4
4664lady
Egypt
If you have any interest in seeing the Antiquities of Egypt, this is the perfect time to go, and the BEST tour company to use is Encounters Travel. I found them on Trip Advisor and realized very quickly that it was the right decision. They are dedicated to making your trip successful in every sense of the word. They treat their clients like family, and we learned that in Egypt, there is no greater bond than family.
After a very long trip from the United States to Cairo (through Saudi Arabia – that takes 2 calendar days) we arrived at 10:00 pm local time to the smiling face and calm demeanor of Islam – Encounters’ all-encompassing trip manager. He patiently guided us through the Visa process and on to baggage, where it was a wild and long wait for our bags as well as 2 other trip goers. On the ride to the hotel, he told us everything we needed to know about this new land we were exploring – and how to get the most out of our travels. He delivered us to the hotel and made sure that all was satisfactory and all optional trips were decided on and purchased before he left us to rest a few hours before the next day’s adventures began.
From that moment on we had a glorious 13 day tour of antiquities from Cairo to Luxor and ended with a most relaxing 5 days in Hurghada Sunrise Resort. Definitely the way to go! We flew back to Cairo for one night and enjoyed a walk through the markets with our guide and a very impressive male dance show including whirling dervishes – must see! The next day we had one last tour of Memphis and Saqqara – first ever pyramids and were happy to see more of the small villages on the drive out and back.
The options we chose included Abu Simbel, which is well worth the early start, a hot air balloon ride over the Valley of the Kings – also worth the price and the early rise. As septuagenarians we opted for the upgrade for another night in the hotel in Aswan after the day’s felucca ride. Definitely the right decision for us! We also went on a snorkeling trip in Hurghada – absolutely beautiful! And of course, a couple of massages at the resort. But everything else there was all inclusive. Our Hurghada guide, Mohammed, also very pleasant, met our every need including snorkeling trip, transportation, and shopping.
Our Egyptologist, Sherriff Hassan, was simply the best at his craft that Egypt has to offer. We met him first when we arrived a day early and opted for a tour of a temple and the Coptic Christian community. We appreciated his attention to detail and great sense of humor. Throughout the trip he made sure that everyone in the group – there were 12 in all – received all of the information they sought. Our group was wonderful, and everyone was engaged in learning about this great land and its history. Sherriff makes everything come to life and his teaching style is such that you will understand and remember the history and symbolism better than you ever think you could. Sherriff wants your experience in his homeland to be superb – and to reach that end, he will do everything he can to help you purchase any specialty products you want – whether it be wonderful Egyptian cotton, essences, papyrus, gold, silver, small souvenirs – whatever it may be – Sherriff knows someone who knows someone and he gets you the very best prices. He also made sure that we had some authentic Egyptian meals and experiences. All just perfect!
One of the highlights of this trip for me was the variety of the transportation used to get us from Cairo to Hurghada. Most of the touring part was done in a small bus – which was just perfect for our group. Water was always available for us to purchase ($1 American – for 2 bottles – can’t beat that!) We took an overnight train from Cairo to Aswan – and what an experience that was! (There is a flight upgrade if you desire) but we were happy to have the experience of the train – and it is just one night.
We took a boat ride to see the temple at Filae and another boat ride on the Nile to a Nubian Village where we had a marvelous local dinner. Fabulous experience! The felucca ride from Aswan was such a highlight and we had a lovely locally made dinner there before making it back to our hotel that night. The next day we took another bus down to meet our group and continue to Luxor.
As far as hotels, we had rather low expectations because of the very low cost of the trip overall, but all of the hotels exceeded our expectations. We had heard that the Sunrise (which is in Makadi – not the town of Hurghada) is a bit dated – and that it may be – but the layout is beautiful – with many pools – some of them heated and the Red Sea – just right there and very accessible. We spoke with one man from Ireland who said that they had stayed at a fancier hotel near there – but that the food was very limited and nothing as good as at Sunrise. There is just not enough to be said for the variety and availability of food at Sunrise! And all very tasty! As far as the all-inclusive drinks – the quality of the alcoholic drinks is not great but the quantity makes up for it. Of course, you can get more quality if you’re willing to pay for it. Very few Americans pass through there – and few for any length of time – so our 5 night stay was an anomaly. (Most of the travelers there are from Europe – many from Eastern Europe.) We were treated as royalty by all staff. Our last night in Cairo we stayed at the Steinenberger Hotel which I would classify as 5 star – a real 5 star hotel. They allowed us to extend our checkout to 2:00 and hang out at their pool (with locker room and shower availability) until 5:00 – since we had a very late flight out of Cairo.
One of the lowlights of the trip for me was the poverty that surrounds you and the helplessness that I felt. Because of the 2011 uprising and the unrest in the country, tourism is down and the ration of poor people to tourists is very much higher. Do not worry about safety if you plan to stay in tourist areas – which we did. There is a strong presence of armed guards and many security checkpoints. However, you will run into many “hasslers” at the tourist sites and in the cities. It is just a fact of life and your guide will help you deal with it.
Of course, no trip is ever without schedule changes and small glitches, but this one had the fewest I’ve ever encountered, and when anything arose, Islam, Sherriff and Mohammed handled them with expertise and charm.
