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Share your thoughts on the itinerary, guide, and overall organization of the adventure.
V
We spent a fantastic day with Sam. He was so professional, kind and very clear while making our tour. Highly recommended.
L
Sam is an excellent guide. We throughly enjoyed spending the day with him!
Great experience of Museum with great Host Peter and thrilling stories by the tour guide Sam.
Umesh - Australia
Egypt was amazing. But a few things to note when booking with Egypt Best Holidays -
1. Peter is the manager/overall coordinator. He's your point of contact at all times so if will definitely need inte…Egypt was amazing. But a few things to note when booking with Egypt Best Holidays -
1. Peter is the manager/overall coordinator. He's your point of contact at all times so if will definitely need internet or wifi if you have issues or questions.
2. For multi-city tours, we felt like we were packages being delivered from one city to the next, sometimes by drivers who don't speak very much English. Be aware that the tour guides will be changed out from city to city. There was one time we were dropped off by the driver to the train station, he spoke no English and dropped us at the curb where we were immediately harassed by people trying to take our bags for tips. I think we should have been delivered to the train cabin at all times for our safety.
3. Peter can be passive aggressive at times... when I asked to add on a day at Cairo for sightseeing, I asked if we could have a discount since there are cheaper tours on viator. Peter told us that he could find thousands of tours are that more expensive than his. And he denies that the tour we sent him included entrance tickets when IN FACT the description said it included them. Anyway, we booked the extra day with him anyway but it felt manipulative.
4. The difference between 6 and 7 days around Egypt - there's no difference as far as the main sights you will see. You can do it all in 6 days. I wish that was explained better to me when I asked Peter what's the difference between 6 and 7 days, or we would have booked the 6 days instead of waiting around an extra day in Luxor. One of the group members did the exact same tour as us in 6 days. In fact we decided to finish our 7 day itinerary in 6 days as well, so someone saved a bit of money not having to book a tour guide for us on the 7th day... maybe that should have been a bit of a discount to us later on when we asked to book additional activities.
5. Entrance fees are not included on the 6/7 day tours, I repeat, not included. Prepare local currency as the ticket offices don't take credit card.
6. Lunches and dinners are not included. If you intend to take lunch at some point during the day tours, you better let your guide know because they don't stop and ask. I guess that's customary?
7. The tour guides:
SAM - Around Cairo - My favorite guide. He's very funny, knows the areas and locals, got us to the places quickly and safely. He brought us to several shops as well, no pressure to buy but we felt that the items were quality enough to buy some anyway. We would recommend Sam.
Ada (spelling?) - Around Aswan - No personality, just take us to Aswan dam and Philae island. She recommended that we don't need to see the Obelisk stone, probably to end the tour sooner. We later googled it and it definitely should have been seen. We felt again that there were locals trying to "help" us for tips and grabbing our things. Ada told us we can just give them a tip. I don't want people touching my things so I can give them a tip. She should have spoken the local language and defended us better. We felt rushed through the sites.
Unnamed guide - Abu Simbel - We rode in the fully packed bus for several hours to go to Abu Simbel. There we were grouped with a guide and he took us around the sites. No issues with this tour but the driver didn't speak much.
Honey - Around Luxor - an awesome guide as well. We were not rushed through the sites. He was very engaging and also wanted to know about us and our different culture. He seemed genuine. He also brought us to some shops but when we expressed that we were not interested in buying and already seen those types of shops, he told the driver to leave right away. No pressure, it was great. The tours were definitely catered to us. Honey is a great guide!
I wish I could tell you that the best things about this trip with Best Holiday Egypt were the amazing sites and history that I saw, and they were amazing, but the best part of the trip was all the peo…I wish I could tell you that the best things about this trip with Best Holiday Egypt were the amazing sites and history that I saw, and they were amazing, but the best part of the trip was all the people along the way. Peter and his team are amazing! My guides (Abdul, Michael, Mohammed, Samy, and Khaled) were all extremely knowledgeable, friendly, humorous, and genuinely cared about me as a person and a customer. My driver around Cairo and Giza, Islam, was helpful and extremely friendly. In the downtime between tours and catching the train to Aswan we went for koshary and the hung out at his neighborhood coffee shop and played Tak (Egyptian rules backgammon), which was an unexpected highlight of the trip. The whole team answered all my questions, helped me out when the were any issues, like trying to figure out a quick turnaround COVID test to fly out.
