SH
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Share your thoughts on the itinerary, guide, and overall organization of the adventure.
Tour was fantastic! Got to see so many things with an excellent guide and didn't have to worry about planning any of it. Hotels were fine, itinerary was jam packed, but flexible depending on how much …Tour was fantastic! Got to see so many things with an excellent guide and didn't have to worry about planning any of it. Hotels were fine, itinerary was jam packed, but flexible depending on how much you wanted to do and see, with all the major must-see places on the list. Most of the sites you spent just the right amount of time at, and given the limited amount of time to get to everything, it was acceptable to only spend a few hours at one location. Meals were acceptable if a bit unvaried at times.
Guide was awesome. Sheriff was funny and very knowledgable and was genuinely concerned about everyone in the group's well being.
T
Had a great time which was made special due to are fantastic guide Sheriff.
Everything was run like clockwork well done to the team MANY THANKS.
S
I have just returned from a tour in Egypt and have had an excellent time. It was an adventure tour and covered all the major historical sites in Egypt.
The hotels were lovely and the hotel staff wer…I have just returned from a tour in Egypt and have had an excellent time. It was an adventure tour and covered all the major historical sites in Egypt.
The hotels were lovely and the hotel staff were always friendly and helpful.
Our tour guide Sheriff Hassan was the highlight of the trip. He made it an unforgettable experience. He was very helpful and went way beyond his job to ensure that all of us were looked after and were enjoying their trip.
The felucca was an experience and so were the trains.
Absolutely loved my trip and a big thank you to the Encounters team in Egypt for making my trip a memorable one.
The tour was fantastic, Sherif was the best guide ever! You could tell he was absolutely passionate about his job, his craft, his country and the people. He went above and beyond to make sure everyone…The tour was fantastic, Sherif was the best guide ever! You could tell he was absolutely passionate about his job, his craft, his country and the people. He went above and beyond to make sure everyone was comfortable, safe and having a great time. My only negative regarding this trip is my glutenfree dietary needs were not catered a majority of the time. This aside, best trip ever!
S
Amazing - Egypt was great and Sheriff was amazing. Totally worth every penny.
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R
Sheriff was truly the funniest and most professional guide I've ever had. He made the trip so adventurous and fun. Very knowledgeable and was there 24hrs for everyone. You'll be lucky to get him.
T
There should be time right at the beginning for fellow travellers to get to know each other.
Travellers should be allowed to do their own thing at stops. We were forced to listen to lengthy and overl…There should be time right at the beginning for fellow travellers to get to know each other.
Travellers should be allowed to do their own thing at stops. We were forced to listen to lengthy and overly detailed descriptions from our guide, for over an hour, and then given just ten or fifteen minutes to explore on our own.
It was a listen to me, go where I go, look at what I tell you to, think what I want you to think tour, which utterly killed any adventure, excitement or independent enquiry.
B
I am usually a do-it-yourself kind of traveler, so taking a five-day tour package is quite rare for me (maybe 3 times in the last 12 years). For non-Arabic speakers, getting around the Middle East is …I am usually a do-it-yourself kind of traveler, so taking a five-day tour package is quite rare for me (maybe 3 times in the last 12 years). For non-Arabic speakers, getting around the Middle East is not easy, so I signed up through Tourradar for the "Jordan on a Shoestring" five-day tour with Encounters Travel and operated by local company Al-Thuraya.
Our tour group of six persons, plus guide and driver, took a minivan that was just big enough to fit us all and our luggage. I expected to see all the sights from Jerash in the north to Wadi Rum in the south, and was not disappointed. We did everything listed in the itinerary except for Kerak Castle which we substituted for Montreal (Shobak) Castle at our guide's recommendation. Optional tours were available upon request for extra cost, such as Petra by night, a Turkish Bath massage/spa, and camel rides, though I did not feel pressured to do any of them (and did not do any of them). Accommodation at the Al-Waheed Rum Hotel in Amman for 3 nights was excellent and at the Petra Palace Hotel for two nights was good (swimming pool was nice on a hot afternoon after returning from Petra, hotel just 200 meters from the park entrance!), but the wifi only worked in the lobby area. Not a big deal, but could be improved.
