Sun Pyramids Tours

Amazing trip - everything was seamless with informative and friendly guides and expert coordination by Aya ! Hany was especially great during our visits to Aswan, Luxor, and Nile cruise!

This was a trip of a lifetime. I connected with Mohammed and Armia through KimKim travel and they proposed a package that included everything we wanted to see and took us to Jordan to see Petra. It was under our budget and everything was included accept international airfare. Mohammed was easy to work with and communicated excellently. We flew to Cairo and Kariem met us. He was very helpful and just a great employee. We came to love him like a son. He took us to our hotel and met us many times on our trip. He even spent the day with us at the big bazaar in Cairo. Karom was our main guide in Cairo and was very knowledgeable. He took us to GEM, the pyramids and to some mosques and churches. Very easy to get along with and He met me everyday with Voke Zero to fill my needs. We had a driver in Cairo named Mohammed and we felt as safe as we could with the crazy Cairo drivers. Mohammed got us everywhere safely and was easy to get along with. We spent a few days in Cairo and then flew to Luxor to meet our cruise. Kareem took us to the airport and was on time with great communication. We were met in Luxor by Ahmed who was out guide on the cruise and on shore tours. He was fantastic and another highlight of our trip. He was super friendly and knowledgeable about everything. He took us to Karnak, Luxor Temple and Abu Simbel. It was a fantastic time and exceeded expectations. Ahmed took us to a local market and we stopped at a local Cafe and experienced Shisha. It was a greatcway to get to know him and meet some local people. We enjoyed every minute with him and the cruise was perfectly timed in our trip. After the cruise ended we flew back to Cairo. Kariem met us and drove us to our hotel. We met up with Karom and finished our Cairo portion of our trip. He suggested we add on the Civilization museum and that was fantastic. 62 mummies laid out gracefully. It was a highlight! Mohammed drove us around again and was exceptional. Kariem picked us up to fly to Jordan. We were met there by the airport assistant Hossam who handled our visas and got us through customs. We were picked up by our driver Tayseer and Freddie our guide and seeing some of the sights in Amman. We were off in the afternoon to Petra with Freddie and Tayseer. It was a long drive but we got to the hotel and got some sleep. I loved riding in Tayseers BVD hybrid car! We were off to Petra in the morning. It was amazing. Beautiful site and great experience. Freddie was fun to visit with and very knowledgeable. Afterwards we drive to Wadi Rum and went clamping in a tent. It was a beautiful ending yo a great trip. We flew from Amman to Cairo and surprisingly Kariem picked us up at 930. He took us to a hotel where we didn't have time to sleep but could shower and relax for an hour. We then caught the shuttle at 1am and started the long flight home. ✈️. It was a well planned trip with people that were kind and caring. We felt safe and secure and well cared for. I can't thank everybody enough! I hope i didn't leave anybody out!

The Giza Pyramids, Valley of the Kings tombs, Abu Simbel Temple and the other historical sites were just phenomenal. Anyone who is remotely interested in history or archeology will be filled with wonder and awe at the size and beauty of these structures, and marvel at how an ancient civilization was able to build them. We came to see the splendor of these structures, and our high expectations were more than met. Egypt’s monuments are unlike anything else in the world. The only existing Ancient World Wonder lived up to its billing. If you have the opportunity to visit the Seti I tomb at the Valley of the Kings, do it! We also very much enjoyed our visit to Hurghada on the Red Sea. Hurghada is a small, beautiful and calm city which offered a nice 2-day respite from the hustle and bustle of Cairo and the packed itinerary of the Nile cruise from Aswan to Luxor.

