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Reviews 2.3.

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Cancelation and refund problems

Booked a trip to Scotland and 10 months before it was scheduled I had to cancel. Tauck has yet to acknowledge the cancelation 2 months later. Further they have failed to return my money. I would expect better service from them as they hold themselves out as a first class company. Needless to say, I will never book with them again.

Date of experience : March 07, 2024

Tauck is a disaster

Tauck is a disaster! Save your money and use another tour company. Went on very expensive Danube tour starting 10/1/23 from Budapest on the Danube. Cabin filled with sewer gas the whole trip. Asked for help three times and Tauck employees pretended they didn’t know. Never helped. Left review an Tauck said tough. Sorry sewer gas was so bad in your cabin it kept you awake at night. No help and no consideration. Avoid Tauck. If Tauck is brave enough to contact me they can check their internal reviews from 10/1/23 Danube trip starting in Budapest. However, Tauck cares not for their customers and are cowards. I only wish I could give them less than a 1 star review. My feeling are negative 5 stars or worse. Was on tour with another family that will verify sewer gas and no relief from Tauck. Very sad company. Happy to talk to any prospective future Tauck victims. Take my advice and avoid Tauck. Find another tour company.

Date of experience : October 02, 2023

Tauck is a First Rate Company

My wife and I recently took a trip to Italy, a 14-day Tauck Classic Italy. The trip was wonderful until my wife fell and could not continue on. Although we had issues with the travel insurance company, Tauck stepped up and agreed to reimburse us for the expenses we had because of some communication issues when we left. I will definitely be scheduling more trips with Tauck. They are a first-rate company who understands the value of dedicated customers.

After 16 trips with Tauck

After 16 trips with Tauck, this was my last. The overall trip was BORING, on and off the bus, packing/unpacking after 1 or 2 days in each hotel, dull sites. Their choice of hotels has deteriorated considerably. One of the "hotels" was less than 1 star. But the worst part is their customer service. Apparently they could care less about keeping customers. Maybe ignorant first-timers will keep them going for a while. Doubt it.

Date of experience : October 12, 2023

Purpose of trip insurances .

Whenever a tour is cancelled for any reason and trip insurance was purchased that amount is used for that exact purpose ie. insurance . Most tour companies take the premium , however Tauck credits that total amount to another tour if booked within their time frame . We have taken many tours , Tauck has gone above and beyond their duties to us each tour . It is unfortunate some do not understsnd trip insurance . When purcasing auto insurance your premium is not refunded if you have no accidents .

Date of experience : May 26, 2021

Right now waiting for any responses to…

Right now waiting for any responses to problems with upcoming tour of Southeast Asia. Lots of call holding and bs. I would never recommend cibt for visas. Disorganized mess with no one ever responding and delays that are not explained and charges to credit card yea reversed but $1400 errors. And visas still not delivered and no explanations.

Date of experience : September 09, 2022

Seven months in advance, refuse to return deposit

Douro River cruise, excellent. Booked a summer cruise out of Nice 2023. Had to cancel seven months prior to the departure date. Had made a $3000 deposit that Tauck refused to return or apply as a future credit. Never will travel on them again

Date of experience : May 09, 2023

First time Tuack Tour and Last

First time Tuack Tour, Essence of Japan. It will be my last. Spent more than 45k and they handled flight booking. They booked international layover outbound with 40 min window. Not surprisingly my bags, clothes and medicine didn't arrive for 30 hours. They acknowledged their fault in email but Guest Relations tone deaf. They offered small cash refund and future credit on next tour. Won't be a "next tour ". It was once a great brand but they have lost their feel for customer retention. If you use them, bookyour own travel and save money and aggravation.

Date of experience : June 01, 2023

WE HAVE TAKEN SEVERAL GREAT TOURS WITH…

WE HAVE TAKEN SEVERAL GREAT TOURS WITH TAUCK PRE COVID🥳….however taking tours POST COVID has been a HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT. 😱 THEIR Directors are NOW RUDE, ARROGANT, COMBATIVE AND DISMISSIVE! If you have any concerns while on a Tour …KEEP THEM TO YOURSELF🤫….otherwise they will tell the other Traveler’s to AVOID YOU!! THE QUALITY SINCE COVID HAS DROPPED FROM 5* TO 1/2* We will NEVER AGAIN use them.

Date of experience : May 11, 2023

First and last Tauck Tour

First time Tauck Tour, Essence of Japan. It will be my last. Spent more than 45k and they handled flight booking. They booked international layover outbound with 40 min window. Not surprisingly my bags, clothes and medicine didn't arrive for 30 hours. They acknowledged their fault in email but Guest Relations tone deaf. They offered small cash refund and future credit on next tour. Won't be a "next tour ". It was once a great brand but they have lost their feel for customer retention. If you use them, book your own travel and save money and aggravation.

Date of experience : May 06, 2023

Covid Risk on a Tauck Cruise of Greece

I took a Tauck cruise of Greece called Treasures of the Aegean. The cruise itself was great. All the passengers tested negative for Covid before boarding the ship. However, at the end of the cruise more than 10 percent if the passengers had Covid and had to quarantine. I had known of the risk of Covid, I would never have taken the tour.

Date of experience : May 28, 2022

Tauck tour …

Tauck does an excellent job organizing tours. But they are not the best for solo travelers. They will not tell you if other solos are going at least I couldn’t find out, and I was the only one alone on a recent trip. . Given the profile of the other travelers including some families that had to be attached at the hip every second, which made it uncomfortable for me (ie entitled young adult telling me where I could sit so they were all together) probably will not travel with them again unless they will disclose/have other solos - better to go alone and copy their itineraries!

Date of experience : June 13, 2022

Beware of the travel insurance that…

Beware of the travel insurance that Tauck partners with from Aon. We bought this insurance specifically to cover a pre-trip positive Covid test. My wife tested positive 3 days before the trip. The insurance company asked her to get a PCR test which came back positive too. They are now denying the claim because she wasn't sick enough to see a doctor. Tauck now says they will not get involved. This insurance company is labeled as its partner. Terrible customer service. We will never again trust Tauck.

Date of experience : June 30, 2022

I have taken 3 tours with Tauck

I have taken 3 tours with Tauck. the first was to Provence France and it was wonderful on every level. the second was to northern France and again the best experience. The third was last month July 2022 Best of the Canadian Rockies. The itinerary was good the accommodation were good and the tour director was the worst. He was unorganized, defensive, and combative. He brought no value to the tour. If you are considering this tour I strongly suggest you avoid any tour run by a man named Pete. I made the best of the situation, however when you pay premium prices this is not acceptable and the tour company did not have any concern, which is also a red flag.

Date of experience : August 03, 2022

Very disappointed Tauck tour( currently…

Very disappointed Tauck tour( currently on). The food: dinner menu: Entree: 1 Red beans & Rice. 2. Crawfish etouffee. Cash bar. That’s. Most dinners are disappointment. Cost: Average $1000+/day/couple.

Date of experience : March 27, 2023

Tauck is amazing

I was on two Tauck tours last year: Jordan and Egypt and Rhine Oktoberfest cruise. Both tours were superb. Local guides were used at every stop. We were really pampered: luggage pick up at our room when we moved. On the river cruise, all tips and alcohol are included in the price. Both were truly first class trips.

Date of experience : September 15, 2022

BUYERS BEWARE of TAUCK

BUYERS BEWARE! On day 4 of our 2-week cruise Tauck canceled our riverboat cruise because of low waters in the Danube. All of us understood the problem, but we couldn't understand Tauck's response to it. The company literally left us "high and dry"! They gave us absolutely no support to transfer to other river or land cruises, help with transportation home, or any other kind of assistance. None of us could even get a callback! Why can passengers on the other cruise lines (Viking, Uniworld, etc.) switch to coach tours when the water is low and Tauck has no options at all? We paid a lot of money for this trip and it was a disaster! FYI: We did get a refund from Tauck for the remaining unused days of our trip, but that's it... no letter of apology, no extras of any kind. And... it cost us an additional $8500 to fly home early. SHAME ON TAUCK for treating us all so poorly!

Date of experience : September 01, 2022

I recently enjoyed a 10 day Tauck Tour…

I recently enjoyed a 10 day Tauck Tour of Tanzania and Zanzibar, Africa. The tour exceeded my wildest expectations. If you are interested in experiencing unparalleled and close up wild animals in their natural habitat this is the tour for you. While the daily safari drives are a bit grueling for my age (67) they are worth the bumpy drive (referred to as an African massage), not to mention the very comfortable accommodations every evening with the best possible views. Our tour guides were superb. They were knowledgeable and eagle eyed at seeing and then quickly driving to see animals doing everything animals due in the wild including hunting and killing prey, caring for their young, mating rituals and much more. We even had a sunrise hot air balloon ride over the Serengeti. Our tour guide, Ivan, was a wealth of information on local customs and traditions. We visited a local tribe and were granted unprecedented access to their daily lives. A visit to the site and museum where Professor and Mary Leakey spent their lives uncovering the “cradle of civilization” where they discovered the bones of the earliest humanoids was an unexpected treat.

Date of experience : September 08, 2022

Bait and Switch for Glacier Express

More than a year ago we signed up for the Switzerland: Europe's Crown Jewel tour for September 2023. One of the featured items on the website and in brochure was a trip on the Glacier Express glass-domed train through the Alps. About a week before departure, Tauck sent an email saying that they couldn't get tickets so they substituted for a regular train, a very long bus ride, and a tour of a cheese factory. Getting train tickets is their core business. They knew the dates. We booked more than a year in advance. We questioned them and were told that they would not be providing any compensation because they provided an alternate excursion. The basement of a very small, stinky cheese factory was not a suitable alternative to the world-renowned Glacier Express. During the trip, we learned that some couples got cash back - when we protested to Tauck, they offered a voucher if we booked a future trip. I feel that this was a bait and switch. This was our third Tauck trip and I question whether I will ever use their voucher. Otherwise, this trip had way too much bus time. The meals were good. The hotels were average. Pace was geared to people 70 plus years old....we are 60 and were the youngest people on tour.

Date of experience : September 12, 2023

Tauck trip to Australia and New…

Tauck trip to Australia and New Zealand. I recently completed a trip with Tauck to Australia and New Zealand. Upon arrival, Tauck mandated that everyone to sign a document absolving them from responsibility if we get Covid. I asked the tour director the process if someone were to contract Covid and she said she would check with the corporate office. Guess what, there is no process!!! In fact she herself was ill with a hacking cough for 2 weeks. She didn't wear a mask, cover her mouth with a tissue or take any visible signs of distancing herself. After I called her out on her cough and coming from another trip sick, she admitted it. Yet her behavior to protect others didn't change. Within 5 days of the start of the tour many people began to get very sick, including myself ( even though I wore a mask every day). By the end of the trip at least 80% of the people on the trip had become sick. Tauck is asking guests not to blame them if we get sick. Fine, then ensure that your tour guides are well, encourage the use of masks and provide transparency if others get Covid. It's really not rocket science, it's common courtesy and being responsible. In this case, I do blame Tauck. I have also called Guest Relations, but am doubtful that anything will change. Although, we are all responsible for ourselves, this situation could have been mitigated if Tauck had a tour director leading in a responsible way.

Date of experience : September 25, 2023

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I am totally confused. Which is the better tour company. I notice the Nile Adventurer is owned by A&K yet does not appear on any of their tours. Does anybody have any experience.

did you get any responses? Did you make the trip with either company? I am looking at doing the trip with either one in May 2008. Thanks.

We did the Nile in Style.

This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity.

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Review Highlights

“ We also went To India last year and SE Asos 2 months ago and loved the hotels, the guides, having everything thought through with no glitches anywhere. ” in 2 reviews

“ Scotland is beautiful, & this is the way to see it. ” in 3 reviews

“ We canceled a trip in 2021 due to Covid & rebooked the same trip for 2022 with no issues. ” in 6 reviews

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Wilton, CT 06897

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About the Business

Nearly 100 distinctive and enriching land tours, ocean cruises, river cruises, Tauck Bridges family adventures, and immersive Culturious trips for "culturally curious" and active travelers. …

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Overall rating

Wonderful trip. Great leader and fun people in our group. To be able to stay within the national parks is bonus.

I just spoke with customer service. The most horrible service ever. I have never been on a cruise nor do I have any desire. Yet I continue to receive junk mail on a regular basis. I have called to have my name removed several time and it does not good. Customer Service has no follow through. I would never recommend this company as they are killing our planet by sending junk mail daily. DID YOU KNOW: * 5.6 million tons of catalogs and other direct mail advertisements end up in U.S. landfills annually. * 44 percent of junk mail is thrown away unopened, but only half that much junk mail is recycled. * The average American household receives 848 pieces of junk mail, which equals 1.5 trees every year and more than 100 million trees for all U.S. households combined. That's the equivalent of deforesting all of Rocky Mountain National Park every four months. * Largely due to deforestation, junk mail manufacturing creates as much greenhouse gas emissions annually as 3.7 million cars.

Tauck is not what it used to be.Luxury river cruise from Lyon to Provence was a disappointment. Try a different luxury cruise line for your river cruises

We just returned from our first Tauck tour to England, Scotland and Wales and cannot say enough about what a terrific trip it was. Tauck is a first-class operation; handles virtually every detail and makes it a fun, enlightening, unforgettable experience. Most of the folks on our tour were big-time Tauck repeat customers and I can see why. I wasn't sure I was cut out for a group tour but now I'm starting to think about which Tauck tour we'll take next.

