All around Israel, Jordan, and Egypt 20 days

Traveler Reviews

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  Stéphane

  December 17th, 2022
  2.0
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  Israel: tours start at 6:40 every day, which means you can't have breakfast because the hotel restaurant opens at...
  Israel: tours start at 6:40 every day, which means you can't have breakfast because the hotel restaurant opens at 6:30. We were forgotten at the hotel on the first day. We were transferred to a park where we had to change buses. A few tours have another transfer to Jerusalem where a dozen buses are waiting for us. There are only 2 toilets to accommodate all these people. Expect to wait at least 20 minutes. The guides speak only to the 5 or 6 people next to them, walk very fast and explain very little. Back to Tel Aviv around 7pm every day, so the days are extremely long. The bus driver drops us off on a boulevard near the hotel. The first day, it took 15 minutes to find our hotel. Jordan: when we arrived at the hotel, there were no reservations in our name and the hotel was full. After a 40-minute wait, they finally found us a room. The hotel is not a 4-star, but rather a 2 1/2-star. The driver wanted to charge us US$30 each to take us directly to the monastery in Petra on the second day, but the ticket to enter Petra is good only for the main entrance. We refused the driver's offer and he became super enraged. It was the same driver who took us to Wadi Rum the next day. He drove extremely dangerously on the road and we had the fright of our lives when a car tried to overtake us and he accelerated to almost 200 km/h to avoid being overtaken. Egypt: after a 2-hour drive from Petra to Wadi Rum, we crossed the border and a driver picked us up on the Israeli side where he took us to a shopping mall near the Red Sea where we had to wait 8 hours before crossing the border into Egypt. A driver took us to Mount Sinai, where we arrived at around 1am. It was extremely cold at the poed of Mount Sinai and they wanted us to walk in total darkness 3 kilometers of which the last kilometer consists of 970 steps. We couldn't see anything so we turned back and refused the tour. We didn't sleep for 36 hours before arriving in Cairo. In Cairo, we stayed in a hotel near the pyramids, but the room we got had no hot water, the shower door was broken and the shower floor was very dirty. The next day, after complaining, we were put in a suite. The Nile cruise is very nice. On the other hand, we had to leave at 5 a.m. to get to Abu Sibel (a 3-hour drive there and a 3-hour drive back), all before noon, as we had to return around 1 p.m. to have lunch on the boat. The guide explains what there is to see in 10 minutes and leaves us alone on the site for 1 hour. Another guide told us a completely false story about Queen Hatshepsut's temple. It wasn't until we were writing up our notes for the day that we realized he'd lied to us about the whole thing. The guide was cowardly and explained very little of what there was to see. We had paid for the guided tours with Tour Radar, but when we got there, the guides didn't know anything about it and wanted to make us pay again. We had to fight to avoid paying them again. In conclusion, we were very disappointed with our trip and the services we received.Show more
  Traveled in November 2022
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  Таня Кармальская (Tasha-88)

  November 15th, 2018
  5.0
  The best tour company you will ever get in israel. Booked all 6 tours with them. They really look after you and make...
  The best tour company you will ever get in israel. Booked all 6 tours with them. They really look after you and make sure you are very safe and happy from start to finish. Ossi and Haya were just AMAZING tour guides. We have learned so many things that were not in any books or websites we've read about our destinations. Highly recommended. They make you feel like family. Thank you Booking-tours Until the next tour!Show more
  Traveled in November 2018
• E

  Emma

  May 27th, 2018
  5.0
  Very well organized tours in every sense.The 3 tours I did were great. I can say that the goals they pursue, they...
  Very well organized tours in every sense.The 3 tours I did were great. I can say that the goals they pursue, they fulfill and my expectations were even exceeded.Show more
  Traveled in October 2017
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  Verina

  May 13th, 2018
  5.0
  Overall a wonderful experience and good value for money! Small group size, clean and cozy accommodation,...
  Overall a wonderful experience and good value for money! Small group size, clean and cozy accommodation, knowledgeable guides, nice staff, good organisation. Be aware that the package program is quite intense and involves many long days, but it is absolutely worth it since it is packed with highlights! It was an unforgettable and fascinating trip and I really learned a lot. Highly recommended!Show more
  Traveled in October 2017
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  Teresa Maxine

