Reviews

Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers

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56 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Sarah Williams

Reviewed June 2024

The holiday of a lifetime!

I finally made it to Egypt after years of wishing, and it did not disappoint in any way. Of course the pyramids are awesome.. but so are the people, the weather, the Nile scenery, the birds, the souks, the food, the coffee, the boats (cruise boat, small motor boat, felucca), the museums, hotels, temples.. everything.

Most Inspirational Moment

It’s impossible to choose.. I was in the tomb of Seti I on my own for about 20 mins.. and the view of the Nile from the Basma hotel in Aswan is something timeless and awe inspiring for sure..

Thoughts on Group Leader

Rania was absolutely amazing. She has boundless energy and enthusiasm.. there was never a question she could not answer or a request unmet. She is the best spokesperson for ancient and modern Egypt that I could imagine.. she herded us cats around the sites as though we were on some kind of magic carpet swooshing past the crowds.. I miss her already.

Advice for Potential Travellers

There are early starts but it’s just a rhythm you can relax into.. it does avoid the crowds and the heat.. I definitely agree it’s nice to add a day at either end though.. Aswan is super relaxing and it’s easy and cheap to get your own airport taxi.

Philip Jappu

Reviewed November 2023

Nile Cruise? (not sure what this field means)

Really great trip, Galal was a fantastic guide. Lots of early mornings so I felt like I needed another holiday when I got home but we covered and saw so much over the course of a week

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the Tomb of Seti I in the Valley of the Kings (note: this wasn't included in the tour and I paid extra for this, but it was worth it) Also, Abu Simbel was breathtaking

Thoughts on Group Leader

Really good. Galal had amazing historical and archeological knowledge which really bought the things we saw to life and made them fascinating. He fully explained all aspects of life in both Ancient and Modern Egypt. Leading a big group around Egypt must be quite a stressful task, but Galal handled this brilliantly.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Beware of people in Luxor telling you they are from your hotel and trying to take you to a shop or a spice market. This happened to a few of us in the group.

Anita Goraya

Reviewed October 2023

fantastic trip!

Our guide Naiel was amazing – kind, patient, very well-informed and keen to impart his knowledge and enthusiasm. The sights were of course, spectacular and the cruise boat was well appointed and spacious, with excellent choice and quality of food. The additional trip to Abu Simbel was well worthwhile.

Most Inspirational Moment

watching life unfold cruising down the river!

Thoughts on Group Leader

brilliant - couldn't have been better!

Advice for Potential Travellers

perhaps ensure the flight into Cairo lands during the daytime as the first two days start early and are fast paced and we were all sleep deprived. Also, the additional trip to Abu Simbel is a must, but it adds cost plus 7 hours coach travel time, so factor this in.

Chris and Gill George

Reviewed October 2023

Incredible civilisation, well worth seeing

A great trip to see and begin to understand the incredible sophistication of such an ancient civilisation. From the chaos of Cairo through a series of temples along the Nile to the amazing reconstruction of Abu Simbel, the scale of the buildings and decorations was stunning. The limited time and poor advice when visiting the Valley of the Kings was a huge disappointment, however.

Most Inspirational Moment

The succession of temples along the Nile was amazing, each distinct and telling elements of the incredible civilisation that lived so many years ago. Karnak, Edfu and Kim-Ombo were particularly interesting, and the facilities and service on our boat were exceptionally good.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Faten was an enthusiastic Egyptologist, who gave incredibly comprehensive introductions to the many amazing sites. She is a very proud Egyptian. However, as tour leader, she was not very clear at explaining the immediate arrangements and options, her English and clarity of speaking did not work well through the coach PA systems. Her timekeeping and engagement with the group was not of the standard we would expect from previous tours. We feel particularly let down by our visit to the Valley of the Kings, where our time was limited due to an unnecessarily late start, and we could have avoided the exceptional queues at the ‘free’ tombs to see more interesting ones, if we had been properly advised. There are also a number of other issues, which we will advise separately.

Advice for Potential Travellers

When visiting the Valley of the Kings, make sure you start early, and buy tickets to see tombs other than the ‘free’ ones included in the general admission. It’s so hot and humid, be prepared to change clothes at least twice a day! Be prepared to have your mind completely blown! Arrive a day early - most flights seemed to arrive early in the morning but were delayed, which meant the 8:30 start of the Tour was particularly gruelling.