Unfortunately, the very positive experience of the splendors of the sites was diminished by suboptimal planning and communication. This is our third international trip through KimKim and we had come to enjoy and expect detailed itineraries and useful and timely communications. This trip did not meet those expectations. While always pleasant and appropriate, our planner often required repeated prompting to answer what should be straightforward questions and made multiple errors of omission and commission in the itinerary. We agreed upon a draft itinerary and booked over 2 months before trip. We asked for a detailed itinerary at the 1-month mark and was told we would get the itinerary 1 week before departure. We got the PDF “final” version one day before our flight, which had us getting picked up at 12:10 PM. Since our flight arrives at 12:10 AM, that prompted a frantic series of messages to the local planner. Important details of tours of the Nile cruise were frequently lacking, and we often found out the departure time of specific tours the day before the tour. This is especially challenging when there is a late night tour followed by an early morning (4:30 AM departure) tour. I specifically asked during the booking process to NOT book a hotel room for our last day in the country as we had a late evening departure flight. When we checked into our final hotel of the trip, we were informed that the booking was for 2 nights instead of the 1 night we requested. So, we paid for an extra hotel day that we specifically requested to not book. While we ultimately got the transportation we needed and saw the sites we agreed upon, the whole process should have been done more smoothly and efficiently without evoking a level of anxiety that persisted throughout the trip.

Our Egyptologist expert guides were by and large knowledgeable and professional, with one notable exception. Hamid was very kind and worked with our preferences very well. Despite the Unfinished Obelisk in Aswan being a very minor site in our itinerary, I very much enjoyed the visit and Hamid’s explanations. We did have a guide who was not a good fit for our needs. My wife felt belittled by his comments and we did not appreciate being told to not take pictures of the monuments/temples until he finished his overly detailed presentation to lay the “proper foundation” for us. I recognize that he was knowledgeable and passionate about Egyptian history, but we are paying for the experience we want to have and we have a limited time frame to do so.

Our experiences with the guides were mixed. Youssef in Aswan was super attentive and helpful. He is warm, empathic and a very good listener. He worked hard with his Customer Service team to help arrange a new Egyptologist guide for us. He is an excellent communicator and helped “fill in the blanks” on the itinerary that we should have had all along. He very much allayed our anxieties in our time of need. He is a 5+ star guide, and we wish we could have had someone like him the entire trip.

The counterbalance to Youssef was our guide on the trip to Hurghada. He clearly did not know our itinerary well, and needed me to tell him which hotel we were staying at. Another example is when a scheduled lunch was missed when the guide team was not aware.

A special acknowledgment of Amany at Sun Pyramids Customer Service is needed. Once we indicated our concerns about the guide, she stepped in and went above and beyond to try to maximize our trip experience. She checked in regularly with us throughout the remainder of our trip and likely intervened behind the scenes to make things as smooth as possible. She was able to get us an upgrade to our Nile Cruise cabin, and arranged a special romantic dinner at a rooftop restaurant overlooking the Giza Pyramids (spectacular view!!). She provided a level of service that showed competence, attention to detail and follow-through, and we very much appreciated her efforts in helping us.

We recognize that our tour guides are shaped by their culture and society. We came to sadly recognize that the tourism infrastructure in Egypt is below average compared to the rest of the world and that there are many systemic problems that make the job of the tour operators and tour guides difficult. Still, for the traveler looking for a great experience, the deficiencies in communication, attention to detail and interpersonal behavior (in a small but memorable select few) were disappointing.

In summary, we went to Egypt to be awed by its ancient past, and we were. We left with priceless memories. We just wished that the experience of getting to these amazing sites was more smooth and enjoyable.

Hotel Reviews

Nile Style Nile cruise

Aswan

The ship is dated. Lobby is 1970s bland. We had to walk through other cruise ships to get to port, and if the lobbies are a reflection of the cabins and service, other ships are 4 or 5 stars while ours is a 3-star. We had an upgraded suite which had the advantage of more space but did not feel like the amenities one expects in a suite. We were also woken up on several occasions by the crew's robust shouting as the ship landed in ports. Showerhead did not work well. Carpets were not well cleaned, and the door keycard entry system needed multiple swipes to work. Food was average. A couple of the meals were excellent, but most of the meals were only passable to the extent that we went to eat for sustenance rather than pleasure.

Authenticity & Character

Location

A ship sailing on the Nile River. What more to say?

Staff

Average service. For the dining services, when they saw that we were not ordering drinks (a la carte), they left us pretty much alone. The exception was when they wanted written feedback and kept interrupting our meal to ask if we completed the survey.