Last tour was a phenomenal disappointment. And when I called to provide feedback the woman wasn't at all interested in doing anything to rectify my complaint. Being on a bus for over 4 hours without stopping for a restroom break is UNACCEPTABLE. In Germany it's mandatory for them to stop every 2 hours to give the driver a 30 minute break which wasn't done. Tour director was totally unplugged and lacked minimal communication with guests. other tour directors except 1, were rude and unprofessional to us. Many had complaints about one woman in particular. Yet when I provided feedback to Tauck the woman wasn't at all interested in my complaint. High prices and sub-par service to boot. My money will find a better company. Cannot in good conscience recommend Tauck.

First time Tuack Tour, Essence of Japan. It will be my last. Spent more than 45k and they handled flight booking. They booked international layover outbound with 40 min window. Not surprisingly my bags, clothes and medicine didn't arrive for 30 hours. They acknowledged their fault in email but Guest Relations tone deaf. They offered small cash refund and future credit on next tour. Won't be a "next tour ". It was once a great brand but they have lost their feel for customer retention. If you use them, book your own travel and save money and aggravation.

We have taken 4 trips with this company in the past 7 years. They have meet or exceeded our expectations on all 4 trips. We have made lasting friends on a couple of these trips. In sharing the travel with then strangers, in multiple instances we have never laughed so hard. Good guides, and well balanced itineraries.

After reading recent reviews, as a virgin cruiser, I would not book this operator if they were the last cruise on earth. Horrific reviews! Save your time reading them all, I already did. You've been warned.

Sad to see a once good tour company stumble and fall into mediocrity. That's Tauck post-Covid. My May 2023 tour of Normandy, Brittany and the Loire Valley was done on the cheap by Tauck, yet cost me thousands of dollars extra as a solo traveler on a special small-group tour. 5-star hotels switched to 3 and 4 (without any compensation or explanation)... many more meals "on your own"... lots of "self-guided" tours of museums and chateaux and castles we knew nothing about... airline quality "rubber chicken" dinners, not in hotel restaurants, but in sad and isolated business convention spaces... poorly-trained newer Tour Directors (like the one on this tour) with limited experience traveling outside her tiny Canadian village or dealing with people from diverse backgrounds. She even confessed that this was a second gig job that took her away from her own business back home! You get what Tauck pays for, but unfortunately, not what YOU pay for. Speaking to a "Guest Relations" agent was comically pointless. She tried to make everything my fault, which I now understand is par for the course with the "new" post-Covid Tauck. Please reconsider spending huge amounts of your hard-earned money on a tour company that has lost its way and no longer delivers.

Our recent trip to South Africa with Tauck was cut short by someone on the trip contracting COVID . The person had symptoms for several days and then used her own home test which came back positive . Two doctors traveling with her said clinical symptoms plus positive home test is 99.9 % accurate. The person with COVID called the tour director who asked the doctors why they were so concerned about COVID Tour director then went and go a local bushman paramedic who administered two COVID tests which came back negative ( see any Mexican resorts during the pandemic) She did not warn anyone on the trip that there risk for COVID was now extremely high and did not caution the group about taking extra precautions to keep everyone safe In fact the tour director lied and said COVID tests were negative and probably just a flu As expected one day later once arriving in a larger city the COVID PCR came back positive More people began getting sick with cough and other symptoms Yet still no word from the tour director We left the group since my wife is immunosuppressed and lost faith in Tauck keeping their guests safe Recommend 1 if you have US doctors in a group - use them in consultation with tauck docs based in the USA 2. If US doctors tell the tour director she is not following US medical standards then doctors should be on call from tauck to discuss 3. The level of quality tauck uses for medical personnel in third world countries is highly suspect We thought Tauck would protect us in any of our exotic travels. What we learned is Tauck is only protecting themselves

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Jordan & Egypt: Petra to the Pyramids (Small Groups)

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Day 1: arrive amman, egypt.

Tour begins: 6:00 PM, Kempinski Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea. A transfer is included from Amman airport to the Kempinski Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea, a luxurious beachfront resort nestled on the shores of the ancient salt lake at the lowest point on Earth. Join us this evening for a welcome reception and dinner tonight. Stay Two Nights: Kempinksi Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea (D)

Day 2: Dead Sea, Jordan

Set off on an excursion to Jerash, site of one of the best-preserved ancient Roman cities in the Middle East and a window to its past glory as an important imperial city. Your local guide shares expert insights about the sites you will see, including Roman temples, squares, arches, baths and theatres, often colonnaded and always astounding.

See Hadrian's Arch, built in 129 AD, the ruins of the Temple of Zeus, the South Theatre, built to accommodate some 5,000 spectators, and the meticulously restored North Theatre. After lunch at a restaurant in Khayl, drive through Amman back to your hotel; at a lecture at the hotel this evening, an expert on ecotourism offers insights on the social complexities of the region and what life is like for young Jordanians today. Dinner tonight is at your choice of selected restaurants. (B/L/D)

Day 3: Petra, Jordan

Thousands of years of biblical history unfold today on a visit to Mt. Nebo where you will see the view Moses saw when he looked out over the Promised Land. Continue to Madaba for a visit to St. George Greek Orthodox Church where the remains of the oldest known map of the Holy Land, painstakingly assembled from more than a million pieces of colored stone, cover the church floor.

Enjoy a fabulous lunch at a local, family-run restaurant, then drive to the ancient Nabataean city of Petra , carved out of sandstone cliffs around 6 BC, where your hotel is just steps away from the archaeological site. Dine with a local family this evening, or at your choice of restaurants at the hotel. Stay Two Nights: Movenpick Resort Petra (B/L/D)

Day 4: Petra, Jordan

Imagine riding aboard a camel cart through a hidden desert canyon that opens up to a magnificent red rose city dating back to the 1st century BC. Ancient master builders carved palaces, temples, tombs and more into the stone cliffs you will see here today.

Picture yourself standing in awe at the 130-foot-high Khazneh, (The Treasury), intricately decorated with Corinthian capitals, friezes, statues and more, like Indiana Jones did in the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Discover Royal Tombs, celebrating the achievements of the dead long gone and built high on the mountain side, and marvel at the ancient amphitheatre with seating for more than 8,000 spectators, along with numerous temples sculpted in sandstone.

Lunch at an onsite restaurant before returning to your hotel for an afternoon at leisure. Join us tonight for a private tented dinner in the desert, enjoying a fruit-infused hubbly-bubbly smoke, music and dancing by a local troupe of sword dancers. (B/L/D)

Day 5: Petra, Jordan

Take a morning excursion to the otherworldly landscapes of Wadi Rum, known as the Valley of the Moon for the lunar-like dunes and towering sandstone cliffs found here. Exploring by 4x4 vehicle* makes your visit unforgettable. Fly from Aqaba to Aswan, then drive to your hotel on the banks of the Nile, a Victorian palace once frequented by royalty, heads of state, and Agatha Christie. Dine tonight at 1902, the hotel's signature French restaurant, steeped in Moorish elegance. Stay: Sofitel Legend Old Cataract (B/L/D)

Day 6: Aswan, Egypt

Fly to the Nubian village of Abu Simbel for a locally guided visit to its massive temples cut into a solid rock cliff during the reign of Ramses II in the 1200s BC. The Great Temple stands 98 feet high with four seated colossi flanking the entrance and smaller statues depicting Ramses' conquered enemies lining up below. The smaller temple, some 40 feet high, is adorned by four colossi depicting Ramses and two of his queen Nefertari at a height of 32 feet.

Fly back to Aswan, and pause for a photostop at the Aswan High Dam. End your day with a felucca cruise as the sun sets on the Nile; arrive at your riverboat on the Nile; settle in, and dine aboard ship tonight. Stay Four Nights: Oberoi Zahra (B/L/D)

Day 7: Aswan, Egypt

A full day of Egyptian exploration begins with a boat ride to Westbank followed by a visit to the ruins of Saint Simeon Monastery, surrounded by sand and high walls, once housing some 300 monks in the 10th century. Next, take a motorboat to Agilkia Island to see the sacred Temple of Isis at Philae, one of the last of the ancient temples built in the "classic" Egyptian style; when the Aswan dam was built, the temple complex was disassembled and rebuilt on Agilkia Island to save it from being lost underwater.

Cruise to Kom Ombo, where its unusual twin temples are just a short walk from your ship. Temple reliefs here feature a unique engraving thought to depict the first representation of medical and surgical instruments. Return to your ship late afternoon and continue cruising. (B/L/D)

Day 8: Aswan, Egypt

Mid-morning, visit the Temple of Horus at Edfu, one of the most beautiful and best-preserved temples in Egypt, with its roof still intact. It took 180 years for the temple to be built and during your guided visit you'll discover why. Massive statues of Horus as a falcon guard entrances and the reliefs on its interior walls relate the story of the birth of Horus and depict Ptolemaic rulers making offerings to the gods and destroying their enemies. Return to your ship for an afternoon and evening at leisure aboard your cruiser. (B/L/D)

Day 9: Aswan, Egypt

Buried under the sand for more than 1,000 years, Luxor's Temple of Karnak is the largest complex of its time ever built, developed over a thousand years. Explore the site with an expert guide who shares insights about its history and construction, including the 134-columned Great Hypostyle Hall. A locally guided visit to Luxor Temple, connected to Karnak by an avenue of sphinxes, and dating back to the 1300s BC, follows.

Return to your Nile cruiser for lunch and an afternoon excursion to the Valley of the Queens with a visit to the beautiful tomb of Nefertari, the great wife of Pharaoh Ramesses II, where the hieroglyphics amaze. Continue to the Valley of the Kings for an after-hours private visit that includes entry to King Tutankhamun's tomb, renowned for the wealth of valuable antiquities it contained when it was discovered unopened in 1922. Return to your ship for dinner at leisure. (B/L/D)

Day 10: Giza, Egypt

Disembark ship for an early flight to Cairo this morning, touching down late morning.

Following an early lunch at a local restaurant, visit the Egyptian Museum, housing the world's largest collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts including many of the treasures found in King Tutankhamun's tomb. Check into your room at Marriott Mena House in Cairo, where the remainder of the day is at leisure. Stay Three Nights: Marriott Mena House (B/L/D)

Day 11: Cairo, Egypt

Drive to nearby Giza this morning for a guided tour of its storied pyramids, including the Great Pyramid of Giza, the last of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World, that have stood as defining symbols of Egypt for millennia. View the most instantly recognizable statue in the world, crafted in limestone with the body of a lion and the head of a king – the Great Sphinx has been mysteriously reclining atop its Giza plateau for more than 3,000 years, guarding still the unanswered secret of who built it and why.

After lunch, visit the pyramids at Saqqara, site of the necropolis (burial ground) for the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis. The pyramid you will see here is the Step Pyramid, a magnificent reminder of the early architecture of the pharaohs of the Old Kingdom. The remainder of the day is at leisure. (B)

Day 12: Giza, Egypt

Located on the right bank of the River Nile, the historic district of Old Coptic Cairo predates its modern-day processor with sites that date back to the 6th century BC, including ones allegedly visited by the holy family of Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus. A guided tour includes Roman ruins, Ben Ezra Synagogue, ancient Coptic churches including St. Sergius and the Hanging Church, and your choice of the Al Rifai Mosque or the Sultan Hassan Mosque, a short drive away.

Enjoy some free time to explore as you please before joining us for a farewell reception and dinner at the hotel this evening. (B/L/D)

Day 13: Depart Cairo, Egypt

Tour ends: Cairo. Fly home anytime; hotel checkout time is noon. A transfer is included from Marriott Mena House to Cairo Airport. Allow three hours for flight check-in at the airport. (B)

Trip Inclusions Expand All

Journey highlights.

• A private tented dinner in the desert in Petra featuring traditional music and sword dancers
• An after-hours private visit to the Valley of the Kings and King Tutankhamun's tomb
• A lecture by a local expert on the social complexities of life in the region
• Private charter flights to and from Abu Simbel
• Optional dinner with a local Jordanian family at their home

Trip Inclusions

• A 4-night Nile River cruise with shore excursions to Egypt's must-see sights
• A 4x4 adventure in the lunar landscapes of Wadi Rum
• A visit to the Temple of Horus at Edfu
• A camel cart ride to the "lost" city of Petra
• Guided sightseeing to Jerash, Mt. Nebo and Madaba
• Guided exploration in Giza, including the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx
• Visit to the Old Egyptian Museum in Cairo
• On-Tour Air included (4 flights)
• Airport transfers upon arrival and departure as noted
• Gratuities to local guides, service charges, admission fees, taxes and porterage

Included Meals

• 33 included meals (12 breakfasts, 10 lunches, 11 dinners)
• Itinerary and inclusions subject to change.
• Price is for land, cruise and specified internal flights. International flights not included.

