Egypt: Alexandria to Aswan

This trip is not for those who are looking for a quiet, relaxing holiday. Lots of early starts made the most of the opportunities we had to get under the skin of this brilliant country. There is a lot to see and while some of the trips are optional, it's worth trying to add several to your itinery, so budget accordingly! We had a great group of travellers and a brilliant tour guide who was funny, patient (I had lots of questions) and always kind - thank you Ahmed! When you make short stops, particularly early on on the tour, leave everything except your camera (and maybe a small amount of money) in the tour bus - there are often crowds and there are hawkers everywhere - there's always an opportunity to buy souvenirs in Egypt! The vegetarian food is adequate, but not always super interesting - the food tour of Cairo, the Nile boat and the Nubian fellucca ride were hi-lights! Take the tour leader's advice - he was usually right!

Alexandria to Abuu Simbel.: Egypt from top to bottom! This trip packed so much into 11 days, yet it never felt rushed. The archaeological sites are awe-inspiring, in terms of their size, antiquity and elaborate carvings and wall paintings. No amount of looking at photos will prepare you for what you see in person.

We normally organise our own visits but for a destination such as Egypt we felt it important to put our trust in professionals ... and our faith In Exodus was well-rewarded. The itinerary was full-on but packed with such variety and richness that it left us quite overwhelmed. By the end we felt we had not only visited a huge number of outstanding sites of world importance but also come to know and understand a country that has played and continues to play a major role within the world.

A very well planned and operated trip, one of the best I've been on with Exodus. We were a capacity group of 20 and were provided with a superb 40 plus seater luxury coach throughout which greatly enhanced the long often slow travel journeys, particularly in Cairo where our elevated viewing position above the traffic mayhem was a delight. The hotels used and the cruise ship were all of a very high standard throughout the tour. I found the staff welcoming and helpful, particularly on our cruise ship MS Style. The cuisine on the cruise ship was exceptional, and breakfast buffets in the hotels were all very good. My one criticism is that where packed breakfasts were provided these were singularly unimaginative, being heavily bread based, with excessive non recyclable plastic packaging. The Hotel Metropole in Alexandria is an Art Nuveaux time capsule and a real experience to stay in. The Luxor Iberotel Hotel is superbly sited with beautiful gardens and a swimming pool overlooking the Nile; great for winding down at the end of your holiday.

This is our 11th trip with Exodus and this is the first time there were no significant criticism. We felt all fellow travellers gel very well as a group with lots of laughs. We made new friends which is always a bonus. The itinerary is jammed packed with a few early starts but we went with the flow. Perhaps an extra day would help. We saw lots, exceeding our expectations. From the ancient pyramids, temples, monasteries, Nubian culture & hospitality, bazaars, crazy Cairo traffic, visit to war cemetery, sailing on the Nile, hint of a glamorous era in Alexandria, funeral treasures in the Cairo museum, lunch on a felucca experience, camel rides to Egyptian cuisine - we enjoyed it all.

Thoroughly enjoyed this trip. We had a great variety from ancient Egypt to modern (such as the library at Alexandria). Our guide was terrific, always attentive and prepared. The Nile cruise was a highlight. There were more early starts than I might have liked, but that was dictated by distances we needed to cover. The hotels were rather bland (except for the wonderful one in Alexandria), but no doubt chosen for their cleanliness and safety. The overnight train was a real adventure, although most of our group found it hard to get any sleep. We had an armed guard with us for most of the trip, which was both reassuring and a bit alarming!

A fascinating, informative, and very enjoyable tour with the chance to dress up thrown in for good measure! As with all Exodus trips we had some early starts and long days with now wasted time in between. If you want to see a lot of Egypt and experience its history from ancient times through to the modern day then this is the trip to take.

This was overall very good, with so many wonderful historic sites to explore and gaze in awe at the immense pyramids/temples and intricately decorated tombs. For me, the Cairo part of the trip should be redesigned, and the number of optional trips greatly reduced (there are too many half/not full -even if described as such- days, with optional extras) with more incorporated into the trip.

The trip is really interesting and we definitely learnt a great deal about Egypt's history. Starting in Cairo my disappoint came from the choice of hotel. We stayed right on the outskirts opposite the new museum (not open yet) with a great view of a Pyramid opposite. The hotel was of an acceptable standard, but overall, the lowest of our trip, but so far from the city it was difficult to venture out for sightseeing or dinner. The group all agreed that our trip to the museum was too short and as we arrived back at our hotel quite early, we could have stayed longer as there is so much to see. We travelled to Alexandria from Cairo via El Alamein and visited the war museum which is not particularly good. The old colonial hotel in Alexandria is a great spot with a superb rooftop terrace & restaurant. The local fish restaurant was poor quality although it had a great view, so a different venue would have been better. The following morning, we visited the castle which was good, but then on the road again to Cairo for our sleeper train. The round trip took over 9 hours by bus for a one-night stay and although I wanted to visit Alexandria 2 nights would have made the round trip more worthwhile. The sleeper train to Aswan went without hitch and better than I expected for a developing country. Aswan was great and the activities were good with one small issue in that we had a really great meal on our Felucca trip and in the evening a Barbeque on a Nile Island which was much too soon after. The cruise to Luxor was very good quality and my only comment would be lack of language training of the waiters which I think may be due to Covid disruption, although our guide ate with us and was always there to help. The temples were incredible and certainly lived up to or were better than their reputation. The engineering fete of moving 22 ancient monuments is almost as incredible as the original build and Abu Simbel really shows this. A word to would be travellers, this trip is full on and with many early starts to beat the crowds or comply with the Tourist polices schedules. The tourist police are very apparent throughout the trip and in fact on our trip to Alexandria with had an armed guard on the bus who was I have to say was pleasant guy. All in All, the trip was well organised and ran smoothly.

This trip offered a wide variety of experiences along the length of the River Nile.The trip was very well organised and Andrew our guide was extremely knowledgable and helpful. The trip was full on with many early morning starts. Take extra money for the add on activities as without them the holiday would not have been so exiting.Be aware of extra charges at some of the sites such as a camera tax. In my opinion the group size was too large and made it difficult to hear the guide at some sites that were always crowded.However the chemistry of the group was excellent and I very much enjoyed everyones company. Accommodation throughout the trip was satisfactory to excellent.The Nile cruise experience was something I’ll never forget, but the highlights of the trip were the astounding places we visited.My favourite was the Valley of the Kings that simply ‘blew my mind away’. I left this holiday with a feel good factor and my only regret is that we didn’t have more free time especially in the Cairo Museum.