vickiebypass

Fodorites - I am trying to plan a 2024 trip to Egypt (Cairo and Nile/Aswan/Luxor - not Alexandria or Red Sea resorts) and need some guidance from the experts! In all my prior travels, I have always planned and travelled on my own but as a solo woman (mid-60's) I am not comfortable doing that in Egypt. I have perused trip reports from several Fodorites who have done Egypt independently very successfully, but I know my limitations! I am hoping I can create an itinerary that allows me do a combination of a Nile cruise (5-7 days) AND separate, distinct tours to the non-Nile sites I want to see. The reason I'm looking for one-off "day tours" is to get more time at these sites than is allotted on traditional tours (e.g. OAT, Road Scholar, Nat Geo, etc.). Please bear with me as I try to explain what I'm looking for; these are the specific sites I've identified where I'd like to spend more time with a guide/driver :

• Giza & Sphinx (solar boat musuem too?) - 4 hours?
• Saqqara - from the trip reports I've read, there's so much to see that I'd like to spend a full day here
• Fly to Luxor for Karnak (will probably to use a tour company to arrange the flight and drive to Cairo airport/from Luxor airport to hotel (TBD). Would like half a day at Karnak).
• West Bank of Nile - want two days to see Valley of the Kings, Howard Carter's home, Hatshepsut's Temple, and the Colossi of Memnon. Day two included Madinat Habu, the Valley of the Nobles, the Ramesseum, and the Valley of the Queens
• Nile Cruise (TBD)
• Abu Simbel: would like to fly one way and do coach/car the other way.
• Aswan: thinking about staying at Old Cataract Hotel but open to other ideas. Want to visit Nubian Museum, Philae Temple & Elephantine Island. I think one of the Fodorites' TR talked about staying at a Movenpick hotel on Elephantine Island - that sounded wonderful!)

Rather than a private, one on one guide, I would prefer to join planned tours with other people and a guide who can provide historical, educational information about the sites. So, I'm not looking for quick/cheap "tick off the boxes" tours with shills, shopping, tea, etc.

The reason I don't want a private guide just for me is the pressure I would feel to talk with him/her & always be "upbeat"; I'm used to my own company and like absorbing historic sites in peace & quite but yet I want to know what I'm looking at and why it's significant! I looked at Viator briefly, but don't want to just book anyone who writes a nice blurb or has an attractive website...hence I'm hoping you'll understand what I'm looking for and will have suggestions.

Thank you in advance! (In terms of the time of year, I'm thinking October or March to reduce crowds, possibly lower rates and not crazy heat/humidity but am flexible.)

vickiebypass

I realized that my message isn't clear about what I'm looking for, so I hope this clarifies it! . I would appreciate any recommendations for tour companies you've had experience with, particularly if you used them for specific pieces of a trip. I hope that there are tour companies who offer tours that are "a day at Saqqara" or "a day on the West Bank of the Nile" and I could join that day's tour. If there is a tour company who operates in Cairo and all these areas that would be easier than using different companies in each area. I'm also fine with using a tour company to book my hotel stays (I'll tell them my hotel preferences) and arrange logistics of getting to/from places. I hope what I want exists......if not, I can just book a Road Scholar or OAT tour and bite my tongue when we leave Saqqara after an hour! Thanks for considering.

progol

vickiebypass,
I understand what you’re looking for and get what you’re saying. I’m honestly not quite sure how you would put together what is essentially a custom trip but within small groups travel. I would write to several of the Egyptian travel companies to see if they have day trips in places you want to visit and see if they have small day tours to those places you’re interested in. From my experience, the agencies are pretty flexible how they work with clients. I used Djed (excellent on the ground, a little slow in communication); others have praised Go Luxor; and at at least one person on this board (tripplanner) has used Real Egypt. If any of them do provide the type of day tours you’re interested in, you could then work with them to provide the additional services you’d like.

You’re probably seeing my TR now as I’m the one who stayed at the Movenpick on Elephantine Island (by the way, if money is no object, I’d stay in Old Cataract over Movenpick). My husband and I did a custom trip with Djed; in Egypt, we were always accompanied by a guide and driver. They are very good about not always engaging in conversation in the car/van, though I do appreciate that this can be awkward if alone.

We were in Egypt at the end of an October through mid-November; I’d be very surprised if even early October would have very reduced crowds. The main sites will be crowded unless you go very early (or possibly very late). Egypt is very popular and travel has been booming. Friends went in December and it was less crowded (though surprisingly, hotter than when we went); and another friend went in March. It seemed perhaps a tiny bit less busy at the sites than when we were there, but it really depended where and when. The point is that the main sites are busy.