Carol Smith

Reviewed October 2023

Nile Cruise

This initially was a challenging trip with many early mornings and long days. It would have demanded some commitment. But I feel privileged to have witnessed the tombs and temples of Egypt with a very experienced guide who demonstrated her love for her historical past

Most Inspirational Moment

The sunsets on the Nile were truly beautiful Witnessing the tombs and temples thousands of years ago was really quiet, mind blowing, and this makes the trip worthwhile Even though it is like scrumhalf at a football match to see these things it’s worthwhile, and I am happy to have invested to do so

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was a very experienced Egyptologist. She was very tired from a proceeding trip and had to stand in for a regular Exodus leader. She was tired and not engaged. We were tired and expected more. However, she was in love with her subject, and gave her Egyptology information with passion, the only criticism for me was it took her days to relax and I would like her to have shared more of an every day experience with us of Egyptian life, marriage, children, government etcetera and this was very sadly missing. Also she was not good at maximising moments or delivering moments.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If if you want to see the best of Egypt tombs and temples with an experienced guide, then this is the tour for you. If you want to have a relaxing time on a boat on the Nile, then this is perhaps not the tour for you if you want to see the tombs and temples There are a lot of visitors it’s very busy you have to maximise the time and move fast, but if you can do all that and stay awake it is a fabulous trip And do all the optional extras for the extra cost because that makes the trip amazing.

Derekv Attridge

Reviewed March 2023

Wonderful Trip

This was an excellent trip, full of extraordinary sights. We were able to see many of the most impressive sites in Cairo and the Upper Nile. Hotel accommodation was of a high standard and the cruise ship was good. We had an outstanding guide and a friendly and interesting group of people. When I had an accident in the temple at Edfu the response from our guide, from Exodus, and from the personnel on the cruise ship was incredibly supportive. The guide’s knowledge of first aid was much appreciated. We have a few reservations: we found the early starts made sight-seeing rather tiring after very little sleep. The 7am briefing on the first morning seemed unnecessary, for example, after a late arrival the night before and the two hour time difference. We didn’t think the trip should be described as ‘leisurely’: there was a lot of standing in queues at both airports and sites and this was especially exhausting in conjunction with the early starts. Also, while we realise that Exodus doesn’t control the entertainment on the cruise ship, we would have preferred informational talks and preparation for the following day’s events to the party games and belly dancer. We would also have liked to have had more Egyptian food.

Most Inspirational Moment

The excursion to Abu Simbel was optional but was the highlight of our trip. We were incredibly lucky to be there without crowds and were overwhelmed by the magnificence of the temples and deeply impressed by the feats of engineering (both ancient and modern).

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was outstanding. She was knowledgeable, clear, patient and good humoured. We were particularly impressed that she handled all of the tipping so expeditiously. When I had my accident she was calm and extremely efficient at getting me the help that I needed (in quite difficult circumstances). She was also very supportive of my wife and responsive to the needs of the whole group. She was unflappable and gracious: we felt in very good hands.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This was not a leisurely trip, but it was brilliant. Be prepared for queues, very crowded temples and quite a lot of standing around. Take a good medical kit with you.

Jane Watson

Reviewed March 2023

What a trip!

I loved this trip overall. It was pretty full on from the start in Cairo and I wondered whether I would last the pace. It was more relaxed although still busy once on the cruise, and was great having some downtime on the deck between trips. The trips were really interesting and we learned a lot about ancient up to modern Egypt ….. still getting my head around all the Gods! It surprised me just how many tourists were around when we visited. Our group plus Rania our group leader got on really well which was lovely, although we had 19 which is higher than my previous Exodus trips.

Most Inspirational Moment

Difficult to pinpoint. It was just jaw dropping to see and experience how ancient Egyptians created such amazing buildings, structures, art and stories. I was also impressed by the High Dam and implications of that for the success of modern Egypt.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Rania was a ball of energy, always helpful, knowledgeable and well organised. Even more impressive given she is a woman in a man’s world.

Advice for Potential Travellers

It’s a fantastic experience so go for it. Be ready for early starts, a busy schedule and high temperatures in Aswan but all worth it for an amazing adventure. Personally I found the optional trip to Abu Simbel was not good value for money as travel took up most of the time, over 8 hours, and we only got 1.5 hours at the temple. Take English pounds/ US dollars where you can as works best in terms of getting best prices. We were told Dec/ January is a good time to do the trip as temperatures and crowds are more manageable.

