Destinations

I probably think about parts of this trip everyday. It was well organized and planned by Encounters, and the guides and staff in Egypt are amazing human beings. Go on every extra side trip and mini adventure you can. We went in the pyramids and the camels ride behind the pyramids, went to Ramses II tomb, on a hot air balloon ride over Luxor, and to Alexandria, in addition to the amazing things to do on the trip. It was well worth the money. It was absolutely amazing everyday. Tips: Don't expect customer service to directly answer your questions. Mariska only sends generic emails. At least 4 people on our tour experienced this. The other staff and their amazing customer service makes up for this. Bring toilet paper, small 1 Egyptian pounds for the bathrooms, and expect to tip everyone. Also, its good to bring Imodium, heartburn, and allergy meds just in case i would go on this trip again...
With all we did and the amount of travel, I was shocked at how cost effective the tour company made it. You get your money's worth after you think about busses, felucca sailboat, overnight train, hotel rooms, and the amazing tour guide.

Customer service was excellent. Every time I sent an email, I received a response very quickly. I took a trip last year and had to continually contact the company for responses, so getting detailed answers quickly was great and appreciated. In all honesty, not getting ignored after paying is a sign of a great company that cares about their client.
I enjoyed the trip. Only issue is that the tour guide changed a part of the trip because he didn't want us to do something. Not the fault of encounters. But otherwise the trip was great. I would like to say that travelling from Fez to Marrakech should be on a plane or train. Driving was too long and wasted a day.

Waleed our tour guide was beyond fabulous and catered for everyone's needs, nothing was too much for him. The service and information provided prior to the holiday was of an excellent standard and set the scene for the holiday. Being met at the airport upon arrival calmed everyone's nerves and set the standard of support for the remainder of the holiday.
A little rough and ready in places, overnight train and sleeping on the felucca, but still these and others are experiences that I would never have normally opted for but I am glad I did as I completely enjoyed them. The optional balloon ride, even if you are frightened of heights, like me, is a must.

Encounters was very professional and made sure we were happy throughout our tour. Sheriff, our tour guide, was amazing - he went out of his way for us several times. He is an expert guide with tons of knowledge. My wife and I had a great time thanks to the people at Encounters Travel.
My wife and I had limited time so the 9-day tour seemed perfect. I still can't believe how many sites we were able to see and activities we were able to experience. Sheriff's knowledge of Egyptian history and sense of humor made this trip informative and fun. We did many of the add-ons so the schedule was hectic, but that's how we like to travel when our time is limited. I especially recommend the hot air balloon and Abu Simbel!

The service from our tour guide Ahmed Aboudy was amazing. Many people from home warned me not to go to Egypt due to it's safety, however our tour guide made me feel safe and secure throughout the entire trip. I always felt as if he was looking out for us and being extremely protective of us. This made me feel safer and also reassured my parents back home when I informed them about all the safety precautions our tour guide was taking for us.
The only issue I had was with the hotel in Cairo. I really did not like how there were many men smoking heavily in the lobby area. Especially as it was often unavoidable as our meetings and gatherings were located in the front lobby on numerous occasions.