Jordan & Egypt Express

Traveler Reviews

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  September 18th, 2023
  JORDAN Highlight of the trip as usual is Petra - you really need a long day for this especially if you want to see...
  JORDAN Highlight of the trip as usual is Petra - you really need a long day for this especially if you want to see the Monastery. The guide think that you don't but we had to reiterate to him that tourists go to Jordan to mainly see Petra. We opted to go another castle instead of the Kerak castle that was in the itinerary because the guide warned us that if we do the Kerak castle we would arrive in Petra late and that the another castle is more beautiful. To my disappointment, the castle was bare, just ruins. I (well not only me but the other women in the tour) find the guide Ibrahim kinda rude towards women like raising his voice and sounding irritated. I've observed that he wasn't like that to the men in the group, even when the guy who was causing delay. +ves Free water Driver Walid is kind EGYPT Felucca - I believe that this should be just an experience but not an option to sleep in because of the mosquitoes and the toilet situation (the shower is not functional). We were also very disappointed that our dinner which was included that day was just pasta and roast chicken. I would strongly suggest another night in the Nubian village instead of stay in felucca because it's lovely to see it in daylight and explore the little town. Cairo-Luxor - I strongly recommend to book a flight because this is a 10 hour drive each way and surprisingly the only stop for meal is just a snack, not a proper meal because the shop where we stopped doesn't even do sandwiches or anything filling. That's the only stop as well for toilet break. We were in a small bus like vehicle, it didn't have storage for luggages aside from the roof, hence it was cramped inside the bus. Hotels in Cairo - The Oasis Hotel has very poor wifi signal, but room is very spacious. Zayed Hotel which was our last hotel in Cair prior to flying back to our respective destination was extremely disappointing to say the least (I don't know if this one has even a 1 star rating) very poor wifi, the shower area is like a small tub, too small I don't think any of us took a shower that night even though we came back from a 10 hour journey. The bin in my bathroom wasn't even emptied so it stinked, and when I asked for it to be emptied I was told that the houskeeping is not til the next day. For vegans and vegetarians or for those who have food allergies/intolerances you will have difficulty with your diet here as most of the options especially are meat and gluten. We each paid $120 ($60 for tip seemingly for service men/porters excluding the guide & $60 for entrance fees) - if you do the tour yourself and went to the places this tour covered, you would pay so much less Abu Simbel (optional tour) - although I highly recommend visiting this magnificent temple, paying $150 for the tour + $10 for ticket was such a rip off!! We were only given 2 hours, well 1.5 hours to explore the place to think that we are only heading back to Aswan to have lunch in the felucca and sail the Nile. I find that our guide Ayman, doesn't communicate with us, especially when it comes to the plan/itinerary for the day. I know we have the hard copy of the itinerary but I'd appreciate when he starts the day by informing/reminding us of what we are going to do that day and the next day. In Luxor, there were 2 days where we had free afternoons and optional tours. I believe that the Luxor temple should have been included in the tour as the entrace fee is not that expensive. But really appreciate the allocates accommodation here Sonesta St George, impeccable stay I find that we weren't given more time in the pyramid & sphinx - which is one of the main reasons why I visited Egypt. We were brought to the further side of the pyramids for camel/horse riding, as this was only optional those who didn't want to ride should be given the option to stay by the pyramids instead.Show more
  Traveled in March 2023
  

  Reply from: Encounters Travel

  Thank you for your valuable feedback. Your input helps us improve, and we’ll work on ensuring faster service in the future. We hope to have the chance to ensure you have a better travel experience next time.

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  Graylin

  December 30th, 2019
  Although the itinerary was outdated, the tour overall was great!
  Traveled in March 2019

  Review collected by Encounters Travel
  

  Reply from: Encounters Travel

  Thanks for taking the time to get back to us with your tour feedback. We are happy you enjoyed your Jordan & Egypt on a Shoestring holiday. We hope that you'll join us again in the future!

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  Patrick

  December 30th, 2019
  For such a large country rich with things to see, I felt the tour was very well done and organised. The...
  For such a large country rich with things to see, I felt the tour was very well done and organised. The accommodations were stellar.Show more
  Traveled in March 2019

  Review collected by Encounters Travel
  

  Reply from: Encounters Travel

  Thanks for taking the time to get back to us with your feedback. We are happy you enjoyed your our Jordan & Egypt on a Shoestring tour and we hope that you'll join us again in the future!

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  Robert

  December 30th, 2019
  The hot air balloon was the higlight of the tour and Tarek our pilot was super experienced. The food on the felucca...
  The hot air balloon was the higlight of the tour and Tarek our pilot was super experienced. The food on the felucca was amazing. There was no hassle at the airport, the meet and greet was good and we had easy passage through the airport. All questions were answered at the welcome meeting and it was very easy to follow and understand. There was a perfect amount of time at each site. Our tour lead Waleed Kamouna made us feel very comfortable with the country traditions and what was expected from us. The other guides Marawn and Ahmed Ali made sure we were protected and had anything needed at all times. Their escorts were very pleasant and safe. We felt we touched upon every sight in Egypt. Show more
  Traveled in December 2018

  Review collected by Encounters Travel
  

  Reply from: Encounters Travel

  Thanks for taking the time to get back to us with your detailed feedback. We are happy you enjoyed our Jordan & Egypt on a Shoestring tour and we hope that you'll join us again in the future!

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  Maria

  December 30th, 2019
  Delicious food on the felucca. The Cairo hotel was good. The Aswan hotel had no room Wifi. The NYE meal was not worth...
  Delicious food on the felucca. The Cairo hotel was good. The Aswan hotel had no room Wifi. The NYE meal was not worth the money. The airport meet and greet was very good and it was an excellent holiday overall. Show more
  Traveled in December 2018

  Review collected by Encounters Travel
  

  Reply from: Encounters Travel

  Thanks for taking the time to get back to us with your feedback. We are happy you enjoyed our Jordan & Egypt on a Shoestring tour and we hope that you'll join us again in the future!