Cleanliness & Comfort

JAZ Elite Casa Del Mar Beach

hurghada

Beautiful grounds on the beach in Hurghada. Attentive service. Well appointed room. Fabulous view of the beach. This is an all-inclusive resort and provided everything we needed. Food was fabulous (loved the lox, which was the high quality smooth and fatty version). We enjoyed the evening shows in the pool area from our balcony. 5-star resort. Definitely a pick me up after the Nile Cruise experience. Would definitely stay here again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Movenpick Aswan

Aswan

Beautiful property on an island on the Nile River in Aswan. Need a boat to get to. Expansive grounds with nice landscaping and multiple walkways to stroll. Very peaceful. 5-star amenities. Would definitely stay here again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hyatt Centric Cairo West

cairo

Great location if wanting to stay closer to the Pyramids and avoid the chaos of downtown Cairo.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Located in Giza and closer to the Grand Egyptian Museum and Pyramids

Staff

There is no sign available to hang on the door for Do Not Disturb (stayed on two occasions during our trip and neither time had the sign...also never saw a sign on any of the other doors). We requested no service for our room only to come back and see the room serviced.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Day Tour To The Grand Egyptian Museum “GEM”

Egypt

Loved the GEM. Smaller than the British Museum or Louvre or Hermitage, but the GEM only exhibits Egyptian artifacts so I suspect this is the most comprehensive and complete collection in the entire world. The GEM houses the King Tut exhibit, which actually has over 5000 artifacts and is really a small museum in and of itself. The GEM contains a remarkably well preserved 40-foot statue of Ramses II and an ancient cedarwood ship un-earthed near the Khufu Pyramid. If you are a fan of museums, this should be on your short list of ones to visit.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Snorkeling at Mahmya Island from Hurghada

Egypt

Loved the city of Hurghada. It's a small and quaint city on the Red Sea with a European feel. After the hustle and bustle of downtown Cairo, and the undisciplined feel of the Nile Cruise, Hurghada was a welcome respite. We took the snorkeling trip out to Mahmya Island, which is part of the Giftun Island complex. The snorkeling was fabulous from even the shore. We saw many colorful fish in protected reefs located within 40-50 feet of the beach and often at depths of 4-5 feet. I also took a short boat ride from Mahmya to the Sabena Reef, and the coral formations there were amongst the most colorful that I've ever seen.

Quality of Experience

Food

The food (buffet-style) at the Jaz Hotel was top notch. We just immensely enjoyed every meal there. The lunch on Mahmya Island was ok; standard BBQ type of food.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We took a 3.5-hour drive from Luxor to get to Hurghada. The driver had to stop midway for a smoke, and I understand 3 hours is a long time to go without a smoke for certain people. However, we had to smell the smoke from his clothes for the remainder of the drive and we are not fans of cigarette smoke. In addition, the guide for this drive did not know which hotel we were staying at in Hurghada, and I had to tell him the name and address. For the following morning, the driver who picked us up from the hotel to take us to the boat to Mahmya Island was late because he went to the wrong Jaz Hotel first. Not sure that it was his fault; he intimated that his dispatch gave him the address for the wrong Jaz Hotel. We appreciated him getting us to the boat in time for departure, but the ride was a little hair-raising.

Transport

Check out to Luxor West Bank

Luxor

The visit to the Valley of the Kings rivaled the Giza Pyramids as our two most favorite sites to visit. You get to visit 3 tombs as part of the regular entrance ticket. We also wanted to see King Tut's tomb and the Seti I tomb, which required separate tickets. IMO, it was well worth the extra cost (700LE for Tut and 2000LE for Seti I). If I had to pick my favorite activity for the entire trip, it would visiting the Seti I tomb. The variety and intricacy of the wall carvings, the surprisingly preserved vibrant colors and the multitude of chambers to explore made me frequently just pause and stand still to enjoy that warm feeling you get from sheer happiness.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trip Hot Air Balloon Ride in Luxor, Egypt

