8 day tour of Egypt
In April 2024, I went on an 8-day tour of Egypt with Holiday in Egypt on Tour Radar. It didn’t include flights but seemed like a great deal for what was included. Turns out tipping was required and extra, and the site fees were also not included. Then other necessary upgrades came up, like whether to book a sleeper train or fly or take a private transfer or a public bus. My preference would be to take an all-inclusive, no sneaky fees popping up later kind of tour. So read the fine print!!
I want to give a thorough review of the tour I went on so that people know exactly what they’re getting into, which I didn’t find in any reviews I read before booking. If you’re vegan you won’t starve but it’s all very repetitive. I struggled sometimes so take care of yourself and always make sure you have snacks (vegetarians will be fine). There was a lot of confusion on what the train had for vegetarians. Our guide said, oh don’t worry they’ll just take the meat out and you’ll have rice and vegetables. Strict vegetarians and vegans are not going to be OK with that. So the other guy ran to get us some sandwiches to take on the train and I was very happy I had proper food, not just crisps for dinner. But the nice steward on the train was actually able to bring vegetarian food that didn’t have meat juices all over it. The meat was separate so we could in fact eat on the train but the HIE owner and the guide didn’t know that. They couldn’t give a straight answer but they should know exactly what is on offer and be able to give a confirmation!
If I were you I would just skip the sleeper train. The bathrooms were made from nightmares. Unless you are really strapped for cash or want to fully experience rugged travel, just fly. I took the overnight sleeper train to Aswan with six other group members. I barely slept but we survived and were taken to the Temple of Isis, Philae Temple when we arrived in Aswan. It was beautiful and we learned all about the reliefs and hieroglyphics normally depicted in temples. Then we went to an essential oil place where they tried to sell us very expensive scents. We then checked into our Nile Cruise, which was the best part of the trip. They say 5 stars but for us, it’s probably more like 3 stars. After that train ride it was super luxurious! The evening entertainment was a nice bonus! ALL drinks outside of coffee/tea at breakfast are not included so keep that in mind. Cocktails are around 10€ and wine 6€ a glass. One big bottle of water at check-in is provided. There is a fridge so have your guide stop at the store for water and snacks. The food was pretty good on the cruise.
We visited so many temples and the trip is full on even if you don’t do the extra excursions, which I did not do. I wanted to have a relaxing time, not wake up at 4 am every day. I would not recommend going in April as it was very hot. Our guide Aiman was okay but I feel like we missed out on a lot of info about culture, religion, everyday life etc. We only got snippets of the info about the sites we were visiting and that was it. It was Ramadan and he was coughing a lot and probably couldn’t talk as much so maybe this is why we got a shortened explanation. Don’t go during Ramadan.
Other members were pretty upset with a lot of things, like unexpected charges, changed flights, not feeling secure in the schedule etc. But overall I enjoyed it. It wasn’t a 5 star experience but I’m happy I did it and got to see the majestic historical sites of Egypt in a safe and organized way. The two nights at all inclusive beach resort in Hurghada was an amazing way to end the trip. To just relax and be taken care of, no trips and everything was included so I recommend including that!
Have you been to Eygpt?