But surprisingly, I never found the heat too intense - and I’m very sensitive to heat, particularly humidity. I recall it only bothered me once, and that was mid-day in Aswan. The rest of the time, I found it manageable.

MmePerdu

Hi vickiebypass. You may have also seen my trip reports, I also stayed at the Movenpick & liked it very much. My trip, single woman, early 70s at the time, planned much as you seem to indicate wanting & I considered it a great success. I had a very low-key guide in Cairo & environs & recommend him, contact information at the end of the Cairo segments. The entire report is here:

https://www.travelgumbo.com/blog/portmoresby-in-egypt

One thing I’ll point out is the possibility of engaging guides or just private transport to sites after arrival at a given city, though planning ahead for Cairo I think would be best. I don’t think you need a middleman in general and might even do better price wise by booking things yourself online and after arrival. Trip Advisor has a very active & knowledgeable group on their Egypt forums who were hugely helpful to me while I was planning. Have a wonderful time planning your trip & if you read my stories in the link above & have questions I’d be happy to elaborate for you.

progol

FYI - one of the guides we had (and loved) is now running his own business. He’s in Luxor but has contacts throughout Egypt. Another Fodorite used him (carrom) and found his services very professional. If we go back I would definitely use him.

vickiebypass

MmePerdu and Progol - thank you for your thoughtful responses. Yes, I read both your TRs (and others) which were what inspired me to visit Egypt. I will peruse the TA Egypt forum and then contact the guides you both mentioned. I don't want to confuse them with a rambling message (!) so how do you think I should phrase my question about whether they offer day tours, including other people, to the sites I'm interested in? Once I have a starting point I can plan a draft itinerary including hotels and the Nile cruise.

MmePerdu

I'm not really clear about your request for "day tours, including other people." Ahmed is in Cairo and as far as I know, would not attach you to a group. But you could ask. He's kind, quiet, professional, doesn't engage in "chat" and I enjoyed his company as a result. I explained by email exactly what I wanted to see, in the case of the house museums he wasn't specifically familiar with them but agreed to take me after some discussion. I suggest you do the same, say what you'd like to see and defer to his judgement about the time needed for the various sites. We discussed having a driver but in the end just used his car which I liked, no fuss, nice & low key.

I'm not big on groups or guides usually but enjoyed seeing most sites on my own with local transport arranged as I went, including the Nile cruise that included several stops for temples, some on your list. I booked it through a local travel agent, a friend of my English apartment rental hosts in Luxor. Excluding Cairo with Ahmed my usual approach of playing it as I go worked just fine and I saw everything I'd hoped to see.

progol

MmePerdu’s advice is excellent. As I was mulling over your question, it occured to me that even in a day tour, you’re going to be limited to the length of time that the tour allows one to have at a specific site. If you want the flexibility of seeing it on your own, someone like MmePerdu’s guide would be ideal. You go at your own pace, which you would not do even in the smallest tour group.

FYI, the Solar Boat museum doesn’t exist anymore. It was dismantled and relocated to the new GEM (new museum), which is reported to be fully open by the end of 2023.

vickiebypass

Hmmm, I hadn't thought about day tours having a time limit at sites so thanks for raising that! I think first thing is that need research to come up with a draft plan of what I want to see & for how long. This might be a dumb question, but do some sites not allow guides inside the site? I thought I read something about that but maybe not.... I'm a very capable independent traveller and should be able to adapt on the ground, in terms of hiring a driver, guide, etc. I think I got caught up in the "you can't do Egypt on your own since you'll be harassed, ripped off, etc" conversation and forgot what research and common sense can accomplish! I'm not planning on spending any time in Cairo (other than the airport & Giza), so that eases my mind already (I know, people are probably shuddering at skipping Cairo but I know what I want). I looked at the TA forum and it is very active with many knowledgeable posters, so that combined w/Fodorites will be a good way for me to build my Egypt and have it troubleshooted (shot?).

I will re-read both your trip reports from the perspective of an upcoming traveller versus a curious soul.

progol

Guides aren’t allowed in tombs or in the temple at Abu Simbel. They are allowed on large sites (ie, Valley of the Kings) and can walk people from tomb to tomb and can give an explanation prior to entering the tomb of what to expect. The reason, I believe, is to keep a flow of people moving and to avoid holding up other tourists from viewing the site. The tombs are essentially small spaces and, understandably, very popular, and if guides are allowed in, it could cause backups.

In a few places, you might find a local within a specific site who will provide information “unofficially”. If you engage with them, a tip is expected.