February 2010

Just wanted to let you know that our Grand Egypt Tour was just that....GRAND! From the moment we stepped off the plane in Cairo to our final days of the tour we were well taken care of by the ground personnel, drivers and Egyptologists. And the best part of all...our group consisted of Jerry and me. Talk about feeling special!
Special thanks: To Romi who took such good care of us in Cairo and Alexandria and held our hands while dodging traffic. To Ashraf who was an incredible Egyptologist and took care of us during our cruise. His love of Egypt and it's history was evident. To Mrs. Marwa who guided us through Alexandria and let us wander and explore at a relaxed pace.
We returned home with so many fond memories...not to mention so many pictures and movies that we could make a documentary.
Thanks Travel Egypt for making it all possible...
Rick K
Jerry P

We just came back from our trip with Travel Egypt and everything was wonderful. Our accommodations and guides were all first rate. We really enjoyed our time with Minil in Cairo and George in Luxor. They shared so much knowledge with us and local culture. We would highly recommend them to any of our friends who want to travel to Egypt and Jordan. Petra was magnificent and our guide was an archeologist that had actually discovered a lost relief at the site. Not only were the guides great, we also had excellent drivers to navigate us through the complex traffic which is Egypt and representatives that made sure we got through customs and to the airports.

We were scheduled to go home on 2/22/10 the first leg on Lufthansa which was scheduled to strike that day. Minil and Rommy our representative contacted the airline for us and gave us a direct number to call should we have any issues. Travel Egypt made us feel safe and we knew if we had them to call on we would get home.
Dan & Yvonna L.

November 2009

We had an awesome time. Ahmed did a great job he was always on time and very pleasant, the tours were fantastic, we will definitely be returning to Egypt, thanks to the wonderful service.
Carol and Moe O.

Great tour guide, very knowledgeable and wonderful personality highly recommended.
Dynasty Travel
Houston, TX

The tour guides were outstanding, among the best I have had, any where. Hotels were excellent, ship was new and room was great, overall an excellent experience, I will recommend Travel Egypt to others.
Robert S

We had an amazing trip. We felt very well taken care of at all of our locations. The guides were exceptional, not only were they informative, but a true pleasure to meet and spend time with during our stay. Our trip was so wonderful we want to come back to Egypt and send all of our friends. All of your staff were extremely efficient and professional. Abdu, the guide at Abu Simbel provided very good information.
Amy and Frances

We arrived home safe and a smooth flight. Menal, thank you for your prayers and your personal touch. You are an amazing hard working lady who is dedicated to her job and her culture and country.
From TravelEgypt's dedicated effort to produce a perfect package....to ...Terry and Melody who were modest to say the least. They said.... me and my group would be well taken care of ....as so we were!
We ( our group) all have gained a different view of Egypt seeing it through your eyes! Thank you for bringing a new dimension to these 26 American clients. "Dreams came true on this journey ...this "timeless land of the Pharaohs".
Our clients have sent me some loving reviews of their fabulous trip to Egypt.
I look forward to working with you in the very near future. Until we meet again, God Bless you and your family,
Helaine Z.
Alpha J Travel

Cairo: we have only good things to say about this city, its people and our stay. Rami and madam siham were informative and very friendly, always professional and made our trip truly enjoyable.
Rami gave us a great window into Egyptian culture and hospitality. Siham clearly enjoys giving tours and her enthusiasm is contajious. We can’t wait to come back and hope to see them both when we do! Of particular note was Rami’s willingness to visit a less- frequented place with us – Al – Azhar Park – and spend time talking about everyday life in Egypt. Thanks Rami.

Luxor: we enjoyed visiting the sites with their incredible scope and amazingly well-preserved colors hieroglyphics, and architecture. We especially enjoyed visiting medinat Habu, valley of the kings, and the tombs of the nobles, and the workers’ village.
Josh P and Flora E

October 2009

As Salamu Alaikum, to you and your family,
I arrived safely and so was all of the others in the group, we cannot stop talking about you , your knowledge, Egypt and how much we gained from you. I guess my husband only hears me talking about Egypt and you, by now I think he knows you. I spoke to Melody and I told her about the group and I am requesting you to take care of them , Inshaallah, I have spoken to the group leader here and I will be meeting with him to give him some more information. My husband is also anxious to see Egypt.
Bibi H
Dynasty Travel

June 2009

Hi Carson,
I just wanted to thank you for helping me select The Royal Lily. The boat was beautiful, modern and extremely well kept. The staff was lovely as were the guests. There were 32 guests on board. We were put in a group of 11. 9 of us sat together for our meals as we really hit it off. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and fantastic. My kids really enjoyed it too. The tour schedule was perfect. We would not have been able to do more as it was so hot (115).
Anyway, thank you for your help. It was wonderful!
Amie

Terry,
We have just returned from our trip to Egypt and we had a fabulous time. Your staff is very professional, thorough and suited our small group travel style. The quality of the hotels, Nile cruiser and trip overall exceeded my expectations. Since you don't know me, you don't know how monumental that is!

