Gods of Egypt tour

We just returned from the 9 day Gods of Egypt tour and it exceeded our expectations. Everything was (almost) perfectly organized, from pick up at the airport to drop off on our last day. The tour guides were very knowledgeable, especially Emad who was our tour guide from Aswan to Luxor. They were willing to answer any question you had about Egypt, and I felt they were really interested in providing a good understanding of Egyptian history and culture. I recommend doing the Nile cruise. All accommodations were good, definitely not 5 star hotels, but they were clean and comfortable. The tour is focused on seeing as much as possible. That means that meals may not happen at normal meal times so I would recommend having some snacks with you. There were also a few very early mornings (up and out by 5 am) for visiting Abu Simbel and the hot air balloon. One negative was an unnecessarily early flight (had to leave the hotel at 3 am) from Hurghada to Cairo, but understand that not every detail can be worked out perfectly. Also the papyrus museum and especially the oil factory they took us to charged tourist prices. Overall we had a great experience, felt safe and well cared for the whole time, and would recommend this tour.

We did the 10 day Gods of Egypt tour and it was of the best vacations I've had. Our tour guide Sharif was knowledgeable and very social. Sharif never missed a heartbeat and went our of his way to take care of our needs. The other guides were also fantastic, but Sharif made this trip remarkable.

We wholeheartedly recommend Encounters Tours and the Gods of Egypt Tour! Egypt has been on our wishlist for a very long time, but traveling during Covid made us nervous. We needn't have worried. There are very few tourists headed to Egypt (at a couple temples we were the only party), and Encounters took care of or prepared us for every detail from the moment we landed until we left with our PCR test results in hand. And, as Richard mentions, our primary guide, Sherif, took marvelous care of us and made the tour truly remarkable. Sherif has a PhD in archaeology and Egyptology, and he’s even had his own TV shows. But in addition to being truly informative and helpful, Sherif is also incredibly funny! He kept it lively, interesting and memorable, even though our heads were spinning with content. Sherif took us through Cairo, down the Nile, and to Luxor, Valley of the Kings, Karnak/Luxor, Aswan and Abu Simbel, and other locations, plus Alexandria, Saqqara, Dashur and Memphis at the end of our trip. Sherif made it look so easy, we tried it on our own a couple nights and … it wasn’t at all easy, nor nearly as informative, and a whole lot less funny. LOL. We owe thanks to Mariska, who helped us book last minute, to Saul for the coordination and taking us, on our final night, to downtown Cairo, to Mohammad for tours near the Red Sea, including an indelible Bedouin village tour. But our biggest thanks to Sherif for making sure our trip was informative, so much fun, safe and flawless. Read less

Egypt was AMAZING!! I didn't want to come home. We arrived a couple of days early to do some of the additional tours. Alexandria was a beautiful day tour. I highly recommend it! We also did Memphis, Dahshur, and Saqqara. This was also fun, but much more active. Be prepared to workout. Our first guide, Islam, was enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and a lot of fun! If he didn't know the answer to a question, he would find out for us. We liked him so much that we requested him on our return to Cairo the following weekend. He made sure we were having the best experience we could have by asking us questions and getting to know our likes and dislikes. On the day we were originally going to visit the Great Pyramid, it was foggy in the morning. He switched around our two tours for the day so we could get clear pictures in the afternoon - so thoughtful. When we flew south, we had Tamer as our guide who gave us the opportunity to see Egypt through his eyes. He is an impressive story teller and made the carvings on the temple walls come to life. Tamer was very attentive to our group and often became our personal photographer. He gave us a short briefing before each tour so we always knew what to expect at each location. He would also explain Egyptian culture, giving us a taste of the world around us. We left feeling like family. I can confidently say that this was not a once-in-a-lifetime trip - I wholeheartedly plan on going back.

Just finished the Gods of Egypt 9-day tour, travelling with my mum. This tour was fast-paced and covered pretty much everything we wanted to see in Egypt. I would highly recommend it to anyone thinking of travelling to Egypt - the Encounters team were excellent and everything was extremely smooth from start to finish. Our Egyptologist guides (Hossam and Mohammed) were very knowledgeable and always happy to answer questions and accommodate requests. We were accompanied by a guide or rep at all times, including airport pickups and even on the cruise, so we always felt safe, had no communication issues, and received very little hassling from street sellers. The hotels booked for us were excellent - each had a great location and was very luxurious and comfortable. For anyone looking for a comfortable way to enjoy the Nile I would very highly recommend the Nile cruise upgrade - our cruise boat was lovely, all rooms have river views and the food was excellent. The top deck has a pool and sun loungers which is perfect to enjoy watching the world go by as you sail. Additionally I would definitely recommend flying over taking the train, based on reviews from fellow travellers who took the train. We travelled in early May and found the weather to be uncomfortably hot (low 40s), though our guides did their best to help us cope - would definitely recommend travelling in spring or autumn when temperatures are more manageable. All in all I thought Encounters were excellent and very good value, and would highly recommend them - and especially the Gods of Egypt tour which covered all the main sights in comfort.