We loved every minute of our tour which was extremely well managed, with absolutely no hitches, got all that was promised and were not even charged extra for our child except the flight tickets within Egypt.
Overall, a great vacation in a wonderful country with a superb tour company. I would recommend Memphis tours to anyone planning to visit Egypt.
- WHERE TO GO
- Egypt
- Packages
- Classic Egypt Tours
- Trip to Egypt: Pyramids & Nile by Air
Trip to Egypt: Pyramids & Nile by Air
Combine the rich heritage of Cairo with a magical 5-day Nile cruise on this Egypt vacation package—a must for any lover of history. Experience the best Egypt tour, visiting all of Egypt’s top highlights attractions scattered across the desert and range from famous pyramids to forgotten temples only in 8 days. You’ll begin your tour in Cairo. This is where you will visit the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Egyptian Museum. Then, fly to Luxor to embark on your cruise on the Nile where you will explore captivating attractions and natural scenery between Luxor and Aswan. With this tour, enjoy a luxurious five-star cruise, your choice of traditional hotel or boutique hotel, mesmeric history, and a seductive charm that will have you leaving Egypt in astonishment.
- Meet and greet service by our representatives upon your airport arrival
- Assistance with guest relations during your stay
- All transfers via private air-conditioned vehicle
- Domestic flight tickets from Cairo to Luxor and Aswan to Cairo
- Accommodation for 3 nights in Cairo, including daily breakfast
- Accommodation for 4 nights on a 5-star superior Nile Cruise ship, full board
- Private sightseeing tours in Cairo (listed on itinerary)
- Sightseeing tours on the cruise shared with a Memphis Tours group
- Local English speaking tour guide
- Entrance fees to all sites mentioned on the itinerary
- All meals mentioned on the itinerary
- Bottled water during outings outside of hotel or cruise ship
- Portage as needed
- All service charges and taxes
- International Airfare
- Entry visa to Egypt
- Any optional tours
- Personal spending
- Tipping
Day 1: Arrival in Cairo
Welcome to the mystical lands of Egypt, where the Pharaohs ruled for thousands of years. Upon your arrival at Cairo International Airport, your tour manager will meet and assist you and ease the process by helping you to get the entry visa. You will then be escorted through the bustling streets of Cairo in an exclusive air-conditioned vehicle. Once you reach your chosen hotel according to your accommodation plan whether it will be overlooking the Great Pyramids of Giza like Hilton Pyramids Golf Hotel or in Khan El Khalili, like Le Riad Luxury Boutique Hotel, your tour manager will assist you with your check-in and double-check your itinerary with you to establish and confirm all the pick-up times for all your activities during your trip.
Overnight in Cairo.
Welcome drink included.
Day 2: Pyramids and Cairo Sightseeing
After enjoying a delicious wholesome breakfast at your hotel, your personal guide will take you to the Giza Plateau to start your journey by marveling at one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Great Pyramids of Giza. Visit the iconic Sphinx and Valley Temple. After your pyramids visit, you’ll go for lunch at an authentic Egyptian restaurant and then head over to the Egyptian Museum, in the heart of historic Downtown Cairo, overlooking the renowned Tahrir Square. After relishing over the magnificent ancient Egyptian artifacts and treasures, you will be driven to Khan El Khalili, Cairo’s oldest bazaar, if there is time.
Overnight in Cairo.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Visits: Great Pyramids of Giza, Sphinx, Valley Temple, Egyptian Museum, Khan El Khalili.
Day 3: Fly to Luxor - East Bank Sightseeing
Today, you will be leaving Cairo and head out to the shining city of Luxor. You will meet your tour manager early in the morning at your hotel where he will accompany you to Cairo International Airport for your trip to Luxor. Upon landing in Luxor, you will be assisted and whisked away in an exclusive air-conditioned vehicle to board your luxurious Nile cruise, Salacia, that will offer you a unique experience cruising on the Nile with high-quality service, gastronomy, and accommodation during your stay. Enjoy a delicious lunch on board before heading out to your first stop in Upper Egypt which is visiting Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple at the East Bank. Return back to your cruise and enjoy a warm and hand-crafted dinner.
Overnight aboard your cruise in Luxor.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Visits: Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple.
Day 4: West Bank Sightseeing
Enjoy your first breakfast on board your cruise surrounded by the calm waters of the Nile. After breakfast, head out to explore the West Bank of Luxor. Visit the Royal Cemetery for 62 Pharaohs, the Valley of the Kings, then head to the Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, which was built by the architects of the New Kingdom during the 15th century BCE at Deir El-Bahari. Finish the day as you marvel at the towering Colossi of Memnon. After finishing your visits at the West Bank, return back to your cruise and start sailing to Edfu while enjoying a delicious lunch on board. Relax the rest of the day as you sail; take advantage of the amazing facilities of your cruise; enjoy some afternoon tea, get a massage, de-stress in the Jacuzzi. End the day with an appetizing dinner on board.
Overnight aboard your cruise in Edfu.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Visits: Royal Cemetery, the Valley of the Kings, Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Colossi of Memnon.
Day 5: Edfu and Kom Ombo
Enjoy a mouth-watering breakfast on board your cruise as you sail to Edfu. Upon arrival, head out and visit Edfu Temple, one of the best-preserved temples of the Greco Roman era, that of Horus at Edfu. Enjoy a magnificent experience as you take a horse-drawn carriage ride back and forth to the temple and marvel at Upper Egypt’s local life. Pass through the slow-paced, rural life of the local farmers and fishermen. Immerse yourself in the breathtaking lush, fertile landscapes dotted with banana and date palm trees. After your visit, head back to your cruise and start sailing to your second stop of the day, Kom Ombo.
Touch down on the shores of Kom Ombo and walk through the town of Kom Ombo among the locals of the town until you arrive at the unusual Kom Ombo temple with its two identical entrances, hypostyle halls, and sanctuaries. After your visit, head back to your cruise where you will enjoy an appetizing lunch while sailing to Aswan. As the day comes to an end, enjoy a warm, delicious dinner surrounded by the calm, serene water of the Nile River.
Overnight aboard your cruise in Aswan.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Visits: Temple of Edfu, Kom Ombo, Temple of Kom Ombo.
Day 6: Aswan Sightseeing
Enjoy yet another delicious breakfast on board as you sail to the colorful city of Aswan. Upon arrival, head out and enjoy a day of sightseeing in this beautiful city, meeting the kindest kind of locals. Start with a visit to the massive Unfinished Obelisk, still resting on its side in the stone quarries of ancient Egypt. After, you will go on to the beautiful Temple of Philae, devoted to the two goddesses Isis and Hathor. After your visits, you will head back to your cruise and enjoy an appetizing dinner in the middle of the Nile surrounded by its beautiful waters.
Overnight aboard your cruise in Aswan.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Visits: Unfinished Obelisk, Temple of Philae.
Day 7: Fly to Cairo - Optional Tour to Abu Simbel
Enjoy your last morning on your cruise with one last scrumptious breakfast on board surrounded by the calm waters of the Nile. After breakfast, disembark your cruise and get transferred to Aswan Airport to catch your flight back to Cairo where you will be met upon arrival and get transferred to your hotel for your last night in the Land of Pharaohs.
Overnight in Cairo.
Meals: Breakfast.
* Optional Group tour by Coach to Abu Simbel Temples for an extra $89 USD
Day 8: Cairo - Fly Back Home
Enjoy a deliciously prepared breakfast at your hotel and then head out and roam the streets of the beautiful capital, Cairo. Spend some free time at your leisure; take a walk, chat up with some locals, or have some Egyptian tea at a local café. As your flight nears, you will be transferred through the buzzing streets of Cairo to Cairo International Airport for your final departure back to your homeland.
Meals: Breakfast.
David was amazing, he has extensive knowledge on the Ancient Egyptian Civilisation. Picked us from our hotel, took us for lunch with a view of the Great Pyramid, authentic Egyptian shops, followed by a trip to the museum which was incredible couldn’t recommend him enough.
Memphis Tours is the best tour group out there. Don’t waste your money with anyone else! Mohammed took care of me and provided an INCREDIBLE experience. He helped accommodate a sunrise camel tour and another one within the pyramid complex last minute. He has the best guides who take excellent photos and was very knowledgeable about the history of the pyramids and Cairo. Will be recommending Mohammed and Memphis Tours to all my friends!!! Thanks again!
This was an excellent tour. Super tour guides and awesome experiences.