A big part of what made our trip so memorable is Manal. She is very knowledgeable, has a passion for what she does, has a great sense of humor, keeps everything under control with seamless effort and makes everything fun.

We typically travel independently but I think that would have been challenging in Egypt. So thank you for making our trip such a pleasant experience.

Vickie V.

May 2009

The much awaited day has arrived -- you are so excited to start your 4-day Nile cruise from Aswan to Luxor on board the Royal Lotus! But what's this? Travel Egypt changed our ship to the Royal Lily? At first a bit anxious but then you are elated - this is an upgrade to the best and newest ship in the line and it is a beauty!
NOTE: While there is no way to ever guarantee free upgrades we are always trying for our clients at hotels and cruises.

Nile cruise ships are not the sleek mega cruise ships but rather specifically designed boxy smaller ships that buddy up in port to each other, lining up their doors such that you may have to walk through three ships to get to yours! But you think the Royal Lily is the best one of them all! It is beautifully decorated in an Asian style with browns and lavendar. Your stateroom is spacious compared to regular cruise ship cabins, and the bathroom with full tub and ceramic bowl sink is closed by a shoji door! But the best is yet to come. As you enter the small but elegant dining room, an international buffet awaits with pasta chef front and center wearing his tall pristine white chef hat. Your table is #12 and it is black wood with beige runners with fresh flowers. You meet Salah the dining room manager who welcomes you and then you join your companions gleefully filling your plate from the artistically displayed salads, breads, main dishes and desserts. We gratefully give thanks to God for his gift "exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could ask or think!"

The four days go quickly but are so full that you feel like it is at least a week. The excursions are all included and you visit the famous pink granite quarries of Aswan where all the material came from for the ancient 3000 year old Egyptian statues, temples and obelisks (incredibly tall four sided tapering column topped with a pyramid shape carved from one piece of granite, the top originally covered in gold and silver). You visit the temples of Kom Ombo, Karnak and Luxor where every inch of the temples, built from the Holy of Holies outward, are covered in carving and hierglyphs and originally fully and colorfully painted. But you think the best excursions were the two to Hepshepsut's temple (one of only three women pharoahs) a huge white three tiered temple with hundreds of columns and a great central ramp, and the excursion to the Valley of the Kings and Queens where you got to visit King Tut's tomb and others even more elaborately decorated!

Then there was Egyptian night on board ship. You put on the long sleeved full length outfit you had purchased earlier on one of your bargaining adventures at the souk (market). It is a lovely cranberry color with gold braided trim. Jeff has a matching color traditional robe with a white turban. Tom wears a rakish bedouin white scarf ala Yasser Arafat. Cheryl is bedecked in turquoise splendor. Off to the Egyptian buffet feast you go followed by silly fun games (Picture full grown macho men tied with a rope around the waist that dangles between the legs at the end of which is a foil wrapped potato. They then swing their hips in such a rhythm as to hopefully cause the swinging potato to contact a foil wrapped potato on the floor and propel it across to the other side!) and conga line dancing. Other nights you enjoy the belly dancing and colorful whirling dervish dancing by a man twirling round and round, swirling colorful skirts up high like a top so that you do not even see him.

It ends all too soon, this wonderful Egyptian journey and now you are recovering from a cold and sore ribs at the home of your daughter in California but with lasting memories of a friendly land where everyone says, "Where are you from? Welcome to Egypt!", where you quibble over 3 Egyptian pounds and then realize it is only 60 cents, where the food is so flavorful that you understand the passage in the Bible where the people of Israel are complaining about the honey flavored manna that God supplies them in the desert and say, "We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic..." (Numbers 11:5).

Shokran (thank you) for your prayers.

With love and aloha,
Linda (and Jeff)

April 2009

Dear Travel Egypt,
We are back in the States after a GREAT trip through your Company that began on April 20th. We were the only two on tour through the entire trip and have nothing to say but great things about our trip; from the time we arrived in Cairo till the morning we departed for Paris. Your staff in Egypt is exceptional in every possible way--meet and great, prompt, very friendly, very knowledgeable and always seeking to please their clients. We've been on several tours in Europe and the Orient but yours is the best we've experienced. Please pass this on to Afifi El Shimy. Everyone was outstanding but we'd like to mention our tour guide from Aswan to Luxor named Emile. He was with us for almost 4 days and the best guide we've ever had on any trip or tour.
Thanks again.
Frank and Norva

Hi. I just wanted to drop you a note to tell you what a fantastic trip we had. We hadn't realized that our tour would be private, but now we see how we misread the description (your literature states groups of 2-16, but now we realize that this was our choice!). On the flight home we discussed how could we have made such a good choice in tour groups! We were very pleased and felt quite fortunate to have been so well cared for.

