A Week In Egypt: Pyramids, Felucca Cruise And Ancient Temples

I have wanted to go to Egypt for as long as I can remember. I took my first Egyptology lessons when I was just a kid, named most of my goldfish Champollion, and never missed an exhibition on Egypt and its treasures. I had to wait a long time to make that dream come true, but was finally able to travel to Egypt last week for the first time. My biggest fear was, somehow, to be disappointed after having spent so many years longing for the trip. I knew exactly what I wanted to see and found the website for Egypt Best Vacations online. The trip ticked all the boxes, so we booked. And I’m really glad we did! I could not be happier with my first-ever trip to the land of the Pharaohs. Egypt Best Vacations delivered on what they promised but actually exceeded our expectations. We were lucky enough to have a private tour, and that was just perfect for me, as I really wanted someone knowledgeable about Egyptology to take the time to answer my questions and focus on those sacred words that cover most of Egypt’s countless temples. What I particularly loved about our trip with Egypt Best Vacations: - Our guides Essam and Mahmoud, their boundless knowledge, kindness, and the time they took to answer all our questions. - Staying in local hotels and restaurants, which allowed us to see the “real Egypt” (and practised my Arabic 😅) - The scenic route from Aswan to Luxor. We have really enjoyed seeing the fields and all those gorgeous landscapes and small villages - The sleeper train to Aswan. Noisy, but what an adventure! Best way to take in some breathtaking Nile views - How personalised the trip was. Egypt Best Vacations was super flexible, and we felt the trip was tailored to our wishes and needs. We’ve been back for 48 hours now and are already looking forward to coming back 🤩 (and not just because it’s 24 degrees there and -1 here 😂)

We had a great experience traveling from Aswan to Luxor on the beautiful dahabiya Ika Dolly. Everything was just perfect from the moment we first got in touch with Egypt Best Vacations and had a very nice and helpful conversation with Abdul-Rahman Mahmoud to the cruise itself. We had a friendly and kind staff on board and, most of all, we had the best tour guide, Essam, an egyptologist with a deep knowledge of the ancient egyptian culture, language and art and always willing to tell us about modern Egypt, too. We enjoyed beautiful moments on the dahabiya, we had great food, so carefully cooked by a great chef, and had the chance to spend a night on the shore, dancing with the boat crew. We also appreciated the interest and attention shown by Egypt Best Vacations to the people living on the Nile: the place where the dinner was held is owned by an old man, who gets paid for hosting us, and we also had the chance to meet Asmaa, a young woman who showed us her house and let us have a tea with her family. We were told we would have a luxurious experience, but our cruise was way more than that. Definitely suggested.

‘Egypt Best Vacations’ is amazing. 100% recommended. We spent 15 days travelling with our guide and driver. From picking us up at Hurghada airport and returning us to the airport at the end of the trip we could not have asked for more accommodating, informative, friendly and experienced staff to ensure we had a fantastic holiday. Our journey from Hurghada to Luxor where we were based for most of our stay was so straight forward. Travelling Egypt by road is an incredible way to explore the sites and country especially when in the company of such a knowledgeable guide, who has become a good and trusted friend. Having explored the sites in Luxor including Deir el-Medina and some of the Noble tombs on the West Bank we travelled to Edfu, Kom Ombo and Aswan for an overnight stay before driving to the highlight of the trip Abu Simbel which is breath-taking. The car ride back to Luxor was long but well worth it, with plenty of stops for refreshments and to enjoy the mirages in the desert. A trip to Dendera included overnight in the ‘Flower of Life’ guesthouse in Abydos which provides you with a real Egyptian welcome. We then asked to rearrange our schedule which was not an issue at all, with changes to accommodation and day trips sorted in just a few hours, which included Quad biking and Camel rides on the West Bank of Luxor. We will certainly use ‘Egypt Best Vacations’ again in the future and suggest them to everyone.

Brilliant team of travel professionals! Essam and his Egypt Best Vacations team are absolutely brilliant. Essam from the head quarters had arranged internal flights and all accommodation and ground transportation. Everything was from an handpicked itinerary and Essam managed to intelligently incorporate everything I wanted to do in the limited time available. Essam listened carefully and advised on hotel options and even accommodated a last minute flight change request. I received an unexpected birthday cake and singing on the Nile cruise and an upgrade to a pyramid view room in Cairo. Last but not least, Essam paid a surprise visit in Luxor over a cup of delicious Egyptian coffee in a traditional cafe. Our private chaperone Khalaf was a wealth of knowledge in both ancient and contemporary Egyptian history. Khalaf, is not your everyday tour guide. He speaks a couple of European languages and has a degree in Egyptology. Khalaf took care of all the day to day needs, from getting tickets for attractions to seamlessly helping through intimidating security police/military checkpoints. There was not an instant of uncertainty or hesitation in Khalaf; he seemed to know all the places we visited like the palms of his own hands. I have learned so much about Egyptian culture, history and lifestyle. There was always a clear explanation and fascinating anecdotes regardless of whether we were visiting historical sites, bustling cities, museums, artisan shops, etc. Khalaf tailored everything in our itinerary to the needs of the moment and delighted us with bespoke options and additional experiences Finally, a special mention to Sayed: which I can confidently say is one of the best drivers I have ever had in all of my worldwide travels. Sayed managed to smoothly navigate our minivan through Cairo despite the madness of it all. Sayed’s exemplary composure and calm made us feel extremely safe at all times. Sayed’s attentiveness in equipping the van with cool water, hand sanitizer tissues and wet wipes created a safe oasis of calm in the vehicle. Thank you for everything Essam, Khalaf, Sayed and all the other welcoming travel professionals we met in our time in Egypt!

Choose Egypt Best Vacations, you wont be disappointed A great 11-day vacation organised by EBV taking in Cairo, a Nile cruise and Hurghada. Our vacation started in Cairo with visits to the pyramids of Giza and the Step pyramid at Saqqara. Really enjoyed our wander around the Egyptian museum with our guide Hassan. Flying from Cairo to our cruise boat, Blue Shadows in Aswan was seamless, with the EBV representative ensuring everything went smoothly. Our guide Ahmed joined us in Aswan for the cruise and we thoroughly enjoyed his sense of humour and explanations of the history of the temples we visited. Our rooms on the boat were clean and spacious and the food was good with friendly staff. In Luxor the highlight of our vacation was the visit to Karnak Temple where Ahmed ensured we had plenty of time to explore. On our final day in Luxor, we visited the Valley of the Kings before transferring to Hurghada for some relaxing time on the beach.