We had a great experience and a great guide
Ahmed Helal for many tours in the area not just the pyramids. He was helpful and informative very nice and awesome driver!
Memphis arranged all aspects of our 7 day tour covering upper and lower Egypt. All pick ups and drop off were on time. We did blue shadow for Nile cruising and it also lived up to our expectations. The guides at Luxor/Aswan (George), Abu Simbal (Hiba) and Giza (Mohammad) were helpful and knowledgeable, made our experience more memorable.
Marwa helped us with all arrangements over a period of 6 months where we went back and forth on many aspects. She was always patient and willing to work with us.
Ahmed was our tour manager in Cairo, he made us feel welcome from the time we landed to the time we departed. He was always available on WhatsApp and answered any concerns we had promptly.
I would highly recommend Memphis for a worry free time in Egypt.
Wow! What an amazing experience. I would highly recommend Memphis Tours. Having a tour made a huge difference. Ahmed Zaki was our guide and made the journey so effortless. He gave us history on the pyramids, guided us through the entire day and even took amazing pictures! I felt so safe and comfortable with Ahmed. Amr Saleh was our driver and was also very attentive and made sure we had very safe transport. I would highly recommend this experience.
It was my first time to travel with Memphis Tours (definitely not gonna be the last) and I had an amazing experience. I was impressed by all aspects of the tour especially our tour guide who did a great job in making the trip memorable. I recommend this tour to anyone who wants to experience the Egyptian culture and explore the country. Don't miss the hot air ballooning over The Valley of the Kings and Felucca cruise down the Nile river.
Highly recommend this tour! It was very well organized. Very memorable experience!
My 2 adult children and I visited Egypt the last week of 2012 and saw the most amazing sights! We rode camels at the Great Pyramids of Giza in the Sahara Desert (Bucket List!!), climbed inside the Khufu Pyramid, visited the Sphinx, the Djoser Pyramid in Saqqara, a mosque, the Kahn El Khalili Bazaar, and gazed at the wonders of the Egyptian Museum (including KingTut's solid gold mask) and more - all right in Cairo. Our guide, Maha El Halwagy, was incredible! She spoke excellent English and was full of energy and knowledge of ancient Egypt. Eqypt would be difficult to negotiate on one's own. So I would definitely recommend going with a tour group like Memphis Tours. With our superb guide and a great driver, we always felt safe and taken care of. Our Le Meridian Pyramids Hotel was lovely, too. Then we flew to Aswan for a Nile River cruise, and the wonders of Egypt's ancient culture continued. We saw so many temples that just blew us away. Temples to Isis on Philae Island, to Horus and Sobek, to Horus in Edfu, to Queen Hatshepsut, and the temples of Karnak & Luxor, plus the Valley of the Kings. The stories and the legends and the history behind them all just filled us with awe. Memphis Tours did a wonderful job of taking care of every detail. They drove us with a guide to every attraction, all entrance fees plus breakfast and lunch were included, and even provided us with bottled water. The Egyptian people were gracious and welcoming. If the political situation in calm, go and enjoy the wow! We learned SO much.
As part of our vacation, we spent 3 awesome nights cruising the Nile in southern Egypt (Luxor to Aswan) on the Sonesta St. George which was a beautiful boat with wonderful staff and service. While touring the Nile, we were escorted by an Egyptologist, Yassir. He was very knowledgeable and showed us many wonderful sites along the Nile.
Throughout our entire trip, we felt completely safe. Memphis Tours ensured that we were comfortable everywhere we went and the guides were very knowledgeable about local merchants and where we could purchase quality souvenirs. Overall, we had one of the best trips that we have ever had in a foreign country and we would highly recommend touring Egypt with Memphis Tours.
In June 2013, my friend and I had the privilege of spending just over a week in Egypt! We had an amazing tour guide named Fady, who did everything in his power to provide us with the trip of a lifetime! Throughout our time in Egypt, Fady was by our side to ensure that we had the best experience possible. He assisted us through the airport (at an extremely early time), then proceeded to assist us in planning additional excursions during some of our free time. For our excursions, he ensured that we had the best guides to show us the many spectacular sights the Egypt has to offer! Our stay in Cairo was amazing! We had a view of the pyramids right outside of our door! Incredible! The staff were warm, welcoming and were able to answer any questions that we had. On one of our free days, we were able to ride quads out into the desert and get pictures with the pyramids in the background! This was a highlight of our trip! We highly recommend this! It was surreal to be riding around in the desert with such a breathtaking and highly-famed view of the pyramids before us. Soon after, we boarded a night train to Aswan where Fady provided us with a phone and encouraged us to call/text him about our days and let him know if we needed anything. This was such a comfort to us, knowing that Fady was a call away. It made us feel like he truly cared for us! From Aswan, we went on a nile cruise up to Luxor. The sights are amazing! We highly recommend the hot air ballon ride at dawn! What a awe-striking experience! Once back in Cairo, Fady took us out for a city tour of Cairo. We had a few things that we wanted to do while in Cairo, and Fady helped us make this happen. Simple things, such as going grocery shopping in an Egyptian store. No matter what type of "crazy" things we wanted to do, Fady helped us get there. To end our trip, Fady took us out for a traditional Egyptian meal, Koshari, which we highly recommend trying! Prior to going to Egypt, I was worried about the civil unrest in the country, and if it would hinder the enjoyability of our tour. I am happy to say that there was NEVER a point in our trip that we felt unsafe or in any sort of danger. The Memphis Tours team took extremely good care of us, and made sure that we felt safe at all times. In closing, I believe that everyone should go to Egypt at some point in their lives! Its historical significance and beauty is superior to any other place that I have been. We had a phenomenal time and would love to thank the Memphis Tours team and Fady for all of their hard work and accommodation! We truly appreciated it! Thank you for providing us with the trip of a lifetime!
We were met by Maged at Cairo airport and the first thing he gave us was a mobile phone, saying if you have any concerns just call me day or night, we have travelled extensively and never had this type of service.
Our stay in Cairo was fantastic, great hotel with views of the Pyramids from our bedroom window, amazing!
Nothing was too much trouble for our one on one tour guides, they all had very good command of English and were very polite.
We cruised down the Nile from Luxor to Aswan, what an amazing journey, something that everyone should do in their lives, the history lesson alone is worth it, ad a flight to Abu Bimbel is a must.
Back in Cairo we relaxed before flying off to London, and as we said our fond farewell to Maged and Memphis tours we felt sad to leave, certainly an experience not to be missed.
We would recommend Memphis Tours to anyone wishing to travel through Egypt.
Bring lots of $1 and follow the tipping guide for porters, hotel, buffet tipping etc. Get 1 pound coins for the bathrooms -- grocery stores etc. some banks don't. Bring your own tp!
We never felt unsafe, a concern as traveling with children. Memphis arranged everything. Remember Cairo is 20 million people, even a large demonstration in Tahir Square of 200k people is only a fraction. Tahir Sq. is a busy intersection, which is why it stops traffic--unlike Tiananmen square. which is actually a large area. It affects traffic greatly and must be driven around. Most demonstrations on Friday or Saturday (their weekend), noon on, don't affect much as are much smaller. No demonstrations in Luxor at all.
Do observe clothing norms for women and men--no shorts men, long sleeves and pants for women, no low cut garments.