Having "handlers" keep track of us left us worry free to enjoy the days. Mohammed took care of everything in Cairo and Menal was a fabulous guide. We were very fortunate to run into Zahi Hawwas, Secretary General of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, at the Imhoptep Museum! He was so kind to take a moment to chat with us and pose for a picture with our daughter. The rest of the week was busy and wonderful. The Guide for our Southern (Upper) Egypt was George and he was warm and informing.

The only suggestion for improvement that we could offer would be regarding accommodations. The Basma Hotel was beautifully located, but sorely outdated. Perhaps an option there might be the Ms. Basma - right next door and it appeared to be more up to date. You were totally right about the condition of the trains...my husband wished we had missed that "opportunity," but it was a must-do for my daughter and I. We survived it anyway :)

HUGE success and thank you for your services.
Kathy P. and Family

March 2009

I would like to express my thanks for a wonderful trip. Renita, Angela, Thommi, and I had a fabulous time. We would like to specifically thank our guides, Hassan and George, and our transporters, Mohammad and Mohammad. They did an excellent job!

Thanks again! We will definitely refer you to our friends and family who would like to visit Egypt.
Donna N

February 2009

I returned last week from a most perfect trip to Jordan and Egypt, thanks to the sterling planning and support of Travel Egypt. I am so grateful that a friend of my brother, recommended the company so enthusiastically, and that I chose the company to put together my trip.
Every aspect of the company’s activity was excellently done. I never once felt concerned that I was not in capable and dependable hands. Every commitment the company made to have someone meet me, drive me, guide me, etc. was carried out to the letter. This outstanding service made the trip so much more enjoyable and with so much less anxiety than might have otherwise been the case.
Most important, each coordinator, guide, driver and other person associated with Travel Egypt I met were not only exceptionally professional in their work, but were also among the nicest, most enthusiastic and knowledgeable people I could have hoped to meet. Whether I had a little or a lot of time with them, each one was incredibly helpful, informative, reliable and genuinely fine people. I brought home with me all of their smiles, as well as their and love of Egypt or Jordan and their delight at sharing their countries with visitors like me. Those smiles and personal relationships will stay with me always. They, and their owners, are now like friends – and I’m so very grateful for their friendship. I know you know all of this, because you had the wisdom to employ them. But I figure it’s always nice to have one’s wisdom confirmed about the people one has hired!
Because of the particular time I was able to spend with them, I would like to extend particular thanks and acknowledgement to a few individuals:
In Cairo –
· Mr. Mohammed Gamal, for his heroic performance (and incredibly long hours) waiting for me at the airport and sitting with me at the Giza station waiting for my train to Aswan. (Also for his patience and understanding when I got off at the wrong train station coming back from Luxor.) But especially, my thanks for sharing his philosophy about taking care of the company’s clients, and his enthusiasm for the company and the opportunities it gives to introduce people like me to the wonders of Egypt, both ancient and modern.
· Manal (I apologize for not having her last name), for her deep knowledge of all the sites we visited in Cairo, for her humor, for pointing out the best places for me to take photos, and especially for her stories and insights into ancient and modern Egyptian culture.
In Aswan and Luxor –
· Mr. George Hanna, for showing me the sites from Aswan to Luxor, for all our conversations which were so educational to me, and for his extensive knowledge of the history and characteristics of the sites we visited. He was an outstanding guide and an excellent travelling companion.
· Bessel in Aswan, Mahmoud in Luxor, and the support in Abu Simbel – They all took perfect care of me, getting me everywhere I needed to be when I needed to be there. Particular thanks to Bessel for finding me bandages at the pharmacy and interpreting the Arabic at the Arab-African Bank ATM when I desperately needed cash!
To all the Egyptian drivers - I can’t imagine the skill, patience, alertness and endurance it takes to navigate Egyptian traffic, particularly in Cairo. I quickly realized that Travel Egypt uses only the best drivers, and that, thanks to them, I would survive the traffic and come home to tell the tales.
In Jordan –
· Mr. Mohammed Assaf, who was the driver provided by Green Arrow Travel, was outstanding. Despite the very short time I had in Jordan, I came away with a great deal of knowledge, respect and admiration for the country, its history and people, thanks to Mohammed. I felt at all times safe, and confident that he is an extremely mature, experienced and capable person who could have handled anything, even a big emergency. He was my first introduction to the quality of people Travel Egypt would deliver. That introduction couldn’t have been better. It made me totally confident of the quality of the support I would get from the company for the rest of the trip.
· Mr. Saleh Farajat – Thanks to Mohammed, I also was privileged to have Saleh as my guide in Petra. It is clear why he is recognized as one of the very top Petra guides. His knowledge of the area, and his ability to inform with stories, humor, wisdom and solid facts, made my much too short visit to Petra as complete, satisfying and enjoyable as I could possibly have hoped.
Again, my sincere thanks to you and all of your staff for a perfect trip. I am hugely impressed by the quality of the people and service provided by Travel Egypt. I am praising the company to friends, encouraging them all to visit Egypt and Jordan in Travel Egypt’s very capable hands.
Sincerely,
Kit A.

