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What travelers are saying
"An amazing Egypian Trip
My mom and I had an amazing 10 day experience visiting the cities of Cairo, Luxor, Baharyia, and Aswan in Egypt. A friend recommended using Jakada Tours Egypt and connected me with Ahmed. As soon as I contacted Ahmed, I can see why he raved about him. He was professional, personable, responded to emails in a timely manner, provided a detailed itinerary, and helpful in every way possible from the beginning of the trip to taking us to the airport.
We arrived in Cairo in the late evening, picked up visas, exchanged money, found Sherif our tour guide, and were on our way to the Cairo Pyramids Valley hotel where we stayed for 3 nights. The owner Ahmed checked us in, took us to the rooftop for Hibiscus tea, great conversation, and watched a light show projected on the pyramids. The hotel was nice, clean, had hot water, room was a decent size, served breakfast, had a great view of the pyramids, and was near lots of shops and restaurants.
In Cairo, Sherif Khattab took us through the city explaining the culture, food, people, and the history of the Pyramids of Kings Cheops, Chephren, Menkaure, the Sphinx, Saqqara, the capital Memphis, Egyptian Museum, and a walking tour of the Khan el Khalili Bazaar. The open air museum and the pyramids were breathtaking. The process in which the pyramids were built and how it was structured was just unbelievable. Climbing the pyramid was a once in a lifetime experience. Learning how papyrus was made was an interesting process. Sherif introduced Falafel with eggplant in what we would call a pita bread and OMG it was delicious. As I tried it my mom gave me the side eye because she could never get me to try eggplant when she cooked it. Now I love it! We ate at local restaurants where they served different types of grilled meats and chicken, salad, falafel, and fresh fruit drinks. My favorite drink was the fresh mint lemonade. The food was delicious, hot, and filling. After a long day, we slept in an overnight sleeper train. I am so happy I Youtubed this experience so I would know what to expect. The bottom seat turns into a bed, the ladder for the top bunk is underneath, the trays to eat food hook into the sides of the train, the sink will be right at your stomach as soon as you stand up from sitting down, the radio doesn’t work, you will use a community bathroom, no showers, lighting is ok...just use your cell phone if you need to, no internet so don’t expect it, food was baked chicken, rice, vegetables, drinks, and desert. It was relaxing, clean, fun, and served its purpose. I repeat this is not a luxury train, it is only to get you to your next destination.
In Luxor we met our new tour guide Ahmed and we hit the ground running. Ahmed was detail oriented, friendly, knowledgeable, professional, and personable. We visited the Valley of the Kings which comprised of: Rameses III & IV Merenptah, and the Tomb of Tut Ankh Amun which was one of my favorites. To see the original skull and feet...WOW! We were in awe of the colorful and creative artwork that told a story on the walls of every tomb and how well it’s preserved. The tombs are built underground into mountains which was shocking. The Temple of Hatshepsut displayed huge statues of Kings and Queens with the walls full of art work. The time and energy spent to sculpt these kings and queens is unimaginable. We began Christmas morning with a short boat ride with tea and snacks to take a ride on a hot air balloon. To see how the balloon inflates, to flying high in the sky, the breathless views, waving at the kids chasing the balloon as we passed through different areas, landing in patch of sugarcane, greeted by armed security, watching the process of how the balloon deflates and transported until our ride arrived. Visited the Karnak Temple Complex and ended the day with a relaxing boat ride in the Nile. The hotel was clean, had hot water, accessible to shops and restaurants on the street, and had a beautiful view of the Nile River.
In Aswan we had the same tour guide and visited other temples such as King Ramses II and Queen Nefertari, Nubian monuments, and a Felucca ride around the islands of Aswan. To be in the land of the original Nubian people and learning the history was incredible eye-opening. Train ride back to Cairo.
Our final attraction was the Bahariya Oasis White Desert and Black & White Desert Oasis which was picturesque with Sherif Khattab our first tour guide. The drive was relaxing and we ate lunch at the home of our desert tour guide. His wife prepared a delicious spread of chicken and vegetables. He was friendly and hospitable even though we spoke different languages we still understood each other. We did not do the overnight stay in the desert and glad we didn’t because the temperature dropped that night. Instead, we stayed at a hotel not too far away. The hotel was clean, had hot water, and the food was once again delicious. Overall, this trip was once in a lifetime. The tour exceeded my expectations, the information was invaluable, and Ahmad took great care of us.
Other tidbits
- the weather is cool in the morning but warms up by 11 and can get cold at night so make sure you layer up
- if you sleep in the desert, just remember there is no bathrooms and it can get COLD
- bring a bucket hat for the sun
- bring tissues, wipes, hand sanitizer, snacks for the road/train trips
- bring toilet paper (2 rolls) some bathrooms do not have toilet paper or people will try to charge you for it
- do not allow anyone to do anything for you (ex: take pictures, ask directions, carry your bags through the train station, or assist you in any way) since a tip will be expected
- do not feel pressured by store owners to buy anything
- don’t be afraid to bargain and negotiate prices up front"
