Egypt

[splitfirz]

Anyone tried going on tours to Egypt with Chan Brothers/Dynasty/CTC?
Please share your experiences (good/bad) as I'm stuck on which to go for =)

Also, anyone tried going via Contiki/Insights Vacations?
the price difference's a hell load more

 

[Googocat]

Egypt-Dynasty Travel

Hi splitfirz

Yup, I travelled to Egypt just last December with Dynasty travel. This is my second time taking up a tour group with them. My first tour with them was to Western Europe. I thoroughly enjoyed myself (I had a very good tour guide) on that trip and decided to go back to them for the second time. I paid just slightly over $3k for my 13D12N package. I remember booking with them during the NATAS fair.

But the Egypt trip didn't quite went well with them. Mostly because the tour guide who guided the tour was fairly inexperience about Egypt. PLus, Egypt is not for the faint-hearted.

Just a word of caution on Egypt. Be mentally prepared. The country is very poor and everywhere you look, broken/half built houses line the streets. The people are very consumed by the thought of earning an income from tourists and this can be very taxing on tourists who have to constantly fight off peddlers and strangers who are willing to offer any form of help in return for just a dollar or 2. I had ro raise my voice at one of the security guards at the Giza because he was pestering my hubby for money.

Quality and hygiene of food and accomodation are also considerations. Especially if you are going for the Nile cruise. Don't expect the Nile cruise accomodation to be really five stars. Be careful of what you eat. What you can truly expect is the beauty of the Nile river.

If you are attempting the Sinai climb, pack light and pack lots of chocolates, biscuits and bread. The climb really consumes you. Take the hike up and take the camel when you are coming down. Enjoy the sunrise. It's breath-taking.

 

[the_dog]

I think going with Contiki / Insight will cost more once you add in their optional activities. Local tour companies generally package popular excursions into their tours already.

You want the cheapest deal, book a land tour with local Egyptian tour company and your own plane tickets.

 

[tulipkiss]

anyone been to egypt via tour agencies recently? any advice?

 

[lurker88]

Googocat probably summed up what to expect when in egypt.

Some pointers to add
1. During the nile cruise, avoid the salad
2. Sinai climb was pretty easy imo. The difficulty level is 30% of mount kk.
3. Do not take anything "free" from anyone. There is no such thing as free
4. Be prepared to pay if the security guard or anyone at any tourist sites offers to take pic for you or wanting to show you a good spot for photo
5. One of the optional tours is the luxor sound and light show. It sucked
6. On the nile cruise, do not buy anything from the peddlers. They threw their merchandise onto the cruise deck from below in order to sell to you. Well, i didnt buy but i heard many scams from my tour guide
7. The most unforgettable moments was at sphinx. I did fall for it. During the tour, we ventured into an area within the compound and someone claimed to a staff shown us his pass saying we were not supposed to there. Story cut short. He was trying to be friendly asked lots of questions. When i replied i was from spore, he levelled up and claimed that his cousin studied here. All these to make us drop our guards. Next he would show us around showing us around helping us took photos. End of day, he wanted money. They could get aggressive at times.
8. Nubian village (optional tour) can skip
9. Be careful during the boat ride to nubian. A lot of hard selling during the ride. (Bracelets etc)
10. Some of the ppl from our tour group decided not to visit the village and thus returned to the mainland w/o the tour guide (he was with the rest at nubian village), the boatman demanded tipping from them
11. The key word is tipping. I may sound extreme, beware of anyone who tries to be friendly with you. Stick to your tour guide. My trip last year wasnt that pleasant as i felt that both our tour leader and guide could have warned us on all various scams and traps prior to the visit.
12. I signed up with one of the big four travel agencies. I thought that the tour leader/guide makes a big difference

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[lurker88]

anyone been to egypt via tour agencies recently? any advice?

For group tour. May consider CTC. My cousin went there one month later after my return. Her tour was pretty pleasant and enjoyable.

You wont go wrong signing up with those more established tour agencies. Compare the itinerary and price. The determinants are the tour leader and local tour guide. I was pretty mad when my tour leader wasnt helpful throughout the trip.

There was one incident when i argued with the hotel staff at one of the resorts at hurghada. The whole hotel aircon was out of order. It is one of the basic amenities that i expect to have or in working condition. In the end, guide offered 2 choices, change hotel or upgrade to a bigger room supposedly to be more airy. We chose the latter coz everyone was tired after a whole day and preferred not to pack their luggage again.

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[tulipkiss]

Thanks so much lurker88! Which year did you visit egypt? I bumped this thread in hope that the travel 'situation' may be different now from gogocat's review in 2013. Also to get a feel of how experienced the tour guides are. And can you share which agency you booked your tour with?

Saw an article on Forbes on travelling to Egypt and is considering to either engage the recommended local tour (Egitalloyd) or take a tour package with one of our established agencies.. however the (SG) tour packages are usually 9 days or more, I may be going for only around 5 days.

For group tour. May consider CTC. My cousin went there one month later after my return. Her tour was pretty pleasant and enjoyable.

You wont go wrong signing up with those more established tour agencies. Compare the itinerary and price. The determinants are the tour leader and local tour guide. I was pretty mad when my tour leader wasnt helpful throughout the trip.

There was one incident when i argued with the hotel staff at one of the resorts at hurghada. The whole hotel aircon was out of order. It is one of the basic amenities that i expect to have or in working condition. In the end, guide offered 2 choices, change hotel or upgrade to a bigger room supposedly to be more airy. We chose the latter coz everyone was tired after a whole day and preferred not to pack their luggage again.

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[lurker88]

I went in Jan 2017 with chan brothers. You would be missing a lot of places with only 5 days.