Dear Carson,
My wife wanted me to write you this e-mail to let you know how much we appreciated the quality of service we received. Our entire trip to Egypt was excellent. The three night cruise you provided couldn't have been better.
The people who picked us up and delivered us to and from the hotel and boat were punctual, polite and helpful. Its great to have such service when as a tourist you have no idea in a new country whose language you don't speak. The meet and assist people and their drivers were great.
EgyptAir was on time and as good or better than most of our airlines.
The Ramadis II was an excellent riverboat as you had said and also as you had said Movenpick, the Owner certainly provides excellent food in variety, selection and quality.
The Egyptologists who escorted us on tours spoke excellent English. They were very knowledgeable and added a great deal to the quality of our experience.
Thanks again and please feel free to use us for references. I can assure you we will recommend you to any of our friends who ask.
Charlie Weidner

January 2009

Wanted to let you know the trip was fantastic! We got to see everything as noted except the boat museum which slipped by each of us. We had as nice weather as one could want. Overall the Egyptian guides were very good but spoke English with strong accents and a bit fast. The guide in Jordan was great, very good English, and most helpful to the wife with horse and donkey rides.
The coordinator in Cairo (Mohammed) was one of the best we have encountered in our many trips abroad. And, he is now considered part of the family.
What a difference in the way the Egyptians and Jordanians live. It is like stepping from the 1500s to the 21st century. Extreme contrasts in everything.
Our favorite stay was at the Mena House. The original room was nice and overlooked the pyramids and gardens. The manager upgraded us to a suite as our first room was going to be too close to a party and they did want us to be disturbed. The suite was fabulous and the view as well.
The St. George is a great boat. In fact, once the guides learned we going on it, they believed it to be the number one boat on the Nile. The only problem was the food. Several people got sick from eating greens, etc. We did not have any problems as we learned the old adage to not eat anything washed in local water or could not be peeled.
Overall (for the entire trip), the food was good but rather bland for us.
The other highlight hotel was the Marriott in Cairo. What a beautiful place. And the food was the best we had in Egypt.
Getting up at 3:30 am to visit Abu Simbal was not fun but it was worth it. The angle of the sun was great and the setting is beautiful. It is difficult to grasp moving the temple from it's original location.
Petra was more than expected. Photos do not do the "city" justice. We spent the whole day there and enjoyed it immensely. On our last day, we decided to leave early and spend some time at the Dead Sea. The guide made the arrangements and the additional cost was nominal. Now we can say we were in the lowest location on land.
We could go on and on about how great the trip was but these are once in a lifetime memories and we appreciate Travel Egypt putting together a wonderful trip.
We certainly would recommend Travel Egypt as a great representative.
Thanks ever so much,
John and Earlene S

When we arrived in Cairo Jan 2009 - an experience of a lifetime began. Mohamed met us as we entered the Airport, we immediately felt welcomed. Everything in Cairo was professional and spectacularly done - we had no worries. Manal was the best guide as Mohamed had said; our trip will long be remembered and certainly we hope more Americans can experience this with Travel Egypt.
Eric F. and Judith L.

December 2008

We just returned from our trip to Egypt; we had a wonderful time and your guides were great. Not really impressed with the 1st class train but the boat sure made up for it. I would like to contact your guide in Cairo, Minel (sp). She said remember her name as being the capitol of the Philippines. Minel was extremely professional and had that special ability to read into eyes and expressions just how much information a guest needed to have a pleasant experience. She is well educated and has an excellent grasp of the English language. She protected us from all outside distractions and did all of our bartering as a mother would do for her children.

We will be sharing information about our trip and Travel Egypt with many of our friends. They were waiting for our report as many hesitated to plan a trip based on possible dangers. Rest assured our recommendation of Travel Egypt will be a very positive one. Having not knowing what we were getting into, Minel, was quick to assure us of the first class company Travel Egypt was. She is a great fan of yours.
Bill & Jo G

Thank you very much for the awesome tour. It's hard to say what I liked because thankfully, I liked it all. Egypt is an amazing country and I would love to be able to come back and visit and take this tour again with my children. I would like to thank you for making this tour such as amazing tour, and I would like to thank our driver for such an amazing drive and also making this trip very enjoyable. I hope to return to Egypt!

Thank you.
S Tompkins

Thanks for a great tour it was a blast, thank you for your hospitality and showing us the great sites of Sinai. May god bless you this year of 2009 and make your way prosperous.

