Tours and Tickets by Cairo Tours & Packages / Memphis Tours Egypt
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Review of: Cairo and Nile Adventure
I chose Memphis Tours because of their ratings on Trip Advisor as well as the review of them in the DK Travel Guide. As the oldest Egyptian Travel Tour Company, they have a reputation for being trustworthy and we found them to be so as well. Literally, everything went as planned with no glitches. Upon my first inquiry, they offered us a full package for a fair price. I asked them to move our arrival day from Thursday to Friday, add the light show at the pyramids, and to allow us upon return from the Nile cruise to have our day in the City of Cairo instead. They easily accommodated our request and did not raise the price. Their package included payment for visas, and they booked the direct flights we had selected for $20 off per ticket. For $2,500pp (including $800pp for direct flights), we had 2 nights at the Hilton Pyramids Golf Resort upon arrival, a 4 night-5 day Nile cruise on the Salacia, and 2 nights at the Steigenberger Hotel in Cairo City upon return. All entrance fees, transportation and internal flights were included, with all but three meals covered. At the restaurants and on the cruise, drinks in any form other than coffee and juice at breakfast were not included. Memphis Tours provided water on the van which was much needed given the heat. The guided tour itinerary was packed with all the sites one would want to see in Giza and down the Nile (including Abu Simbel), and in Cairo. They offered at cost during the trip several different add-ons. Although we did not partake of many, I had not anticipated that nor the extent to which tips were expected. Upon arrival we were told to anticipate paying in tips 15% of the value of the trip. Even the water closets along the way required entrance fees. Because of this I would have from the start requested a lot of smaller (5,10,20 and 50) Egyptian pound denominations when exchanging money. Travelers are also advised to carry their own toilet tissue. At the gate at JFK, we were asked for our Covid test results as well as upon arrival in Cairo. Memphis Tours arranged Covid testing at the hotel prior to departure at a reasonable cost and had the results reports brought to hotel. The county has not had the extent of Covid outbreaks as some others and only a small percentage of Egyptians are reported to have gotten the vaccine. But the country has been hurt by the downturn in tourism due to the pandemic and was closed for several months beginning in Spring 2000 so they are still struggling economically to recover. Mostly Americans appeared to be traveling as a number of other countries were still closed or had restrictions. Most people wore masks inside. Outside they were not required. We had no safety concerns at all during the trip and noticed several woman traveling alone with guides as well as gay and lesbian couples who appeared to be comfortable and enjoying themselves. In Luxor and Aswan the temperature rose to 115 late afternoon. The first day it was a bit difficult to bear but we acclimated to it after that. I used a parasol most of the time and succeeded in not getting a sunburn. Upon arrival, Travek met us at the airport and he assisted one of us with converting cash and getting a sims card while the other waited for the luggage which took a long time to come out. We were advised to buy wine at the Cairo duty free shop (adults can buy up to 4 bottles each) to carry with us for the trip which worked out well as it was not on many of the menus and when it was it was quite expensive (Note also that Egypt Air does not serve alcohol). The Hilton Pyramids Golf Resort was attractive but was 1hr 15 minutes from Cairo and not that close to the pyramids. Some of the streets and even parts of the dessert near the pyramids were heavily littered which was surprising and off putting from a sanitation perspective. My niece and I we were alone with just the guide and driver in Giza and Cairo. On the cruise, two couples joined us for the tours. Our guide / Egyptologist in Cairo was Billal, and on the Cruise from Luxor to Aswan was Ahmed. Both were quite knowledgeable and amiable. During the tour, they took us to papyrus, cotton, alabaster and perfume demonstration and sales shops. Normally I do not like that sort of thing but on this trip, I appreciated it as the goods were of better quality and I didn’t not like the hassle and hawking of the merchants on the streets. I could only find limited online reviews of the ship Salacia. It appears to have been a new luxury boat in 2006 and with age has gotten a little worn down. But in general, the Nile Cruise ships all look very similar. Our cabin had two bathrooms and two large windows with a sitting area. The mini-fridge is filled daily at no cost unless refills are requested. We thought the food which was served buffet style was pretty good and the staff were pleasant and accommodating. The spa and main gym were closed due to the pandemic. The TV and internet reception were limited. The pool and breezy open deck were quite enjoyable. They offered afternoon tea and held parties some nights. The boat normally holds approximately 60 people and was functioning at about 50% capacity. The boat did not dock near to city center in Luxor (which may have been a change due to Covid). But it docked on the corniche in Aswan so we were able to walk down to the old Cataract Hotel, where Agatha Christie wrote Death on the Nile, to have a drink on the veranda. In Aswan it’s also next to the piers from which boats depart for other excursions. Our last day on the cruise we had to depart by 4:30 am for Abu Simbel. We returned at 2pm and we were not able to move our flight up; there being only two flights a day from Aswan to Cairo. But we were allowed to return to the ship to hang out before departing. Memphis Tours was not able to arrange a pre-opening visit to the new museum for us. But that may not have been a option for anyone as the mummy parade was just a few weeks prior and the new museum is not slated to open until November. We saw the outside however and it looks like it will be fabulous.…
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Date of experience: June 2021
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Review of: Cairo to Abu Simbel Tour