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[tulipkiss]

I went in Jan 2017 with chan brothers. You would be missing a lot of places with only 5 days.

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alright thanks! will take note.

yeah still trying to work around our job schedules to see if we can find a longer break..
but i'm mainly interested in the pyramids and sphinx only and mount sinai. so 5 days would be enough for them. other places are definitely nice too - will visit those if we can afford a longer block leave.

 

[lurker88]

Oic. Happy hunting. As i dread taking long haul flights, i would usually go for the longest period as i probably wont revisit again. Just personal preference.

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[tempestuous-]

I visited Cairo only for 3 full days, after a week plus in Jordan.

Entirely on my own. I guess if you are used to travelling to exotic developing locations, then the conditions in Cairo would not really be that shocking. But yes, lots of hustling and strangers expecting you to tip. Quite exhausting for the traveller.

 

[hawkwind]

Googocat probably summed up what to expect when in egypt.

Some pointers to add
1. During the nile cruise, avoid the salad
2. Sinai climb was pretty easy imo. The difficulty level is 30% of mount kk.
3. Do not take anything "free" from anyone. There is no such thing as free
4. Be prepared to pay if the security guard or anyone at any tourist sites offers to take pic for you or wanting to show you a good spot for photo
5. One of the optional tours is the luxor sound and light show. It sucked
6. On the nile cruise, do not buy anything from the peddlers. They threw their merchandise onto the cruise deck from below in order to sell to you. Well, i didnt buy but i heard many scams from my tour guide
7. The most unforgettable moments was at sphinx. I did fall for it. During the tour, we ventured into an area within the compound and someone claimed to a staff shown us his pass saying we were not supposed to there. Story cut short. He was trying to be friendly asked lots of questions. When i replied i was from spore, he levelled up and claimed that his cousin studied here. All these to make us drop our guards. Next he would show us around showing us around helping us took photos. End of day, he wanted money. They could get aggressive at times.
8. Nubian village (optional tour) can skip
9. Be careful during the boat ride to nubian. A lot of hard selling during the ride. (Bracelets etc)
10. Some of the ppl from our tour group decided not to visit the village and thus returned to the mainland w/o the tour guide (he was with the rest at nubian village), the boatman demanded tipping from them
11. The key word is tipping. I may sound extreme, beware of anyone who tries to be friendly with you. Stick to your tour guide. My trip last year wasnt that pleasant as i felt that both our tour leader and guide could have warned us on all various scams and traps prior to the visit.
12. I signed up with one of the big four travel agencies. I thought that the tour leader/guide makes a big difference

Sent from Wonderland using GAGT

Largely agree with the above. I hope things have changed now that their tourism has levelled off and people realise that they have to add some value to earn some tourist dollars and not just pester people for it. An interesting anecdote was when I visited a less popular mosque and the "executive" guard there dressed fully in coat and tie and trotting a machine gun ushered us around the mosque. Regardless to say, we tipped him handsomely.

 

[kla2552]

Just tips, don't be stingy, can take your photo inside pyramid, inside tomb at VoK. Only inside Mummy room at Cairo Museum really strict. If you want diy solo trip advice. I done it, AMA

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[uhoohoo]

Just tips, don't be stingy, can take your photo inside pyramid, inside tomb at VoK. Only inside Mummy room at Cairo Museum really strict. If you want diy solo trip advice. I done it, AMA

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Sorry to hijack this thread about group tours but i just booked air tickets to Egypt. Can you apply for visa at the embassy directly instead of going through those agents?

 

[PhoenixRising]

Just tips, don't be stingy, can take your photo inside pyramid, inside tomb at VoK. Only inside Mummy room at Cairo Museum really strict. If you want diy solo trip advice. I done it, AMA

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Hi I am interested in your itenerary as well for solo diy. Could you share what was the cost too? Thanks!

 

[kla2552]

Hi I am interested in your itenerary as well for solo diy. Could you share what was the cost too? Thanks!

TripAdvisor a lot tips. I read from there. I changed 500USD in SG and change to egypt pound at Cairo airport . All use up for 13day. If you solo travel before, just street smart should be OK.
I stay at Giza plateau Pyramids View inn 3 nights around Sgd170,.
Cairo City view Hotel 3 nights ard sgd140
Fly to Luxor egypt Air stay 5 nights at Nefertiti Hotel ard $140
Fly back Cairo come back SG
I took Turkish Airline transit at Altaturk Istanbul to Cairo and back
Hotels all booked fr Expedia
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[pollyannamillar]

Hi! Anyone engaged Chan Brother or CTC travels to Egypt last year? My Husband and I are keen to visit Egypt next year, we noticed there are slight differences in the itineraries of the two companies. Wondering if anyone can share their experiences, be it good or bad? Thanks!

 

[klavier]

TripAdvisor a lot tips. I read from there. I changed 500USD in SG and change to egypt pound at Cairo airport . All use up for 13day. If you solo travel before, just street smart should be OK.
I stay at Giza plateau Pyramids View inn 3 nights around Sgd170,.
Cairo City view Hotel 3 nights ard sgd140
Fly to Luxor egypt Air stay 5 nights at Nefertiti Hotel ard $140
Fly back Cairo come back SG
I took Turkish Airline transit at Altaturk Istanbul to Cairo and back
Hotels all booked fr Expedia
Sent from Sony F8332 using GAGT

Hi thanks for sharing.
May I know how you obtain the visa and the price?

 

[beanstalk6]

Hi thanks for sharing.
May I know how you obtain the visa and the price?

Better call the embassy: 6225 5991 6225 5991
As https://www.visahq.sg/egypt/ quotes that the embassy charges $65. VOA is only US$25