Your friend,
T Tompkins

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for the arrangements you made possible for us. For sure Egypt is the most mystical place on earth, and we enjoyed every minute of it as well as the impeccable service from your Egypt staff. Please forward my greetings to them.

In the near future we will like to continue the journey through out Egypt and visit the Abu Simbel Temple, which was a big mistake not to be include in our itinerary since we were in Aswan. The Sinai, which will give my son the great experience of camping in the desert and interacting with the Bedouins and the magic of the Ten Commandment history. We also would like to visit Petra on this trip. The second next possibility will be Turkey and Greece.

We also want to let you know our experience with the hotels and for the future we prefer hotels like the Fairmont or Renaissance and probably the Sheraton and the Marriott. These are much better hotels in many aspects than the Intercontinental or Le Meridian.

The Over night train is a great experience if the were to keep it clean. For us to spend the New Year's in it was dramatic especially for our wives. Unless there is a better train that we did not know about. I feel that if you get to know us a little better we could be more assertive with our future trips.

Thank you again for your help to make this dream trip come through.
John C

November 2008

Thanks for ALL the help with the Egypt trip! We had a fabulous time! All went very smoothly, and I have received very positive comments from our group. I can't tell you how much we enjoyed our Egyptologist, Manal! She was the BEST! She anticipated our every need, and went the extra mile by accompanying us on shopping trips to the market, helping us barter, and helping us order custom cartouches for gifts to take home. She also helped our whole group get outfitted for the galabaya party when the vendors swarmed our boat at the locks! She kept our group together in crowded places, explained things clearly, and answered many, many questions. I especially appreciated the fact that she didn't smoke.

Everyone LOVED the Mena House, and our honeymooners were given the Honeymoon Suite! It was definitely a great way to start the trip! We walked to the pyramids the first day, and scouted out the area, which was lots of fun.
The Movenpick in Aswan is a superb hotel also! Everyone enjoyed it, and wished we could stay longer. I also enjoyed the Queen of Hansa. I felt it was a good value for the money. The rooms were spacious and nicely decorated. The food was good, but not outstanding. We did have a few pax who took their turn with nausea/diarrhea.

Our guide, Manal, was very complimentary of your company. She indicated that she had worked for many companies over the years, and she appreciates your organization and attention to detail. I have to agree with her. We had an awesome time.

D Grossnickle

October 2008

I just returned from my trip to Egypt and Jordan and it was outstanding. I traveled alone and every guide was there to met me and ensure my safety. My guides were awesome. They were there for me at all times. Mohammed (Cairo) sat with me for 4 hours till my plane left. What a trip!!!

D. Levi

Well back from Egypt and a truly amazing experience! Just wanted to send you a hello and give praise to the people that helped us and showed us around!

The Young Man "Muhamed Abad Satch" was our main person while there! He is such a first class Young Man and a pleasure to spend time with! He was prompt and there every day just as he promised and on time always! Add to the fact that he is just a first class kind hearted person, he was just simply a joy to spend time with!

As for our guide during the Cruise, "Mohammed Farouk" just made the touring of the site all the more special! Such a educated man, his ability to explain all we were seeing just made the sites 10 fold more exciting to visit! His knowledge and ability to explain what we were seeing just added to the overall experience! I do feel so blessed and lucky to have had Farouk as our guide and I would recommend him to anyone taking your tours! His knowledge was wonderful and add that his personality was so great to be with, again just made the experience that much greater for us!

Please share with all you people in Egypt my words, so they understand how lucky they are to have these 2 men working for them! All who we had help us or drive us or the other guides we had, all were so very great and your company can be proud of the people that are representing your business!

G. Krause

August 2008

Hello Terry,
It´s a pleasure to write you again. Just to let you know that the trip to Egypt was amazing, everything was extremely organized, every detail was perfect, and the guides were incredible, with a lot of knowledge. It was an unforgettable trip, we learned what we didn´t in years, and more than expected.
I want to thank you again for everything, it was a pleasure to plan everything with you.

Regards,
Tatiana D.

July 2008

Wanted to say your part of making our trip to Egypt was very positive and things went smooth. The Guides were good: Manal was super with everything she did and she extended herself with little things that made us feel very comfortable. The young man Mena who traveled with us from Luxor to Aswan was OK, but his English for me was difficult to relate too. My traveling companion was able understand easier than myself. Mena seem to telling us as if it was memorized script and it didn't come across naturally and as smooth as Manal's delivery.
Manal's boss met us at the Airport on our return trip to Cairo last Friday, and he was a guy to knew how to treat Mid West American with humor and professional. He was Great...we only spent a short time with us, but we were able to communicate on the same level very easy and quickly. Give him a "pat on the back" from me.
Only down side was that we had to wait for the car and drive when we left the boat at Aswan: The car and driver was 35 minutes late...they were apologetic but still not punctual. Punctuality is just one my personal expectations we I travel unfortunately.
Thanks again for being such a good organizer Terry...Manal says my stature and face resembles you and it was easy for her to locate me on our return trip to Cairo last Friday. So that may mean you may a twin look a like?
Charles L.