Just to share that my recent trip to egypt was fantastic. I went with 2 of my workmates from home. Earlier we were undecided but Ms. N, my workmate who had earlier visited Egypt in 2009 convinced us to go after the western media reports on egypt began to subside. We had used Memphis Tours as recommended by Ms. N. I was quite apprehensive at first but emails from Ms. Fatima reassured me. We arrived in Cairo and was met by Hoessein who was there to meet us as soon as disembarked. Thank you for such a wonderful service. We were in Cairo for1 day and 1 night and visited Giza and Sakkara with Mahoumoud El Ghany, such an experienced egyptologist who must have done thousand rounds of guides and byhearted every thing residing in the Egyptian Museum. As soon as Ms. N arrived from London, we flew out to Aswan to start our nile cruise. We were met by Salah and brought us to the Aswan Dam to join another group of 4 (family from Denmark). We felt privileged throughout as they were either just a group of us 3 (or 2 in Cairo) or just 2 groups of less than 10. A very private tour possibly due to the downturn in their tourism currently. At the high dam, we met Mohamed Emam, a knowledgeable guide. We were educated by Mohamed Emam over the 3 days. What an experience and Memphis Tours do have exteremely knowledegable egyptologists. Kudos! On our 4th day, never once we felt unsafe. In fact, I was worried as Monday approaches which was the 1st day of Morsi's trial. But that went on fairly uneventful, or maybe because we were still far from Cairo. We visited the temples and Karnak was the best. We did a last minute booking for the sound and light show which was really good. My travel friend somehow lost her balance as we were approaching the arena at the Karnak Temple for the final part of the show and hurt herself. So after the show, Mahmoud aka Ruby, the tour rep in Luxor actually helped to take her to the nearest pharmacy to get her checked. Thank you Ruby. WE left for Aswan inorder to go to Abu Simbel. There we met the affable Ahmed Gomaa aka Friday. Well I dont blame them for having these "hip" names after their real names because truthfully, there are many Ahmed Gomaas, Mahmouds etc and one might be mistaken for another. We visited the Nubian Village and the boat ride there was simple breathtaking. Those who appreciate bird watching, real birds, you must take this trip. Birds emigrate to this part especially as winter draws nearer. In the Nubian village we were hosted with hibiscus tea, simpy refreshing but my travel friends were not too keen on seeing alligators in the house. Friday took us to Abu Simbel, along with 2 drivers and 1 policeman in our private van. Safety is certainly their priority. Great job Memphis TOurs. Again, I must say, we never felt unsafe throghout the journey. WE got back to Aswan safe and sound and departed to the airport to take our flight back to Cairo. We were quite sad, really to leave Aswan, Luxor, the cruise boat because, we had such a fantastic trip and thanks to Memphis Tours. Thanks Ms. N for convincing us to join you. I know now why you had returned to Egypt. I certainly hope that I will come back to visit Egypt and use Memphis Tours.
Visited November 2013
We visited Egypt in July, less than two weeks after the ousting of Morsi. Things were tense. Our families thought we were absolutely insane to go to Egypt, the American news was making it look like there was a violent civil war taking place on the banks of the Nile, and we couldn't ignore the countless stories of tourists canceling their trips due to the instability. We ended up throwing caution to the wind and taking the trip anyway--- and I am *so* glad we did.
From the get go, Abdo at Memphis was absolutely fantastic in helping me arrange things. And when the political situation became less than stable, he was always there to promptly and thoroughly answer my almost daily questions about if we should still go. He definitely is a huge part of why we ended up going forward with the trip, so he deserves kudos for that.
In addition to being a calming force, Abdo also booked us a great package. We spent a few nights at Mena House and because there were literally no other tourists, we had the best rooms in the place with absolutely magnificent pyramid view rooms (and for much cheaper than the prices I saw when checking myself before contacting Memphis). Also, every tour we took that he suggested as just phenomenal.
Our guides in Cairo and along our Nile cruise were amazing. Meha in Cairo was witty, knowledgable, and just a great treat. Yassir along the Nile was also a fun, personable, knowledgable guide. It was particularly notable that they were soldiering through in the middle of Ramadan-- thinking how hot and miserable we were traipsing around some of the sites, I can only imagine how much more exhausted they must have felt without eating or drinking all day. But you'd never know--- because they were always totally on the ball and just a wonderful guide.
All in all, I couldn't be happier with our choice to go to Egypt and to use Memphis. I mean, when else will I ever be able to experience being alone (zero other tourists) at the Great Pyramid? We never once felt unsafe or uncomfortable, despite being there in the middle of a huge political movement.
We visited Egypt in July, less than two weeks after the ousting of Morsi. Things were tense. Our families thought we were absolutely insane to go to Egypt, the American news was making it look like there was a violent civil war taking place on the banks of the Nile, and we couldn't ignore the countless stories of tourists canceling their trips due to the instability. We ended up throwing caution to the wind and taking the trip anyway--- and I am *so* glad we did.
From the get go, Abdo at Memphis was absolutely fantastic in helping me arrange things. And when the political situation became less than stable, he was always there to promptly and thoroughly answer my almost daily questions about if we should still go. He definitely is a huge part of why we ended up going forward with the trip, so he deserves kudos for that.
In addition to being a calming force, Abdo also booked us a great package. We spent a few nights at Mena House and because there were literally no other tourists, we had the best rooms in the place with absolutely magnificent pyramid view rooms (and for much cheaper than the prices I saw when checking myself before contacting Memphis). Also, every tour we took that he suggested as just phenomenal.
Our guides in Cairo and along our Nile cruise were amazing. Meha in Cairo was witty, knowledgable, and just a great treat. Yassir along the Nile was also a fun, personable, knowledgable guide. It was particularly notable that they were soldiering through in the middle of Ramadan-- thinking how hot and miserable we were traipsing around some of the sites, I can only imagine how much more exhausted they must have felt without eating or drinking all day. But you'd never know--- because they were always totally on the ball and just a wonderful guide.
All in all, I couldn't be happier with our choice to go to Egypt and to use Memphis. I mean, when else will I ever be able to experience being alone (zero other tourists) at the Great Pyramid? We never once felt unsafe or uncomfortable, despite being there in the middle of a huge political movement.
Our tour manager, Abdel, was waiting for us basically right at the airplane! He helped us with visa, border control, everything! So professional, I've never seen that before. Took us to our beaufitul Mena House Hotel by the Pyramid, helped us to check in and all.
Our private tour guide Ahmed, knowledge at it's best! Went above his way to take us to the Egyptian Museum, Giza Plateau and all the sites.And our driver, so patient! Our stay in Cairo was wonderful, we felt super safe all the time.
We then travel by plane to Luxor, to board our 5* cruise Sonest Saint George, the best ever. Our tour guide there, Yasser, was also fantastic, he took us to so many wonderful sites along the Nile River, told us incredible stories about Kings, Queens and Goods, some of the Temples we visited at night... amazing experience. We will never forget.
While cruising the Nile, we travel to the sites by car, horse carriage and by small pedestrian ferries! The staff on the Sonesta Saint George were all fantastic, made us fell more than welcome. We made many friends and will never forget.
All the time, between flights, hotels, boats etc, there was always someone waiting for us to take us to where we needed to go, and always on time.
Sorry if we forgot to mention someone by name, you all rock! In a few more hours we will be leaving... so sad
PLEASE COME TO EGYPT, IT'S SAFE.
Patricia & Barry Cathers
We felt very safe on the tour. Egypt is a bit crazy right now, but the tours are a great deal since very few tourists are going there. The river cruise ship we went on was the Alyssa. It was very comfortable and had very good food.
We stayed at the very historic Mena House Hotel in Giza (near Cairo). Although there are newer hotels, the ambience, history and decor of this hotel is unmatched. The only complaint was the very expensive internet at these nice hotels. It was sad to see that the Mena House was mostly empty. At one point we were the only customers in one of their restaurants. The restaurants are very good, but expensive for Egypt. Our tour guide in Cairo and Alexandria was Mai. In addition to her knowledge of ancient Egyptian history, she was well versed in modern Egyptian politics and culture and provided us with some very interesting views and insights. We learned a lot about both ancient and modern Egypt. Mai (and Memphis Tours) was very accommodating in terms of what we wanted to see. She was very kind to our little girls. Our tours were excellent!! We had a private vehicle, driver and guide, so we could see whatever we wanted on our own schedule. In addition to the Giza pyramids, go see Sakkara and the pyramids of Dashur as well. Our only complaint was the vendors and merchants at these sites. I am not sure if Memphis Tours can do anything about it. We have been tourists in over 30 countries and the merchants were the worst we’ve seen. We would have stopped at more stalls and stores, but we were mobbed by screaming vendors every time we show the least bit interest in anything. So we try to avoid the merchants and bought virtually nothing.
In Upper Egypt and during our cruise, we had Alaa as our guide. He really put his heart into making sure that we had a great time. He seems to care very much about the tourists in his care. Wish we could have tipped him more. The Memphis Tour rep (we forgot his name) who greeted us at the airport was also extremely dedicated. When my daughter forgot her glasses after checking out of the hotel, he personally went back for us while we were on an excursion to get them. The hotel Movenpick in Aswan was probably our favorite. It fits our style a bit more. It is a nice luxury hotel that is a lot more casual than the Mena House. Our Nile cruise ship, the Sonestra St. George, was quite luxurious and the food was excellent, especially the desserts.