Lastly, about our tour guide: Hasan did a fantastic job keeping the tour moving, giving useful and interesting information about the sites even for those who may not know the area's long history (Hasan stated that he has done tours for "23 years"), and making sure guests were comfortable. I am in my 30s, but the average age of tour customers is probably somewhat older, and for those guests with mobility issues, he made the necessary arrangements to help them see as much as possible in a country which can be difficult for mobility-impaired. Whenever we needed to proceed more quickly, he offered explanations like "I would like to take you to the next site before the big tour buses arrive" or "I brought you here to show you The Treasury when the morning lighting is perfect for photos," etc., otherwise he was not pushy as some tour guides can be. The only thing I would have appreciated would have been a hard copy itinerary print-out on the first day so I could see our destinations beforehand, but Hasan generally did a good job telling us what to expect the night before.
I rate the tour a 5/5 stars, with very little room for improvement. I could have done some of the tour on my own, but would have missed our guide's excellent descriptions and would have found some of the organizing of trips difficult enough that paying a bit extra for the tour's smooth execution would be worth it, in my opinion.
I can't recommend this tour and this country enough!
The hotels were great, staff were fantastic and the sights were simply awesome.
The guide we had, Hasan was clearly passionate about everything, …I can't recommend this tour and this country enough!
The hotels were great, staff were fantastic and the sights were simply awesome.
The guide we had, Hasan was clearly passionate about everything, making the effort to get us to Petra at a certain time to see the sun shining through the gap onto the Siq.
Ancient Encounters
Excellent, well organized tour with terrific guides. We covered so many interesting and significant geographical and historical sites. The accommodations were fine and the small group was an added bon…Excellent, well organized tour with terrific guides. We covered so many interesting and significant geographical and historical sites. The accommodations were fine and the small group was an added bonus.
My only comment would be to eliminate the home stay in Jordan and perhaps spend a day in Aqaba? In Egypt the days in Hurghada were pleasant but the food was most disappointing.
Ancient Encounters
We had an amazing tour in both countries. Loved our guides. Our Jordan guide was the best we have ever had. Saw some magnificent antiquities and had some memorable experiences. We made some friends fr…We had an amazing tour in both countries. Loved our guides. Our Jordan guide was the best we have ever had. Saw some magnificent antiquities and had some memorable experiences. We made some friends from our tour which made the tour even more special.
Fantastic trip with incredible sights, made even better by our amazing tour guide, Sherif, both very knowledgable and funny
J
We had the most incredible trip on the Discover Egypt Tour. Every detail was tended to and we didn't have to lift a finger on anything. The Tour Guides were so knowledgeable and really went above and …We had the most incredible trip on the Discover Egypt Tour. Every detail was tended to and we didn't have to lift a finger on anything. The Tour Guides were so knowledgeable and really went above and beyond with their discussions of the sights. They made sure to cover everything we wanted to learn about and even the things we didn't know we wanted to learn about. We cannot recommend this tour enough!
M
This was a wonderful trip! Our tour guide Shariff was amazing-he knew how to manage our group, finding ways to make everyone happy, always having a balance of wisdom, knowledge and humor!
C
Perfect destination selections. Covers mostly all of the main Egyptian temples, pyramids, ruins and cities. Since there is so much to see and visit it is fast paced and very very busy. We were fortuna…Perfect destination selections. Covers mostly all of the main Egyptian temples, pyramids, ruins and cities. Since there is so much to see and visit it is fast paced and very very busy. We were fortunate to have Sheriff as our main tour guide. He was very professional the entire trip, extremely knowledgeable, very friendly and hilariously funny all the time. Made a trip very a enjoyable and learning experience that is exactly what we expected. The hotels, restaurants and tour buses were also excellent, very clean and felt safe. We upgraded the overnight sleeper train to a flight and hotel night to Aswan. We also upgraded the Feluca overnight with an extra night at the Aswan hotel. We spent a day in Urgada at a wonderful beach resort and took a snorkeling tour in the Red sea. We also purchase a day trip tour to Alexandria. The only thing we didn't like about the whole trip was that we were taken without our knowledge or consent to a place that sold Egyptian oils. There the owner insistently tried to sell us his products, treated us in a condescending manner and gave us an awful unappealing bowl of spaghetti that we didn't eat . I had to step out of the shop to stay calm and we ended up wasting at least three hours. We would have rather used that valuable time for shopping since overall during the whole 10 day trip we were given one hour to shop for souvenirs at a huge bazaar in Cairo. .