June 2008

Egypt Extraordinaire!

Whether it was via plane, horse, camel, felucca, motorboat, car, or van, Travel Egypt was amazing. For two and a half weeks, I was treated with the utmost consideration and care, informed on local customs, traditions, and treated to the most extraordinary experience of my life. There were also measures taken to assure my comfort and safety, important factors regardless of destination.
Since I am writing a historical fiction novel partly taking place in Egypt during the Roman period, I was not the ordinary tourist. I had very specific needs and had to visit sites the usual visitor would either not know about or have no interest in seeing. Terry and Megan made sure those needs were met from the get-go. The staff in Egypt then took that information and assigned guides who would benefit me most. They made me feel at ease with cultural differences, the two of us forming a true partnership in learning together.
My Cairo Egyptologist Manal, previously worked with Zahi Hawass, Supreme Minister of Antiquities in Egypt. Her expertise in ancient Egyptian art, culture, and hieroglyphics was nothing less than impressive. In Alexandria, the city I most needed to see, Salwa specialized in Greco-Roman studies, introducing me to her own professor at the University of Alexandria, and explaining my work to staff at Le Centre des Etudes Alexandrine. I was welcomed and treated as though I were an honored guest instead of just dropping by, as we really were! My guide developed a plan to visit archaeological sites associated with my work where no tourists ever travel. As a result, I will be better able to visualize and verbally capture the material I'm covering, and consult newly established contacts in Egypt who can offer professional opinions and expertise.
Another positive aspect of Travel Egypt is how guides introduce visitors to the country through food, history, everyday life, worship, and celebrations. Mary, my excellent guide in Aswan took me to a local seafood restaurant and Salwa in Alexandria allowed me to join herself and her children for an evening of traditional Egyptian food, including pigeon! It was delicious!!!
Let me also emphasize how extremely secure I felt as a woman traveling alone. Both Mohammed and my driver, Tarek, were very security-minded and professional. Tarek deserves some medal of honor, driving in Cairo and Alexandria, where traffic can be a real shock to westerners! These two men worked as a team, together assuring my transportation was timely, safe, and entertaining.
Perhaps the most valuable reassurance concerning Travel Egypt is the planning behind each traveler's personal itinerary. Every detail was addressed, each representative of the company insisting I simply enjoy the journey while they handled my needs. Their excellent service, friendly demeanor, and flexibility were impressive and greatly appreciated.
I highly recommend Travel Egypt. They honor their responsibilities to the customer, making necessary changes to insure your Egyptian odyssey is the trip of a lifetime. Questions and communication are encouraged, Terry always quick to respond regarding inquiries and concerns of any nature.
If published, I will have a long list of names to acknowledge on the first pages of my book, thanking the many people who helped make my story a reality. They will include the incredible team of people who made Egypt the most rewarding of experiences: Terry, Megan, Affifi, Mohammed, Tarek, Manal, Mary, Emile, and Salwa.
Many, many thanks!

Margaret C.

Manal is an outstanding guide who can keep 34 people involved and connected which is quite a feat. She led with discipline but not compulsion, the mark of a great tour leader. Would ask for her again. Feel free to use me as a happy past customer. As a Hospitality Tourism Educator for over 16 years, I was very impressed.
Peter

Thank you for the outstanding tour. I received great feedback from out participants. Job well done.
Ron

I was quite confident that your company would do an excellent job, and now I'm happy to know that your staff in Egypt is as professional as your staff here. When you next talk to melody, please thank her as well for all of her attention to detail in planning this. I'm glad that we're working together on another trip in the near future.

Travel Agent Linda B.

April 2008

Thank you for a great time in Egypt. You took us to the great pyramids at Giza, the El Khalili Bazaar, the night show, which were all fantastic. But the best was when you took us for authentic cuisine at a local restaurant. Thank you for making us feel safe in Egypt. We will tell all of friends in Canada about Egypt.

Thank you for always making us feel safe at all times and for helping us with our shopping in the market. Also, for suggesting different place to visit and for your quiet way in speaking and doing things. We were always calm and more relaxed whenever we had to visit the sights.

S. and P. Robinson

March 2008

Carol and I arrived home last Sunday at 10PM ~~ after 25 hours of travel (4 hr layover in Frankfurt), and I really needed to get to work on Monday. Boy, was I tired. But we're alive and well and back on Eastern time!

Just wanted you to know what a fabulous time we had on our tour of Egypt. The travel arrangements were flawless (other than the tipping thing!). Describing our trip to friends and family makes jaws drop...no kidding. The highlight for us was our day in Cairo visiting the pyramids, sphinx, museum, et al. We so thoroughly enjoyed our guide, Manel, and driver, Abraham...not to mention the Mohameds who escorted us to/from airport and made sure we made all connections.