Luxor

A hot air balloon ride with fabulous views of temples below and the sun rising in the horizon! We loved it! We had a perfect morning, with a clear cloudless sky and not too cold and not too windy. Just spectacular views! The highlight was seeing the sun rise over the horizon, which even left our rather expressive and chatty group watching in silent awe for a few minutes. The balloon captain was outstanding. He was clearly experienced and exuded an air of confidence that helped settle any fears or trepidations in the group. The ascent and descent were both smooth. He expertly slowly rotated the balloon so everyone in the group (over 30 people) could get the same view without having to look over or around other passengers. He pointed out landmarks in the distance, threw out a few interesting factoids, and threw in a few jokes to keep the atmosphere festive.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Luxor East Bank

Luxor

The East Bank tour consisted of the Luxor Temple and Karnak Temple. Both of these temples were from the Greco-Roman period of Egyptian history and showed the interplay of the Greek and Roman influences with Egyptian architecture. Both Temples were magnificent in their unique ways - we marveled at the huge columns with colorful and intricate designs. Because the grounds of these temples were much larger than the ones at Kom Ombo and Edfu, the negative effect of crowd sizes on the tour experience was minimized. 5-stars for the beauty of the temples. As with other aspects of this trip, the logistics of visiting these sites lessened the overall experience.

Quality of Experience

Amazing monuments which we thoroughly enjoyed seeing! We cannot help but admire the grandeur that this ancient civilization built.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We were supposed to visit both temples in one afternoon. However, the ship arrived late in Luxor port as Karnak Temple was closing, so we had to see it the following day. This made for a very long and tiring day after. I believe the delay was due to prolonged wait time to transit a lock system on the Nile. Of course, this was not the fault of the ship or crew. As we watched ships transiting through the lock, we could not help but wonder if the process we saw on the Nile was equally inefficient through something like the Panama Canal (TBD for another trip!).

kom Ombo, and edfu Temples

Egypt

The temples were very interesting and likely had more to offer than what we experienced. Our experience was significantly diminished by the massive crowds at both places. This is the product of poor tourism infrastructure -- all boats arriving at the same time with multiple tour groups descending on relatively small temples all at once. There was a fair amount of pushing and jostling as people tried to cram into small areas to catch short glimpses of interesting structures or hieroglyphics. Not really enough time or space to make these an enjoyable experience, which is a shame as I suspect the Temples themselves would have been a 4 or 5-star visit. This is a systemic problem that the Egyptian tourism ministry should regulate better.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hamid was excellent at Kom Ombo, again. He did a great job to hitting the highlights of the Temple and navigating to avoid the most dense concentrations of tourists.

Transport

We were able to walk to Kom Ombo from the Nile cruise ship. We took a horse carriage ride from the cruise ship to Edfu, which was a new and interesting experience for us. The only down side was that given the large numbers of tourists needing transport from multiple boats to Edfu, the horses were worked pretty hard.

Abu Simbel Temple

Aswan

A phenomenal structure that is well worth the 6-hour drive to visit.

Quality of Experience

Phenomenal temple built by Ramses II to celebrate himself. This is a structure that exudes power and grandeur, with an unapologetic air of narcissism. Look past the personality traits of the pharaoh and enjoy the splendor. Well worth the 6-hour round trip drive.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We asked for a new guide after our Aswan Dam experience. Hamid filled in on short notice and was excellent. He gave us a nice presentation on Abu Simbel with the right balance of historical detail, palace intrigue and interesting factoids and then gave us the freedom to roam through the Temple.

Transport

It was a 3-hour each way drive from Aswan to Abu Simbel. We were not looking forward to spending 6 hours in a car. Our driver had a car that was comfortable and designed for long trips. He also knew the road very well and took care to avoid the major dips and potholes and gravel portions. It was obvious that he took pride in providing a comfortable experience for his passengers.

Aswan full day tour

Aswan

The Aswan Dam and Philae Temple were great sites to visit. The story of how the Nile River was "tamed" was fascinating. The story of how the Philae Temple was moved to avoid being submerged by dam water was interesting and inspiring. Unfortunately, our interactions with the guide very much detracted from the overall experience.

