Trip of a Lifetime to Egypt and Jordan and # 1 Bucket Item Destination, Petra - Feb 2 - Feb 11, 2020

Traveler: Sara P. - Local specialist: Ibrahim Elaref

I had pretty much planned out my trip to Egypt and Jordan on my own, when I decided to contact kimkim to see what assistance might be available. I had used kimkim to help plan a trip to Myanmar which was incredible -far beyond my expectations - and so I decided to use kimkim again for on the ground support in Egypt and Jordan.

I am so glad I did - everything went like clockwork. From the moment we were picked up at the airport in Luxor until we were deposited at the airport in Amman at the end of the trip, it was an incredible journey. Our guide for the Luxor to Aswan portion of the trip, Mahmoud, was terrific. His vast knowledge of Egyptian mythology and history was inspiring and we very much appreciated his guidance and willingness to share with us what life in Egypt is like today for the people who live here.

Likewise with our guide Hisham in Cairo - and here I would like to put in special thanks for Hisham and the other support staff in Cairo. I managed to contract the dreaded TD for a couple of days in Cairo and the support I received was fantastic, from constant checking in to make sure I was okay, help in obtaining antibiotics and the like. Egypt was far more interesting and exciting with the support of Ibrahim and his colleagues than it would have been on our own.

We then flew to Amman, also with the help of Ibrahim. We were met at the Amman airport and whisked through border control like celebrities. The next morning, we met our guide and driver, Abou, whose support was priceless. We talked about what we wanted to do and he strongly suggested that we alter our plans to include an overnight stay in Petra, which we were able to do and which greatly enhanced that experience. Again, Abou's willingness to share with us his life, and what it is like to be Jordanian, greatly enhanced our experience.

Thanks to everyone who helped us along our two weeks in Egypt and Jordan - it was exactly what we wanted, and more.