The cruise was very enjoyable. One of my partners took a Nile cruise last year and he described it as "different...not what you'd imagine." He was absolutely right. Different does not mean unenjoyable, since it was most delightful. We never did get a photo of the boat...tied up on the far end or among others.

George took very good care of us on the cruise and at all the sites. His knowledge of Egypt's history is remarkable. Show me a hieroglyph and I can probably translate at least one of the images!

Anyway, please know how totally impressed we were with the way we saw Egypt. I'm looking forward to returning, and I will surely be giving you a call (or sending an email).

Many thanks for all your attention to detail.
C. Logan

February 2008

Alex and I returned yesterday from our fantastic trip to Egypt. We were taken care of at each step of our trip by courteous and professional staff, and felt safe at all times.

The sights (Karnak, Philae Temples, Egyptian Museum were highlights) were amazing, as was the glimpse of Egyptian life from the boat down the Nile.

Thank you so much for working hard to make this trip possible at the last minute.

Sincerely,
S. Ingram

January 2008

Thanks a million for all your help with everything. I had one of the most wonderful times in my life here in Egypt, a dream come true to see the land of pharaohs!
I. Gampon

December 2007

Many thanks! We loved our trip to Egypt. I hope to return some day.
A. Russo

Everything was awesome! You have excellent guides and we are certain that we will return to Egypt. Thanks for everything.
B. Russo

Hi,

Just wanted to let you know that we thoroughly enjoyed the tour you organized for us to see the major antiquities of Egypt. The tour on the Nile was heavenly, and the Sun Ray is a gorgeous boat with great staff.

Your organization in Egypt is superb, extremely professional, and absolutely service oriented. Mohammed Elmasry our greeter, expeditor, and "savior" in Cairo provided outstanding (way beyond expected) service. Due to bad weather in Cairo our flight from Aswan was delayed by 2 1/2 hours causing us to miss our connection to Amman. Mohammed monitored our situation, and managed to book us on the next flight out, which without a doubt, was overbooked, but he managed to get us on it. I can't praise him enough - he is one of the most service oriented persons I have met. I also would like to commend your representative in Answan, Mr. Ashraf Kamal - he was also excellent.

Once again thanks. Happy new year.

Sergio

OK. I can't say enough about the trip. I am so anxious to thank you that I am doing it in the truck on the way home from the airport (bumpy ride, so forgive the "fat finger" syndrome).

Afifi was our first contact right off the plane. Unexpected treat! He was always making sure we were on top of everything...he even quoted some of my later itinerary from right off the top of his head, which was impressive. He was also available 24/7 (his words) if we needed anything. We did need him a couple of times, and he was always there. Manal (Mennel?)in Cairo was spectacular. I loved listening to her. Mohsen, our driver in Cairo at all times was so kind and very patient!!! He taught us a lot about driving in Cairo!

Moataz (Motaz?) was a wonderful, professional leader/manager, always there to answer questions in Cairo. We bonded over music and movies while spending layover time in a mall, too!

The Sonesta St. George cruise was great, and ALL staff was very accommodating. The rooms were beautiful! All that wood! It's too bad they have a piano bar and a panoramic bar that they didn't take advantage of! It would have gone to such good use! FYI...our guide on the boat (Moataz as well), a freelance Egyptologist from Aswan, was very very good. Manal set a high standard, and he met that standard for us! Definitely is accommodating to his group, and reads his audience quickly, so he caters very well to their needs (like shade!!). Adding Abu Simbel was the best thing we could do. Sooo happy we did, and even though it was 110 degrees, the wind was blowing and took the edge off the heat.

Fatima in Aswan after Abu Simbel was, again, a great guide with tons of stories and knowledge. The manager of the Aswan office came to check on us at the boat, just in case we needed anything. What a pleasant surprise! In Sharm, the Camel/ Bedouin dinner/star gazing was great, especially with just us. Mohamed was just the guide for us on that trip...fun, talkative, and knowledgeable. Sabry the Star gazing expert was great to speak with. We had a lot of personal time with him before groups arrived, and we got to know his accomplishments. It was such a treat having it so personal!

All drivers were on time, professional, etc. All Managers were great (I can't forget Victor in Sharm or ...I can't remember his name in Cairo that helped us in the airport)

We had glitches that could have been sticky if we did not have your guides/ managers/leaders there. We are very thankful of that!! I will speak highly of your company to anyone that will listen. Very impressive organization. We couldn't have done it without you!