Quality of Experience

The Aswan Dam and Philae Temple were both interesting and impressive sites to visit. We would have given this a 5-star experience if not for the guide.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide to Aswan Dam and the Philae Temple was inpatient with the crowds and hurried our visit. While at the Dam, he jumped from exhibit to exhibit out of order in order to avoid crowds. While that sounds good in principle, that tactic made for a confusing and discombobulated narrative. He also told us to not take pictures of the monuments/temples until after he finished his overly detailed presentation to lay the “proper foundation” for us, which led to several missed photo opportunities as multiple tour groups inundated the locations shortly afterwards. My wife felt belittled by some of his comments, and he displayed a lack of cultural and gender sensitivity.

Transport

Trip to Pyramids, Memphis, and Sakkara with riding a camel

Egypt

It was an amazing feeling to see the Giza Pyramids, and experience the rush of being in the presence of the only standing Ancient World Wonder. The views were phenomenal. We took the camel ride and really enjoyed that experience. We were very specific that we would cancel the camel tour if we felt the animals were abused. We were heartened to see the camels being appropriately cared for and looking healthy and relaxed. Memphis and Sakkara were interesting sites to visit, but the Pyramids were the highlight of the day.

Quality of Experience

Food

Went to a lunch buffet, which was excellent.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our driver Mary was excellent. The traffic in Cairo can be best described as chaotic, and she navigated the traffic challenges efficiently and was entirely in control the whole time.

Cairo food and walking tour 4 hours

Egypt

Got to experience the famous Khan El Khalili Bazaar and El Moez Street. Also saw how the local population lived.

Quality of Experience

Seeing Khan El Khali bazaar and El Moez Street, which are iconic parts of Old Cairo. Our guide took us to an authentic Egyptian restaurant and we tried and enjoyed several authentic local dishes. Food did take over 25 minutes to arrive and the guide had to keep reminding the restaurant staff. But once the food arrived, it was delicious!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We appreciated Mostafa taking us to experience the "real" Egypt, as we mingled with the locals in addition to seeing some of the more touristy areas.

Transport

My 18-year-old daughter and I planned a long-awaited bucket-list trip to Egypt over winter break. The ancient history lived up to every hope: standing beneath the pyramids, visiting the Valley of the Kings, sailing the Nile, and seeing temples thousands of years old was genuinely awe-inspiring. Egypt’s monuments are unlike anything else in the world.

Unfortunately, much of the experience outside the sites themselves was uncomfortable. With the notable exception of our Cairo guide, Mary—who was warm, knowledgeable, and consistently professional—we experienced repeated boundary-crossing behavior from multiple male guides. Two different guides showed us shirtless photos of themselves without prompting. Another explained women’s dress codes by comparing women to uncovered chocolate bars melting in the sun, then laughed when asked about men. These moments were jarring and far from isolated.

There was also frequent miscommunication and poor planning: very early wake-ups followed by long waits, delayed flights and ships, missed evening tours, and vague or misleading information about schedules and amenities. Aggressive sales tactics were constant, from shops to boats pulling alongside our cabin windows on the Nile. Even while dressed conservatively, we experienced intense staring and persistent discomfort in public spaces. My daughter summed it up as “belittling vibes and patronizing energy.”

We understand that our guides are shaped by their own society and circumstances, and we recognize that tourism is complicated in a country facing economic and political strain. Still, the lack of professionalism, cultural sensitivity, and care—particularly toward female travelers—was disappointing. We came to Egypt to stand in awe of its ancient past, and we did. I would strongly recommend that KimKim reconsider its local tour partner and invest in clearer communication and more rigorous guide training, especially around professionalism and respectful conduct.

Hotel Reviews

Pyramids Resort by Jaz

Cairo

We spent very little time here but it was beautiful, comfortable and clean with delicious breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Far from everything!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

