godin

Hi AZEBS
Thanks for your response. I have been in contact with Elizabeth and I have started planning my trip with Ahmed. I have not finalised my itinerary but it is starting to look good.
godin

valerieg

AZEBS
Thanks so much for your detailed report with Ahmed. My husband and I are using him for our trip in November. Question on tipping guides. What amount did you consider a generous tip say for a full day of touring with a really good guide? I really have no idea what the "norm" is....

angel025

Hi AZEBS,

Can I email you directly in regards to pricing of the trip.

Thanks.

AZEBS

Sorry I haven't been responding, but we were traveling again, without access to email. Just got back. I'd be glad to have you contact me directly about tipping and costs. We took the position that Ahmed had saved us so much on our trip that we wanted to share back some of this savings for the wonderful experience he delivered. You can email me at beth dot sbdirect at gmail dot com.

BeniciaChris

AZEBS-I loved your report. I took copious notes. I am a timeshaqre owner & just recently got an exchange for a week in Hurghada on the Red Sea. I want to follow your path & go to Cairo-Abu Simbel and go on a cruise on the Nile. YOur guide Ahmed sounds fantastic. I have E-mailed you direct to get info on prices & tipping. In case you didn't get my E-mail it is [email protected]
Also does Ahmed make all the hotel reservations and flight arrangements.
We are not going until October 2010-so I am in the newly planning stages. I have also requested a trade in Jordan or Israel-we'll see what comes up-Thanks Cahris

Mamaw

Your pictures are amazing! Some of the most beautiful shots. Especially the ones from France.

I am enjoying your TR sooo much. Thank you for taking the time to put it on fodors.

Theresa in Detroit

BeniciaChris

tripgirl-When you go to Turkey ,are you going to Cappadocia?? If you and if you need we had a wonderful guide there. It is a magical place-we went on a hot air balloon ride & stayed in a cave hotel.
Also if you need a name of a hotel in Istanbul we had a wonderful one there that I found in my National Geographic TRavel magazine.
Again AZEBS thanks for your wonderful report the pictures and the guide reccomondation. I have E-mailed him-told him not to think I was crazy since we wern't going till October 2010.This is the best site for information-Chris

ekscrunchy

What a wonderful report! Many thanks.

Deepab

My husband and I just got back from a trip that we booked through Ahmed after reading some great reviews...he was everything people have described him to be. Ours was a combination of 3-5 star places including a 5 star deluxe cruise with private A/C minivans and guides all through. Would highly recommend him to anyone who is planning a trip to Egypt.

momdoc

After reviewing this and others,my family of my husband and myself and our 3 sons ages 20-28,just returned after a week in Egypt,a wonderful trip arranged by the King of Guides,Ahmed Hameed Yousif[e mail [email protected]]
We decided on this trip around the 5th of December,I e mailed Ahmed who managed to have the whole trip planned with stays at the Mena House for 2 nights on the way in where he got us 3 rooms in a 'sold out' hotel for New Year's eve,tickets for the New Year's eve gala,a 3 night Nile cruise on the 5 * Al Kahilla, a night at the Grand Hyatt on the way back,arranged the pick ups,private mini vans,private guides at all stops and personally met us on the way in, took us to all the sites we wanted to visit,Islamic,Coptic,pyramids, museum.The private guide Nadeem we had on the cruise had such an exceptional knowledge of all those amazing temples,it was incredible.We even managed to fly to Abu Simbel on the morning of the cruise.Ahmed is truly an exceptional guide and I would have no hesitation in recommending him highly.A Big Thank You to all those who recommended him on this site previously.
I have to also mention Ms. Hind of Millrun Tours,in NY,NY212-486-9840,whose persistence enabled us to have 5 confirmed tickets on all our Egyptair flights at such short notice.
Shukran to all.

TC

AZEBS, Thank you so much for this thoughtful report. I had thought of going to Egypt and really given it up as currently a fearful locale. However, your report is making me reconsider. It sounds just perfect.

I have another question for you. Our taste in travel sound perfectly aligned and I would love to hear more about your 10 trips to Africa. We did the typical Kenya/Tanzania safari a few years back, but are planning to return for our 40 anniversary next year and would like to do something a bit more independent. I would be most appreciative of your suggestions for an Africa expert such as Ahmed or any other advice you might share.

You may reach me privately at [email protected] if you so desire.

Thank you.

MsTravel

Just want to add my recommendation for Ahmed Hamed Yousif ([email protected]). Myself & 2 of my girfriends enjoyed a wonderful 2 week trip to Egypt (with a 3-nite jaunt to Jordan) in October 2008 which I booked independently using Ahmed as our private tour arranger. I started planning our trip almost 9 months beforehand and I emailed Ahmed as soon as I had a rough idea of the itinerary we wanted. He emailed me back surprisingly quickly with suggestions & answers to all my questions. Having traveled independently all over the world, I was perhaps more involved in researching the tiny details of our itinerary than most tourists, but as it turned out, I found that Ahmed’s advice & experience can be relied upon completely, freeing you to simply enjoy the ride. Once he is clear about your wishes, budget and timeframe, you can pretty much leave it up to Ahmed to craft a memorable visit for you, and all at a price that is less than you would expect for such personal service. Working with Ahmed is truly like having a friend in Cairo.

In answer to your question about recommendations for Kenya/Tanzania safari tour arrangers, I would unhesitantly recommend Roy Safaris located in Arusha, Tanzania. Again, I planned a private, 2-week safari for 2 persons with Roy Safaris and it was truly a perfect trip-of-a-lifetime. They are a local, family-owned safari operation with very high standards. Their vehicles are superbly maintained, their guides incredibly well-versed in flora, fauna, culture, geography - and speak 4-5 languages on top of it all. Check out their website (http://www.roysafaris.com/roy.html), but more importantly, send them an email as soon as you have an idea about your budget, timeframe & itinerary.

Leslie_S

bookmarking

dutyfree

Thanks Beth for a fabulous trip report. I am planning a very last minute trip to Egypt and Jordan and your tips are helping me in my planning with Ahmed-he sounds wonderful!

KateGilbert

Hi AZEBS and others,
I am planning a trip to Egypt for the spring of 2011. I see that most of these posts date back to 2008. Does anybody know if Amhed is still guiding, and is still highly recommended as he was before? Any other thoughts or information about guides?
Thank you for your thorough and helpful description of your trip -- the most helpful thing I've read so far in planning our trip.

KateGilbert

Elizabeth_S

Hi KateGilbert - yes, Ahmed is still guiding and I have had many email conversations with happy customers of his - feel free to email me at

eseibertca AT yahoo DOT ca

Have you seen our blog?

http://lizandrichardsa.typepad.com/l...8_adv/b_cairo/

dutyfree

Do a comparison between Ahmed and others on the exact same trip as you might be surprised to see the price differences.