  April 2nd, 2018
  3.5
  This tour was mostly enjoyable, however there were a few disappointments/things to note: - After 27 hours of flying,...
  This tour was mostly enjoyable, however there were a few disappointments/things to note: - After 27 hours of flying, we arrived in Israel at 0700, arriving to our hotel at 0830. We were told by reception that we were unable to check in until 2pm, so we left our luggage at the hotel and walked around for 5+ hours trying to find a place to eat. This took us 2+ hours because we arrived on their Sabbath (Saturday) and everything was closed. We were exhausted by 1230 and went back to the hotel to wait in their reception. The hotel was really nice and checked us in early about 1300. This was in no way the Hotel's fault, and appreciated their hospitality; however we feel it was very poor planning on Booking Tours part. After giving our flight details we had expected that something would have been arranged with the hotel so we could check in as soon as we got off the flight (because we had been traveling for 27 hours);so this gave us a bit of a rough start. The hotel itself was small but cosy, and very close to food places and the beach, so that was a plus. It appeared to be clean and tidy but upon closer inspection was not clean to my standard, and the bathroom had black and red mold growing in the corners & crevices, around the taps and the wall handle, so i didnt like being in the shower and didnt want to touch anything. - As we had never been on a tour before, we didnt know what to expect in regards to pick ups, and our itinerary said to be ready at 0715. Breakfast was at 0700 so on both days we rushed to eat to be out at reception on time; and both days we were not picked up until 0750. After calling on both days to find out where our ride was, we were told that everyone is told to be ready at that time and it just depends on their route as to who gets picked up first and at what time. - The tours and tour guides were good and all were very well experienced so well done to Bein Harim in Isreal. The tour guides and tours in Jordan and Egypt were also very good. - I felt that more information should have been given to us as to how best prepare for the tours that we were scheduled to do: (Examples: 1. The dead sea was covered in large, sharp salt crystals and we were not informed beforehand that we would need to bring flip flops with us on the tour for that day to prevent us from cutting our feet. Thinking that it was a regular beach, we had left our flip flops at the hotel, and had to buy another pair at the shops which was severely overpriced. 2. The hike up Mt Sinai was in the middle of the night and we needed a flash light, and warm clothes, which we were not informed beforehand to bring). I know it sounds like common sense but we had no idea what the trail or weather would be like, even after researching the weather to try to be as prepared as possible. We were very cold that night and had to buy clothes from the locals who were selling to tourists; and the flash light we bought was not very bright and i much would have rather brought one from home (which i would have done had i known to bring one). All in all i feel that people should be informed of what they should expect so they can be better prepared. I mean its ok to say that items will be available for purchase, should they not wish to bring the following items.... ect. - All of the hotels were nice upon first appearance, however with closer inspection we were disappointed with the quality of cleanliness provided by most of the accommodation. - The hotel in Jordan was by far the worst place we stayed at, as on their brochure it said for every room there was high speed internet (false), a fridge (false), a balcony (false); and the wifi was only accessible if we were at the reception desk AND even then we couldnt access whatsapp or facetime to contact family overseas. There was no bath or sink plugs, and after contacting reception about it they said they would bring one up in 10 minutes but never did. The taps leaked and made noises the entire two days we were there, and the entire place was drenched in cigarette smoke from the staff smoking the whole time, and i had to stand outside on several occasions just to get some fresh air. It even seeped into our hotel room so we couldnt escape it. - Tips is a must in all three countries (Isreal, Jordan & Egypt) and in Egypt they expect you to even pay to use the toilet. They hold the toilet paper and only give you a few squares and when you are finished they expect you to tip them; even in the dirtiest of bathrooms; it was disgusting. - Get use to people hassling you to buy things and harassing you when you say no thanks. By the end of the trip i ended up being quite rude to them because when you say no to the same person 5+ times and they STILL keep going, it gets tiring putting up with that all day every day. - Make sure you get receipts for things you pay for at the hotels. We ate buffet dinner one night and paid for it straight after and thankfully i got a receipt. When we were checking out they said we hadnt paid for the meal so luckily i had kept it and was able to show it to them. - It wasnt a big deal, but the tour schedule was different to what we were given. The days were not in order so it caused a bit of confusion but luckily it didnt cause any issues. - And lastly on two occasions in Egypt we were given review sheets to give feedback on our experience and of the tour itself. I wanted to be honest but i felt pressured to give a good review because they were standing there telling us to give a good review. It would be better if we had an opportunity to fill out the form in private so that more accurate feedback could be given. - ONE good thing i can say about our tour guides in Egypt were that they all went above and beyond to make sure we were taken care of and comfortable. They bought us snacks and fruit, accompanied us to shops, and even upgraded our last hotel to a suite because we had got stuck at the airport for 22 hours due to a sandstorm. It wasnt their fault or their responsibility to compensate for this but they made sure they did all they could to help us enjoy our stay while in Egypt. And that is what made it very enjoyable.Show more
  Traveled in March 2018
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  Helen

  March 23rd, 2018
  4.5
  Good all round tour. The itinerary and the hotel in Petra changed without us being informed. Lack of information from...
  Good all round tour. The itinerary and the hotel in Petra changed without us being informed. Lack of information from the tour companies themselves once you were on the holiday. Tour radar organised local tour companies to complete the holiday.Show more
  Traveled in March 2018
• R

  Renato

  December 8th, 2017
  4.5
  Happy with how it went
  Traveled in November 2017