M/S Semiramis III

Aswan

The Semiramis III is an older Nile cruise ship that shows its age, but it was generally clean and comfortable. Our cabin was surprisingly spacious and one of the nicer aspects of the experience. The food was consistently good, and the housekeeping staff was kind and attentive—creating lovely towel sculptures each day that genuinely made us smile. That said, there were several drawbacks. The ship smelled strongly of cigarette smoke in many common areas. Wifi was repeatedly promised but never worked. While docked in Aswan and Luxor, dozens of ships were packed together, so our “river view” was directly into another cabin window. Once underway, the experience improved, but scheduling was unreliable. We were told departure and arrival times that turned out to be hours off, which caused us to miss anticipated evening temple visits. While sailing, vendors in small boats approached the ship and shouted into cabin windows—even while we were sleeping—which was jarring and disruptive. The sundeck itself was lovely, but swimming and sunbathing felt uncomfortable, as very few passengers used the pool and there was intense staring from men on staff, even while dressed conservatively. Despite these issues, cruising the Nile itself was genuinely special, and traveling together along the river was a highlight of our trip. With better communication, stricter policies around vendors, and improvements to onboard amenities, the experience could be much stronger.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It's on the Nile! However, the ships are all packed together.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Royal Great Pyramid INN

Giza

The Great Pyramids Inn is a clean, basic hotel with an unbeatable rooftop view of the pyramids—but otherwise, it fell short for us. Our room was simple and comfortable enough, with very comfortable beds, but several things were broken, including the bathroom door and the shower waterproofing. Breakfast was disappointing and limited. The rooftop restaurant offered a stunning view and good food, but it was noticeably overpriced for what it was. The hotel’s location is also a drawback. It’s not in a walkable neighborhood, and there isn’t much to explore nearby on foot. It’s also very far from the airport, which made late-night and early-morning transfers especially tiring. Overall, it was fine for a short stay focused on pyramid views, but given the condition of the room, food quality, and location, I would likely choose a different hotel next time.

Authenticity & Character

It's just basic. Nothing wrong.

Location

There is no walkability. It's on a highway. However, it is across the street from the GEM and has a (polluted) view of the pyramids.

Staff

The staff of the rooftop restaurant ignored us; it was hard to get their attention.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean. Just broken doors and flooding shower.

Activity Reviews

Tour to Citadel, and Coptic Cairo

Cairo

This was another excellent experience thanks to Mary. The Citadel offered fascinating insight into medieval Cairo, and learning about the Mamluk massacre was chilling and memorable. Touring Coptic Cairo—the churches and synagogue—was deeply interesting and meaningful. As an AP World History teacher, I especially appreciated Mary’s ability to connect these sites to broader historical themes. She handled sensitive topics with care and clarity. This tour felt thoughtful, educational, and well paced.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cairo food and walking tour and khan elkhalili bazaar

Egypt

The food itself was delicious. Koshary Abu Tarek was a highlight, and wandering through the streets and Khan el-Khalili was colorful and lively. However, the tour was uncomfortable in several ways. The guide, Hani, made inappropriate and misogynistic comments, including comparing women to uncovered chocolate bars melting in the sun when explaining why women should cover themselves. When asked how men fit into this analogy, he laughed and refused to answer. He also showed us shirtless photos of himself and bragged about working out. He offered little explanation about the food or its cultural context. Aggressive sales tactics in the bazaar were relentless, and the overall experience felt more awkward than enjoyable.

Quality of Experience

Food

The Koshary and the juice at Fishaway were highlights

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Traffic made this tour soooooo long. I would say to make it a walking tour all centered in one spot.

Check out to Luxor West Bank

Luxor

The West Bank tour was incredible in terms of content. The Colossi of Memnon were striking, and the Valley of the Kings was unforgettable. The tomb artwork was astonishingly well preserved. Guides are not allowed inside the tombs, but Ahmed explained the history beforehand, which helped us appreciate what we were seeing. Seeing King Tut’s tomb—his mummy still inside—was a powerful experience, and we appreciated that the ticket was included. Lunch afterward at Oriental House was excellent and easily the best meal we had in Egypt. While the sites themselves carried the day, the guiding was competent but not especially engaging.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trip Hot Air Balloon Ride in Luxor, Egypt cruise

Luxor

This was absolutely worth it. Despite the very early wake-up, the hot air balloon ride over the Valley of the Kings was flawlessly organized. The crew and pilot were professional, calm, and safety-focused, and we felt secure throughout. Floating above the temples and farmland at sunrise was breathtaking and one of the most awe-inspiring moments of the entire trip. This experience exceeded expectations and was a clear standout.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

There was no communication about what to expect.