Deck Plans Deck A Deck B Deck C Deck D Deck E

Cabins Luxury Cabin Luxury Suite

Luxury Cabin

• 388 sq ft / 36 sq m
• 10" pillow top mattress and pillow menu
• Soundproof, openable French windows and blackout blinds
• Air conditioning
• Coffee and Tea machine along with personal bar and electronic safe
• Alarm and docking station
• 24 hour express laundry
• High speed WiFi and wireless telephones
• 40" LED television with DVD player and iPod docking station
• Overhead, multi pressure shower and handheld shower
• Hair dryer also available

Luxury Suite

• 592 sq ft / 55 sq m
• Floor to ceiling windows that open onto River Nile views
• King size bed and a living room
• Bathroom with a standalone bathtub, a shower and change room

Tauck Small Ship Cruising & Exotic Land Journeys (2024)

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14 Days Tel Aviv Amman

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13 Days Amman Cairo

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Jordan & Egypt: Petra to the Pyramids 2023

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• Explore biblical lands untouched by time from atop Mt. Nebo
• at sandstone Petra
• and in ancient Roman cities surrounding Jordan's Dead Sea shores. Sail down the River Nile on a journey that spans 5
• 000 years of history in the world's oldest civilization. Visit pyramids
• temples and tombs that speak volumes about the lives of Egyptian kings and queens
• traveling by felucca
• camel and small boat to places immortal and intriguing. And indulge in modern-day luxuries
• enriched by the past
• at premier hotels and resorts with views of the iconic sites you've dreamed of seeing. Explore the awe-inspiring wonders of ancient Jordan and Egypt on this 13-day journey from the Dead Sea to Cairo
• including a 3-night cruise on the Nile from Aswan to Luxor aboard a luxury riverboat. Begin in Amman

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• TAUCK EXCLUSIVE – A private tented dinner in the desert in Petra featuring traditional entertainment by sword dancers TAUCK EXCLUSIVE – An after-hours private visit to the Valley of the Kings and King Tutankhamun's tomb Guided sightseeing to Jerash, Mt. Nebo and Madaba, thousands of years old Visit to Aswan Dam, spanning the Nile A 3-night Nile River cruise aboard Oberoi Zahra with included shore excursions to Egypt's must-see sights; please see flyout on Pricing & Availability for dates with an alternative itinerary featuring a 4-night Nile River cruise A 4x4 adventure in the lunar landscapes of Wadi Rum

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The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.

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It's easy to see the world's sights. To stand in long lines, push through the crowds, and generally have the same standard-issue vacation as everyone else. But that's not good enough for us, and it's not good enough for you. We believe that travel should be easy. It should be fun. It should be worth your time and the price you paid. It should re-energize and transform. And above all else, it should be beyond the ordinary. Because how you see the world matters.

In 1882, Herman Tauck arrived in New York City from Germany in search of the American dream. His determination and values were passed on to his son, Arthur Tauck, who would realize that dream. With ingenuity and an innovative spirit, Arthur started Tauck Motor Tours, a travel company that would give birth to a new industry. The first tour, through the back roads of New England, was created by this 27-year-old in 1925. It embodied the same successful formula used by Tauck today: do the right thing. Craft a life-enriching travel experience; provide it at a single all-inclusive price; ensure there is great value for money; and rely on recommendations of satisfied customers to build a following and grow the business.

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posted on February 21, 2023

In May of last year, Cheryl and I dove into a two-week “trip of a lifetime” adventure to Jordan and Egypt with two other couples.

A good friend had recently discovered as COVID numbers were beginning to wane that Egypt was opening to westerners again. Many western tour companies had ceased operations in Egypt after the Arab spring-related unrest, but now with new Egyptian leadership, travel companies were returning. When Cheryl asked me if I might be open to going, I immediately said, “Hell, yeah.” 

That said, we were certainly still worried about the state of international relations prone to changing quickly, and the very real chance of a COVID surge. Both of these made us realize that if we were going, we should probably choose a “safe” option for travel. This meant choosing to toss aside Cheryl’s addiction to guidebooks and meticulous planning for guided tour. And if we were going to bite the bullet then it was going to be an excellent one! We settled on a company called Tauck , a not-inexpensive option. We held our breath, paid the big fees, and began prepping our adventure. 

ORIGINS: Why We Went

Egypt hasn’t been open to visitors for long. In fact, after Egypt’s re-opening to western visitors in July of 2020 many archeological sites and resorts still experienced low numbers due to Covid fears. Therefore, our arrival was during a lull in tourism and offered a rare, uncrowded experience of some of the world’s oldest and most mysterious sites.

The First Decision: Travel With a Group or Alone?

Cheryl and I often travel alone, but lately have found a group of friends who we enjoy seeing the world with. Traveling with people is difficult, so picking good companions is essential. I’d recommend trying smaller weekend trips first before embarking on a major trip like this one. It’s hard to pick people to travel with because each person’s expectations and goals are so different. Just because we all love to “travel” doesn’t mean we love the same thing.

We’d been through many smaller trips with this group of friends. Maybe it’s that many of the people in this group are ultra-marathoners…everyone likes to walk and explore a lot , no one is afraid of a good bit of exercise! They’re also happy with time away from the main group, spending time discovering on our own. It works out well.

We enjoy some activities that I’m sure frustrate some of our friends: sightseeing for longer hours, experimenting with exotic foods, and burning the candle at both ends longer than many people want on “vacation.” Others prefer to enjoy the hotel, the pool, or to take in a few sights per day. Frankly, there are days when I wish I was in that camp, but I’m not. When I sit for extended periods of time by the pool, I usually find myself wishing I were out exploring. For that reason, we normally travel alone. 

FLIGHT: Using Points – a debacle

I’ll preface this portion of the piece by saying that neither of us are points experts . However, I had been told by experts that using points to upgrade your experience on international flights as much as possible translates to a better value than using them on short-haul domestic flights.

This appears to be changing.

For our flight to Amman, we booked using American Airline points, and ended up on a Saudi Air flight from New York (JFK airport) to Jeddah, and then another Saudi flight to Amman from Jeddah. This airline was, to put it mildly, not great. While the in-flight service was fine, at JFK our plane took off over an hour late…which I couldn’t figure out because the plane was sitting at the gate, on time and there seemed to be LOTS of Saudi airline employees milling about who chatted with either other a ton…but didn’t load the plane. Nobody seemed to be in charge, and they all seemed comfortable prepping and loading the plane excruciatingly slow. Nobody ever gave any explanation why the plane was departing late. In fact, while US-based airlines are far from perfect, you usually are notified that there will be delays. This seemed not to be the case with Saudi Air. 

That said, I do have to give some props to the staff in Jeddah upon landing. When we landed over an hour behind, it appeared that we were going to miss our connection to Jordan. A Saudi Air official was waiting just outside the jet bridge and escorted us…he literally ran with us across the airport to meet our connection. He also called ahead to the gate agent while running to have them hold the plane for us. I’ve missed so many Delta and American flights where this kind of service could have helped me make it instead of barely missing a connection. But this amazing service recovery doesn’t happen here. So, all in all, it’s a mixed bag between Saudi Air and what I often expect from American or Delta.

We booked points for the trip back via Delta, which was less circuitous but required tons of points to redeem. For our upcoming trip to Spain, we just booked round-trip on a single airline using cash even though we’re flying into one city and out of another. The price was tons cheaper than booking two one-way destination flights and using points would have inexplicably taken twice as long to make the same trip. Cash wins the day! And foreshadowing to future blog posts.

Packing For This Trip

What an adventure this was going to be! Overall, we wanted all-weather clothing. Our packing emphasized footwear and comfortable, breathable materials. This trip was going to require us to be ready to tour on foot no matter the weather. Also, both Jordan and Egypt could be hot this time of year (we went in May), check your weather before you go, noting the extremes. I found myself wearing running shirts far more often during this trip than I’d anticipated. I should have packed more. Cheryl, on the other hand, with her love of clothes and overpacking, was well prepared.

Few people wear shorts in Jordan or Egypt. If you’re walking around in shorts, you’re probably going to stick out, except in archeological areas. In high-tourist spots, wear what is comfortable. However, if you plan to visit wander and discover less touristy spots, you would be better off wearing long pants. You’ll not only fit in better, but you’ll be allowed into more restaurants, religious sites, and other areas. 

Always be respectful of the culture and norms of other countries. For women, there are strict rules in some areas about having shoulders and knees covered in religious places. We watched other tourists turned away from a few sites (especially mosques) because they weren’t dressed appropriately. If you don’t care about seeing religious sites and some of the more formal areas, don’t worry about it. Otherwise, bring appropriate clothing for these areas. In mosques, be prepared to remove your shoes as well.

I also packed a couple of small card games for the trip, as well as a good mystery book and loaded my iPad with a few video games. I’m on vacation!

Pre-Tour in Amman, Jordan

Accommodations:.

Prior to joining the Tauck group, we decided to stay high-end in Amman. I don’t think this is necessarily a choice that you need to make, nor one that I will do next time. However, being unfamiliar with the region, we went with the recommendation of a family member. We paid through the nose, but it was a first-class experience. This hotel, the Four Seasons Amman , was amazing. The breakfast area was first class with newspapers in several languages, an omelet station, and every type of breakfast food and drink you could imagine. Drinks in the lounge were expensive (as we’d expected), but because of the elegance, you felt special. Imagine lots of marble, spacious seating, and New Age music, and you’re maybe a third of the way toward imagining the vibe of the lounge at this hotel. After freshening up, we went to celebrate our arrival, seated on a sweeping balcony overlooking the city. Freshening up meant a shower and changing into our only other set of clothing. Amman is built on a series of hills, and four luxury hotels, ours included, were situated at the top of one of them. The next afternoon, we’d enjoy the outdoor pool area on the roof with even better views. You realized quickly that you’d paid for something great and received elegance in turn. Do I need elegance? Not really, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying it immensely. That said, now that I’ve been to Amman, the next time I’ll choose a more budget-friendly location.

In another way staying at the Four Seasons paid off. Shocklingly, because of our mad dash across Jeddah airport our luggage did not make the trip. The hotel worked with our Tauck representative to track it down and gave us kits that included a good toothbrush, toothpaste, a comb, floss, deodorant, and a few other items, all of which were top notch. We wouldn’t have had that service at an AirBnB or cheap hotel. We also learned long ago to pack an extra pair of underwear and outfit on our carry-on. Cheryl also has extra contacts and her glasses on her carry-on for such a contingency. We didn’t have most of our stuff, but because of the Four Seasons, we still felt clean and ready to go. Our luggage finally made a grand entrance about 48 hours later.

Getting Around Amman:

This was both a pleasant surprise and a nightmare. The good part first: Uber has a presence in Amman and lots of people use it. There are tons of drivers and overall super easy. However, according to our niece Maddie who joined us for this portion of the trip (she’d lived in Amman for two years so became our tour guide), many people in Amman don’t trust banks and prefer to be paid in cash. I still don’t fully understand how it works, but Uber allows some of these drivers to charge us in cash. The first time this happened we were surprised. The driver did not speak English and we speak no Arabic (this was often the case, but not nearly the problem you’d think it might be). Through a session of maybe the worst game of charades ever, the driver told us that he didn’t want the money through Uber but to pay cash. Problem was we’d already paid Uber and relented and gave cash since it was a small fee anyway. Later, when our niece was with us, this happened again. However, this second driver told us ahead of time that he would only take cash. 

With future drivers, we just asked to save us time and confusion. Some canceled after they heard us speaking English. This didn’t bother me. I needed someone who’d be comfortable with us in the back seat, and I understood that this wasn’t going to be a fit for everyone. We had one driver who was a complete Jack wagon to us (to be blunt), but based on a very angry phone conversation he was having loudly during our ride, I gathered that we weren’t special. He was just a dick to everyone.

One of the highlights of our entire trip happened during a ride home from downtown our first evening in Amman. The driver spoke broken English and he asked us how we liked his hometown. As we’ll explain later, we told him how much we were taken with it. Cheryl asked him what HE liked best about Amman and the soliloquy that followed was truly a love letter to Amman. Our driver made me appreciate the culture there even more. He spoke lovingly about the friendliness of the people (we would definitely agree), the music (also would agree), the food (yum), and on and on. But he took each of these in detail, most of which I couldn’t fully understand, partly because of accents but partly because he was singing and we were all laughing and having so much fun. He described foods I’d never heard of and told us about sounds he loved and places to visit that I knew I’d never see. It was a great ride and an early welcome that I’ll never forget.

This is the kind of stuff you’ll miss if you take a tour (like we were going to take in a couple of days) and never get out and meet people. Joseph Rosendo said on our Stacking Benjamins podcast that travel isn’t about seeing the sights , it’s about getting to know the people. While I’m not fully there yet since it’s far easier to just snap pictures of pretty spots and do regret not meeting more locals. I’ve come away with the feeling that many Jordanians and Egyptians were just like our Uber driver, fun people who I’d chat or sing with any time.

Pre-Tour: First Night In Amman

While sitting on the balcony overlooking the city, our niece met us and we had a celebratory drink while catching up. Then we were on our way. She had an Uber drop us right downtown near a huge market. The market was fun. We were smelling fruits and vegetables (some vendors, seeing that we had no idea what we were smelling, let us taste them!). We walked past a historic mosque and after several turns ended in a huge square. It was the first of many, “I can’t believe I’m here” moments. We were standing in front of an outdoor amphitheater which had been built by the Romans but had been renovated and was in use today. Roman columns defined one edge of the square.

In the United States we say, “Wow,” when a house is two hundred years old. These columns were two thousand years old . You could feel antiquity built right into the guts of Amman. It was a part of the pride and beauty of the city, and made you realize just how inconsequential so much of what we fight about truly is.