Overall the program arranged for us by Memphis Tours was excellent and we were very happy with our trip to Egypt. We would like to thank Memphis Tours and all of the staff there for working so hard to show us what a fascinating place Egypt was and is.
If we had not know about the Revolution from the news, we would not have realised on our holiday as our trip was totally uneffected by the protests or demonstrations.
We did a number of day tours in and around Cairo. It is extremely busy there and has a population of 20 million. Also they are crazy drivers. Thank goodness for our tour guide Ahmad Abd El Hakim and our driver. Just close your eyes.
We did a tour of some of the many Mosques which made we think of the similarities between religions. An eye opener. We saw the usual tourist things of course which I loved. In Particular the Cairo Museum is fabulous and you need lots of time to take it all in; especially the treasures of Tutankhamun. Alexandria is also worth a visit, although a 3 hour drive from Cairo, to see the various Roman ruins, Citadel and catacombs.
The highlight of the trip was the Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan. The banks of the Nile are green and lush framing the harsh dry desert behind. A welcome change from the bustle of Cairo. Only 5% of Egypt is populated because of the water limitations; which is likely to intensify in the next few years. All this information and much more we learnt from Sayed Selim; our Memphis guide and new friend on the cruise. Loved it all and Sayed Of course. So much fun and laughs as well as getting a good insight into Egyptian History.
Visited the Temple of Luxor and Avenue of Sphinxes, The Valley Of Kings - extraordinary. Then on to Edfu and the Temple of Horus; to Kom Ombo & the Temple dedicated to Sobek and Haroeris. As for Aswan. Magnificent. We took a boat to Agilkra Island and the Philae Temple saved with help of UNESCO in the 60's with the building of the High dam.
Thank you Sayed for a memorable trip which was fun with many laughs. Sharron and I loved it. With fond regards Helen (from Melbourne, Australia)
Memphis tours took care of all of the details (eg, providing us with a phone and free minutes which we used a couple of times to make last minute changes etc), dealt with any concerns...absolutely first rate...Tareq, a job well done...the hotels, with the exception of the sheraton hotel in Alexandria, were first class, most especially the Mena in Cairo, and the St George river boat...
The people of Egypt, even the persistent vendors, were welcoming of visitors...it was such an enjoyable trip..
Would use Memphis tours again in a heartbeat...thank you for helping to make it a memorable vacation
I was also traveling alone. As a 24 year old woman, I was somewhat nervous about being by myself but I never really was. Memphis Tours always sent a guide and a driver with me wherever I went and I was always in good hands and was always safe. I always felt safe in Egypt. The people are friendly and polite.
All the vehicles were air conditioned and comfortable. They provided me with a bottle of water each day while I was out at the sites. The also provided me with a pre-paid cell phone in case I ever needed to get a hold of my trip manager.
My guide in Cairo, Momen, was very knowledgeable and was able to answer every question I had about the sites we were visiting. Momen taught me about the culture in and around Cairo in addition to all the ancient history. It was really interesting to learn about the culture of modern Cairo from someone who had lived their his entire life. Its very different that the perspective you get from guide books.
All the people I worked with from Memphis Tours were polite and friendly. I had a small incident with one of my drivers and using the cell phone they provided me, I was able to get a hold of my trip manager and the situation was handled quickly and appropriately. They were able to accommodate any last minute requests and all the specialty tours I had asked for, all at a very reasonable price.
I took a cruise from Luxor to Aswan. I was with a small group of other tourists and we shared a guide, Yassir. Yassir was fantastic in every way. He was funny, very well educated and a pleasure to be around and learn from. He was able to pack a huge amount of information into a short, entertaining lecture. He was also very good at finding shade for us tourists who weren't used to the heat.
Over all, Memphis Tours was an excellent choice. I hope to come back to Egypt some day and I will book with them every time. Their guides are excellent, their staff is polite and helpful and they are able to take me where ever I wanted to go, no matter how far out of the way.
On arrival in Cairo, Usama Mustafa met us at the airport - before passport control! He got us our visas, through passport control, our luggage, another security check and to a car --- in less than 45 minutes. Dulles should be so organized! And then we hit Cairo traffic, which is indescribable. Anyway, we booked our hotel separately (Marriott in Zamalek) which I recommend because Memphis seems to put people up in hotels a bit out of the way.
For the next three days, our guide, Raheb, led us thoughout Cairo. While some of the stops were a bit whirlwind, and the amount of time at some of the stops seemed a bit rushed, Raheb was always willing to adjust the schedule if we asked. We did all of the usuals with her (Great Pyramid, Sphynx, Coptic Cairo, market, Citadel and Egyptian Museum.) It was at the Egyptian Musuem where Raheb was an outstanding guide. She is studying for her doctoral degree in an area of ancient Egyptian history, and her passion and knowledge really came through.
One note on security. We never noticed any problems, but we did observe that Raheb and Hussein were always on the lookout. With demonstrations scheduled one day at Tahrir, they adjusted our schedule out of an abundance of caution. Bottom line, we felt completely safe in Cairo with Memphis.
I also can't say enough good things about our driver, Hussein (?) Like I said, the traffic is horrendous, and Hussein was an ocean of calm.
And the person at Memphis you should DEFINITELY ask for is Usama Mustafa. At every stop, Usama made things easier for us. He was realy gracious and welcoming. He is a terrific ambassador of Memphis Tours and of Egypt.
The arrangements for the hotel in Cairo, our Nile River cruise ship, and the private car transportation at each place were excellent.
Our guide in Cairo / Giza, Ahmad was very knowledgeable and friendly, giving us a nice historical background on the beautiful sights there and adding much enjoyment to our visit.
In summary, we have nothing but positive things to say about our experience with Memphis Tours. They provided us an excellent Egypt experience with an expertly-run private tour, with less cost than that for the standard pre-packaged tours with 20-30 people size groups.
The Nile cruise was on the Nile Dolphin and was lovely. It was so wonderful sailing up the Nile and enjoying the beautiful scenery. The staff aboard the Dolphin were terrific and caring. The rooms are spacious and experiencing the transition through the lock was cool. Everyday they made cute animals from the towels and my daughter thought that was fun. On the day of our check out, we had a 6 hour wait until we were taken to the train. The manager was kind enough to give me a cabin for my 5 year old daughter to sleep in until we left.
The guide for the Luxor-Aswan portion of the tour was Ahmed and I honestly cannot recommend him. He was abrasive and dismissive when we asked questions. When he met us at the train station he held up a clipboard and said come this way. We were not assisted at all with our luggage and had to traverse a set of steps down and then back up again. I am a single parent trying to handle everything myself, and we also had a man recovering from surgery who also had to manage his luggage without any help. This might seem like a little thing, but after an exhausting journey, it was not pleasant. We were informed that after arriving at the cruise ship we were expected to assemble in the bar for a meeting. We had a couple of these required meetings which unfortunately were scheduled as we returned from an excursion which prevented us from getting lounge chairs up on the deck. After the meetings we would head up there and find all chaises occupied. He seemed disinterested most of the time, and I felt like it was definitely a job to him and not something he enjoyed. He also kept pushing the excursions to the point where it was annoying. None of the other Memphis guides did this. On the boat ride to the Philae temple he invited one of the vendors to come on board to sell jewelry to us. It is sad because the rest of the Memphis staff are fantastic. The cruise from Luxor to Aswan is amazing and the sights and temples are so fantastic that I was in a constant state of amazement. We were so lucky to get a guy named Hassan for our day trip to Abu Simbel. In my opinion Memphis is missing out on a true gem here. They aught to get Hassan to do the Luxor-Aswan tour. He was so delightful. He had us all laughing all the time and seemed to really love showing us his country.
When we were in Aswan I realized I had left my baseball cap in the tour car in Cairo. I figured "Oh well" it's probably gone now. When we got back to Cairo I mentioned it to Ayman and he made some calls and amazing enough the driver still had it. Ayman made a special trip to meet the driver and get my cap back for me. In my opinion that is above and beyond their responsibilities. I would tell anyone to use Memphis Tours.
Helpful Hints for Egypt.
