italy2005

Can anyone please recommend a good local tour agency in Egypt?

My friends and I are planning a trip to egypt next summer. I would like to know what your experience was like with the agency. Thanks so much.

Thyra

Do a search on Egypt and a bunch should come up. My husband and I did a lot of research and ended up with Egypt Highlights... we could not have been more pleased with the tour, service or experience. www.egypthighlights.com we were on a private tour.
Others have recommended OAT though I think they are groups. We did look at Egypt Online when we were deciding, but based upon the responsiveness of Egypt Highlights we ended up with them and I am so glad we did. Egypt was the trip of a lifetime. You will love it.

italy2005

Thyra: Hi thanks for the response. I am actually in touch with Walaa at the moment. She has been very helpful. I am planning a 2 week trip to Egypt/Jordan . What was the whole process with EH. I am aware that you need to deposit 50%. When did you have to pay the remaining balance? Did you have to pay them in Cash upon arrival? Did you get to meet Walaa

Thyra

We paid the 50% wire transfer.. but I did it at my local bank branch which was REALLY expensive $40 US for this service.. but I was in a rush, what can I say? When we arrived I had a wad of US cash that I handed to Magdy in the car on the way to our hotel from the airport.. then crossed my fingers . But everything was as delivered.. and yes we did get to meet Walaa, she accompanied us to the train station in Giza for our overnight trip to Aswan..she had been married a week prior to our arrival and was still very much a beautiful blushing bride. But she's also REALLY on the ball with the customer service. I think Percy on this site also took a trip with them. I posted my trip report when we got back. If you search on Egypt you should find it.. also, if you have specific questions, you can email me at [email protected]

morse58

A friend and I returned Nov. 9th frm a 2-wk private tour of Egypt that included 4 days in Cairo, Lake Nasser cruise, overnight in Aswan, Nile cruise, hot air balloon ride in Luxor, overnight there and overnight in Alexandria plus day tour. I have two local tour agencies to recommend.Most of the tour was arranged by Mr. Ahmed Omar, at GAT Tours, Cairo, via email(gattours.com), and I couldn't be happier with their service. All tour companies must utilize Egyptian agencies and I didn't see the point in having a "middleman" so wanted to use an Egyptian agency from the start. I wanted specific hotels and tweaked the itinerary regularly and Ahmed was great about accommodating me whenever possible without a hassle. I can't tell you how many other companies both here and in Egypt just ignored many of my specific requests. Well, yes I can! ALL of them except GAT! It drove me crazy.

Debbie Senters (casualcairodetours.com think that's right) arranged a Ramadan tour our arrival day and it was great! She was the best guide out of the 3 we had. She's lived in Cairo 7 yrs. and can give a great introduction to the city and being an American is not confused by our casual demeanor.

I'll be happy to answer any specific questions you or others may have. Must say I do NOT recommend going in the summer unless you are a "desert rat"! AC is minimal to nonexistant, terrain can be rugged and you will be on the go all the time as there is so much to see. It was in the high 80's on our trip (cooler at night) and I sweat buckets (am from Phoenix area!).

PRchick

I've used Tut Egypt Tours (www.tutegypt.com)for a private tour and was extremely pleased. High quality service and completely custom.

JaneB

Morse58, can you be more specific with the email address of GAT tours? Your trip sounds very much like the one I have just starting planning for the near future. Thank! Jane

loru100

Just returned Friday from our trip to Egypt and although we were technically on an Imaginative Traveller tour, they use a company in Cairo called Benu Travel (benu.egypt.com). They were excellent...can't say enough good things about them.

Conlet

Just returned hours ago - great trip with Egyptian Highlights! Have jet lag big time but will post more, hopefully tomorrow!

travelaw

Welcome home Conlet! Can't wait to read your trip report! Do tell all -- we are leaving on Dec. 10th for a trip booked with Egypt Highlights.

skitrees

I am also looking at touring with Egypt highlights. They have asked me to transfer the total amount of the tour- is this a bit unusual. Perhaps it is because I haven't left much time-we are leaving for Egqpt in 1 month. What do you think??

travelaw

We paid half by wire transfer though Bank of America a few weeks ago. The wire transfer took about 5 days to get there. It may be that the time is short that they are requiring the full amount. I would ask if you can wire 50% and pay the rest upon arrival. Walaa is very responsive to questions.

Thyra

Skitrees,we wired our deposit in March for a trip in September. I find that with many overseas companies this is status quo.. this way they can avoid taking on extra credit card fees. Some people really have a problem doing this. I checked over 50 references before I wired money to EH and it just went like a charm. One thing that might put your mind at ease it to purchase your insurance right when you make your deposit. Most insurance companies only cover provider default if you purchase the policy within a short amount of time to your initial deposit. I found www.insuremytrip.com a great resource for comparing different companies...
I currently have an issue with a deposit wired to an agency in Costa Rica.. the bank LOST IT.. the TA has been really helpful... but I have to now go to my bank and try to stop payment and all of this stuff.. very frustrating.. by comparison the transaction with Egypt Highlights went like a dream!

morse58

JaneB: Sorry for the delay in responding. Email for Ahmed Omar, Internet Supervisor at GAT Tours, is [email protected] and he works 6 days a week so you should get a fast reply. If you like, tell him Doreen suggested you contact him. I've had two messages from him since returning and he is really a great person to work with.

Skitrees: Regarding deposit, with GAT they requested 1/2 the tour cost via wire transfer a few months before our trip. Balance was paid after arrival and we each used a credit card. My wire took only a couple of days thru Wells Fargo. My friend in Chicago used another bank for her share and there were a couple of problems