Slow-Paced Exploration of Egypt Tour

Our experience with Zicasso’s travel company was fantastic. When I started planning our trip, Zicasso’s travel specialist was very helpful in giving me ideas on putting together an itinerary to cover the historic sites of Egypt, as well as Petra in Jordan. He sent a detailed proposal with hotels, inter-country flights, tours, and optional activities. He made himself available to answer any questions via WhatsApp during the planning process.

When we arrived at and departed from various airports (Amman, Cairo, Aswan, Abu Simbel, and Hurghada), we were met by company representatives to ensure everything went smoothly. We were also given WhatsApp contacts for the operations team while in-country in case we had any questions.

Our three guides in Jordan, on our Nile River cruise from Aswan to Luxor, and in Cairo were all excellent. They were very knowledgeable and made our trip logistically stress free. All of our drivers got us where we needed to be on time. All of the hotels, as well as our Nile River cruise, were excellent.

Everyone at the travel company really wanted to ensure we enjoyed ourselves and all our needs were taken care of. We decided to do a hot-air balloon ride in Luxor last minute and switch from a horse-drawn carriage to a boat ride, and they made it happen. Our two-week trip was relaxing, enjoyable, and stress free.

Where do I start? Working with Zicasso’s travel agent was the best experience we’ve had traveling. From our first contact, working through an itinerary that worked for us, he made it easy. And once in Egypt, our greeters, drivers, and guides were absolutely the best.

My trip to Egypt, planned by Zicasso’s travel company, was remarkable. The best trip I have had thus far. My son and I had all of our needs met. We learned so much about the history and we enjoyed all of the excursions.

My son’s favorite excursions were the camel rides and mine was the Valley of the Kings. We were able to make changes to our itinerary while there to include the Grand Egyptian Museum, which we very much enjoyed as well. I would want the same guides if I were to visit again.

We had an excellent trip with Zicasso’s tour company. Every representative we interacted with during the trip was very professional and helpful. The Egyptologists were extremely knowledgeable. We were escorted and assisted with all of our transfers between Cairo, Luxor, and Aswan, which was much appreciated.

It's hard to know where to start. First off, everything went as smoothly as could be. I traveled with a friend to Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel, and Alexandria. We also took a four-night cruise on a dahabiya.

Our guide in Cairo and our guide in Luxor and Aswan were excellent, and presented us with far more information than it was possible to digest. Our guide in Luxor and Aswan, in particular, gave us a history lesson as we were sailing on the boat, as I sometimes found it hard to contextualize all that we were seeing. That was an enormous help.

We were taken to a couple of shops in Luxor and Aswan, and I'm always a little nervous about bargaining, as I worry I will come out on the losing end and resent being taken advantage of. I didn't buy anything at the alabaster shop, as I felt their prices started very high. I did buy some essential oils and a handcrafted bottle at a shop in Aswan, and though I don't know if I paid too much, I was very happy with what I bought, including a gift for a friend, who was thrilled.

My mobility is limited and I fatigue easily, so I was apprehensive about going on this trip and yet still eager to visit Egypt. The first few days I was very jet lagged, having traveled nearly 40 hours, and I was somewhat dazed and confused and didn't take everything in like I wanted to. But as time went on, I got progressively more into the journey.

The cruise on the dahabiya was so relaxing. We would see some sights, but also have time to gaze out to the river banks dotted with date palms while lounging on a chair. I kept pinching myself to think that I was sailing on the Nile River.

We met three other pairs of travelers, who were very pleasant. We had a barbecue on shore one night, where some hardy travelers could swim in the cold Nile River. There was local music and dancing. Ordinarily, I hate to dance, but they forced us all to join and before you know it, we were having a blast. The next night there was a belly dancer before dinner on board. If you can afford it, a small dahabiya is the way to go—far better, I can only imagine, than a huge cruise ship where you're stumbling over masses of people.

We took a side trip by plane to Abu Simbel. For some reason, our regular guides did not accompany us and a couple of Nubian guides took us around. They were subpar in their guidance, but very pleasant. And just to see Abu Simbel was worth the 3.45am wake-up call. Absolutely breathtaking; I will never get over it.

Before taking this trip, I was apprehensive, as I said, about my ability to get around, but our guide in Cairo, especially, was extremely considerate in making it possible for me to see everything in a way that was as smooth as possible. I am very grateful to him. He was a delightful man—warm, humorous, engaging, and, of course, highly knowledgeable. And our driver was lovely and the most amazing driver I have ever seen.

When I returned home, a friend who had been to Egypt last year asked me what my favorite experiences were. It's So hard to choose, but I would pick the Valley of the Kings for the brilliantly preserved and colorful iconography, Abu Simbel for its sheer overwhelming magnificence, and, of course, sailing on the Nile.

When we originally planned to fulfill a lifelong dream and see Egypt, we went through a number of possibilities. We had never used a company like Zicasso, but in looking at reviews and wanting to make this an unforgettable experience, we elected to give them a try. They connected us with our tour operator and they worked with us to plan a spectacular 14-day journey. Simply put, our experience with both has exceeded our expectations—it was truly an unforgettable experience.

From the seamless service of being picked up at the airport and driven to our hotel, to the personalized service with the tour guides and Egyptologists, to the luxurious Nile cruise, to the splendid final three nights at our resort on the Red Sea, it was an unbelievably wonderful experience.

While it seemed expensive at first glance, in retrospect, it was worth every dollar spent and then some. I cannot be effusive enough in my praise for Zicasso and the tour operator. I highly recommend them to anyone who has dreamed of visiting Egypt and learning about the magnificent early history of this land. Five-plus stars; we would do it again in an instant. A truly once-in-a-lifetime experience. We are already on the cusp of planning our next trip—a safari—with this amazing company.