It is dry! Dry! Dry! Within 2 days our lips were cracked and bleeding. Take plenty of chapstick and moisturizing lotion. When visiting the unfinished oblesque – wear hiking or sturdy shoes. You will be hiking through a granite quarry and it is not easy to climb on the rocks as some of them are covered with sand and/or tiny pebbles. I don’t wear contacts, but anyone who does should be prepared for really dry and dusty conditions. We took 4 or 5 showers every day to remove the dust. When reviewers write about annoying vendors – they are not exaggerating. We were all annoyed beyond tolerance because they would not take no for an answer. The best advice we found was to keep your head down and don’t even say “no thank you”. Just run the gauntlet of vendors that you have to endure as you leave each temple. Everyone expects tips – everywhere. This also get tedious as people will try to grab your bag to carry it 10 feet – then put their hand out for a tip. Egypt has been hit hard with the decline in tourism. I can honestly say that we felt perfectly safe at all times during our trip. I would not hesitate to tell friends and family to go to Egypt. I think the media really exaggerates the political situation there. It was a fantastic trip.
If you are planning to visit Egypt, I would strongly recommend an organized tour, rather than going on your on. And if you think about company Memphis Tours would be the best pick.
In Cairo we were very pleased with our tour guide Karam and driver Osama. They were extremely welcoming and had us laughing until our stomachs hurt. Osama was full of energy no matter what hour of the day and always up for a dance anywhere anytime! Karam was also energetic and very knowledgable about many different sights (we visited the pyramids, sphinx, sakkara, memphis, dashar, alexandria and the egyptian museum in their care)
We were then transported to Luxor where we boarded our fantastic nile cruise (MS Nile Dolphin) and were greeted by our next tour guide Sayed Selim. Sayed stayed with us from Luxor/Karnak Temple and cruised with us to Edfu temple where we were sad to have to say goodbye. Sayed was very helpful and thoughtful and had an enthusiastic knowledge of egypts sites. He would explain a site and then allow us to explore without rushing us through. On board the nile the staff were helpful and accomodating and we especially loved entering our room to find towel animals, flowers, or whatever else they had carefully constructed.
Our next tour guide fridays escorted us to Abu Simbel (AMAZING!) Despite the 3am start Friday was patient and answered all our questions easily and with a smile. We would also like to say a special thankyou to ALL our memphis drivers who transported us safely to and fro as well as Ruby and Mustafa (Mustafa ya Mustafa, Ana bahebeck ya mustafa) who helped reorganise our schedules while on the trip.
Overall Egypt was the most amazing experience of my life. We felt safe (depsite the protests begininng), welcomed, valued and evern learnt some of the local egyptian language/music. Good Job people! :) We will be back,
Shakkrun!
My wife & I came to Egypt as tourist and left as a honored guest, or part of a family, the Memphis Tours family. Personal touches abound from the very moment we touched down at the Cairo Int'l airport. It is harder to fulfill our expectations or wants due to very fact that it was our 2nd time 'covering' Egypt. Not only Memphis Tours fulfilled our expectations, THEY EXCEEDED THEM!!. The staffs' warmth and perpetual sense of humor kept us captivated & engaged all the time.
First class tour guides, sumptuous food, 5 stars hotels, lovely weather, wonderful people AND historical sites that we can never have enough of, even if we were to visit it again & again. All these blends are the 'spices' of Egypt & made possible for our pleasure by Memphis Tours. BRAVO. We will be back AGAIN.
Sites visited: Cairo, Alexandria, Aswan, River Nile, Luxor, Abydos, Dandera, Hurghada
Activities: (Other than visits to the splendid historical sites) Sight and Sound Show at Giza pyramids, Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor, Balloon ride in Luxor, Carriage ride in Edfu, Quad Bike ride, Camel ride and Alfaleila Waleila in Hurghada
Accommodations : Mena House Oberoi (Cairo),Movenpick @ Aswan, Al Jamila Cruise, The Marriot (Hurghada)
Tour Guides :-
Our deepest appreciation to :- Mahmoud Abdel Ghany (Cairo & Alexandria)
Mohamed Emam (Luxor, Aswan & the Nile Cruise)
Hassan (Abu Simbel)
Abdel Aal Wanan (Abydos & Dandera)
Khaled (aka Hunga) (Hurghada)
Ahmed (Balloon Ride @ Luxor)
Yassin (not MT) (Sunset Safari @ Hurghada)
Tour Leads/Coordinator:- Amro, Mohamed Sakr & Mohammed
Drivers:- Ashraf (Cairo, Alexandria & Hurghada back to Cairo
Maged (aka Captain Maged) (Abydos, Dandera & Hurghada)
Sayed (Abu Simbel)
To all the individuals mentioned (or not)......our deepest appreciation and sincere thanx to each and everyone in Memphis Tours, whom in their own unique ways made our honeymoon truly memorable.
Our trip was jam-packed with so much to see and do. At the same time, I never felt overwhelmed or stressed. I was traveling with 2 friends and we joined more people to make a group of 9 on my tour. We all wanted to be in egypt on Dec. 3rd for the planetary alignment over the Giza pyramids. We spent a few days seeing Giza, Cairo and Memphis, then flew south to Aswan. There we took a day trip to the Abu Simbel Temple, and cruised up the Nile river to Luxor to see it's beautiful tombs and temples.
Memphis tours has an incredible staff that made me feel like I didn't have to think about or plan anything. Abdu was super helpful in accommodating our schedule and found a way to get us on an earlier flight back to Los Angeles so we could make it home for work. Houssain was in Cairo with us, meeting us before and after excursions to make sure that we had everything we needed. When I needed snacks, he took me to the store to get snacks. He even arranged for my friends and I to take 4-wheelers into the desert before sunrise to catch photos of the planetary alignment over the pyramids. He met us at 3:45 in the morning to go with us, and this was something we planned the night before on a whim. Talk about really going above and beyond to make us happy. Terek was our tour guide for the Cairo portion of the trip, and Alaa was our guide for Aswan-Luxor. These are not guys who read off a script. They are egyptologist who know their stuff, and can answer questions you have about anything. They are also cool guys who speak great English and are very personable. It's clear that they enjoy their jobs and are always smiling.
I am a 20-sometihng californian blonde girl, and I'll admit I had some questions about safety in Egypt. Also, our trip took place during a time of protests and riots. A lot of people were concerned about me going. I will say to anyone thinking of traveling to egypt....GO! I never felt unsafe while there. Everyone was very welcoming and friendly. We traveled during the peak tourist season and we had Egypt almost to ourselves. It's sad that people aren't traveling here right now, it's a beautiful country with great people, and tourism is a big business there. Eqypt has always been at the top of my bucket list and I'm so thrilled that I went. You definitely can't see it all without a tour group.
Some advice to travelers.......the hotels memphis put us in are fantastic and have free wifi. But most hotels in egypt only have free wifi in the lobbies. The cruise ship had wifi that you pay for, but seeing as it's traveling up the nile river, service is spotty. So just know that if you aren't paying for wifi, you will mostly be using your iphone as a camera :)
Don't drink the tap water, bottled water is available everywhere.
bring snacks from home because most of the snack foods we found available were chips and cookies.
Bring money for tipping. There are a lot of people who work hard to make your trip great. Drivers, tour guides, wait staff.....jus make sure you have it in your budget to tip them.
Enjoy your trip! You won't regret choosing Memphis tours.
Personal thank you from our hearts :
Mr Hussein Zakaria – Airport Expert/Specialist who assists with visa entry upon arrival (through a long line of hungry humans) and helped us pushed into a crowded single small door entrance upon departure.. such pushing skill is truly admirable!
Mr Ahmad Omar – My Hero – who shoos away harrasers ,, not because of the well built body but the curly chest hair that went up to his throat (haha just joking ), “”Mr Friday”” as everyone calls him.. a very knowledgeable (Cruise) guide, jovial, helpful and we are so sorry to be asking questions that was already informed again and again.. a very patient individual indeed!!!! Tourist like me is very lucky to get the calm Mr Friday as our guide!!!
Mr Ahmed Farahat – our Cairo/Alexandria guide, a really easy going, fun, loving, fast problem solving with great photography skills .
Drivers - Mr Emad (Abo Shams) and a few others.. also named Ahmad, yes!.– sincere apologies as we were so caught up in the scenes we forget to get all the driver’s correct names..
And last the slim tall slender Mr Ruby,, also forgot the real name.. In all to be doing all the sights we did in 8 days, takes great timely co-ordination (considering the traffic we saw there), and all their historic explanation seems to be more tiring for them, is truly very much appreciated!!! It was more of their protective ways in handing us from one guide to another that made us feel secure.
PS: listen to your guide and all their advise, If there is any uncertainty , just ask, they will be happy to obliged. I will come again to Egypt , through Memphis Tours!!