Before we move on, you may be saying, “Oh, you had your niece who speaks Arabic, and she lived there, so that made it far easier.” That would be true. However, we weren’t with her the entire two days (she had to work), and TripAdvisor and Cheryl’s guidebooks were invaluable. The biggest push our niece gave us was to get out there. She made us realize that we could get along much easier than we’d expected, and in most cases, she was 100% right.

TripAdvisor will tell you the same thing we found out about the restaurant we ate at the first evening called Zorba . This second-story restaurant offered exactly what we were looking for, delicious portions of middle-eastern cuisine. The service was great (passable English, and there were many international people in the place along with locals…a good sign), and the menu was large. We walked out happy.

An Aside: About Alcohol in The Middle East

The vast majority of people in the Middle East do not drink alcohol. Knowing that, if you order drinks, as I often did, realize that you’re going to pay through the nose for it. I could have purchased TEN bottles of the single bottle we drank at a hotel in Egypt (more on that later) at my local store in Texarkana (shout out to Party Factory!). We did it anyway because it was a very special occasion. But don’t go to the Middle East to drink unless you’re this guy.

We ended the night outside among hundreds of people who were enjoying the cool but comfortable weather. Amman felt festive. We ate a dessert called konafa, which is sweet, buttery, sticky deliciousness but far too big (I’d recommend splitting one), and just sat on a curb taking it in. After a hug for our niece, we found our separate Ubers and headed our own way.

Pre-Tour Day Two & Three

We expected some heat so early on the second day we high-tailed it to The Citadel , ancient ruins and a museum on top of a central hill in the center of town. Our niece was on a mission. She said that we must arrive before 10 AM, when the call to prayer rang out from all of the different mosques around the city. We paid the nominal fee to enter the area and found a spot where we could see the city cascading up all of the surrounding hills. Within seconds of 10 AM the entire city reverberated with the sounds of the call to prayer. Hearing it the evening before from the mosque next to us (and maybe echos of one or two further away), was not at all the same experience. If you can time it, schedule that into your own plans. It’s well worth it. The call to prayer, I’ve been told, does not follow the same schedule every day. Ask a local for the best time or check your travel guide.

At The Citadel we saw more amazing ruins and antiquity. A throne room, baths, descriptions of how life had been for the civilizations who’d occupied the area previously. It was a fascinating walk through history. The museum on site is included in the fee. It’s a treasure trove of ancient weapons, coins, relics, pottery, and more. Worth it but also fairly small.

We ate at three restaurants during this very full day. I’ll give you a quick rundown of each:

Dali (outdoor courtyard with heaters and then inside under the roof where it was slightly warmer). The service was sporadic, but I got a very hip vibe from this coffee shop/restaurant where we went for breakfast. Cheryl and Maddie tried Turkish coffee for the first time. A delicacy that they both found bitter even after adding tons of sugar! As an American, I wasn’t thrilled with the people at the next table smoking, but I was a stranger in their country…so I just enjoyed our own company. If I had a book or computer and didn’t mind some smoke around me, I could read or work here nearly all day due to the high walls and beautiful courtyard giving it a closed off from the busy world feeling.

Wild Jordan Center – This isn’t a restaurant, but a place where tours kick off to experience wildlife. However, if you’re in the area, the cafe in this place was INCREDIBLE. We had a snack of great pastries, coffees and smoothies in a beautiful setting. Our niece needed a break mid-moring to finish some work and the wifi was strong. Cheryl and I read email, chatted, and chekced out the gift shop that contained local made knick knacks from different parts of Jordan.

An Aside: About Gifts

I can no longer imagine bringing home a bunch of stuff from a trip that I’m never going to use or that will clog the drawers of my house just because it was neat. While we came home with some AMAZING gifts, these were the exception to the rule. A technique I learned to get the same rush? Take a picture of the item and then in the future you’ll smile again when you see it. In all of my time traveling I regret not purchasing ONE piece, and it was a very expensive statue in Bavaria of girls reading a book. It was incredible and I passed. However, that’s one in hundreds of times that I felt I made a bad decision by just snapping a photo and moving on. This is especially effective with catchy tee-shirt and towel prints or sayings. I truly don’t need to wear the funny saying, my joy is from reading it and then sharing with others.

Sufra – If you visit one restaurant in Amman, make it this one. There is a casual elegance to what appears to be a home-turned-restaurant. We sat inside (it was still chilly) on the second floor overlooking the backyard gardens for a late lunch. In the next room they were making all of their breads fresh, so the smell in the place, as you can imagine, was amazing. This was the best food we had in Jordan, coupled with great service.

Mar Yousef – This was hard to find without Maddie but we did it. The restaurant is attached to an old church and is run by monks serving, of all things, pizza. This was my first taste of a local Jordanian micro-brew beer and I was impressed! The pizza? Not so much. Our niece said the place is usually packed, but I think that’s because of the cool old-church vibe and the novelty of eating pizza in Amman. I’d go but don’t expect Detroit-style pizza you’ll crave again the next day.

Other Sights

Down the street from the Wild Jordan Center we wandered into an art gallery called Nabad . We had to knock for entry, and again–if I’d been alone I would have passed–and luckily for me, the ladies demanded we knock and go in. It was a small but wonderful gallery featuring a single artist. Well worth the stop.

The Jordan Museum

Near the amphitheater in the middle of town is a jewel : the very new Jordan Museum . Tackling all of the history of this young country and the many civilizations who’ve inhabited the area, the museum did a great job of introducing us to the richness of what we were going to experience and the economic condition of the country. The museum detailed everything from the importance of wind power and water (with an exhibit about how the average Jordanian family conserves), the increasing literacy rate among women, and more. It’s not a huge museum but larger than the one at The Citadel and better presented. I was thrilled we had this history lesson before the immersive experiences we were about to partake in.

Celebrating Ramadan

We are not Muslim, but couldn’t stay away from celebrating the end of the traditional Ramadan period with the locals,” if you call heading across the street from the Four Seasons to the even-more-posh Fairmount hotel for their feast. It was a great final night of traditional music, too much food, and lots of laughs with Maddie before heading out to the Dead Sea the following morning, where we’d begin our Tauck-driven tour.

What a beginning!

Join us next time for details on meeting our tour, initial thoughts, the Dead Sea, and first few adventures!

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Reader Interactions

February 22, 2023 at 2:23 pm

Thanks for sharing. Traveling to Greece in a few months with a couple we have never traveled with. Agree with your recommendation on practice first, wish we would have, but to late now. I’ll update after the trip.

Did I tell you I’m going to Greece? 😬

March 30, 2023 at 11:27 pm

You haven’t yet, but we’re glad you did!

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Just got a brochure from Tauck

Looking at the Danube 9-day cruise for around $9,000 per person. This seems like a reasonable all-inclusive deal for about $2,000/day for the two of us.

This includes shore excursions and booze, which makes the price appealing.

The Rhine cruise from Amsterdam to Basel is 7 days and about $7,000/person. Again, all-inclusive.

Any thoughts?

Lol, I received the same brochure today and looked up the price for an Egypt/Jordan tour ($$$$). Then I promptly threw the brochure in the recycle pile!

We love TAUCK and have been on 6 of their River Cruises . . . with 3 more booked. We especially love the Danube Xmas Market River Cruise.

Now we do book the cheapest time of the year and the cheapest category room that takes the price DOWN quite a bit.

We usually spend about $3200 for the Xmas Market cruises which are one week. And about $6000 for cruises that last 12-14 days.

The all inclusive part is fantastic. The unlimited top shelf alcohol and tips and port charges and excursions and airport transfers all make it fabulous. We have also cruised with Viking (3 star), AMA, Scenic, Avalon, and Uniworld. Tauck is by far our favorite. By the time you pay for alcohol, tips, port charges, airport transfers and excursions - the price isn't that different for a MUCH better experience. The service with Tauck can NOT be beat.

The Tauck website has a forum similar to this one where you can read reviews and ask questions. We love the Tauck land tours also.

You could also check out Scenic or Viking and compare prices. Both are good companies. We have traveled with Scenic and have no complaints. We like that Scenic is all inclusive and they don’t nickel and dime you when you are on the cruise. I agree that these are not inexpensive tours.

I’ve heard really great things about Tauck. I say- if it sounds good- go for it. Sometimes it’s so nice to get pampered I’m sure you will have an incredible time!

I'm sure it's a great experience, and I like cruising, but $2k/day for a couple just seems ridiculous. How much top-shelf booze can someone drink in a day? ;-)

Unless it includes a limo picking me up at home and a private jet ( or at least 1st class flights), it gets zero consideration from me.

The other thought is, they would not be advertising these tours if people were not buying them. That is what is as amazing as the cost.

From someone who worked in the tourism business in the early 70s, Tauck Tours were always the best tippers, always.

My mom loved taking Tauck tours. She was one that liked to be catered to and it was a great fit for her. Yes, she also tipped quite handsomely.

It would feel like torture to me to be on a cruise or river cruise for even a couple of hours, but I’m happy that there’s a huge variety of options for people to travel however they prefer.

Back in my tour director days, my lady friend at the time had been a TD with Tauck. It's basically five star service the entire way. You won't be disappointed.

For those of you interested in a private jet tour, TCS World Travel offers a few "round the world" trips on a private jet. They last 24 days and you travel with about 50 other people on your own plane. Prices start at $125,000 per person, double occupancy.

You don't have to lug your own bags nor take part in a "buddy check."

Have y’all met Big Mike?

Pretty sure there’s a heavy dose of sarcasm here.

Sounds fine to me. As long as you get to keep the boat.

Tauck is rated an excellent River Cruise company. There are many. I ALWAYS compare with others.

Tauck is never near price competitive to others that I check.

We have found Gate 1 to be excellent and their prices are hard to beat. Yes, on some tours and cruises they have optional tours, but even if you buy all the optional tours, their price is way below others.

We did a two week tour of Egypt in January with two river cruises (both 3 day) and hotels in five star hotels. Air fare from JFK was included, cost $3500 pp.

Dick? Really? I'm from West Virginia. We made our own booze when I was kid.

Thank you for the (serious) replies.

Mary, yes, Viking and Scenic looks much cheaper, but as I understand the situation Tauck sets the standard for first-class treatment in all aspects of the cruise. Reviews indicate "details and little things" places Tauck at the top of the river cruise pile.

My wife, Mary (no relation), cynically asked if there were cheaper rooms below the water level. Let's just say I have more class and refinement than her.

Frank II, I added the private jet tour to my bucket list, which I keep on a Drive document being technologically sophisticated and all.

$9000 for 9 days, reasonable. Yikes! When I look at what we usually pay door to door on our travels I cannot find any of our trips that cost near that, for both of us. I am talking things like South Africa and driving Kruger for three weeks. And Scotland for three weeks. Those were two of our most expensive trips. That includes our airfare too. This looks like the same sort of travel that has people paying $4-500 night hotel rooms and business class fares. I am glad people can do such things. In general RS forum people have way way more money that the general population. Plus, many are retired. I often wonder where that money comes from to travel like that.

I often wonder where that money comes from to travel like that.

Nothing nefarious, just the basics in life - hard work and living with the knowlege of wants and needs plus downsizing from a family home to a more moderate home usually yields a nice nest egg / burn rate in retirement.

We could go to Europe 3 times for that amount of money for 2 and probably have money left over.

Picking a tour or river cruise depends on a number of things: 1) Quality of product- how is the food, tours, service, boat 2) Price 3) Reputation

When I compare tours, river cruises or ocean cruise, I balance Quality vs. Price. If I have used a company before, then experience weights into quality. If no experience then reputation. Price is easy, what is the bottom line.

Some people fly Business Class or even First Class and pay 4 or 5 times what we pay in tourist. We have stayed in 5 star hotels, but when in Europe or the USA prefer a Bed and Breakfast.

Or last tour of Egypt for two weeks with Gate 1 was 60% of the price that Viking charged for virtually the same tour. Viking is a very good company, but I won't pay that much more when our tour with Gate 1 was great.

Different strokes, different folks

Like anything in life........comparison with what others can afford (or choose to afford) is NEVER healthy. There is wayyy toooo much you do not know about other people, what sacrifices they have made for their wealth and what their priorities are vs. yours. So, set that aside...for your own mental health.

But, to answer the question re: river cruises and Tauck: Tauck will give you a very, very nice experience. What Tauck cannot control is the river levels in Europe (which I understand in recent years have sometimes been way too low or too high....both extremes can present problems for ANY river cruise (when tours typically transfer to buses and on/off other river ships for portions of the journey).

We have traveled with Rick Steves tours twice.....loved the experiences.

We have traveled with Tauck three times, and without pulling all our travel files/photos, both my husband and I think there may have been a fourth trip with Tauck. They are truly a first-class tour company. You are picked up at the airport (in Rome it was a Mercedes sedan) and returned at the end of your trip. Hotels are fabulous. The experiences you get are fabulous (there were 20something of us seeing the Sistine Chapel for a private visit for just our group) compared to being stuffed in there with massive numbers of people when we visited on our RSteves Tour). On our Holland/Belgium river cruise, we had a private lunch in a castle (I would have to dig out photos/files to recall the name). For our Amalfi tour, we visited the private home of a professor, overlooking the sea, enjoyed wine/nibbles on her terrace, and inside she told us about contemporary Italian society. In Hawaii, we had lots of intimate experiences and also took two different helicopter tours on two different islands,over hot lava and then along the Napoli (sp?) coast, seeing the waterfalls and whales in the sea. I could give many more examples. Meals incredible with some choices of group or individual and choice of venues, all included.