I had a great time in this trip and know you will too!
K
We started our tour in Cairo, Egypt with our guide Sam. Sam was knowledgeable about ancient Egyptian history and current history. Sam took the time to explain in detail historical sites. He was detail…We started our tour in Cairo, Egypt with our guide Sam. Sam was knowledgeable about ancient Egyptian history and current history. Sam took the time to explain in detail historical sites. He was detailed and protective of us during our time in Cairo. Sam took the time to explain how to navigate vendors selling products, explained how certain products were made, and the best places to purchase items. Sam shared with us his vast knowledge of Egypt and took care of us during our stay. Sam was reliable and dependable and I always felt safe in his hands. Navigating a city where you cannot read the language or speak with locals can be difficult. Sam took the time to explain what locals were asking us and because of that we had an opportunity to have meaningful interactions with local Egyptians.
L
Everything has been wonderful so far. Sam, our guide, is super knowledgeable about Egyptian history and makes the sites even more interesting than they already are. Peter, our tour liaison, is helpful…Everything has been wonderful so far. Sam, our guide, is super knowledgeable about Egyptian history and makes the sites even more interesting than they already are. Peter, our tour liaison, is helpful and always ready to make sure our experience is pleasant and easy. I can’t say enough good things about them. I highly recommend this tour!
As my first solo travel trip. As a female my safety has been my priority. But everything has been amazing! From the moment that I got picked up from the airport I felt super comfortable and safe. SAM …As my first solo travel trip. As a female my safety has been my priority. But everything has been amazing! From the moment that I got picked up from the airport I felt super comfortable and safe. SAM my tour guide has been with me at all times. He is AMAZING he made me feel like family and super safe. Ask for him (SAM) you will never regret it he is amazing.
My guide in Cairo was Sam! We made Tour to Giza Pyramids, Great Sphinx Coptic Cairo and Citadel. He did great job! His stories were interesting with enough details, sites were just amazing! Sam is ver…My guide in Cairo was Sam! We made Tour to Giza Pyramids, Great Sphinx Coptic Cairo and Citadel. He did great job! His stories were interesting with enough details, sites were just amazing! Sam is very attentive and pleasant to speak to. I booked group tour but it turned out that I was the only tourist there with Sam, I felt very safe and welcomed. Everything was well organized. Highly recommend the company and Sam as a guide!
P
We had an amazing holiday and that was for two reasons, the history, attractions and artifacts that we came to Egypt to see were out of this world, and our guides were awesome, warm and welcoming. Ay…We had an amazing holiday and that was for two reasons, the history, attractions and artifacts that we came to Egypt to see were out of this world, and our guides were awesome, warm and welcoming. Ayman picked us up from the Airport in Cairo and took us to our hotel. He was wonderful and later we paid for him to take us on an optional guided tour to Khan el-Khalili markets. That was brilliant, although we had not come to Egypt to shop it was great to experience this with a guide. We had sheesha and people watched and purchased a few souvenirs for family.
The next morning Sam collected us and took us out for a tour of the pyramids. We won't bore you with all the details because you must come and experience the incredible beauty of the pyramids...what we will say was how valuable Sam was with his knowledge and also with help when navigating through the onslaught of locals, offering wares. Throughout the day he was by our side giving us information and was very entertaining. We definitely could have used more time at the museum and less time for shopping. Sam recommended the best local koshuri restaurant and then stayed with us until we got on the train.
We were met in Aswan by Mena and although we had a few hiccups with the start of the day in Aswan and our accommodation that could have given the holiday a negative spin, Peter (our organiser) and Mena (the local manager) ensured they were quick to sort everything. We can't thank them enough for quickly making things right. We had the utmost faith in the company after this. Talaat was our tour guide through Aswan and we opted to include the Nubian Village tour at an extra cost (well worth the visit). Mena then got us on the train to Luxor and we were picked up by Khaled.