I am so happy that I took this trip and so grateful for Trip Encounters, particularly Islam and Sherriff, for making it so very enjoyable!
After a very long trip from the United States to Cairo (through Saudi Arabia – that takes 2 calendar days) we arrived at 10:00 pm local time to the smiling face and calm demeanor of Islam – Encounters’ all-encompassing trip manager. He patiently guided us through the Visa process and on to baggage, where it was a wild and long wait for our bags as well as 2 other trip goers. On the ride to the hotel, he told us everything we needed to know about this new land we were exploring – and how to get the most out of our travels. He delivered us to the hotel and made sure that all was satisfactory and all optional trips were decided on and purchased before he left us to rest a few hours before the next day’s adventures began.
From that moment on we had a glorious 13 day tour of antiquities from Cairo to Luxor and ended with a most relaxing 5 days in Hurghada Sunrise Resort. Definitely the way to go! We flew back to Cairo for one night and enjoyed a walk through the markets with our guide and a very impressive male dance show including whirling dervishes – must see! The next day we had one last tour of Memphis and Saqqara – first ever pyramids and were happy to see more of the small villages on the drive out and back.
The options we chose included Abu Simbel, which is well worth the early start, a hot air balloon ride over the Valley of the Kings – also worth the price and the early rise. As septuagenarians we opted for the upgrade for another night in the hotel in Aswan after the day’s felucca ride. Definitely the right decision for us! We also went on a snorkeling trip in Hurghada – absolutely beautiful! And of course, a couple of massages at the resort. But everything else there was all inclusive. Our Hurghada guide, Mohammed, also very pleasant, met our every need including snorkeling trip, transportation, and shopping.
Our Egyptologist, Sherriff Hassan, was simply the best at his craft that Egypt has to offer. We met him first when we arrived a day early and opted for a tour of a temple and the Coptic Christian community. We appreciated his attention to detail and great sense of humor. Throughout the trip he made sure that everyone in the group – there were 12 in all – received all of the information they sought. Our group was wonderful, and everyone was engaged in learning about this great land and its history. Sherriff makes everything come to life and his teaching style is such that you will understand and remember the history and symbolism better than you ever think you could. Sherriff wants your experience in his homeland to be superb – and to reach that end, he will do everything he can to help you purchase any specialty products you want – whether it be wonderful Egyptian cotton, essences, papyrus, gold, silver, small souvenirs – whatever it may be – Sherriff knows someone who knows someone and he gets you the very best prices. He also made sure that we had some authentic Egyptian meals and experiences. All just perfect!
One of the highlights of this trip for me was the variety of the transportation used to get us from Cairo to Hurghada. Most of the touring part was done in a small bus – which was just perfect for our group. Water was always available for us to purchase ($1 American – for 2 bottles – can’t beat that!) We took an overnight train from Cairo to Aswan – and what an experience that was! (There is a flight upgrade if you desire) but we were happy to have the experience of the train – and it is just one night.
We took a boat ride to see the temple at Filae and another boat ride on the Nile to a Nubian Village where we had a marvelous local dinner. Fabulous experience! The felucca ride from Aswan was such a highlight and we had a lovely locally made dinner there before making it back to our hotel that night. The next day we took another bus down to meet our group and continue to Luxor.
As far as hotels, we had rather low expectations because of the very low cost of the trip overall, but all of the hotels exceeded our expectations. We had heard that the Sunrise (which is in Makadi – not the town of Hurghada) is a bit dated – and that it may be – but the layout is beautiful – with many pools – some of them heated and the Red Sea – just right there and very accessible. We spoke with one man from Ireland who said that they had stayed at a fancier hotel near there – but that the food was very limited and nothing as good as at Sunrise. There is just not enough to be said for the variety and availability of food at Sunrise! And all very tasty! As far as the all-inclusive drinks – the quality of the alcoholic drinks is not great but the quantity makes up for it. Of course, you can get more quality if you’re willing to pay for it. Very few Americans pass through there – and few for any length of time – so our 5 night stay was an anomaly. (Most of the travelers there are from Europe – many from Eastern Europe.) We were treated as royalty by all staff. Our last night in Cairo we stayed at the Steinenberger Hotel which I would classify as 5 star – a real 5 star hotel. They allowed us to extend our checkout to 2:00 and hang out at their pool (with locker room and shower availability) until 5:00 – since we had a very late flight out of Cairo.
One of the lowlights of the trip for me was the poverty that surrounds you and the helplessness that I felt. Because of the 2011 uprising and the unrest in the country, tourism is down and the ration of poor people to tourists is very much higher. Do not worry about safety if you plan to stay in tourist areas – which we did. There is a strong presence of armed guards and many security checkpoints. However, you will run into many “hasslers” at the tourist sites and in the cities. It is just a fact of life and your guide will help you deal with it.
Of course, no trip is ever without schedule changes and small glitches, but this one had the fewest I’ve ever encountered, and when anything arose, Islam, Sherriff and Mohammed handled them with expertise and charm.
I am so happy that I took this trip and so grateful for Trip Encounters, particularly Islam and Sherriff, for making it so very enjoyable!
