Uma Segal

The six of us (three couples) experienced a very enjoyable, educational, and exciting nine days in Egypt. Everything was meticulously planned, and we could not have been more pleased. The staff as well as the guides arranged by Mohamed Moktar of Memphis Tours were professional, knowledgeable, courteous, interesting, and had a good sense of humor. We really were very impressed with the knowledge and passion of the guides. They provided us with good insight into what we were seeing, and they made sure that we were always comfortable. We were appreciative of their "on time" record, from the time they met us at the airport (despite flight delays) to the moment we were dropped off for our return trip home; they were prompt and always kept to the schedule, making the trip especially pleasurable.

The trip, itself, was well planned and executed. The hotel in Cairo, Le Meridien, was an excellent choice and was very comfortable. The experience of going to the Egyptian museum cannot be explained to those who have not been there. The train ride to Aswan was comfortable (but perhaps on the way back to Cairo we could have taken a flight). The ride up the River Nile was comfortable and beautiful, our rooms were very good, and the staff of the cruise ship was very accommodating and helpful. The sights, themselves, from the pyramids, to the Great Sphinx, to the tombs, and the temples were amazing. We enjoyed the camel ride, and the balloon ride over the temples in Luxor, that set off at sunrise and deposited us in the sugar cane field, was both thrilling and spectacular.

If we were to "complain" about anything, and this was not particularly major, it would be the very rash driving of the driver of the van who took us to Alexandria after we arrived in Cairo. Other drivers were excellent. Some staff members probably need some diversity training if they are going to work with international populations, for sharing of political biases can be aired in a manner that may be offensive. The train ride back was delayed because of a strike (which, of course, Memphis Tours could not have controlled). However, the train ride back may have been poor use of the limited time we had in Egypt, and the delay cut further into our short stay in Cairo. And finally, on extra trip was added by the guide in Luxor, which was a trip to the market and for which all participants paid $25 each in cash and also paid the horse-and-carriage drive; we believe that trip to the market (to which we walked later in 10 minutes!) was probably a business on the side for the guide. That is fine, I suppose, but we wasted a precious evening and certainly did not get our money's worth; it did also leave a little nick in our experience and our perception of the guide!

Having said that, however, it was a superb trip. We are grateful for the meticulous care Mr. Mokhtar and his team took in putting it together. Overall, our time was well used; we did not feel we were too rushed or moved too slowly. We had a wonderful time and have been encouraging our families, friends and colleagues to consider traveling to Egypt once the security alert has been lifted. We will certainly forward Memphis Tours' contact information to them and distribute it to others. Without doubt, overall, this was one of the best trips we have taken in terms of its planning, the sites we saw, and the comfort in which we traveled.

Uma & Madhav Segal