We stayed at the Mena House in Giza (just outside of Cairo) as well as the Sun Godess Cruise ship. I would recommend both. The service was quite good on both.
I would endorse Memphis tours and personally use them again. Now is a great time to go to Egypt (with great pricing, given that tourism is not as high right now). I would highly recommend using a reputable tour company in Egypt and Memphis followed through on all my expectations.
I would also recommend building in a day or two of down time in your itinerary. You will see and learn a lot on this trip and having time for relaxation will be important!
Enjoy your time; Egyptians are really great people!
We spent a total of 7 nights/8 days in Egypt which included: Cairo and a Nile Cruise between Luxor and Aswan. We received an upgrade and stayed at Mena Lodge in Giza, Kempinski in Cairo and our Nile Cruise was with Sonesta where we were upgraded as well to a ship with full suites and balconies. Servicer at all fo these resorts/cruise organized by Memphis Tours were amazing.
Our trip organizer Abdo was wonderful and very patient with our many requests and itinerary changes. Our rep in Cairo and who oversaw our trip was Abdul - and he was just awesome. Abdul was so eager to help us and ensure everything was working well - he is very passionate and dedicated to his job and he represents Memphis tours very well. We had a wonderful driver named Mustafa - who was so sweet and kind. Mustafa was also very attentive and our safety was his upmost concern for us. Our guide on the Nile cruise was amazing - a huge kudo's to Alaa El-Sawy. He is an amazing guide who is truly passionate about Egyptian history. We felt so lucky to have him show us around the amazing sites on the Nile. He also convinced me to do the baloon ride in Luxor (which meant a 4:00 am wake up call) and it was worth it. His recomendation became one of my top highlights in my time there.
So I realize people worry about safety and this holds them back from travellign to Egypt. My own experience in telling people where I was travelling to was commonly responded with that I was absolutely nuts for going. However, they are so very wrong. We felt very safe travelling in Egypt and this is a top priority of Memphis tours. Furthermore, I found the people in Egypt very kind and open to people travelling to their country. I highly recomend Memphis Tours and I do hope you experience this amazing country. I can't wait to go back and spend more time there - next time on a 7 day Nile Cruise so I can see even more.
We took the 6 day tour and it was so much fun! We had a private tour guide who was well educated and would even have fun historical debates and talks with you!
We also had 3 day cruise on the Nile and meet people all around the world. Story and history time were always so sight fulfilling and educational. The tour guides were just so amazing sharing their life experiences.
We did camel riding, visited the largest temple in Egypt and indulged in the culture. So beautiful, and even better as the guides would give you all the history. They really made you feel welcomed and introduced you to their culture. Although there are current issues over there, we never once felt in danger or threatened. It was such a beautiful, peaceful country with very very little harm.
We are so happy we swallowed our fears, didn't listen to anyone else and found Memphis Tours!
Such an amazing experience! They have many tours which they mentioned one was camping in the Oasis... we cannot wait to do that one with Memphis Tours!
Greg Dunbar
Vancouver Canada
Go to Egypt without any fear. It is safer than where we live in Stockton, CA The exchange rate is fabulous and so is Memphis Tours. They treated us like royalty. We were picked up each day in a wonderful car, with a competent driver (Ashof) and a knowledge Egyptologist, MAha. They had cold bottled water for us and tickets to the places we had outlined on our tour. They stopped enroute for other attractions that were enlighting and fun. Our lunch was provided and it was always wonderful. We saw so much more than we could have ever imagined. Memphis arranged for us to fly to Luxor and stay overnight at the Sheraton Hotel on the Nile. Our 2-day Memphis guide was Shimaa. All the guides spoke very clear English, were polite and very accommodating as were all the people we met in Egypt. Go now. It will be the vacation of a lifetime. Suzanne & Paul Waters USA
Visited April 2012
From 30 April 2012 until 9 April 2012 we used Memphis tours for a tailor made trip from Cairo to Aswan and on to Luxor. In total we were 8 people (4 adults and 4 children). Overal we are very satisfied with the service that Memphis tours delivered. There was only one problem with a hotel reservation that could have been handled better.
Our visit of Cairo did not go very smoothly, because 2 of the children became ill, so we needed to adjust our planned itinerary several times. The guide and chauffeur were not only excellent in their job as guide and driver, but they were also very flexible and made sure that the children could receive the appropriate medical help. Thanks to all their efforts we were able to continue our trip without problems.
Our guide in Aswan was very knowledgeable of the sights, but here we encountered a problem with the hotel that was booked for us. Although we received a confirmation that all hotels we had requested were confirmed, we were brought to a different hotel without any explanation in advance from the guide. When asking why we were not dropped at the hotel we had requested, the guide told us that the hotel (Movenpick) had been closed for already 2 weeks due to a strike of the hotel personnel. We called the office of Memphis Tours in Caïro who acknowledged that they had made a mistake. They should have let us know immeadiately that the hotel was unavailable and offer us a choice of alternatives and pay back the difference in rate. We were booked in the Iberotel, which offers a lot less in terms of food and pool area than the Movenpick. In the beginning Memphis tours proposed that we would book another excursion with them as compensation, but we already had a full schedule. Then after a lot of debate they offered to refund us what was according to them the difference in room rate (50 euro’s in total for 1 double and 2 triple rooms for 2 nights...).
In Luxor our guide and driver were friendly and we stayed at the excellent Sheraton hotel as requested.
During our trip lunch was included, but I would not recommend doing this, because you are taken to the restaurants were all the tourists are dropped for a buffet meal which offers almost everytime the same food. Only in Aswan we were taken to a nice restaurant on the Nile, this was also the only restaurant of ones we had on the tour, that was recommended in the travel guides.
So overall a very good trip, but some room for improvement regarding the hotel reservations & restaurant selection.
Visited April 2012
Have just returned from an amazing tour organized by Memphis Tours. Very well organised and friendly staff, from being met in Cairo by Ahmed and related transfers to Luxor and from Aswan and hotel stays.
Terrific guides- Amr in Cairo, who took us to the Museum, Coptic Cairo, a bazaar for tea and the pyramids. Eid met us in Luxor for 4 days of the Karnak temples, and Luxor temple, Valley of the Kings, and Aswan. Both men were very friendly and knowledgeable. Felt very safe for two female travellers.
We preferred to fly to Luxor from Cairo to catch our cruise, rather than overnight train.
Thank you for providing us with such a memorable trip.
Judy and Louise
Visited May 2012
My visits to Egypt often concentrate on Aswan, to enable me to continue my Nubian studies. For this, Mustafa Osman has been the Tour Leader who manages my programme when there, and suggests the best places for me to visit, people to meet etc and makes all the arrangements on my behalf. He has been excellent indeed and I have come to rely on his input. And as anyone who knows this area and its people will have found out for themselves, help is always delivered willingly and with a warm smile.
Memphis tours contacted me via Responsibletravel.com and from the beginning showed they were not only an extreamly organised but also a flexible tour operator.Ahmed Fayez listened carefully to what we initially wanted and then happily changed when our initial ideas changed/we requested different hotels, always responding quickly.All details of the tour were emailed in detail so we knew exactly what we were doing and what was included.Our family of 5 was met at all airports (especially useful at Cairo airport where a visa is required) by young, articlate,friendly Egyptians and transported in clean,air con minibus's .We visited Cairo (3 nights),flew to Abu Simel (for 2 hour visit)then flew to Aswan(1 night),followed by drive to Luxor(3 nights stay)and final night in Cairo for early morning flight.
The English speaking Egyptologists who guided our family were all extremely friendly, knowledgable,and punctual. Special mention is due to Doaa Hussein our guide at Aswan who was (if rather over qualified with a PHD in Egyptolgy!!) fantastic and showed such enthusiasm for her subject.
Both the guides and the Memphis tour reps advised us how to deal with the 'traders'at all the tourist sites and made us feel less hassled .They also dealt with many of the small tips, a requirement of Egyptian life.
We had an unforgettable family holiday in Egypt seeing the most fantastic sights and also meeting such interesting enthusiastic Egyptians. Although it was lovely for us to visit the sites when they are so quiet Egypt needs the tourists to return in greater numbers and I would highly recommend using Memphis Tours Egypt.
Our cruise from Luxor to Aswan was amazing! The Sonesta Moon Princess was a great ship, and we felt like we were cruising "British" style out of an Agatha Christie novel. The sights in Luxor, Edfu, Aswan and Abu Simbel were incredible, and we found this part of the trip to be the best. Eid was an excellent guide, and really became part of our family!