What a knowledgeable guide. Khaled was outstanding. He catered the whole day to our interests and thank goodness he suggested the hot air balloon optional extra, it was one of our highlights. Khaled suggested the best tombs in Valley of the Kings for us to visit and throughout the whole day he made us laugh and kept the energy going to so we could keep going. Again we had someone with us until we boarded our sleeper train back to Cairo.
All our guides were outstanding, the sites we visited were incredible. A few things to think about that we just didn't understand before we came...(even though it was very clear on the website about what's not included) Entrance fees to the sightseeing, we paid all up, about nine hundred Egyptian pounds each for all the admission fees. It's very clear on the tour radar website that it's not included but we just didn't really understand that, so be prepared to pay additional fees to get in everywhere. What we realise now is, basically the tour is just for transport and the guide, you pay for entry on top of this.
TIPPING...we are from New Zealand which is not a tipping culture so although we have traveled the world and been to the US heaps, even they don't expect tips in the US as much as they do in Egypt. We were given some great advice from our guides to keep 50 pounds aside at each spot we stopped in to interact with locals which was considered an acceptable tip and then say that's all we had as some people were quite pushy for us to give them more. We totally understand that the people are very poor and many rely on tips but we didn't realise how much extra this would set us back and hadn't budgeted for this so just prepare yourself to tip your drivers, your guides, your boat drivers, your hot air balloon captains, just everyone. If anyone offers to take your camera and get a photo for you...unless it's your guide...they expect a tip and you won't get away until you give them at least a few Egyptian pounds so keep a few of those handy at all times!!!
We weren't expecting the sleeper trains to be modern (and they aren't) but the beds were comfy, the sheets were clean and that's the most important thing, plus we really felt it was a fun adventure.
Not listed on our tours were stops at perfume stores, papyrus stores, jewelry and artifact stores, alabaster stores. We were told there was no pressure to buy anything. At first we were disappointed as we felt it ate into our museum time, until we met someone else on the tour who had actually asked to have more time in these shops and their group of six opted to skip the museum to spend more time shopping. We realised to each his own and everyone has their own style of holiday so probably just be aware these are additional stops during your day and this might help to plan out your times.
Overall we recommend Egypt Best Holidays Tour and would use them again, in fact we plan to look into another tour that includes a cruise on the Nile and a few other things we missed. If you have more time we definitely would recommend two days in each town instead of one. Although we covered lots of ground and were able to see lots, we felt very rushed but acknowledge we were time poor.
B
Just got back from my tour and I greatly enjoyed my stay in Egypt! Sam was awesome! Lucky for a first timer and solo traveller like me I got him as my tour guide. Can't wait to go back!
We just completed a 2 day guided tour of Cairo. We have been on other tours around the world but I have to say our tour guide, Sameh, was THE BEST TOUR GUIDE we’ve ever had.
Day 1 he picked us up …We just completed a 2 day guided tour of Cairo. We have been on other tours around the world but I have to say our tour guide, Sameh, was THE BEST TOUR GUIDE we’ve ever had.
Day 1 he picked us up at 8am and he took us to Saqqara, the first pyramid. He gave us options on the type of tour we wanted to experience. For example he asked did we just want to stop for photos or did we want to know the history. We chose the history one. What an absolute treat.
He is a treasure trove of facts and figures but more importantly his story telling transports you back in time. There really is nothing better than a history lesson drawn on the sands of the Cairo desert.
Next we visited the great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. This was a dream come true for us. It’s jaw droppingly beautiful . If it hadn’t been for Sameh we wouldn’t have taken those photos.
You know the ones, kissing the Sphinx, touching the tops of the Pyramids etc. Not only are you getting a tour guide but you are also getting a photographer.
He was able to give us pointers on who and how much to tip and how to ignore the trinket sellers etc.
Dotted throughout the tour were stops to carpet making schools, paper (papyrus) making demonstrations and a perfume shop. These were all optional but very informative.
I think he could go all day without eating but he did bring us to a local felafel restaurant. The food was quick, inexpensive and delicious. (4 felafel sandwiches and a drink for $2!)
Day 2 was a later start (9am) but a longer day, as he was also accompanying us to our overnight train.
Day 2, we did the Coptic area of Cairo, the Citadel and finally the Egyptian Museum.