Transport

There was no communication about what to expect.

Luxor East Bank

Luxor

Karnak and Luxor temples were breathtaking in scale and preservation. Walking through these massive complexes gave a real sense of ancient grandeur. Unfortunately, we arrived much later than expected—after 8 p.m.—and missed the anticipated evening experience and light show because of delays earlier in the day. The sites themselves were extraordinary, but poor timing and communication diminished what could have been an even more memorable visit.

Quality of Experience

Food

Ahmed took us to Oriental House, where we paid for our own lunch. It was really good!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Travel from Aswan to Luxor via kombo and Edfu

Egypt

The concept of traveling the Nile between Aswan and Luxor was magical and a highlight of the trip. However, communication around timing was consistently inaccurate. We were told specific departure and arrival times that were hours off, which resulted in missed evening temple visits we had been looking forward to and super early wake up times. The promised "gym" did not exist, and sunbathing or swimming on deck was not appropriate or comfortable for women. While sailing, vendors in small boats pulled alongside the ship and shouted into cabin windows, even while we were sleeping. Despite the logistical frustrations, being on the Nile together was genuinely special and memorable.

Quality of Experience

Food

The food aboard the Semiramis III was delicious but the beverages were insanely overpriced.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

kom Ombo, and edfu Temples

Egypt

Kom Ombo Temple was interesting and lovely to see in the dark. We especially enjoyed the crocodile mummy museum. Again, the visit felt rushed. Our guide, Ahmed, seemed frustrated by crowds and eager to finish quickly. On the walk back, vendors aggressively accosted us, throwing items at us as we said no. Edfu Temple was visually stunning and historically rich, but the experience was dampened by logistics. We were required to wake at 4:30 a.m. for a carriage ride, only to arrive with thousands of other visitors already present. Our guide again seemed impatient and disengaged. We stayed positive and enjoyed the site, but the guiding did little to elevate the experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

There was no food on this tour.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ahmed was rushed and grumpy. His English was unclear, and he didn't make the sites more interesting than, say, reading the plaques at each place would have been. I'm a history teacher and I didn't learn much that I didn't already know.

Transport

Tour to High Dam, Philae Temple, and Obelisk

Aswan

Philae Temple was truly spectacular and one of the most beautiful sites we visited. Learning about its relocation and seeing it by boat was fascinating, and Ahmed provided helpful historical context once we were on-site. However, the overall day felt disengaged. After arriving in Aswan during a sandstorm, Ahmed was reluctant to help us plan alternative afternoon activities and instead lingered in the souk smoking. We were taken to a spice shop with extreme overpricing and very pushy sales tactics. While the sites themselves were impressive, the guiding felt uneven and lacked initiative.

Quality of Experience

Visiting Philae Temple itself was spectacular and seeing the High Dam by boat (on day 2 because it was obscured on day 1 by a sandstorm) was cool.

Food

There was no food on this tour.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ahmed was rushed and grumpy. His English was unclear, and he didn't make the sites more interesting than, say, reading the plaques at each place would have been. I'm a history teacher and I didn't learn much that I didn't already know.

Transport

The Nubian boatman who took us to Philae was iconic.

Giza Pyramids with a camel ride & the Grand Egyptian Museum

Cairo

This was an outstanding first day in Egypt, largely due to our guide, Mary. She was warm, knowledgeable, and consistently professional. She navigated the massive Giza complex smoothly, chose engaging stories that brought the pyramids and Sphinx to life, and never rushed us. The camel ride was touristy but fun, and Mary helped us avoid unnecessary hassle. The Grand Egyptian Museum was a highlight. Mary guided us through about 20 pristine galleries, helping us make sense of the scale and significance without overwhelming us. She also brought us to a papyrus “museum” where sales pressure was noticeably lower than elsewhere. This day set a very high bar and showed what excellent guiding in Egypt can be.

Quality of Experience

The incredible sites and the excellent guide, Mary

Food

Lunch was at a touristy buffet with only other travelers. A more local restaurant would have been much better.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mary was open-minded, chatty, knowledgeable and sweet

Transport

Cairo has some serious traffic but our driver navigated it well

My family of six had an amazing trip to Egypt and Jordan. It was two nights in Cairo, 4 cruising up the Nile, 2 back in Cairo and the last 3 nights in Jordan to visit Petra and the Dead Sea. We are repeat customers of Kimkim, and on the last 15 months have spent almost $60,000 with them.