We had a high level of expectation for the trip - but it was blown away! I would highly recommend Memphis Tours to anyone looking to book a trip to see the historic sites of Egypt, either southern or Cairo. Memphis Tours accommodations, food and tours were all 5 star quality at 3 star prices! I would be happy to be a reference and share with others about our trip. It also should be added, that given some of the political dynamics of the "Arab Spring" - we were a little concerned over the safety and how people would view American Tourists. (In fact, one family decided to cancel their trip, given the potential instability.) We were again pleasantly surprised - we felt completely safe and found all of the local people that we met very friendly.
I went to Cairo and Nile river cruise with my wife and 4young kids(10,7,5&3yrs old).
I did not expect to have great holiday in Egypt as normally kids are staying swimming pool and stuck in resort hotel.This time with this tour was totaly different.All staff are very kind and helpful.The cruise bort was very clean and comfortable.The staff are so friendly and enjoyed every supper.The tour include everything tour gide ,temples,transfer and even carriage transfer!!We never get board.We visit so many temple with the tour guide who has so much knowledge of ancient history.Our kids are learn a lots from him.Even my 7yrs daugher was interested in Egyptian history and listen to him very well.I would like to sayThank you to all staff !We had brilliant hpliday!
We first used Memphis Tours in January 2008 to arrange ground transportation, tours, and a Nile Cruise (booked hotels and flights on our own). The tours were great and everything was delivered as arranged/expected. The Nile Cruise was awesome (Sonesta St. George). We stayed at the Mena House Oberoi and Conrad in Cairo.
The second time in October 2010 we used Memphis Tours to arrange our hotels/flights/tours whithin Egypt and were once again very pleased with their services. We stayed at the Mena House again as well as the Four Seasons Nile Plaza and took a Sonesta Moon Goddess cruise this time.
Feel free to contact me with any questions.
Visited October 2010
Ahmed Shalpy, our tour consultant, was on top of everything, from start to finish. He quickly responded to all of our questions, and readily accommodated any changes we wished to make along the way. He was also more than willing to grant our request to have the same group of representatives as last year - at least for the Cairo and Alexandria portion of our trip. During the Nile cruise, we had different drivers and guides, provided through the cruise ship.
Our tour leader was Hamada Roshdi. Our tour guide was Amany Salem. And our driver was Sayed Anwer.
Hamada was wonderful, greeting us at the airport with his huge, cheerful smile and a bouquet of flowers. He even served as mediator when the airline misplaced the luggage of one member of our group. Throughout our entire stay, Hamada was always VERY friendly, accommodating, charming, and eager to please! I love that no matter what the time of day, or how long his day had been, he always had a great big, adorable smile and wonderful sense of humor! He is very personable, professional, and an enormous asset to Memphis Tours.
Amany, our fabulous tour guide, was very knowledgeable and had a lot of information to impart regarding the numerous places we visited. Even as we drove, she described the various buildings we passed, and pointed out sites of interest. She also allowed plenty of time for taking pictures, which was very important to me! And, knowing that we didn't really desire buffet lunches, she offered up various options for our meals (all of which were excellent choices!). She too was very friendly and open, and always had something positive to say.
Sayed, our driver, also greeted us with a great, big, cheerful smile and a bouquet of flowers! And obviously there are many drivers who can maneuver in, out, and through Cairo's crazy maze of traffic, but both this year and last, there were many times when I was absolutely amazed at his ability to expertly manipulate our van through the hectic streets and "parking lots" of Cairo with ease! I also appreciate that he stopped a few times (without me asking!) so that I could take pictures! And, like Hamada, no matter how long our day had been, he was always smiling and cheerful.
We also had security, provided by the tourism police, Ahmed Alsayed Ahmed. He too was very friendly. I do think, however, we caused him concern when we spread out or lagged behind to take pictures, but he was always very patient!
From the moment we inquired about our trip till the time we passed through airport security to go home, Memphis tours was there to support us and to ensure we had a memorable experience. Hamada, Amany, and Sayed were constantly going out of their way to ensure we were happy and comfortable. They readily adjusted our itinerary to fit in SEVERAL last minute sites, including a visit to Alexandria. They stopped many times to get us snacks (sometimes from places they knew and liked, sometimes from places we had read about and were interest in trying). We had a couple of VERY long days, lasting 12 hours and more; they stayed with us, always smiling and always cheerful!
Memphis Tours even surprised us, providing us with hotel rooms in Aswan so that we could rest between our early morning trip to Abu Simbel and our late night return flight to Cairo!
There is talk of a return trip to Egypt in 2012, at which time we will definitely be contacting Memphis Tours! And, of course, we will once again request the same amazing group of representatives! I miss all of you, and hope to see you again next year!
Egypt is NOT easy to travel on your own, unless you speak Arabic and know how to get around their roads and transportation. Their infrastructure is still 10 years behind other developing countries and if this is your first time in a developing country, definitely be ready to be shocked. So I highly recommend working with a tour company like Memphis.
We worked with Maged from Memphis to setup our itinerary. For the most part Maged was responsive to our emails and questions. He answered all our questions in a timely and professional fashion.
Hasan, came to pick us up at the Cairo Airport and from the very first second he's very helpful and accommodating. We had our own private car and driver (Ahmad) dedicated through out our trip. Hasan's English was very good and we had no challenge communicating with him. He provided us with a cell phone with his number in case we need anything during the trip.
Mahmud was our tour guide while we visited the Pyramids and Cairo. He's very Knowledgeable and patient in answering all our questions. He takes good photos too.
During the 4 day Nile cruise on the "Sonesta Moon Goddess" (look for my review later), Eid, was our tour guide. He was also very knowledgeable about the sites we were visiting but sometimes his accent made it difficult to understand what he's was saying. The only thing I didn't like about him was that he told us who to tip ("Bakshish") and how much to tip. In Egypt every other person will expect you to tip them, even though they didn't do anything extra for you or even interact with you. We didn't feel comfortable to be put in a position to give tips to people who didn't earn it but Eid insisted that we should tip the third party vendors and their employees too. Many times we were not able to enjoy the sites because we were too busy trying to figure out who to tip and how to tip without offending Eid or anyone else.
The Nile cruise itself was very good but the ship we were on, The Sonesta Moon Goddess, was not a good experience. They are supposed to be a luxury cruise but there was not much luxury about it. The service was very poor for a luxury cruise. The food was below par. We are vegetarians and usually on other cruises there are always decent options to eat but on this ship there's hardly anything to eat other than rice and tomato soup. The manager did make some effort to provide us with decent food but it was after our third day there and it was only after we are ready to eat and then they actually decide to make some veggie soup for us. There were only two times when they actually had something for us to eat that was good and filling. The staff didn't seem too motivated. The only good thing about the ship was our room, which had a balcony and all the other amenities of a hotel room.
We also took a side trip to Abu Simble. The Abu Simble temple is pretty magnificent but the drive there was a little scary. We knew we were going with a convoy but didn't realize that there were only three cars in the convoy and that we'll be accompanied with machine gun carrying police through the desert for three hours without any stops. I am sure the risk of anything crazy occurring was very little but I would've liked to know ahead of time what was going on.
Once we got to Abu Simble, we realized that we were the only two people there since it was very hot and July is not the best time to visit Egypt. The entire town seemed deserted and all we saw was military/police with guns and couple of locals. We got a little anxious thinking, "Is there something we don't know about this place? Armed convoy, deserted town, no tourists and so many guns??" It turns out that there are some areas of Egypt that the government might not have control over and they might have experienced some problems in past where the tourists got in trouble. Everything went okay with us though, we got out of there in an hour back to Aswan. This this the convoy consisted of ONE car!! Just us. So the policeman with the machine gun got into our car and escorted us back to Aswan. Little scary but no incidents to report.
Overall, Memphis is a great company to choose to travel in Egypt.
First off, I scheduled the tour only about 4-5 weeks out from the actual departure date, which may have had something to do with the big cost of internal flights (we flew from Cairo to Aswan and from Luxor to Sharm and then back to Cairo).
1. Tour Coordinator – Mustafa Ahmed was incredibly helpful designing the trip. He was extremely accessible and helped me design the best possible combination of cities. Since we were doing a custom trip, it was time consuming but Mustafa was patient, understanding and aggressive about seeing to it we were able to be satisfied. He was terrific and I was pleased to meet him in person out there. We were ecstatic that he was also able to get us an upgrade to the Sonesta cruise.