J. Bardwell

Our trip to Egypt was absolutely spectacular. Our hats are off to you and your team for putting together such a fabulous itinerary and for taking such good care of us while we were traveling! Everyone with whom we interacted was completely reliable, courteous, helpful and, particularly in the case of the Egyptologists, extremely knowledgeable, engaging and fascinating. We would like to give special commendation to Manal in Cairo and Afifi, and would ask you to pass along to them our thanks and compliments. The trip could not have been better, and in the end, came off without a hitch. Although the Abu Simbel piece had to be rearranged, your group worked hard and successfully to make certain that it all worked out well, which we appreciate enormously. It was an added treat to be able to stop by Saqqara and Dahshur-particularly, with Manal! So please accept our thanks and compliments. We would not hesitate to recommend your company to anyone thinking of traveling to Egypt.

A. Bab

We just want to thank you for putting together such a great trip. You and your team in Egypt are fabulous. Dennis and I felt as if we were taken care of from the time we landed in Cairo until the moment we left; the guides, drivers and airport facilators were wonderful.

If your company offers packages in other countries, please let me know.

S. Kellogg

Terry,

Here are the pictures from our trip to Egypt. First of all we'd like to thank you for an absolutely great job in organizing our trip. We were well taken care of and our tour guides were excellent. We were amazed that for 5 days we had our own personal guides. Amazingly enough we didn't really get to see the pyramids as the all day sand storm made it a bit difficult.

Some comments: The Grand Rotana is very nice and we would recommend it. Camel Dive Center is very professional and also highly recommended. The Old Cataract was amazing! We even got upgraded to a nile view which you will see in one of the pictures. The Nile Cruise was very good. The Mena House was nice, but for an "old world" feel you really need to book a Palace Room and not a Garden Room (although ours had a view of the pyramids). Hamdi the guide on the cruise was very good and Manal in Cairo was excellent.

We thank you again and would be happy to recommend you to anyone who interested.

Best Regards,
Sheila and Stelios

Everyone @ Travel Egypt.com ,

Thanks for making such a wonderful trip happen. As you may or may not recall, "The Sharps Group" traveled to Egypt on February 23 for the Nile Treasures Tour. The day we landed, there was a dust storm in the air, and I was worried about the weather! But the next day cleared and the weather was perfect for the whole trip! The tour guides and Egyptian people were very friendly and I will recommend and try to book as many of my friends on tours with you as possible.

Thank you so much for the upgrade to the fabulous Sonesta St. George! The Sonesta St. George was beautiful and everyone loved the ship, staff, excursions, and Gayabayea !

The hotels in Cairo were wonderful also. Afifi took very good care of us while in Cairo, and Minnel, our tour guide there, was terrific...a very hard act to follow! WE all came home with our cartouche(s), papyrus paintings and essential oils and tons of digital photos which we have made into a photo montage! If you have any comment cards or forms that you would like to have filled out, we would be happy to.

Just wanted to thank you all again for making this all possible...memories that will last a lifetime!

Joni Global
Travel International

It's been about a month since our return from Egypt, and we're still reviewing all the pictures and gathering our memories. I did want to reach out to you and your team to thank you again -- the trip was wonderful and went off near-flawlessly. I wanted to bring to your attention the efforts of Affifi, whose care and diligence we greatly missed after we left for Sharm. He was exemplary as a guide and organizer, and a great credit to your organization. I also wanted to express our admiration for Manal in Cairo,who was an absolute first rate guide and a joy to be around.

Thank you again for a wonderful trip -- I'll mention your organization whenever I learn people are thinking of an Egypt holiday.

Regards,
Fred

Dear Marilyn and Terry,

Alison and I would like to thank both of you for arranging a wonderful trip to Egypt. As days passed, we realized all the planning and thought that went into the arrangements for which we thank you. In particular, Afifi was just fantastic. The guides he selected were great and, in the one case when one wasn't what we wanted, he was easy to contact and dealt with the situation promptly, graciously and professionally. Though, in that situation, our issue really was only a matter of style and not competence, he took our request on faith, didn't question us or make us feel uncomfortable, made the appropriate change, and thereafter was in such regular contact with us that I had to tell him to stop calling or else people would start thinking he was my boyfriend.

We'd also like to recommend two of the guides to you, namely Manal Ibrahim Sayed in Cairo, and Zak Samir in Luxor. Both were excellent.

Thanks again.
J. R.

We wanted you to know how much we enjoyed our visit to your wonderful country. This was in great part due to the people you have working for you. From the moment we were met by Muhamed until the time we left, we were met at each point by people who made sure our stay was a good experience.

We would like to mention a few people of note: Muhamed was always there for us and helped us in every way. He is a great asset to your company! Our guide in Cairo, Shereen, was absolutely wonderful! She is a people person. She knows her information and at the same time, she is always ready to help or assist you when you need her. Your company representative in Luxor was a great help. Our guide, Hany, was also extremely informative. Everyone was courteous and made sure that we had a vacation to remember!

Thank you.
Mr. and Mrs. M.

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