For river cruises, there is absolutely no out-of-pocket.....all shore activities are included.

If you knew how value-oriented we are, and how we really do live well below our means and always have, drive 15-year old vehicles, do all our yard maintenance, most home repair ourselves, have never had a maid (even when I worked 80+ hour weeks in the corporate world)........yet, we select Tauck for some of our journeys for a reason.....you get what you pay for. Both of my sisters and their families, at our recommendation and others, are now very, very Tauck loyal...even my niece/nephew have taken solo journeys with Tauck.

Other providers we like are: National Geographic/Lindblad for expedition-type trips and Silversea for small-ship cruising. We have also done an equal number of independent travels, with lots of research on my part to choose lodging, meals, experiences.

Would I travel with Rick Steves again? Absolutely. Would I travel with our other favorites again? Absolutely (although we would wait awhile before boarding a cruise ship during covid).

Happy travels to all......................................you only live life once, so make wise choices that work for YOU.

Oh, and I will add that I wonder from where in the world people get/justify the money to attend the Super Bowl, certain concerts, buy new cars every year or two, have boats, etc. (tongue in cheek). It is all a matter of choice. I add, seriously, it is just at matter of what fits your and my priorities. We only live once. We like travel to exceed our expectations and be as problem-free as possible......and we hold those memories dear.

Once I "cheaped out" on a now-defunct Haimark cruise thru Eastern Canada (it went bankrupt and passengers had a gawd-awful 10+ hour bus trip to the final destination)....thankfully TravelGuard rescued us in one phone call, as we quickly flew home from directly from where the cruise line dumped everyone.

...P.S. I forgot to mention that on the Isle of Capri Tauck had us all greeted with lovely antique convertible cars that took us on an island tour and then up to the professor's house for our visit. You just do not get that experience with other providers, and there was almost no way we could have organized that on our own.........yet the memories are precious.

If we chatted in person, I could take you thru enough photos to bore you to death of other wonderful Tauck experiences.

Mike, give it "a go" then you can decide if you want to travel with them again.

“ Like anything in life........comparison with what others can afford (or choose to afford) is NEVER healthy. There is wayyy toooo much you do not know about other people, what sacrifices they have made for their wealth and what their priorities are vs. yours. So, set that aside...for your own mental health.”

Well said, Maggie! There’s a lot of wealth at nearby Lake Coeur d’Alene, including celebrities. How we each decide to spend our vacation dollars is a personal priority choice. My husband & I rent a boat each year and otherwise just use our kayaks. You all know where I like to spend my vacation dollars! ; )

If you can afford it and you want to do it, got for it. What does it matter what anyone else thinks. You only live once.

dplaunderville, my wife has shown some interest. It is all-inclusive and I am enthralled by the first-class treatment My big question is the quality of the liquor.

I don't get these prices. Yes, I understand Tauck treatment is first class. Yes, I know someone who raves about a land tour she took with them. However, on a river cruise you have the same space restricted cabin for the entire trip. At least on their land tours you stay at different five star hotels with lovely grounds and other amenities. Like someone else said, I would enjoy excellent meals and unlimited drinks, but I can only consume so much of that in a week. River cruises in general don't appeal to me at this time. Their land tours are too rich for my blood also, but if someone invited me and paid for the trip I would love to give it a go. Maybe I would like to try something a notch below Tauck such as Odysseys Unlimited.

You can get different and lower prices by choosing different dates and staying in lower-end cabins. Even the lower-end cabins are VERY NICE. Plus, you are only there to sleep and shower. All time is spent in town, on the sundeck, or in the panoramic lounge. If you are unsure - take a cheaper one like the Danube Xmas Markets - it's one of our favorites and I bet you will be hooked.

My big question is the quality of the liquor.

BigMike, from what ChinaLake said in her first post, it's all top shelf liquor.

Mardee, that's right. Thanks.

ChinaLake67, yes we look at that option. It would be nice for just once to see the first-class people live, just for a week or so. I'll probably have to buy a nicer suit than the ones I have, and study up on sophisticated behavior at dinner and so forth.

Mike, Tauck people are normal. No need to buy a new suit....really...no need....who wants to drag suit on vacation?? The dressiest my spouse has ever been on Tauck's land tours is a navy sports coat (the old one...gosh it is well over 30 years old... we call his "travel sports coat," which we do not worry as much about), a pair khakis, and loafers.....and I do not recall taking a tie on a Tauck river cruise trip. That apparel would be for nicer restaurant choices in the evening. No way would he wear that touring during the day. For a river cruise, you could even drop the sports coat most of the time, unless there is some off-river-ship special evening somewhere that requires one. For dinners on a Tauck river cruise, depending on season (hot/mild/cold), I would typically wear ballet flats, a little plain black skirt, and a long-sleeve t-shirt of some color (dressed up a smidge with a choker necklace or a scarf). If chilly, I might drape a shawl (that can double as a scarf) over my shoulders. No one notices I wear the same skirt over and over. Other nights I might wear leggings and ballet flats (and...giggle...yes some sort of shirt). Your wife would not even need a skirt...slacks are very common.

For day touring, leggings, t-shirt, light jacket (if cool), big hat, and the most comfy, casual shoes I own. If raining, my hair goes under a ballcap and my (packable) rain jacket hood up. Most of the men wear ballcaps or travel hats during the day.

We travel light, and fellow tour-goers (no matter how long the tour is or where traveled) and even the main tour director will typically ask us where the "rest" of our luggage is (when luggage gets grouped for transport to the next location or for final flights home). It is always just the one Rick Steves (old style) rollaboard for the two of us, and then each of us has a canvas Orvis carry-on bag (for cameras/toiletries, etc.) For cold weather, we might have a rollaboard each.

Please do not paint a "stuffy, little finger lifted" type group of people in your mind.........far from it......very down-to-earth, well-traveled, kind fellow travelers on Tauck trips. The groups skew older (as in late 50s-80s), but I would guess the average is late 60s, which may vary by location. Granted there may be a lot of wealthy individuals in the group, but they are not going to stand out as usual....just normal people wanting to enjoy seeing the same thing as the rest of us.

As another poster mentioned if you look at some of the Tauck tours, you will see a a section that is somewhat like the RS Forum, where people can ask questions, share experiences, etc. You can look at photos people have posted of themselves or others while on tour..............all tours might not include such photos, but click around and you will find some ........prove me wrong on how THEY look.......comfy, casual, and low-key.

Maggie, excellent insights. Much appreciated.

dplaunderville, good food for thought right there buddy.

Mike, I should add that I FAR PREFER the Tauck land-based tours over the river cruises (granted we have only done one river cruise). I like the diversity of staying in fabulous (often historic) hotels with incredible rooms with knockout views (whereas it is the same room pretty much each night on the river ship and ceilings are low, since two-three decks of a river ship need to be able to fit under those old river bridges). Also with a river cruise, you might dock in a city, have a fabulous view out your window only to wake up the next morning and have another river ship docked smack-dab next to you, such that you could talk to people in the other ship...they tie down on each other. In fact, in one stop, we walked thru the lobbies of two other river ships to get ashore (gave a quick glimpse of the other brands' lobbies, but I missed my morning view).

But, if you think you may only experience Tauck once in your life, I would definitely do a land-based tour...Italy, France, or somewhere you have not yet been in Europe. They do US-based tours, but it seems to me those attract a really aged group and you do not get the fabulous European hotels. British Columbia, Canada would likely come close.

The river cruise we took with them was the Belgium and the Netherlands and only because the Floriade (international garden-related show, which happens once every decade...and I am a garden geek) was happening, and it was the perfect time to visit Keukenhof (which was incredible..I seriously could have stayed there two days). I melted with delight when we first spotted the fields and fields of tulips in bloom as we approached that general area. Then later at Keukenhof, one of our fellow tour-goers saw me and said (in a very deadpan way), "I am surprised you are not down rolling in them." I died laughing...everyone could tell I was LOVING all the flowers....again, I am a garden geek, big time, 15-year member of the Botanical Garden Committee at our local botanical garden, master gardener, and on and on. Belgium was also a pleasant surprise, and it was nice to arrive in the little cities/villages by river. And, yes, it is traditional to have french fries with mayonnaise. I "think" it was in Bruges, we all loaded up on a private barge trip and were served tea or a choice of a liquor and some sort of cake that was a queen's favorite, and the crew told us the president (or whatever he is called) of Turkey had just been on the same barge the day prior. It was an incredibly beautiful antique barge, perfectly restored.....the kind you might see and think "it would be cool to go inside that." We did :)

With Tauck, you will have a first-class time, with experiences you will remember for life. Would we do another river cruise? Absolutely, IF the itinerary were exactly what we wanted. It is cool going thru the locks on a river, but once you have done one, you've done them all (overstatement, of course).

BMWBGV, for comparison, how much is a Viking cruise for the same itinerary?

Stan, There is no comparison. We have taken 3 Viking River Cruises and 6 Tauck River Cruises. While Viking is considered 3 star, Tauck is 5 star. Now, that said, you are in Europe, so it is a great trip either way - but once you go with Tauck, it's hard to go back to Viking. Now, we have gone back to Viking for the right itinerary, but we go knowing what the differences will be.

Tauck is truly all inclusive-- including unlimited top-shelf wine, beer, cocktails, all tips are prepaid, all port charges are paid, and the excisions and tour guides in the towns are the BEST. You will learn and see so much more than with Viking, Avalon, Gate 1, AMA, etc. And there are lots of great surprises and treats along the way.

The 'so called' included Viking excursions in the towns are not the same level as the excursions you will get with Tauck. Sometimes with Viking, the excursions are simply a walk thru town, pointing out a few things, and handing you a map. With Tauck, you are divided in small groups with a local guide and you spend a couple hours learning about the area, entering castles and cathedrals, hearing amazing organ concerts, sampling the local cuisine, etc - then there is ample time to explore on your own before going back to the boat.

The food is also better with Tauck with amazing regional cuisine, other choices if you like more traditional, and another restaurant onboard that has fresh pastas, sandwiches, burgers, soups, etc.

They also bring local singers and dancers onboard for nighttime shows and you'll find a 'local treat' in your stateroom many nights.

When comparing Viking to Tauck, it's really hard because you can't really compare because they offer such different experiences. The airport pick up alone is VERY different and the PRE and POST hotels are VERY different. All that said, there is a new 12 day Xmas Market Cruise that Viking just posted that I am looking into because I like the itinerary.

We actually like Uniworld and AMA better than Viking. We have also done GATE 1, which was just OK for us - again, you are in Europe seeing amazing towns, but the actual experience and SERVICE and all-inclusiveness is VERY different. By the time you add in the tips, port charges, alcohol, airport transfers, TRUE excursions, the price isn't that different.

Our friend is a Travel Agent at AAA and she books for all the lines and she cruises them all = she has done a spread sheet for us and the price wasn't that different. She has many complaints from her customers with Viking and the flights that Viking books. She had many issues with Uniworld for COVID refunds. Again, she cruises them all and books them all, but Tauck is also her first choice when people ask her.

I think if Viking is more what you are looking for, or Gate 1, or whatever - GO FOR IT. The rivers in Europe are amazing and it's a great way to unpack once and see several parts of Europe with a guide and nothing to worry about. I certainly wouldn't go into debt to go with Tauck if you can't afford it.

I do agree with who posted above - I like the LAND tours the most, but the River Cruises are easy and a great way to see a lot and not have to unpack every few days. Again, the Danube Xmas Market River Cruise is a GREAT way to start - but they book and fill up a year in advance.... esp if you like the cheaper rooms like we do.

Maggie and Stan, Viking is clearly cheaper, although Tauck seems to set the standard for elegance and quality. They are in a league of their own.

As for those suggesting one can't eat and drink enough to equal the cost, I say, "Hold my beer and watch."

edit: Now I'm curious about the opposite end of the spectrum. What are the bargain basement budget cruise lines? Like the basic economy version of flying? Or steerage like on the Titanic.

My wife and I went to a presentation last week for a new cruise line starting up this summer called Explora Journies. It appears to at the same price point except excursions aren't included. We're curious and it would be fun to try, but we're not sure if we would. We have the money if we wanted to prioritize luxury occasionally, but typically we make our splurges on the experiences and not the luxury of a ship or hotel that we wouldn't likely spend much time in. But priorities change and maybe we'll do it one day. Experiences that top my list for splurges include a Safari, Antarctica, and the Giraffe Hotel.

We look forward to your Trip Report Big Mike, keep notes in case you do drink your moneys worth.

Allan, I saw the TV feature on the Giraffe Hotel and sooooo want to experience that. I had randomly checked its web site, and it was all-but sold out for most days. Book ahead (for next year, even). Please do a trip report when you DO check that one off the travel list.

@ Big Mike- question about cruise lines. In general MSC and Carnival can come in at lower prices. However, it is about the "search" when it comes to cruising. Prices can vary greatly and at times you can get great prices on almost any cruise line if the conditions are right.