2. Guides – Nasreen (Cairo) and Sayed Salim (Luxor / Nile Cruise) were both our best guides. Nasreen’s world knowledge, patience and insights were incredible. Sayed always had a smile and was really impressive as well. I’d recommend both for your trip.
3. Drivers – Ashrof (Cairo) was the best. No doubt about it – His selection of 90s boy band music could make even the most avid ex-teeny bopper blush. Just a good dude all around – and a very safe driver. His English was also impeccable.
4. Local Coordinators – Osama (Cairo) was the best by far. I came to him with all my problems. My only complaint about the whole trip was about the coordinator in Sharm, who neglected to pick us up, and just dropped us at the airport without observing a delay that in our outbound flight. We got stuck with a driver who could not speak English, and since our luggage was delayed, mostly had to fend for ourselves. Thankfully, Osama was quite helpful in this regard.
5. Sites – Tour was incredible. We felt like we saw everything we wanted to see, from Abu Sembal to Alexandria, the tours were enviable. (In the interest of full disclosure, we canceled Alex at the last minute because 4 hours each way would have been the nail in the coffin. We were exhausted.)
That’s about it! I would definitely recommend Memphis and Egypt to my friends and hope to send some business their way in the future…
We stayed at the Staybridge Suites which is within walking distance of the Citystars mall (largest mall in Africa and just around the block). The mall stayed open until midnight. We used the ATM machine of the HSBC bank (the egyptian ATM machines did not honor our ATM cards). One mistake that we made was getting travelers checks before arriving - never again! It was hard converting traveler checks to Egyptian currency. From here on we will just carry cash or convert at the airport before arriving in Egypt. Our hotel converted our US Dollars to Egyptian currency with no problem.
We went on the Nile Cruise for dinner at the end of the second day - it was fantastic! The food was the best we had the entire time in Egypt! Again a great picture opportunity at night. Make sure you have a camera that takes good pictures in low light (at night). Cairo was truly beautiful at night. Our guide was great - he even saw us on the cruise ship and seated before he left!
The second day we visited Coptic Egypt full of churches and the Mohamhed Ali Mosque. The Egyptian museum was also a must see.
On the third day we flew to Luxor and visited Karnak temple, the Valley of the Kings and the temple of Queen Hatsheptsut. Again visting in July was great - no crowds! One suggestion is to bring a little hand fan. Some people had little hand held battery operated fans with them. Going into the different tombs especially at the valley of the kings was hot.
By our fifth day in Egypt, my husband and I were ready to explore Egypt by ourselves. We negotiated a price with the taxi driver and went shopping at Khan al-Khalili. This is Cairo's main souq. It was very picturesque, you can find all of your souvenir items here. We were constantly being approached to buy something, but it was all a lot of fun. Just shake your head no and keep walking if not interested. Just about everywhere we went the people were nice and friendly. Every shop you go into will offer you something to drink, its part of their hospitality and everytime you go to the bathroom it will cost you some "baksheesh" (a tip).
We had a great vacation in Cairo and Luxor - one that we will not soon forget. I've already told all of my friends if they are going to Egypt for the first time they have to have a guide. I know we would not have enjoyed our vacation without the wonderful people we had showing us around and taking care of us in Cario and Luxor.
We also booked tours with Memphis Tours in Cairo, as well as a Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan. In Cairo, our tour guide was Mr Tariq and our driver was Mr Sayed. They were both very professional and very nice to our family. they brought us cold water, fruits and some Egyptian music. Good job!
On the Nile cruise, our guide was Mr Sayed Selim. He was excellent! It felt like he became one of our family. When one of our daughters became ill, his concern and empathy was greatly appreciated!
Miss Fatma Sayed was our "travel agent" at Memphis Tours. She and I communicated by email for about 6 months before our trip. Through it all, she was very patient and understanding of our need to change our choices many times over. When we got to Cairo and had a misunderstanding, she backed down quickly and sent her assistant to come and make sure we were not mad! Great customer service!!
The two things that makes our vacation trip to Egypt (Luxor to Aswan, Cairo) very enjoyable and incredible are the professional backroom Memphis Tours consultant (Abdo) and our extremely knowledgeable plus humorous Egyptology guide, Sayed Selim because he make us feel safe and he is attentive to our needs.
If we go back to Egypt in the near future, I will use Sayed as my preferred tour guide anytime and I will recommend Sayed ([--]) to anyone going to Egypt, especially Luxor to Aswan.
We booked a 7D/6N private tour, Fly & Nile Cruise from Cairo fly to Luxor to join a Nile cruise, MS Mojito to sail to Aswan. Plus an optional private tour to Abu Simbel that leave Aswan at 4am in the morning and return by noon on the same day.
We arrived end May, which is the beginning of Summer in Egypt, so the temp can goes up to 42degC at noon, night about 25degC. This make Nile Cruise an excellent choice, cooler next to a river. The other plus point is that we can get up close and personal at all the historical locations with our guide, no need to fight the crowd. All the planned tours start early morning, would finished at around noon. In the late afternoon you could visit the museum(s) on shore.
The beauty of a private tour is that we have the undivided attention of a tour guide, as he accompanied us throughout the Nile Cruise and to all the historical sites, till we fly back to Cairo from Aswan. You can appreciate why having a professional knowledgeable Egyptology guide like Sayed Selim with a great sense of humor is very important here.
MS Mojito, is a cosy Nile Cruise ship, staffed by professional. The breakfast, lunch and dinner buffet are reasonably good quality. The drinks (include bottled water) are charged at double the shore price. The room are clean and they have a window that can be opened. This is a plus for us, as we could enjoy the cool breeze in the evening while the cruise is sailing on the Nile.
Points to note are, Memphis Tour staff are very professional and punctual. And if you don't like to be taken on shopping trips in between tours, you must tell your guide from the very beginning you met up with him. Then you will a wonderful exceptional experience like we do in Egypt.
Many thanks to the Memphis Tours team, Abdo (tour consultant, handling booking), Ahmed (tour leader at Luxor), Hamada (tour leader at Cairo), Mohamed (tour guide at Cairo) and Sayed Selim (tour guide from Luxor to Aswan).
Job well done, everyone!
Thank you
Rose P
We make a donation to the Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation for each booking reserved.
Price quotes are in US dollars per person per trip and are valid until April 30, 2025. Please inquire for pricing over Christmas, New Year’s, and Easter holidays
- Up to 2 years: FREE
- Age from 2 and below 6 years: 25% of adult price
- Age from 6 up to 11 years: 50% of adult price
- Ages 12 and Up: adult price.
Notes :
- Children policy is applied to children who share rooms with their parents ( Maximum 1 Child sharing parent's room )
- If your tour includes airfare, additional charges for your children may apply.
We are offering a low down payment of just 25% to secure your spaces on the tour including hotel room, cruise cabin, domestic flight ticket, and other travel-related services. The remaining balance can be paid up to two days prior to your arrival date or in cash upon arrival at the destination to your tour manager, therefore, making your booking a risk-free investment.
Tipping for a job well done is customary in Egypt, though not required. Please feel welcomed but not obliged to offer a tip to your guide.
- In case you cancel your trip, the following scale of charges will be applied:
- From the date of booking until 61 days before your arrival date, 15% of the entire tour price will be charged.
- 35% of the tour price if you cancel 60-31 days before arrival.
- 50% of the tour price if you cancel 30-15 days before arrival.
- 100% of the tour price if you cancel 14-1 days before arrival.
Additionally, airlines charge their fees which are subject to the airlines' terms and conditions, and there's also a 5% bank fee on refunds.
- Force Majeure
Here, at Memphis Tours, we prioritize your well-being and safety above all else and for that reason, we have adapted our cancellation policy to reflect our values. We offer a very flexible cancellation policy in case the government or the airline issues a NOT TO TRAVEL warning to the designated destination. In the event of this happening, we will refund you the amount paid for the tour package, or in some cases, your payment will be available as future travel credit and travel voucher that can be used towards any of the destinations we operate tours in. You have the flexibility to apply this amount towards new travel services booked. Reservations will be adjusted to reflect these travel credits automatically. Only flight cancellation/changing fees are charged, according to the airline's terms and conditions, and bank surcharges fees are applied to the deposit amount paid. Familiarize yourself with our full payment policy, cancellation and refund conditions.
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