We highly recommend Memphis Tours! 5 Star customer service all the way from start to finish! Exceptional staff, awesome experience and tremendous care in making sure everything was done wonderfully! We did the Trip to Egypt: Pyramids & Nile by Air & Abu Simbel 7/10-7/17/21. Perfect time to go is NOW--NO CROWDS! No worries travelling at this time! Just Go! We chose Memphis Tours because of their over 9,000 5 star reviews on TripAdvisor. We experienced first hand what these reviews were talking about! It was a dream come true to make this trip to Egypt. The Memphis Tours crew were excellent. We extremely enjoyed this trip and we are very grateful for seeing Egypt with all its majestic attractions, amazing, kind people, rich culture and delicious food. We recommend all the optional tours we did: Camel ride in Plateau of Giza, ATV at sunset in Plateau of Giza, hot air balloon in Luxor, Nubian village tour in Aswan. Special thanks to the awesome Memphis Tours staff who took such care of us: Islam, Nasr, Mohamed, Ibrahem, Shreef, Alaa(Aladdin), Kareem. We can't thank you enough! Travel tips: Hydrate and bring medication for stomach upset just in case. PCR test with QR code was needed during our travel. Check current Covid Guidelines. Visa-No need to obtain before you travel. Visa can be obtained at the airport. Your tour operator will get all that and will escort you thru immigration and customs. Small bills- Bring lots of $1 bills for tipping. Tipping can be done in US dollars. Currency exchange can be done at the airport. Tour operator can help with this. Enjoy!!! …
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Response from MemphisToursEgypt55, Manager at Cairo Tours & Packages / Memphis Tours Egypt
Responded 2 days ago
Dear Esteemed Guest, Thank you so much for sharing your views and experience with Memphis Tours. We are so pleased to see how happy you are with your trip. Your review is highly appreciated and is very important to us and the community of whom are thinking about travelling soon. Thank you again! Memphis Tours Team
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Review of: Cairo & The Pyramids Small Group Tour
Memphis Tours could not have made the trip to Egypt more magical. Our group of five enjoyed the expert logistics of leader Ahmed Mostafa and Cairo Guide Ahmed Farahat and Luxor Guide Eid Mohamed each brought history to life and became new friends. They also were extremely flexible as we made on the fly adjustments to our plans. We started in Cairo with Ahmed Farahat taking us to the pyramids, Memphis, Sakkara, religious sites in Cairo and the to Alexandria. In each spot Ahmed intertwined history with a sense of humor and magical moments. We flew to Aswan, met our guide Eid Mohamed. We toured the granite quarry for the obelisks, the Aswan damn and Philae. Then boarding a cruise on the Nile, we had a relaxing journey with stops at temples along the way ending up in Luxor. My personal favorite of the trip was the day spent in the Valley of the Kings and visiting four tombs of pharaohs with the original paintings that are full of vivid colors and fascinating imagery. Eid travelled with us and was a patient and thorough teacher with just the right amount of colorful commentary. Although I had concerns about travelling during COVID, safe travel practices including hospitality industry professionals are required to have a vaccination. We also had a government provided security person to ensure that we felt safe and as an indication of how important our tourism was to the government. We had a rapid antigen test right at our hotel the day before we left, that Memphis Travel arranged for us. I never dreamed a trip like this was possible. We all think we know what Egypt is about but when you see it in person, especially with knowledgeable guides, this trip turns into something that you will never forget.…
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Date of experience: September 2021
1 Helpful vote
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Response from MemphisToursEgypt55, Manager at Cairo Tours & Packages / Memphis Tours Egypt
Responded 2 days ago
Dear Esteemed Guest, Thank you so much for sharing your views and experience with Memphis Tours. We are so pleased to see how happy you are with your trip. Your review is highly appreciated and is very important to us and the community of whom are thinking about travelling soon. Thank you again! Memphis Tours Team
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Our package was called the "Pyramids, Nile Cruise, and Abu Simbel" Our trip was absolutely wonderful! Our guides Hassan (for Aswan and Luxor) and Ibrahem (Cairo), were outstanding! Happy to answer any question and provided so much information and explanation to our Egypt experience. The tour representatives Abu, Ibrahem, and particularly Reem in Cairo went above and beyond to make sure our trip ran smoothly. Reem meet us our first day at the airport and was so welcoming and helpful throughout our time in Egypt. With such wonderful people throughout our journey, we can't wait to recommend them enough and hopefully come back to visit soon!…
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Date of experience: September 2021
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Response from MemphisToursEgypt55, Manager at Cairo Tours & Packages / Memphis Tours Egypt
Responded 2 days ago
Dear Esteemed Guest, Thank you so much for sharing your views and experience with Memphis Tours. We are so pleased to see how happy you are with your trip. Your review is highly appreciated and is very important to us and the community of whom are thinking about travelling soon. Thank you again! Memphis Tours Team
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The trip to the pyramids and the egyptian museum was a wonderful and amazing experience! Trip of a lifetime! The Memphis tour guides are very personable and informative about the history and monuments. You will learn alot from them. They give you tips about how to deal with the locals trying to sell you "souvenirs". If I had to recommend a tour guide it would be Mohamed Fathy, he was a pleasure to deal with from start to finish and he went above and beyond with several requests we had including getting us a last minute Covid Test. I would however beware of any of the tour guides asking for money for any of the tours. Tipping is encouraged but optional. And be sure to bring enough to tip each person because you will be dealing with multiple people throughout your stay not just one tour guide or driver.…
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Date of experience: September 2021
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Response from MemphisToursEgypt55, Manager at Cairo Tours & Packages / Memphis Tours Egypt
Responded 2 days ago
Dear Esteemed Guest, Thank you so much for sharing your views and experience with Memphis Tours. We are so pleased to see how happy you are with your trip. Your review is highly appreciated and is very important to us and the community of whom are thinking about travelling soon. Thank you again! Memphis Tours Team
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