Overall we were very pleased with the trip. To improve our experience the communication during the planning process could have been better. I was surprised by the difficulty on this trip because the year before we used Kimkim for a family trip to Spain and we didn’t have the same problems.

For the Spain trip our specialist was in Colorado at the Kimkim headquarters and communication was excellent. For the Egypt and Jordan trip our specialist, Aya was in Egypt. Aya, was very good, but communication was difficult due to four factors: 1) the time difference, 2) some language barriers, 3) some technical glitches which resulted in scheduled calls not going through, and 4) Kimkim subcontracted all of its Egypt work to Sun Pyramids, who subcontracted the Jordan portion to a third company. As a result, the Jordan information was slow in coming, and the Egypt information seemed forced into the Kimkim framework.

A few times there were gaps/delays in communication and I reached out to Kimkim corporate twice. The first time they were helpful (your advisor has been sick and will be in touch shortly), the second time they were not helpful at all (please write all your comments in the trip chat and you will get a response - I did and but they didn't). Overall, I expected more from Kimkim, and I felt they were not actively supervising the people with whom they contracted/ delegated.

Guides and Drivers:
The guide in Cairo (Mahmoud Imam), was very good. The Jordan guide (Mohammad Al Najjar) and Jordan driver (Mohammad Masoud) in Jordan were excellent. We had one bad experience with a vehicle in Luxor that was substandard. We complained to Aya and Sun Pyramids was very responsive and positively resolved the issue very quickly, compensating us with upgraded tickets in the Valley of the Kings.

Hotels / Cruise:
The MS Nile Premium Cruise was rated 5 Star, but was on the very low end of that The personnel and service were excellent, the cabins were tired, and the food was mediocre. The Sofitel in Cairo was excellent. The Petra Canyon Hotel in Wadi Musa was very good, although the dinner fare was so-so. The Holiday Inn Dead Sea was excellent (rooms, food, service).

Tips for working with Kimkim:

Responsiveness - Be aware that you have their full attention and they are very eager to work with you before the deposit is placed. Once the deposit is placed, responsiveness drops off noticeably. (This was true of our Spain trip and the Egypt/Jordan trip). I was happy to give a deposit to secure hotels during a busy season, but their assumption was that the trip had been finalized, and we were still working on it. To Aya's credit, she worked with us on changes throughout the planning for the trip.
Trip Details - Kimkim is a little slow on some information. For example, we repeatedly asked how much driving was planned for each day. We we wanted to minimize our time in the vehicle. The information was not readily available. I had to plot the stops myself, to figure out which days were too long and request adjustments accordingly. After the first one or two adjustments, it would have been great if a thorough analysis had been undertaken to help us.
Confirmations - in Spain, confirmations and contacts for all hotels, transfers and guides were sent one week in advance. In Egypt this was not the case. Sun Pyramids did not provide confirmation numbers and telephone numbers in advance for transfers and guides, and no confirmations for hotels in Jordan.
Service - We were always picked-up on-time, and never left hanging, but it was more comforting in Spain to have all the telephone numbers and names in advance. It was disconcerting to have no contact information when landing at an airport, or when expecting to be picked up at the hotel at 2 am for a 6 am flight. Again, everything went well, but not having a telephone number or contact beforehand was not comfortable. This appears to be a Sun Pyramids policy.
Laundry - A very small thing, but important. Our trips tend to be long and midway, we usually need laundry. Hotel laundry for a family is usually ridiculously expensive. I asked for some recommendations/suggestions for local laundry, and help here would have been amazing.
Tipping - When I requested information about tipping I received general information that was not always useful. Since Kimkim (Sun Pyramids) paid the guides and the drivers, I didn't have a reference (for example, an extra 10% or 15% of what?). We resorted to AI several times. More direct guidance from Kimkim would have been valuable.

Overall, I highly recommend this trip with Kimkim with the above caveats.