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.
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.
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.
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.
Hyatt Centric Cairo West
cairo
Great location if wanting to stay closer to the Pyramids and avoid the chaos of downtown Cairo.
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.
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.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
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.
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.
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.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
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.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.