing. The hotel was incredible as well. Saw Islamic Cairo, bazaar, Egyptian Museum - all the sites.

 

When we got back to Cairo after being in Upper Egypt we walked from our hotel to the American University in Cairo, and saw coptic Cairo. We found that the best souvenirs were in a store in Luxor that was free trade, things made by Berbers and women who get part of profits and a similar store in Cairo. Saw things there we saw no where else. We also bought things at stops arranged by the guide, this is impossible to avoid and yes they get high percentage for bringing you there etc. but don't sweat it - its the system and things are incredibly inexpensive anyway.

 

For us this mix of private and tour experience was great, maybe not for everyone but we saw things that aren't on tours and met wonderful people at no time did we feel unsafe. Go and have a great time whatever you decide.

Mrs. Sid

[Benita]

Thanks for all the replies. The more I look, the more I find. I looked at Gate1, but want to spend more time in Luxor. Maupintour has a great itinerary, but no departures in April or May. Tauck has a great itinerary, but very pricey in light of their large groups. OAT isn't bad, nor is Vantage or GCT.

Two others were recommended,which have great itineraries. Has anybody heard of Museum Tours Inc. http://www.museum-tours.com or Isram? Both have small group itineraries. Museum tours has the best itinerary that I have seen, but I am not familiar with them. They are pretty expensive, but include all meals and really indepth touring of the pyramid areas of Cairo and Luxor.

[Louise22]

That is too bad there are no openings until later in the year. I did the tour in April so I am thinking they have filled up the earlier tours. At that time there were only 7 of us on the tour and we had a wonderful time together. One of the things that impressed me about the Egyptian tour leader was that we never had to wait in line. He would always have us wait while he went right to the front to get us tickets. Probably annoyed a lot of people. Also, our ship always had it's own docking area and you didn't have multiple ships lined up side by side which meant you had to walk over other ships to get to shore. It is truly an amazing destination. I have heard of both the companies you mentioned but can't give you any other information.

[Benita]

Louise, according to the Maupintour website, the only times they are offering their trips are one departure each in Sept, Oct, and Nov. Also, the trips all seem to depart on a Tuesday, necessitating three weeks off from work for a two week trip. By the way, how was the weather in April? We are planning on going in either late April or May.

[Traveler50]

By the way, how was the weather in April? We are planning on going in either late April or May.

 

My husband and I will be in Egypt April 12-26 for a tour with Grand Circle Tours which has 5 nights in Cairo and a 7 night Nile river cruise...then returning to Cairo for an additional night. They have their own small ship called the Anuket and we have talked with people who have been on this same trip and gave us an excellent recommendation. We have done previous tours with Grand Circle to Australia, Peru and China and we were very pleased with what we experienced.

 

Although we haven't been on one of their small ship tours I feel like the same high standards will apply. Their prices on these tours are very reasonable...sometimes even more reasonable than if you go on your own. They are also consciencious in making sure that you get to meet and discover about the local community in which you are visiting without feeling so much like a tourist.

 

I highly recommend G.C. from past tours BUT I can report back better about this particular one when I return after April 26th and I will let you know about the weather also. From what I have read the most ideal time when it is not so hot is in Jan. & Feb. with March & April being somewhere in between the really hot weather in the summer months. The tours seemed to be priced accordingly and so the least expensive time to go is in the summer.

[Louise22]

Hello again, Benita. The only time I was really uncomfortable was Abu Simbel. I am from Washington state so heat bothers me a bit more than those used to warm climates. The further we went up the Nile on the boat the hotter it got but most excursions were done during the morning or evening hours. One of my favorite things was lounging on the upper deck of the boat under a canopy which sprayed water periodically and enjoying the scenery.

[Imelda & Mario]

I think I looked at every company that does a tour in Egypt.

 

I haven't seen this company discussed much on this site, but we really wanted to see Abu Simbel and wanted to spend time cruising. The tour we signed up for has a 3 day cruise on Lake Nasser and a 4 day Nile cruise. Vantage seemed to have the same itinerary, but you had to do airfare with them, and we are traveling with a couple from UK, and they couldn't use the airfare.

 

We are traveling in October.

[MercedMike]

We had a wonderful tour with Globus.

 

Check out

http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/egyptmain.html

 

It has pictures of most of the main attractions to whet your appetite.

 

Mike

[marie61]

Hi Murphysmom,

 

Thank you for your information. I am planning my dream trip to Egypt with my husband for sometime in the first half of 2009. We aren't cutting corners since it's a one-time only trip and so are looking at Abercrombie and Kent....BUT I am not 100% satisfied with the group experience---I know how we are and I HATE being told to be up at a certain time and stop at a certain shop etc etc. I would love to book our own trip much like you did, not cutting corners but first class hotels, cruise etc.

 

I have to convince my husband however.

 

If you could possibly e-mail me at: ellen.thompson61@sympatico.ca

I would be grateful...I have a number of questions, especially re. arranging drivers, obtaining tickets etc.

 

thanks.