I'm a solo traveler so I really have to hunt for good deals since often the cruise lines charge for two people whether there are two people or not. You also have to check out what is included and what is not as gratuities, internet and special packages can make what looked like a bargain add up quickly.

I'm going on cruise to Alaska on Princess at the end of May. It was a good bargain for me. $25 train fare to get to Vancouver BC. $954 for the cruise including, food, lodging, entertainment, wifi and gratuities for a 7 night trip solo in an ocean view cabin and a transfer to Anchorage Airport. Also included was $200 in on board credit which I am using for select shore excursions. $148 flight from Anchorage to Everett (Paine Field) which is about 5 minutes from my house. This works because of the low cost to and from the cruise and the bargain fare.

You could pay thousands more for the same cruise. It is all about how you shop! I recently saw a deal that I almost jumped on and talked myself out of it. Azamara cruise with a "sticker price" of 19,000 that went from Turkey, into the Black Sea to several ports and then on to Greece. Last minute solo cruising price? $1400. Still wondering if I should have talked myself into it........

Carol Now Retired - Another benefit of Tauck for singles is there is NO single supplement on the River Cruises. You pay the same price as everyone else - you do NOT have to pay for a Double Room as most other lines make Singles do. We have a single friend who has been on 2 Tauck River Cruises with us. You do have to book a Category 1 room to get this deal- but those rooms are still super nice. If you are ever interested in a River Cruise - def look at Tauck if you travel as a Single.

Allan, I'd love to do Antarctica. Looks like I'll go down another rabbit hole looking at those tours.

Carol Now Retired, we did a Carnival cruise and didn't like it. A colleague at work said he thought about warning me of the quality of Carnival, but didn't want to rain on my parade. But yeah, you really have to do your homework to find the deals. I spend too much time reading reviews. It can lead to a paralysis of analysis.

If only my 403b wasn't going down the drain...

Comparing Carnival to Tauck would be like comparing Two Buck Chuck to Chateau Lafitte Rothschild. They're both wine, they're both drinkable but.........

ChinaLake67 and BMBGWV, I wasn't asking about comparing Viking vs Tauck as if its a choice I'm having to make. I just want to know, relative to the original question, how much $$ different it is. If you tell me Tauck is within XXX dollars of Viking I could judge better whether it was worth it. Relative cost, not absolute cost.

I am fully aware of the difference in quality - I have friends who've done Tauck, cruises and land tours. And I believe it's a mistake to focus on cost as the primary factor in making decisions. Curiosity makes me ask.

Big Mike, I think everyone should travel first class at least once in life.

You can see the prices on the website for each company. It's just hard to truly compare though because NONE of the tours are identical - they each do different itineraries - so you can't truly compare - but you can go to the websites and see the prices. Just know you aren't comparing apples to apples that way because the itineraries are different.

To quote a podcast host, “You can either fly first class or your kids will……..”. Don’t get me wrong. I fully appreciate the kind inheritance my parents left me. I only wish they had spent more of their money on themselves and some splurges.

It's so funny, reading through all the replies I didn't see anyone mentioning what I was going to mention -- until the very last comment (now the one prior to mine).

Given the drought in Europe, there is no way I would be looking at a river cruise for this year. They were having enough problems last year; I can only imagine it will be worse this year.

BigMikeWestByGodVirginia, if you can plan your travel to coincide with a Global Warming Summit someplace in the world, then you can often pick up an empty seat on a private jet at a reasonable cost.

as far as the low water levels, we have taken over 13 River Cruises and have only had to be on a MotorCoach for 2 days. We do tend to book in December for the Xmas Markets (which are rarely an issue due do rainfall in the Fall), or in the early Spring when snow is melting off or when they get rain. We do avoid the HEAT of the summer because that's when the droughts tend to be AND that's peak season when it's the most expensive to go. We like the cheaper, off season times. Just know if you are on a Motor Coach for part of the trip - it is done 5 star - we actually were VERY impressed - lots of extras were thrown in, our hotel was amazing, we did get a partial refund, and we didn't miss a thing - we were back on the boat by day 3. They catered to us so well and no one felt they missed anything - but, yes, the water levels are always a risk.

As my wife and I are getting older (yes, I know, so many are not), we occasionally consider a river cruise.

But we probably will not do that in Europe. Part of our trips is eating locally in local restaurants. Not on a cruise boat.

We may visit our son in Vietnam, and may take a cruise there.

Mister E, no sacrifice is too great, but some people are more equal than others.

We were talking about river cruises the other day. They're expensive but everyone we know enjoyed them and felt they were worth the money.

I've been on one guided bus tour. I'll never go on another because they took us to lots of places I'd have happily skipped and skipped places I'd prefer to have visited. I learned a lot about tour lingo on that trip. "See" isn't a synonym for "Visit" or "Tour", it means you will literally see a site - likely as not from a distance - nothing more.

I've also been on a handful of cruises, but never on a ship's excursion. I've either gone on my own (walking, public transport or taxi) or hired a local guide for specifically what I wanted to see most. I've never found a ship's excursion to be a good value.

To me the question is, would you choose the included excursions for yourself? If they're what you really want to see, great. If you'd rather do something else, you're wasting money skipping their tours. Taking the excursion when you'd prefer to see something else might be a poor use of your limited travel time.

" I learned a lot about tour lingo on that trip. "See" isn't a synonym for "Visit" or "Tour", it means you will literally see a site - likely as not from a distance - nothing more. "

This is where you need to know your tour company as well. Some companies such as Rick's and Road Scholar don't really use those shades of meaning and are pretty up front about what you go in to. I appreciate that approach as it helps me figure out if an itinerary is what will work for me.

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Finding the Universe

Travel tales, photography and a dash of humor

Travel Talk Tours Review: The Jewels of the Nile Egypt Tour

Last updated: June 20, 2022 . Written by Laurence Norah - 10 Comments

At the end of 2015 we were thrilled to be invited to two new countries for us, Egypt and Morocco, with tour specialist Travel Talk Tours . I’ve already written about our ten day tour of Morocco , so check that post out if you’re interested in learning about our Travel Talk Tours Morocco experience.

Since then, we’ve also visited Turkey with Travel Talk Tours . Suffice to say, we’ve done a few trips with Travel Talk now!

This post is all about our trip to Egypt, land of Pyramids, Pharaohs, and the mighty Nile River.

Growing up as a child of the eighties, and learning about all these things through fun school activities, this was truly a country I was very excited to visit, and the nine day Jewels of the Nile tour with Travel Talk Tours certainly looked like it ticked all the boxes.

If you visit the Travel Talk Tours Egypt site, you’ll notice they have a number of options for Egypt, some of which seem quite similar. We opted for the Jewels of the Nile trip ( see it here ), but I’ll explain in this post about some of the other tours and the pros and cons of each. Our itinerary was also slightly different from that listed on the website, which I’ll go through as well.

First, let’s talk a bit about Travel Talk Tours. These guys specialise in really great value guided tours, across a variety of destinations, most of which are around the Mediterranean Sea. Their primary market are backpackers and budget travelers, generally in the 18 – 39 age range, and the vast majority of folks who come on their tours are from Australia and New Zealand, many based in the UK.

That’s not to say that if you don’t meet the target demographic that the tours aren’t for you. Speaking to the guides in Egypt and Morocco, they’ve had all age ranges come on the tours, and a wide range of nationalities. Just bear in mind that it’s a 90% certainty that the other people on your tour will fit those criteria, and the tours are definitely aimed at the young at heart.

Despite being great value, and aimed at younger travelers, Travel Talk pride themselves in offering decent quality accommodation. All the hotels they use are at least four star rated by the Egyptian Tourism Board, and we certainly had no complaints with the quality of accommodation – the river cruise ship in particular was excellent.

Now, let’s take a look at the tour we did, day by day, and then I’ll go into some details as to the pro’s and con’s, and key considerations for this trip, so you can make your own decision as to whether or not a tour of Egypt with Travel Talk Tours is for you!

Touring Egypt with Travel Talk Tours: Jewels of the Nile

Jewels of the nile day 1 – cairo.

The first day of a Travel Talk Tour is just about arriving, with the goal to have everyone installed at the hotel by 6pm.

In our case we arrived a day early, which meant we could take advantage of a day trip to Alexandria, which was an optional add-on to our tour. Jess will be writing about our day trip to Alexandria in an upcoming post. It’s just worth bearing in mind that if you arrive in Egypt early that you might have the option to do a bit more – so do contact Travel Talk prior to booking your flights if that’s something you might be interested in.

Back to our meeting, which we turned up at fairly exhausted after a long day of touring Alexandria. This was where we met with our tour guide, who in our case was an amazing chap called Sameh. Sameh was full of enthusiasm for our upcoming adventure, the highlights of which he went through with us, including some of the sights we were going to be seeing, as well as the various optional activities.

After the meeting, folks were able to book onto and pay for any of the optional activities they were interested in.

I’ll talk a bit more about budgeting at the end of the post, but I would say that Travel Talk do a really good job of laying out a recommended budget for all their trips on their website, with each tour getting a full list of optional activities, estimated meal costs, and an idea for incidentals.

Back (again!, I promise I’ll stop diverting shortly) to our first evening. Here, there was an optional evening excursion, which was an evening cruise all belly dancing show. We were absolutely exhausted from a full day of travelling the day before, followed by an all day trip to Alexandria, so we decided to get an early night and be a bit fresh for the following day. Most people went on the trip though, and had a good time by all accounts. We went to bed, where we had a bit of a battle with mosquitoes. Hint – bring insect repellent to Egypt!

Jewels of the Nile Day 2 – Pyramids and drive to Hurghada, overnight at Red Sea Resort

After a night’s sleep, we were ready for our first big day of exploring, and this was going to be a big one – it was time to visit the Pyramids! These, like France’s Eiffel Tower or England’s Houses of Parliament, are an instantly recognisable world symbol, and have been for thousands of years. They’ve captivated travellers to Egypt for millennia, so as you can imagine, we were fairly excited to be visiting them.

After a decent breakfast (breakfast is included every day on the trip), we hopped into our bus (a vehicle we were going to become intimately acquainted with over the next few days), for the short ride to the Pyramids.

Travel Talk have intelligently set up the trip so that the first hotel you stay in is only a ten minute drive to the Pyramids. You can actually see the Pyramids from the roof top if it’s clear. Which it wasn’t when we visited. So drive it was.

Driving around the Cairo area, you notice very quickly that littering is a serious problem. Rivers in particular are heavily polluted, full of garbage. We asked Sameh about this, and he said this was generally the first question he got asked, and that it was a source of national embarrassment. It’s definitely an eyesore! Still, the main tourist sights we visited seemed to be litter free.

The first stop on our Pyramid tour was the Saqqara burial ground. This is a huge necropolis, noted for being the place where the oldest surviving pyramid in the world can be found: the Djoser step pyramid. This is thought to be the pyramid that started the whole large-scale stone-cut template of pyramid building – with later models losing the steps. Dating from the 27th century BC, and housing the remains of King Djoser, this 5000 year old building is definitely one of the oldest man made structures surviving today.

It was a fitting spot to start our tour, as it let our guide Sameh set the stage for explaining the history of pyramid building and burial in Egypt, a trajectory of construction that led ultimately to the creation of the Great Pyramids of Giza. Sameh definitely knew his stuff, teaching us all sorts of fascinating facts about the rites surrounding life in ancient Egypt, from birth through to death. This continued throughout our entire tour, and it was clear that this was a subject in which he was both passionate and well-informed.

Another area of Egypt that Sameh was well equipped to deal with was a more modern-day detail – that of the vendors who exist at every tourist site.

Another aside, if you’ll indulge me. Tourism in Egypt when we visited was at a serious low point, and has been since the revolutions in 2011 and 2013. It was just starting to pick up, when there was the airline bombing in late 2015. Since our visit in late 2015, there have been additional terror attacks in early 2016, both near the Pyramids, and at a resort in Hurghada.

Terror attacks and revolutions, as well as the coverage that these tend to get in the media, tend to put folks off from visiting a destination, which can seriously impact the lives of those who rely on the tourism dollar. It would definitely be a lie for me to say that Egypt is a “safe” country to visit, on the other hand, I’m not sure I could guarantee safety for any country in the world. For an excellent piece on why you shouldn’t let fear stop you from travelling, read this . I will say that we never felt in any real danger whilst we were there.

The purpose of bringing all this up is to stress that whilst we were there, there were very few other tourists visiting, even the major tourist sights such as the pyramids. This meant that the folks who usually make a living from selling trinkets and services at these locations were seriously struggling, with any tourist bus that arrived being greeted with some desperation.

Sameh was very helpful in these situations. Realising that being grabbed, cajoled and hassled by vendors desperate to make a living can make visitors both uncomfortable (and as a result, less likely to want to buy anything), he would give us a briefing prior to arriving at any destination, giving us an overview of what we would likely encounter for sale, a fair price to pay (haggling is key!), and reminding us that these folks were genuinely just trying to make a living. Sometimes he would even negotiate with the vendors, and show us the products on sale, rather than having us be mobbed. This made the whole process a lot easier for everyone, and reduced the stress levels somewhat.