Words can’t do justice to either day. Sameh again used story telling to explain the birth of Christianity in Egypt. Showing us the Hanging Church, where the Virgin Mary appeared and also the church of st Sergius. Where the holy family stayed during their 3 year stay in Cairo. During the time here and at the Citadel he explained the differences and similarities between the Islamic and Christian religions.
While at the citadel we heard the call to prayer and witnessed people observing their faith.
We felt welcomed equally in both places.
Again we were hungry and we stopped at a place beside the museum. A place called la poire. While the interior was “prettier” and the service was amazing and the coffee DELICIOUS! It was more expensive and we did prefer the food at the felafel place. Sameh told us we would...seriously he knows everything.
Last trip was the Egyptian Museum- we were there for 2 1/2 hrs and it only felt like 15 mins.
At every site, throughout the 2 days, Sameh starts by giving the information and ends with giving you “free time” to explore by yourself.
After the museum we were brought to the Cairo train station- which was much needed and appreciated. It’s not that you feel unsafe, it’s just so confusing with 20 plus platforms and signage only in Arabic.
That said our 2 day trip to Cairo was unforgettable.
We are definitely going to plan another trip to Cairo and we are only going to use Sameh.
O
Great knowledgeable tour guide, he allows a lot time for you to fully explore the sites. The transport pick and drop off is directly from your hotel. Well versed guide for beginners learning about the…Great knowledgeable tour guide, he allows a lot time for you to fully explore the sites. The transport pick and drop off is directly from your hotel. Well versed guide for beginners learning about the dynasties in Egypt. Overall a great guide and inclusive package to tour The Egyptian Museum and Giza Plateau with.
Samah was very knowledgeable about ancient Egyptian history and modern Egyptian culture. He took us to places around the sites we visited as well as the historic monuments. We were allowed lots of fre…Samah was very knowledgeable about ancient Egyptian history and modern Egyptian culture. He took us to places around the sites we visited as well as the historic monuments. We were allowed lots of free time and could explore the sites with the information he gave us. I would definitely recommend Samah as a guide for your trips in Giza and Sakarrah! He picked us up from our hostel and let us stop for snacks or water when we needed it. He answered any questions and gave us great tips, as well as taking fun pictures.
H
Best tour operator we have ever had!
Visit Egypt !! ( Cairo , White Desert Camping , Aswan & Luxor 5 Stars Nile Cruise back to Cairo) & Sleeper Train .
Peter was really professional and a great p…Best tour operator we have ever had!
Visit Egypt !! ( Cairo , White Desert Camping , Aswan & Luxor 5 Stars Nile Cruise back to Cairo) & Sleeper Train .
Peter was really professional and a great person to deal with. Helped out with all kinds of questions, even general questions about Egypt not related whatsoever to the tour! He helped us arrange everything from the moment we got to Egypt to the moment we left, 2 weeks of guides and suggestions from Aswan to Luxor to Cairo! For the boat tour we were picked up by Michael, our tour guide for 4 days. His English was great and he knew everything about the tombs, temples, and everything Egypt. Highly highly recommend this tour, and also Peter's tour company for your Egypt trip, we had an amazing experience! Peter even went out of his way to help us locate our lost luggage, great customer service.
I had an amazing and memorable time. If you do this trip please plan for the entry fees and tips which are not included. Started in Cairo with tour guide Sam, he had great English and took me to Sakka…I had an amazing and memorable time. If you do this trip please plan for the entry fees and tips which are not included. Started in Cairo with tour guide Sam, he had great English and took me to Sakkara, Memphis, Giza pyramids, citadel, Cairo museum, and more. Sam was very professional telling me extensive historical and cultural info, and yet friendly, made the tour as if I had a close friend showing me around. Organised and punctual. He selected the best sights and times to go based on my needs. Nile cruise was beautiful, lots to see in Luxor and Aswan. Food on the Grand sun cruise was delicious and plenty of vegetarian/vegan options. I did the Abu Simbel extra it was beautiful and very worth while. Rooms on cruise were comfortable although needed updating a bit. All the guides were professional but Hani and Sam were exceptionally kind, thoughtful and and knowledgable. Highly recommended. I have no complaints except as a British person we like to know a lot of details. Would be nice to know more precisely the exact timings of the programs for each day with an itinerary because the only info I was given was on the brochure.