[dd@sea]

Marie 61,

My husband and I did a 17 day trip November in Egypt - Cairo, Luxor, cruise and Alexandria prior to picking up our cruise ship from Alexandria to Dubia. The Egypt part was pricey but wonderful. The hotels were perfect and the ship beautiful. We booked through Ker and Downey in Texas. The group was small in that it was only my husband and myself and our wonderful guide Mona - with us all the time! I think their size is no more than 12 and if it becomes more than they split into two groups. The ship was truly luxurious and guess what? We were the only ones and of course Mona on this 60 passenger ship! The crew alone was 35 in number. Lonely but lovely - just Anthony and Cleopatra on their yacht. We avoided all the crowds and our learning/educational component couldn't have more optimum! This truly was the highlight of all of our trips. Also, I would suggest looking at Trans Egypt Travel as they are the agency in Egypt that contracts with Ker and Downey. Their website has some good information too.

[Sparky333]

I used a travel company, STI, that I don't think I've seen mentioned here - I saw good reviews of it on Frommer's forum and that's how I picked them. I had initially booked with the Smithsonian but it got cancelled when not enough people signed up (needed 16). The STI tour was guaranteed to go even it was just the 2 of us. I can't say enough about how important that element is in planning -- we were really hanging on the edge of our seat waiting for Smithsonian to cancel or not so we could make other plans. Luckily we were able to sign up with STI more or less at the last minute. So that might be something people should ask about.

 

Our group was mainly 6 people, my mom and me and 2 other couples, one in their 50s and one in their 30s. Then at certain points three other couples would be with us for a few days and then they'd go off in a different direction - for example, some did the Nasser cruise and we did not. The whole time with either 6 or 12 people we had great transportation - roomy mini-vans mostly where you had your own row (or two). Once we were 6 people in a full-size coach. I found having such a small group to be fabulous and made a huge difference between hearing the guide and getting close to see what he was talking about -- can't imagine being in a bigger group of even 30 people -- I guess we got spoiled.

 

The price was less than the Smithsonian trip and went to the same places PLUS Alexandria and a 4 day extension to Jordan. The service was excellent. Our guide was really superb. The people that worked for the company that met us at different airports and got us checked into hotels were very very good and the hotels were all top-notch (Grand Hyatt in Cairo, Movenpick in Aswan, Marriott at Petra, M/V Mojito on the Nile cruise).

 

I would recommend them and plan to go back some day and use STI again.

[micked10@earthlink.net]

Benita,

I am having the same problem as you. What tour company to use??? I have looked at Tauck and Maupintour ( we have used both of these tour companies and been extremely pleased but, they seem a little pricey. I have also looked at Vantage and GR Circle but they seem to have a lot of optional excursions that are included in the other 2 companies. Haven't looked at Globus yet or STI ( haven't heard of this one). We will not be going until 2009 so I will have a lot of time to "research." I would be interested to hear which company you decide on. Also, I am working on convincing my husband that it is safe. He seems to be leaning a little more to considering this trip!!!

I think we were on the tulips and Windmills trip this spring about 2 weeks before you.

micked10

[Benita]

We booked our Egypt trip for May, 2009, We are going with Museum Tours, http://www.museum-tours.com We will be on their Egyptian Odyssey tour. It is pricy, but it is guaranteed to go, fully escorted, even with just the two of us, although they will take up to 16. This is the trip that the American Archeological Association uses for their members. Itinerary is great, hotels, top notch, and meals are included. I only hope that I can find a similar trip for Vietnam and Cambodia - I know this is off the topic, but any suggestions would be appreciated.

[micked10@earthlink.net]

Thanks Benita. Musuem tours look very nice. It is such a big decision 9who to go with???). I like Maupintour too because they use the Oberoi Philae ship and first class hotels also. Tauck is great too because they stay at the Four Seasons in Cairo and also the Mena House with Pyramid views guaranteed. All 3 of these groups are roughly in the same price range. Vangage and Grand Circle offer great value for the money and include air fare which is a big plus.but I am not sure of the ship ( Omar El Khayam). Decisions, decisions. Guess I will keep on with my "researching" and compare all the groups. i sure will be anxious to hear about your trip. It sounds wonderful.!!!

Micked10

[Benita]

What clinched it for me is the small group. I love Tauck, but having 40 people on a tour is just too much. Maupintour does not go the time of the year we want to travel. OAT has a nice itinerary, but I like better accomodations.

[micked10@earthlink.net]

I agree---forty people is a lot!!. We lucked out when we went to Eastern Europe with them several years ago--only 15 in our group. It was wonderful. Yes, we want nice accommodations also. That is why I am leaning toward Maupintours, although I believe they also take about 40 on their tours. I also want a tour that lets you pick your own seats on the airline ( if you do air with them). Most of the time we do our own air though and go a day or two before the tour in order to get over jet lag.

I thing both Vantage and GC pick your seats for you and once on a trip to Russia I had the middle seat, both coming and going. This was after I had request no middle seats several times!!!

Since we are both retired we are able to go at almost anytime so could do a tour with Maupintours at almost any month. Next we year 92009) going to FL ( your home state) for the months of Feb. and March so if we go to Egypt too that will probably be in the Fall.

I hope you do a trip report when you return.

micked10