Back to the step Pyramid. We started the tour with a fifteen minute or so talk on the history of pyramid building and the rituals surrounding death in Ancient Egypt, before being given around 20 minutes of free time to explore. In this time we could haggle with the vendors, take advantage of a donkey or camel ride, or just wander and take pictures. Quite a few of the group did take a camel ride, and Jess found herself quite surprisingly hoisted onto a donkey. In exchange for this, we felt obligated to give the man some change who was nice but somewhat pushy. If you don’t want to take part in this sort of activity, you have to be really firm and say no.

For any service you receive like this, there is going to be a cost, and it will often only be presented after you’ve taken part in said activity. Remember that all the prices are negotiable, and you are under no obligation to take part in any of them if you don’t want to! In our case, we agreed a price before hand, and refused to pay any more after we’d taken the photos. This is something that you might need to practice a bit first, but it’s just a part of the culture, and you’ll get the hang of it (like haggling!).

Once we’d seen the step pyramids thoroughly, it was back in the bus, and on our way to the main event – the Great Pyramids of Giza.

These are pretty much instantly recognisable symbols of Egypt, but I have to admit, they still blew me away. They are just so darn big! When we visited, they were also relatively quiet, which was of course nice for us, and we were able to walk around, touch them, and take as many pictures as we wanted. This was a truly incredible place to visit, and an experience I’m not going to forget for a long time.

From the Great Pyramids we headed up to an overlook which gave a great view of the Giza Pyramid complex, and from where an optional camel ride was available. Many people in the group did this, but we’d pretty much had our fill of camel riding in Morocco, so opted to hang out and take pictures instead. A few people also bought entrance tickets to go inside one of the pyramids.

Once the camel riding and pyramid visiting was done, we headed down to the Great Sphinx for more photo opportunities, and learnt more from Sameh about the people who built all these incredible monuments.

Finally, it was time to leave the Pyramid complex, and so we headed to lunch, a five minute drive away. Another note on Travel Talk – not every meal is included, in particular lunches and dinners. You are generally presented with an option or two for meals, but in our experience, and talking to Sameh about this, he said that most people go with the group and the first option. Sameh never steered us wrong, and nearly every meal was good value. As far as I’m aware, no-one got ill on our trip, which was a good sign.

Following a delicious lunch, there was a brief stop in a perfume shop, where we had some lovely tea, and a wonderful gentleman took us through the history of perfume making in Egypt, and showed us a whole number of his perfumes, many of which are used as the base for brand perfumes in the West. Of course, there was the option to buy at the end of this experience, but this was a very low pressure environment, and many people opted to pick up perfume as gifts for friends and family. These were presented in really beautiful glass bottles, and well packed – a really nice gift option.

And then it was time for the less exciting part of the day – the bus ride! Egypt is a large country, and the sights are spread out from the top to the bottom of the country. In our 8 days, we’d be covering over 2,000km, which inevitably meant quite a bit of time on a bus!

The bus, I have to admit, wasn’t quite as comfortable as the bus we had in Morocco. Sure, we all fit in fine, but it was a little older, and the seats were less comfortable. Still, it was good enough. The first drive was to Hurghada, a resort town on the Red Sea, and took around five hours. As with Morocco, you have to accept the bus rides as part of the experience. Bring a book, or some music, chat to folks around you, or spend time enjoying the landscape. Just be prepared, and you’ll be fine. There are plenty of bathroom breaks, usually with the option to buy snacks as well, so you won’t go hungry.

Finally, after dark, we arrived at our resort. This stop is where the itinerary diverges from that on the website, as the website has you driving straight through to Luxor. That would be a very long drive, so I’m certainly thankful that we had this overnight stop in Hurghada.

Even better, this stop was at an all inclusive resort (including alcoholic drinks!), so we were able to enjoy a few beers before and after dinner, which was nice.

Jewels of the Nile Day 3 – Half day relaxing in Hurghada, then half day drive to Luxor, overnight at Luxor

After a jam packed day of Pyramids and driving, our third day was a lot more relaxing. We had a half day at the resort, where we could take advantage of the pool, swimming in the Red Sea, a leisurely breakfast, or of course, those inclusive drinks. After lunch, we boarded the bus, and it was another long drive to Luxor, where we also arrived after dark.

Here we went, rather bizarrely, to a local Irish pub for dinner. The food was generally ok, although the Irish options were somewhat more dubious than the Egyptian options. Here there was also the option to get some engraving done, with a local engraver available to engrave various things in hieroglyphics. Then, it was time for bed, with another full day ahead of us.

Jewels of the Nile Day 4 –  Valley of the Kings, Temple of Hatshepsut, Luxor, drive to Aswan, Nubian Dinner, night on cruise ship

In the morning, we rose fairly early for a full breakfast. On this tour there is the option of a sunrise balloon trip. Whilst this was excellent value for money, no-one opted to take it, largely I suspect because it was required a super early start on a day that was already going to be jam packed. Still, we saw some balloons going over, which was nice.

After breakfast, we headed to another incredibly famous Egyptian location – the Valley of the Kings, stopping on the way to visit some statues.

The Valley of the Kings was the Egyptian solution to graves being robbed. Whilst a pyramid is all well and good, it’s a bit of an obvious construction, and the Pharaohs who were buried in them often had their tombs robbed at some point after their burial. Filling your tomb with treasure and then making it a giant landmark was probably never going to work as a long term security-focused plan.

The solution was, rather obviously, to start hiding the tombs. Admittedly, it took a thousand years or so between the Pyramids being used and the Valley of the Kings being used, during which time Egypt was busy having some history happening, with dynasties coming and going, new rulers, invasions and the like. That’s one thing you quickly realise when visiting Egypt, these guys have been around for A Long Time.

Anyway, the Valley of the Kings was picked as the resting place for at least 20 Egyptian rulers over a period of around 500 years. Obviously, a pyramid would have been better as a resting place, but those cunning Egyptians found a valley with a hill that looks rather like a pyramid, and must have concluded that on the whole, getting to keep all their treasures was worth not having a real pyramid.

Sadly, despite all their careful efforts, many of the tombs were robbed anyway. A notable exception to this being the world famous tomb of Tutankhamun, whose tomb was discovered almost intact in 1922.

Visiting the Valley of the Kings was a fantastic experience. There are twelve tombs that are generally open to the public, although they are often rotated so as to minimise the impact of visitors on the delicate interiors. Other measures to reduce damage to the tombs include no photography being allowed at all on the site, and guides not being allowed to lead tours inside the tombs themselves.

What happened therefore was that we were given some suggestions by Sameh as to which tombs he thought we would most enjoy visiting, representing a cross-section of different styles. He explained all sorts of things about the history of the tombs, and the people who were buried in them, and then we were able to explore them at our leisure. Our tickets gave us access to three tombs (although you can buy more tickets for more access). Jess and I decided to visit three tombs plus bought an extra ticket to visit the tomb of Tutankhamun.

Visiting Tutankhamun’s tomb is an optional extra ticket, but in my mind very much worth it. The mummy of King Tutankhamun is still in his tomb, and visiting it was something that both Jess and I wanted to do. It was definitely worth the extra ticket price!

Following on from the Valley of the Kings we headed to the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut. This has been almost entirely reconstructed, and is unusual for an Egyptian temple in that it is more like a classical Greek temple. It’s spread over three levels, and is thought to be one of the most beautiful temples in Egypt, although to be honest, competition is high for that title!

From here the group was definitely starting to get hungry, and so we headed for lunch in a nearby village. This was, in my opinion, the best meal of the whole trip, featuring a traditional BBQ of meat accompanied by all the classic Egyptian side dishes, including flat breads and dips.

Then, it was back to the bus, and a drive down to Aswan. Here, our group split depending on what exact tour they were booked on. We were booked on the Nile Cruise, so we checked in to our rather nice river cruise ship, where we were to spend the next three nights. Other members of the group had slightly different itineraries, so checked into a hotel.

Once checked in, it was time for an optional evening activity, which everyone chose to do, that being the experience of a Nubian dinner. This involved a half hour boat ride, followed by a dinner in a traditional Nubian household. The food was really excellent. Then, after a half hour boat ride home, it was time for bed, because our fifth day involved a seriously early start.

Jewels of the Nile Day 5 – Abu Simbel Temples, Philae Temple, Nile Cruise

I’m not going to lie, this is one busy tour. There’s a lot to see in Egypt, and this tour definitely does its best to get you around the highlights. One of those highlights is of course the Abu Simbel temples – the incredible temples carved out of the rock, way down in the south of Egypt. As part of the Nile damn project, these were to be flooded, but after an incredible effort, the temples were moved in their entirety about thirty meters above their original location, and rebuilt in their original splendour.

It’s about a three hour drive from Aswan to the Abu Simbel temples, and for security reasons, tour buses travel in a convoy. Which departs Aswan at 4am. Yes, that is early. Particularly since I wanted a bit of breakfast, and we had to get to the convoy start point. Long story short, it was a 3am wake up call.

Thankfully, the bus was comfortable enough to get a bit of rest as we drove down, and I was able to wake up for long enough to watch a glorious sunrise. So that was nice.

The temples themselves were, as you might imagine, pretty stunning. Originally built in 1264BC, they fell into disuse and were buried by the desert sands for centuries, before being rediscovered in 1813. Today they are a UNESCO world heritage site, and very much near the top of the list of incredible Egyptian temples to visit.

Wandering these two temples is incredible, especially when you consider everything in them, including the pillars, was carved out of the solid rock. Photography inside the temples isn’t allowed (they are quite strict on this!), but the chap at the entrance did let me get a shot looking into them. For a few Egyptian Pounds, he’ll also let you hold the key to the temple. This ankh represents the concept of eternal life, and often appears in images of Egyptian gods, so is generally considered good luck to hold.

From Abu Simbel, after a strong and reviving Egyptian coffee, it was back in the bus for the convoy ride to Aswan. From Aswan we hopped on a boat to visit the Temple of Philae. This sits on an island in the reservoir formed by the Aswan Low Dam, where it was moved in the 1960’s so as to be above the water level permanently.

Built in the 4th century BC, the Temple of Philae was believed to be one of the burying places of Osiris, god of the underworld and resurrection. The temple feels very Roman, largely because much of was it was constructed by the Romans during their time in Egypt.

I also found the graffiti on the walls to be interesting, left as it was by Victorian-era travellers. You can find this sort of writing engraved on many Egyptian monuments, obviously leaving a mark on an artifact that is potentially thousands of years old is pretty uncool, but those Victorian travellers clearly had a slightly different set of values.

On from the temple and it was back to the boat, where the group split up. Those of us taking the cruise remained on the boat, where we were to spend the next couple of nights cruising up the Nile. Other members of the party were doing the other itineraries – one, the Felucca trip , which involves sailing up the Nile on a traditional Felucca, and the others were doing a land based trip , which meant they had another full day to explore Aswan, before we would meet them again in Luxor.

Personally, I think the Nile Cruise represents best value for money, as all our meals were included for our time on the boat, and we had a wonderfully relaxing trip up the Nile, stopping to take in various highlights on the way.

Certainly, the Felucca version of the trip offers a wonderfully authentic experience, and our guide said it was his favourite of all the Egyptian tours. I think the land tour option would be my third choice – you get an hour of sailing on a Felucca, but then have to handle a bus ride from Aswan to Cairo, which is around a fifteen hour drive!

Jewels of the Nile Day 6 – Nile Cruise, Kom Ombo Temple, Edfu Temple,

Our sixth day dawned with us cruising up the Nile on our cruise boat. This was a very comfortable vessel, with nice rooms, lovely big windows to enjoy the view, and a huge top-deck that ran the length of the boat. It was from here that I went to watch the sunrise as we cruised up the Nile.

I was the only one up there at that hour of the morning – everyone else opted for a lie-in! If you can motivate yourself though, I can definitely recommend popping above deck to watch the sunrise – there’s always something magical about watching the first light hit the world around you, especially in a country with so much history.

The sixth day was definitely one of my favourites on the trip. There’s something so relaxing about a river cruise (something I discovered in Russia ), watching the scenery go by, enjoying excellent food, and stopping off for a bit of sight-seeing as you go.

In our case, we stopped at the Temple of Kom Ombo (also home to a rather interesting mummified crocodile museum), and the Temple of Horus at Edfu. This latter included a buggy ride to the temple, which was a lot of fun (I even got to drive the buggy briefly!), and personally, was one of my favourites of all the temples we visited in Egypt, not least because of the huge scale of it.

Then, it was back to the boat, and an afternoon tea, followed by a lovely sunset, and a few drinks with my fellow travelling companions. We also passed through a number of locks on the river during this part of the voyage.

This was a fun experience too, as many vendors came alongside the vessel, and threw their wares up to us in an attempt to sell them. Had we been interested, we would have thrown money back at them. As it was, we just had to throw their wares back at them. Not as easy as it sounds from the fourth storey of a cruise boat!

Jewels of the Nile Day 7 – Luxor Temple, Karnak Temple, Papyrus Scrolls

Our final day on the river cruise and I didn’t quite make it up for the sunrise, opting instead for what I thought was a well deserved lie-in. The boat arrived into Luxor, where we set off to explore the impressive Luxor temple.

One of the most interesting things about Luxor temple, in my mind, is the enormous obelisk that stands outside it. This was once a set of two – the other now sits in Paris’s Place du Concorde. Given the size and scale of this monument, carved out of solid rock, I can’t imagine how challenging this must have been to move!

