Destinations

Everything went really smoothly on the booking end and on the ground in Egypt. The only surprise was when arriving jet lagged at the hotel being presented with a list of fees that needed to be paid right then. The problem was that everything up until then had these fees in US dollars and now the fees were in Egyptian pounds. It pretty much cleaned out our stash of Egyptian money. Had we known we had to pay in Egyptian currency we would have sought out additional currencies places at home to get us the funds we needed. (Banks wouldn't order the funds). However after that the tour itself was great. Our guide Emad did a great job.
This was a great way to see all the primary historical sites in Egypt efficiently and with ease. I can't imagine how slow and difficult it would have been otherwise. It was also a good jumping off point to then spend a few weeks on or own seeing other parts of the country and focus on modern day Egypt

We had an amazing trip! Mariska was super helpful in accommodating our requests to upgrade our itinerary and providing all our pre-tour information and details. Hani, our tour guide, was spectacular, and every detail was carefully attended to by the Encounters team in Egypt. We felt safe and relaxed as tours and transportation took place flawlessly and enjoyed every minute we were there.
This tour is incredible - we saw all the major sights in Cairo, Aswan, and Luxor, and enjoyed several days at the Jaz Makadi Resort in Hurghada. The tour is arranged more or less chronologically and you have the same guide the entire time, so you really get a great experience following the cultural/religious/political development of ancient Egypt over several thousand years.

Very efficient, helpful and knowledgeable. Great tour company, would 100% recommend this tour to other. Felt safe in Egypt the whole time!
Very efficient, helpful and knowledgeable tour leaders and guides, we learnthink alot!! Loved.our tour, we wished we had booked a longer tour though as we loved Egypt so much! Would 100% recommend this tour to others. Felt safe in Egypt the whole time!

I was very pleased with the responsiveness of everyone that I encountered through Encounters Travel. I worked mostly with Anthony and he was always very helpful.
I thought they selected a wonderful guide for the trip. The one part that I really hope that they change is the night at the Bedouin Camp. It was not authentic and it was so out of the way. I think that people would prefer to spend the extra money for a night in a hotel with a bed and your own bathroom.

The Encounters team was supportive and on time with everything - good to work with.
This was a good package for the budget and time. Many of the cultural stops were tied into local artisans, this can good and bad, dependng on how you react to a potential sales pitch after. The desert camp was outstanding. We traveled in a group of 6 which we good, but they said it could be as high as 25 - that would be a downer.