"This is going to be a long review but if you want me to cut to the chase, Egypt Tours Portal gets 10/10, 5 stars, A++ & I can’t say enough good things about our guides Ahmed Refaat (Cairo) and Mahmoud Hassan (Luxor)
I was so lucky to stumble across Egypt Tours Portal (ETP) when I came across a photo of a group holding their sign. I was planning a trip to Egypt for 6 of us, thinking I would probably book everything myself (done that before) but I thought it would not hurt to see what an agency would quote us. It would have been a HUGE mistake to go it alone!! From the moment I reached out to ETP, to the moment we stepped on the plane in Cairo to come home, I have been so happy with ETP. They really became our travel partner.
Us: We are 6 adults, from Canada, with ages from 18-60 something. Myself and my husband have been to Egypt several times before, this was the first time for the others. I knew what we wanted to see and do, for the most part, and knew what I didn’t want! I gave a rough outline of my plan to ETP and they made it happen. We went back and forth over Whatsapp and it was seamless. We narrowed down the itinerary quickly and it was truly tailored to us and included all transfers, accommodations, tours with guide and many meals. They literally came back with a price that was cheaper than I could have done on my own by thousands of dollars. Only stumbling block was making payment – my bank cards would not work with the deposit link, nor would it work in person when we paid the balance there. In retrospect, when we were there we should have called the credit card number and they would have allowed it to go through so allow extra time for that! A note about the tour set up: we did have another couple join us through ETP for 5 days in Luxor. They were an absolutely wonderful couple from Ireland and honestly it was lovely to have them along with us & added to the experience.
Let’s talk about our GUIDES and ETP staff in Egypt: after 11 ½ hour flight we were very happy to see out ETP rep at Cairo airport. He was very friendly and walked us through immigration making us feel like VIPs. He handed us off to our driver who took us to our hotel. The van was large, clean, comfortable and air conditioned, as were all the vehicles ETP used with us so there are no concerns there.
Our Cairo guide, Ahmed Refaat, connected with me prior to our departure from Canada so we knew we would meet him at our hotel the following morning. We were in Cairo for a few days in the beginning and a few days at the end of our 19 day trip and were lucky to have Ahmed the both times which was amazing & made us all feel comfortable. We actually tweaked our plans while we were there and I just dealt with Ahmed and he made it all happen. Ahmed speaks great English, was very responsive over Whatsapp, really knows his stuff and was a lot of fun. You know a guide is good when you all feel sad to say goodbye. He literally came to the airport to see us off (which he did not have to do!) Bonus: Ahmed is a GREAT photographer!!! He knows all the angles and you will love the photos he takes of you! So many great group photos of the 6 of us. During our first few days we went to: the GEM, the Pyramids & the Sphinx (our youngest daughter was unwell that morning and Ahmed was very patient and offered a work around to reschedule should we need it), Saqqara & Memphis, Nile dinner cruise, camel riding and some wonderful lunches. When we returned from Luxor after 10 days in the south we went to : the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (not originally on the plan but an excellent recommendation from Ahmed), Coptic Cairo, Islamic Cairo, the Egyptian Museum(where Ahmed used to be a guide), Fatimid Cairo and the Khan el-Khalili, and Alexandria where we saw the catacombs, Pompeii pillar, the new library and the Citadel. During the Islamic tour Ahmed arranged for a member of the community to sing for us which was very special, and when we shopped in the Khan el-Khalili he really helped us barter. It is a sport over there! Ahmed, along with our wonderful driver Hassan, set the bar HIGH.
When we went to Luxor we were hoping for another great guide and we certainly got that with Mahmoud Hassan. This man is an absolute sweetheart. Always cheerful and upbeat even when it is 44 degrees or we are driving somewhere at 4 in the morning. Again, he speaks great English and has excellent knowledge about all the sites and takes an excellent photo. His rallying cry of “Yalla yalla Habibi” is forever etched into our hearts! With Mahmoud we saw: Dendera and Abydos, Luxor Temple (at night), Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut’s Temple, the colossi of Memnon from Luxor. When we were on the Nile cruise we saw Edfu ,Kom Ombo, Philae and also went to Abu Simbel (not to be missed!!) When we were with Mahmoud we also added on some excursions: a felucca ride in Aswan and the most wonderful hot air balloon trip when we were in Luxor. Both were memorable experiences. We also asked to go to a good cotton shop in Aswan and so we went to Isis cotton which was a great experience. Fair prices, great service, exceptional product. We met with Mahmoud on our last day because we wanted to shop! We went to a papyrus factory – this is the first time in Egypt that it’s been at our request as we’ve previously been taken as part of a tour whether we wanted to or not so this was a very refreshing change. He took us to the Luxor souk and helped us with bartering, we visited the amazing Oum Kalthoum café for a bit of a break and then he took us into the non-tourist part of the market which was the most amazing experience, especially for my daughters. We went to a dress shop full of local ladies and we were treated exceptionally kindly. The girls / young women were fascinated with my daughters and it was honestly one of the most beautiful moments of the trip seeing my daughters connect with these local girls. Mahmoud exudes joy & is an utter delight & we were sad to say goodbye.
To meet Ahmed and Mahmoud as strangers and part as friends, and to deal with such an easy company as Egypt Tours Portal truly was a gift. The trip went so smoothly and we made memories that will last a life time and we are so grateful to them for that. We would use Egypt Tours Portal again in a heartbeat."
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