From Luxor Temple we went to Karnak Temple. Karnak temple was originally connected to Luxor temple by a three kilometre long avenue of sphinxes, but only a part of this survives today.

Karnak Temple is the second largest ancient religious site in the world, after Angkor Wat, so as you can imagine, is fairly impressive also. This is a bit of a thing with Egypt, everything is just so impressive.

By now you might be wondering why I keep going on about these temples, and surely maybe by this point I’d seen enough. Nothing could be further from the truth. Each temple held it’s own unique points of interest and fascination, and Sameh’s guiding was always top notch, keeping us informed and entertained throughout.

In the case of Karnak, easily the most impressive part was the sheer scale, a feature that was particularly obvious in Hypostyle Hall, a 5,000 square meter hall consisting of 134 enormous columns, the majority of which are 10 meters tall, with a few being 21 meters tall! There are also a number of obelisks here – one is missing, as it was borrowed by the Romans in 357AD, and is still standing in Rome. That happens to be the largest obelisk in the world, and originally weighed 455 tons – the mind boggles as to how the Romans transported it from Egypt to Rome!

Following our temple tour of Karnak, our last stop was at a Papyrus store, where we learnt all about the art of making papyrus scrolls, and were able to purchase any artworks we were interested in. As I had enjoyed the temple of Horus so much, I bought a little scroll featuring a depiction of Horus as a memento of the trip.

Then, the day became rather less exciting, as we loaded up into the bus for the final big trip – all the way from Luxor to Cairo. This was a long trip, running from around 4pm to just after midnight, and I can’t say it was hugely enjoyable, but we got through it ok.

Jewels of the Nile Day 8 – Cairo Museum, Mosque of Muhammad Ali, Sound and Light Show

Our last full day with Travel Talk Tours was dedicated to exploring Cairo. Unfortunately, Sameh had come down with the flu, so we had a new guide for our last day. He was certainly very knowledgeable, but the last minute nature of the change meant we started our trip a little late. Still, these things happen.

The day started with a visit to the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, most often known as the Museum of Cairo. This is one of Egypt’s largest museums, home to over 120,000 items, with arguably the most famous being the Gold Mask of Tutankhamun.

Unfortunately, the famous mask was out for cleaning when we visited, although the upshot of this was that we were allowed to take photos inside the museum, which is normally not permitted. Mask aside, there were still plenty of interesting artefacts on display, although to be honest, I did prefer to be out and about visiting the actual temples rather than seeing the items in a museum setting. I guess I’m just never going to be much of a museums person!

From the museum we headed to a few other areas of Cairo. We visited the incredible Mosque of Muhammad Ali, also known as the alabaster mosque, where we learnt a little about the Muslim religion and worshipping practices. Then we learned went to the Hanging Church and Citadel. We also visited a famous shopping district the Khan El Khalili Bazars – this being the last day of the tour, this gave everyone a last chance to pick up some souvenirs or gifts for folks back home. Finally, it was back to the hotel.

Most people were pretty tired by this point, so the final optional activity wasn’t well subscribed to, but I’ve always wanted to see the Sound and Light Show at the Pyramids, so after a quick bite to eat, it was back in the bus for a trip to the pyramids.

This show, which runs for around an hour or so, was a lovely way to finish off the trip. The Pyramids were without doubt the highlight of our Egypt adventure for us, and seeing them beautifully lit up, as a story about their history was told, really wrapped everything up nicely.

It was also at the sound and light show that the dire state of the Egyptian tourism industry really became obvious. There are literally thousands upon thousands of chairs here waiting for people to visit, and on the night we attended, I counted 21 visitors. Like I said earlier in the post, I can’t guarantee that Egypt is safe, but my experience was that we were well looked after, had no issues, and had a fantastic time. If you have the opportunity to go, I would definitely consider a trip here.

Jewels of the Nile Day 9 – End

Our last day was much like the first day – folks were heading home, and so were we. We had a ridiculously early flight, so it was a quick transfer to the airport and away, having said all our goodbyes the night before.

Phew. Hopefully this gives you an idea of what to expect on a Travel Talk Tour of Egypt like the one we did! Now, let’s go through a few pro’s and con’s.

What was good about the Jewels of the Nile tour of Egypt with Travel Talk Tours?

Excellent Guide. A great guide can really make a trip, and in our case, Sameh really was fantastic. He knew his stuff, he was always hugely enthusiastic, and if anyone had any problems, questions or queries, he went above and beyond to help out. He was definitely a highlight of our trip to Egypt.

Nice Hotels. Other than being bothered by mosquitoes on our first and last nights, all the hotels we stayed at were comfortable, clean and well-presented. I particularly liked the river boat, it was a lovely space and the views from the full length windows were unbeatable!

Good Food. Throughout our trip, Sameh took us to well-priced restaurants that served excellent local food. The only exception was the Irish Pub, where the food was not that great. But really, one slightly below par dish from nine days of meals is hardly worth writing home about!

Great Value For Money. Many of my thoughts on the pro’s and con’s of this tour echo those that I put together for the Morocco tour with Travel Talk. Value for money is another one of these. You can get Travel Talk Tours at an excellent price, and they often run promotional deals. It is worth noting that the tours don’t include admission prices, tips, or all meals, but even once everything is factored in, the value is definitely high.

Egypt is Mind Blowingly Awesome. Finally, and this has nothing really to do with Travel Talk, other than how well Sameh made this obvious – Egypt is a truly incredible country. I’d often thought that Italy was a good place to visit for history, but Egypt blows that right out of the water. When you think the by the time of Cleopatra, the Pyramids had already stood for over two thousand years. In fact, we’re closer to the time of Cleopatra now than she was to the time of the Pyramids. It’s a fascinating country to visit, and one that everyone with even the vaguest of interest in the development of civilisation should add to their list.

What wasn’t so great?

Of course, not everything is perfect about a trip. Whilst the below definitely weren’t deal breakers for us, I do want to bring them up so you are aware!

Long Bus Rides. As is likely quite obvious from the post, this tour does involve some fairly prolonged bus journeys. The Egyptian scenery is not quite as varied as the Moroccan scenery, and the roads weren’t always great, so this can get a little tiring. I can’t really see any other way to get a group of people around the country though – the trains are also fairly slow, and flights would likely significantly increase the cost of the trip. So just be prepared – Egypt is a large country, with the key attractions stretched out from North to South, so some time on the bus is the price you’ll have to pay.

Lack of WiFi. Again, not really a deal breaker – we could all do with a bit of time away from the internet, right? WiFi was not reliably available, except in the odd hotel lobby, so don’t be expecting to keep folks up to date with your every move.

It’s a tour. Fairly obviously, this is a tour, made up of a group. So, there are downsides to this sort of travelling compared to independent travel, in terms of flexibility, timing, what you are going to see, and so on. Of course, there are advantages, in that everything is taken care of for you. So this isn’t really a downside, just a fact, that a group tour isn’t for everyone. Although you probably already know if that’s you by now!

Who’s going to be on a tour like this?

As previously mentioned, Travel Talk Tours are predominantly aimed at a younger market, with most tour attendees being 18-35 years olds. Unlike the Morocco trip though, which featured many more single girls, the Egypt trip we were on was nearly all couples, with one family group of four (all adults).

Everyone apart from ourselves was either Australian or from New Zealand, and many of them had been on Travel Talk tours previously as well, always a positive sign.

What do you need to know about travelling in Egypt with Travel Talk Tours?

Egypt is definitely a country experiencing some turmoil. Security is high, and we often had an armed truck escort of police escorting our vehicle. The low state of tourism has really impacted the country, and you might find yourself somewhat more hassled than usual as a result.

This said, I would definitely still recommend travelling to Egypt. The people are friendly, the Travel Talk guides know their stuff, and the country is home to some of the most impressive historical sights you are ever going to see. You cannot fail to be impressed by the Pyramids, and the way they have stood for thousands of years, as world civilisations have risen and fallen around them.

Beyond the safety, there are some basic considerations to take into account. As with many other countries, tap water isn’t safe to drink, so only buy and drink bottled water. The local currency is the Egyptian Pound – you can change this into other currencies before you leave, which I would recommend doing, as it can be hard to change once you have left the country.

The electrical system is the same as the UK / Europe at 220v. Power sockets are also similar to European style sockets (two hole), so if you’re travelling from the US or UK you will likely need a travel adaptor.

WiFi is available at many (but no all) of the hotels, but is not always free, so do be prepared to go without internet for prolonged periods of time.

Is the Jewel of the Nile Egypt Tour with Travel Talk Tours for you?

If you’re keen to explore Egypt, like to meet new people, and enjoy having most of your trip being taken care of for you, then you will definitely enjoy this tour. To be honest, Egypt can be a bit of a challenging country to travel in solo, so a tour like this is really an excellent way to have a minimum hassle experience.

I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone who is young at heart and wants to see Egypt. At the time of writing, Egypt is really struggling for tourists, which means that even sights like the Pyramids and the Valley of the Kings, which are usually swarming with thousands of people, are eerily quiet.

Travel Talk makes the experience really easy, their guides are absolutely first class, and we had a wonderful time. So yes, if you’ve read this post and think it’s for you, I’d totally suggest you go ahead and book a trip !

So you know: our trip to Egypt with Travel Talk Tours was provided complimentary by Travel Talk Tours, who covered our flights, accommodation, tour costs, and most of our entry fees and meals for the duration of the trip. All opinions remain our own – do check our Code of Ethics for more on how we choose who to work with.

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There are 10 comments on this post

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Akshay Sawant says

9th April 2021 at 1:59 pm

Hi Laurence, I have heard about the Pyramids of Giza but still not visited there, You are so lucky that you have visited and near future, I would love to visit there. Thank You & Keep traveling!

Laurence Norah says

9th April 2021 at 7:34 pm

It is an incredible place to visit for sure, I hope you are able to visit yourself someday!

Safe travels 🙂

Jackie Arellano says

18th January 2021 at 7:01 am

Took a Egypt tour 12 years ago but took flights va Bus from Cairo to Answan.. is train much faster was that a option to upgrade

18th January 2021 at 11:00 am

I’m not sure if a train is faster, although you can take an overnight train between the two. However, on this particular tour there wasn’t an option to change the transport type.

Belle Carmichael says

13th December 2019 at 8:42 am

I’m torn between the different options through Travel Talk. I can’t really tell which might be better or worse! I have 15 days total, and am splitting the time between Egypt and visiting a friend in Spain. Any advice? Thank you!

13th December 2019 at 2:43 pm

So to be honest the tours for each country are often not that difference despite the name differences – the key is to look at the itineraries. For example, in Egypt, I took the Jewels of the Nile tour, but the Felucca tour and land tour were actually the same, with just the boat section of the trip being different. So the only decision is which part of the trip you want to do most.

I’m not sure how many days you have exactly – are you just looking for an Egypt tour with Travel Talk? I definitely enjoyed the tour with the river cruise option, but others in our group who did the Felucca had a great time too 🙂 There are also longer versions of the tours, such as those that include Jordan, or other sections of Egypt. Again, on the ground these are just extensions to the same tour, so you will be in a group with folks in other tours until the “different” part of your tour. Does that make sense?

If you could let me know specifically which options you are looking at and for how long, I’m happy to try and help further of course!

13th December 2019 at 10:56 pm

I really want to do the Felucca and I really want to do Alexandria. Someone mentioned that I could book the Felucca and then just add on a pre-trip to Alexandria. If so, I think that’s what I’d probably like to do. I’d also like to minimize the amount of bus travel as much as possible! I know they can be long and arduous.

14th December 2019 at 9:41 am

You can definitely do the Alexandria tour on the day before the trip starts, as we did it. Just be aware it’s around a 2-3 hour drive each way, so there is quite a lot of time in the bus. Unfortunately, long amounts of time on a bus are basically par for the course in Egypt – all the attractions are primarily along or near the Nile river, which spans from one end of the country to the other. I think this was why I enjoyed the river cruise part of it so much, as we spent two nights on the river boat and that was a lovely form of transport and a nice break from the bus. But of course, the felucca is also a great experience 🙂

Overall, I think the best tour for you might be the Amazing Egypt tour . It’s an extra day compared to the tour we did, and that day includes a trip to Alexandria. It has lots of time on the Felucca, and visits all the highlights of Egypt.

It’s only a bit more expensive compared to the 9 day version, but as you aren’t having to pay for the day trip to Alexandria (and it includes the local payment), I’d probably go with that one 🙂

Let me know what you decide, and whatever you do, we’d love to see your photos and thoughts from your trip in our facebook group 🙂 https://www.facebook.com/groups/travelloversandphotography/

Eleanor says

20th April 2019 at 7:22 pm

Hi! Love your review. I’m about to take off on a jewel of the Nile trip and unfortunately I have some back problems. I was wondering how active this tour was? Is there a lot of walking between sights? Or is it mostly on the coach, just getting off at the sights and exploring? Thank you! Eleanor

20th April 2019 at 8:41 pm

Hey Eleanor! Thanks very much, and sorry to hear about your back 🙁

So I have good news, there isn’t that much walking. There is some walking around the sites obviously, but the majority of the time you are on the bus rather than walking, and then just exploring the locations on foot.

I hope this assuages your fears. I also hope you have an amazing time, and please do drop by and let us know about the trip so we can be sure our post is still accurate, and also hear how you enjoyed it 🙂

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