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.

Smooth organisation and communicative company - low stress holiday!
I wish we could have done this years ago! The small group concept works so much better than a big coach tour, providing both flexibility, good use of time and more personal attention from a first rate guide.

We had an amazing trip! Mariska was super helpful in accommodating our requests to upgrade our itinerary and providing all our pre-tour information and details. Hani, our tour guide, was spectacular, and every detail was carefully attended to by the Encounters team in Egypt. We felt safe and relaxed as tours and transportation took place flawlessly and enjoyed every minute we were there.
This tour is incredible - we saw all the major sights in Cairo, Aswan, and Luxor, and enjoyed several days at the Jaz Makadi Resort in Hurghada. The tour is arranged more or less chronologically and you have the same guide the entire time, so you really get a great experience following the cultural/religious/political development of ancient Egypt over several thousand years.

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.

Very efficient service, easy to book and answered all our questions and concerns thoroughly. Simple to book and good price. Changed suggestions to suit our needs and checked at each hotel that the booking we requested (2 joining rooms) was actually made in reality. Good introductory overview of Egypt on first morning too.
The welcome agent and drivers were excellent in Egypt. The Egyptologist guides superb, especially with including our two children, aged 7 and 9 years. We had a private family tour as went March 2014 when few tourists were visiting Egypt but found everywhere safe and everyone so friendly.