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.

Was pleasantly surprised at how organised the tour was. There was only one occasion where the hotel was changed and was not completely satisfactory. All communication was promptly answered and dealt with in a competent manner.
Loved the tour and thought we experienced the best Turkey had to offer. At times would have liked just a little bit more time to explore at our own leisure. Particularly would have like to have stayed closer into the township of Cannakkale .

My dealings with Encounters were all excellent however there must have been a breakdown with Fez Travel as we weren't expected at Istanbul Airport and our guide was unaware we were leaving the tour a day early.( A Fez Travel rep eventually turned up and we were taken to our hotel so it was sorted.)
The tour was well organized and the tour guide and driver were excellent. Being a small group everything ran smoothly.Really appreciated the cold water being provided on the bus as we had some warm days.

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.

I liked the fact we were met at the airport and helped thru customs and getting a visa and then upon leaving taken to where we needed to go. Its always tough to figure out where everything is in a foreign airport when you do not travel much
We had a wonderful time and great memories. We felt safe the whole time and would recommend this trip to anyone of any age as long as you can walk a lot. They are with you from arrival to departure and any problems that arose the guides would try their best to solve. They also showed remarkable patience for other people in other groups we saw that were acting like idiots.