A
Excellent tour guides and personal service !!
This tour is fantastic. You are comfortably picked up from your hotel, transpottion in a bus of high touristic class and are returned to the hotel after the tour. Worth of every cent paid for it.Over…This tour is fantastic. You are comfortably picked up from your hotel, transpottion in a bus of high touristic class and are returned to the hotel after the tour. Worth of every cent paid for it.Overall, a great experience and price-friendly.Real trip through the egyptian history with all important places visits included. with the absolute best guide in all of Cairo. More than a tour, it's an experience.
If you want to get the best out of your holyday, I recommend booking with Egypt Best Holidays .
A
The guide Sam made all the difference thanks to him for all the information, advices, guides and help. The tour was great.
This was the worst tour company imaginable. They lied, they overcharged (stole) misrepresented etc.. Some of their examples, (A) the covid test, Actual charge 150 Egyptian Pounds per person, their ch…This was the worst tour company imaginable. They lied, they overcharged (stole) misrepresented etc.. Some of their examples, (A) the covid test, Actual charge 150 Egyptian Pounds per person, their charge 210 Egyptian Pounds per person (B) included activities always charged full price again (C) difficult to reach (D) hotels did not know of their company (E) could not get an answer about anything (F) did not know their other guided or what they were doing, different guide every day. (G) one guide even had my partner film a video praising him, even though he did a rotten job and appeared to be withholding receiving our covid test results. (H) everything paid immediately up front, cash only, no credit cards. We were dropped off in front of hectic train stations/transportation areas ,told to find our trains and our next guide should be able to find/meet us at our next stop. (I) lying about some of their included tours which were not tours at all, even after paying for it. These are some of their finer points. This is only a small sample about their behavior. We have traveled the world and have utilized many travel agencies/companies but this is by far the worst we have ever faced. To try to make an actual list of their antics would take too long. I have found Tour Radar to be an above board and professional company, and when talking to you, a good and friendly company. I hope this company is only a rare example of what you work with. They totally put the gypt in Egypt. Thank you for listening and we hope to deal with you in the future, just without them.
A
I could not recommend this tour and this company more highly. My mum and I were so well looked after. We were met by expert guides in each place and nothing was too much trouble. Peter and his team of…I could not recommend this tour and this company more highly. My mum and I were so well looked after. We were met by expert guides in each place and nothing was too much trouble. Peter and his team of guides did a really wonderful job :) thank you for a great and very interesting holiday.
the thing is, we all wanted to have a group tour, but turned out to be a private tour.
N
They didn't include us in the group to Abu Simbel so we had to wait until the following day or miss it entirely. Ultimately we missed the Valley of the Kings because we had signed up for the hot air…They didn't include us in the group to Abu Simbel so we had to wait until the following day or miss it entirely. Ultimately we missed the Valley of the Kings because we had signed up for the hot air balloon and had to choose between the hot air balloon and the hot air balloon because time had run out. I had checked with them prior to booking the tour and our flight to cairo. Despite this, we were left off the trip to abu simbel because they said they were capped out and couldn't take us. Another problem was that despite the tour advertising that admission was included to certain temples, we were charged admission to each site. Despite this, our tour guide was exceptional and attentivel. The cruise was adequate. The food ok
When we started this tour we didn’t realize how much of a great time was ahead of us.
Sameh picked us up at our apartment on the first morning in a very comfortable, clean and cool car. The first da…When we started this tour we didn’t realize how much of a great time was ahead of us.
Sameh picked us up at our apartment on the first morning in a very comfortable, clean and cool car. The first day we visited the Step Pyramid, Memphis, Giza Pyramids and Sphinx. Each time he gave us the best information about the history and legends of each place. He also gave us practical information about who to look out for and who to tip and the proper amount. We also stopped at a local falafel sandwich place and ate for very cheap. Sameh was an endless source of energy and information.
The second day began with tours of Coptic Churches and mosques and finished with a very informative tour of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
ThankYou for everything Sameh. We will be back.
This is a must tour. The legend of Egypt came to life with expert tour guides