Alison Scott

Reviewed March 2023

Nile Cruise

I very much enjoyed the trip but the word “leisurely” is completely misleading. Fortunately I’d read the reviews first. A couple of things that could have been improved: (1) the Abu Simbel trip. We left the boat at 4am, drove 4.5 hrs (not 3.5), spent 2 hrs at the temples and then drove 4.5 hrs back for “lunch” at 3pm. We had no free time at the temples. It would have been much nicer to have time for a coffee, a walk by the lake or a look at the souvenir stalls, then got back for dinnertime. The breakfast boxes were enormous and would have lasted all day. (2) Day 7: we left the hotel at 7am, visited Philae Temple, Aswan Dam, the stone quarry and a perfume shop, again returning to the hotel for a very late lunch. It would have been much better to have lunch after the dam visit, either at the hotel or from boxes. We felt in a permanent state of hunger and exhaustion!

Most Inspirational Moment

I don't know that there was one. There were many enjoyable and "wow" moments.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Abdul was very knowledgeable, always organised and did his best for us.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't imagine you'll have either the Nile or the historic sites to yourselves. You will always be part of a cavalcade of coaches, a flotilla of boats or a throng of tourists. The interiors of some of the temples are so crowded that many of us didn't go into the sanctuaries because of people pushing and shoving. Once you accept this however, just stand back and enjoy the magnificent sites and river views. On the last day we asked our guide if a visit to the botanical garden on Kitchener's Island could be included in the felucca trip. Everyone enjoyed this.

David Bennett

Reviewed March 2023

Nile cruise

Fantastic holiday with an outstanding guide, although the booking process left a lot to be desired.

Most Inspirational Moment

Going inside one of the pyramids.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Fantastic. Encyclopaedic amount of knowledge. Imparted to us in an enthusiastic way that was easy to understand. He got us to the front of the queues and managed to keep us all together.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Can be cold at night.

Jo Moore

Reviewed January 2023

Amazing!

This was a fantastic introduction to Egypt – in just 8 days we saw a huge amount and learnt a lot about the country, particularly the history. It was amazing to visit places I’d read about for year. There were a lot of early starts but the payoff was some amazing sites, and then more relaxed afternoons. I loved the four nights we spent on the Nile cruise – the boat was fantastic with great food and loads of space on the sundeck to relax after busy mornings. The other two hotels were fine: we didn’t spend much time in the Cairo hotel due to late arrival and early departures, and the Aswan hotel had a great pool area and lots of places to sit and relax, although the rooms felt quite basic.

Most Inspirational Moment

Visiting the pyramids on Christmas Day was a pretty amazing way to start the trip! Karnak temple was wonderful, huge and impressive, and although busy I found a quiet spot to sit and take it all in. The Valley of the Kings was great - being able to go inside tombs which almost look freshly painted was just awe-inspiring. And after all that, sitting on the sundeck of the boat cruising along the Nile and watching the world go by was a pretty good way to spend a couple of restful afternoons.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ahmed was amazing and made us feel so welcome in Egypt! He gave us lots of information in a really engaging way, using the group as characters to tell us the complicated history of the pharaohs. He managed a good balance of guiding and free time for us in the places we visited, and always made sure we had coffee time at the end of a visit. He gave us good advice on how to deal with vendors and was clear about where was (and wasn't) good to shop. Ahmed was always smiling and cheerful, even at 3am! And he was great at dealing with any problems (when I had an issue with a hotel room, he fixed it straight away). A brilliant guide!

Advice for Potential Travellers

The one thing I would change is when I arrived - the group flight arrives late in Cairo (and later for us as we had a two hour delay at Heathrow) so we didn't reach the hotel til gone midnight and left at 7.30 the next morning for the pyramids (and then the following day is a very early start for the flight to Luxor). I'd highly recommend coming in a day early to avoid that first morning exhaustion, but also to see more of Cairo, as there is a lot to see that I didn't get to (the Coptic cathedral, the Citadel). I'd also say do as many of the optional excursions as you can - Philae Temple in Aswan was wonderful and Abu Simbel, while an early start (and a pricey trip) was well worth it.

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