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  RigobertoGarcia

  December 14th, 2019
  In Jordan, three of us in our group, for eight days, one driver and one guide. Unbelievable. In Egypt, our guide...
  In Jordan, three of us in our group, for eight days, one driver and one guide. Unbelievable. In Egypt, our guide Walid is very knowledgeable and he tells the history and stories of the people’s and places in a way all of us in the group, all 20 of us understood. Dollar for dollar, it is worth every penny.Show more
  Traveled in October 2019
  

  Reply from: Encounters Travel

  Dear RigobertoGarcia, Thank you for posting your feedback. We're delighted that you had a great time with us in Jordan and Egypt, and that you felt the tour was good value for money. This is certainly the type of experience we aim to provide. We hope to travel with you again sometime in one of our many other destinations!

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  Anonymous

  November 11th, 2019
  Gavin was very helpful and responsive! Airport meet and greet was great, middle of the night was no problem. An email...
  Gavin was very helpful and responsive! Airport meet and greet was great, middle of the night was no problem. An email notification with meeting time for the tour start would have helped. The itinerary balance was good. I think an earlier start at Petra would be better. I went at opening and it seems my Petra experience was much more enjoyable than those that came later. It might be due to the language barrier, but I would have loved more interaction with our Bedouin hosts. They were very friendly, but I didn't feel as though I learned much of their culture. Amman staff was very accommodating. The first room was very unsecure so I asked to move and there was no issue. (I've noticed many of the balcony doors don't have working locks. The first room was easily accessed by the fire escape, so that was a big security concern to me.)Show more
  Traveled in January 2019

  Review collected by Encounters Travel
  

  Reply from: Encounters Travel

  Dear Customer, Thank you for taking time to get back to us with your feedback. It's great to hear that you liked Gavin’s service and your airport transfer went well. We do include pick-up times in your welcome letter, which should have been passed to you by the airport rep or hotel reception on check-in. I’m sorry if this was not received for some reason. We have recently moved up Petra start times, plus some other start times during the tour, both to provide more time during the shorter winter days, but also through the rest of the year. Petra is such a highlight and we want people to get the absolute most of their time there. I’m pleased that the hotel changed your room when requested, and we’ve raised the issue of guaranteed lockable balcony doors with our partners in Jordan. Overall, I'm really pleased to see that you enjoyed your time in Jordan. We'd love to welcome you onto another tour in the future.

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  Hunter

  November 11th, 2019
  I think Petra should start earlier and tourist should be better prepared to be hassled by vendors, more time spent in...
  I think Petra should start earlier and tourist should be better prepared to be hassled by vendors, more time spent in Wadi Rum. I thought Khalid did a great call by moving the Dead Sea to the first day rather then the last.Show more
  Traveled in January 2019

  Review collected by Encounters Travel
  

  Reply from: Encounters Travel

  Thanks for taking the time to get back to us with your feedback. We are happy you enjoyed our Jordan & Egypt on a Shoestring tour and we hope that you'll join us again in the future!

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  Melissa

  November 11th, 2019
  Khalid was a great host and super informative. Itinerary was perfect. Telephones in voucher were never answered. I...
  Khalid was a great host and super informative. Itinerary was perfect. Telephones in voucher were never answered. I would include art museums.Show more
  Traveled in January 2019

  Review collected by Encounters Travel
  

  Reply from: Encounters Travel

  Dear Customer, Thank you for your review. We are very glad that you were happy with Khalid as your guide. We are sorry to hear that your phone calls were not answered. We always aim to respond to all communication within 24 hours during business days, and we apologise if anything was missed. We will also take into consideration your suggestion regarding the art museums. We do hope that we can travel with you again in the future.

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  Ashley

  November 11th, 2019
  Pre-tour nptes should include a section on ALCOHOL IN JORDAN and more strongly emphasis culturally appropriate dress....
  Pre-tour nptes should include a section on ALCOHOL IN JORDAN and more strongly emphasis culturally appropriate dress. Members of our tour were astonished that buying beer in South Jordan wasn't possible and were inappropriately annoyed at Khalid, through no fault of his own. Airport meet and greet was excellent. Itinerary was excellent, liked the re-organization of Dead Sea to Day 2. Lunch was the area that needs the most improvement. The Dana Buffet is the only place I'd recommend. Please find a more eco-friendly water option. We went through a lot of cases of 600ml plastic bottles. I'd recommend a gallon jug with a spicket for refilling reuasable bottles. Also, one guest was very difficult. Khalid did a good job being patient with this person.Show more
  Traveled in January 2019

  Review collected by Encounters Travel
  

  Reply from: Encounters Travel

  Dear Customer, Thank you for taking the time to get back to us with your feedback. I'm really pleased to hear that you found tour excellent and found the service of Khalid to be good too. Thank you also for your feedback on our tour notes regarding clothing and alcohol. In the South of Jordan, alcohol is actually available, but is generally limited to hotel bars, and it is correct that many hotels in Petra don't offer alcohol on the premises. We will take a look at ways of explaining this better so that expectations are met. Regarding plastic water bottle use, we're actually currently looking into ways in which we can reduce the amount of plastic bottles used on our tours, and one of these solutions may be a large water contained fitted into the vehicle which guests can then use to re-fill their own bottles. We plan to start rolling these out in 2020. Thank you once again for choosing to travel with us in Jordan. We hope to welcome you on to another tour in the future.

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