Covers pretty much everything you want to see in Egypt in a single trip; from ancient history to the Red Sea
M
This "theee" best trip we ever took. Our host had all the answers to any questions we could possibly ask. He even told about things we had no idea about. He told us about everything that happened ab…This "theee" best trip we ever took. Our host had all the answers to any questions we could possibly ask. He even told about things we had no idea about. He told us about everything that happened about the Pyramids and the Egyptian Pharaohs of that time. He arranged for trips to see things we knew about and things we didn't know about, and provided us all the background information about all of it. He was with us 100% of the time. He made sure everyone of was happy with what we asked him about.
Currently coming to the end of our Nubian Adventure tours with Encounters and have nothing but praise from Shareef our witty & erudite guide and the wonderful itinerary that has allowed us to experien…Currently coming to the end of our Nubian Adventure tours with Encounters and have nothing but praise from Shareef our witty & erudite guide and the wonderful itinerary that has allowed us to experience some of the most wonderful artefacts of the Ancient Egyptians delivered with a marvellous mixture of both information & humour. Learnt so much more not just about ancient Egypt beyond what Hollywood & Shakespeare showed me but captured an essence of what it is like living in an Egypt that still evolving in the wake of the 2011 revolution. When I return to this fascinating country Encounters will be my first port of call to discover more about it.
P
Be prepared for early starts but they’re well worth it. Gen up a bit on ancient Egyptian history so you at least have some basic knowledge before you get going. And bring a good sun hat!
What an amazing trip!
This experience was MADE by our guide Sherif and his assistant, Islam. Sherif was fun and energetic, a wealth of knowledge for not just the sites but also all cultural questions…What an amazing trip!
This experience was MADE by our guide Sherif and his assistant, Islam. Sherif was fun and energetic, a wealth of knowledge for not just the sites but also all cultural questions that came up along the way. My boyfriend also got sick on the long ride back from Abu Simbel and Sherif was very attentive, which was nice.
Overall, this tour hit all the high points and since the group was small (although as a side note, our group was 20 people and the max size listed for the tour is 18...hmmm) it didn't feel like a group tour. You'll see these large hoards come through with a director that has to hold up a flag to keep the group together or everyone has to wear matching shirts or something and it just seems so over the top cliche. This was very personal and intimate, like going with an extended family or group of friends somewhere.
The accommodations were over all good, however the hotel in Aswan did not seem like they were done with their repairs and renovations before we arrived, so the elevator was down for a while but they did get it up and running within an hour or so. Every other place was excellent from the start. The train ride was probably the most uncomfortable travel experience I've had in a long time, but I will say it's an adventure. If you can afford to, upgrade to the flight . Otherwise, just know that you're going to have some hilarious stories to tell . The food service that was included in the hotels and restaurants was overall very good. The Nubian dinner and the food on the felucca cruise was also excellent. There were a few boxed breakfasts that were an assortment of various sandwiches and breads that were convenient and fresh, but if you have a certain type of thing that you prefer to eat in the morning, then you may want to bring snacks. Overall, I would absolutely recommend this trip, recommend this country, recommend Encounters Travel and Tourradar, and recommend Sherif.
A
Ancient Encounters
Wonderful tour but maybe dont go in September if you cant stand the heat!!
Both Sheriff and Islam were excellent guides. They made the trip fun and informative. They went out of their way to make sure we had a perfect time. They were the best!! Thank you for the experience!
E
Sands & Seas
Sherif Hassan, in Cairo made our stay special. He is a doctor of archeology and knows such intricate details of Egyptian history and antiquities. Since this was our second visit to Cairo, we were alr…Sherif Hassan, in Cairo made our stay special. He is a doctor of archeology and knows such intricate details of Egyptian history and antiquities. Since this was our second visit to Cairo, we were already familiar with basic history and stories. So his wealth of knowledge made our stay in Cairo very special and so memorable being able to read hieroglyphics and being able to recognize the cartouches of the many pharaohs was so helpful. Finally he helped us understand the politics of ancient Egypt and the many forces that affected the history of the time. Almost like living a National Geographic story. Extraordinary!
