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Holidays in Egypt, discover

COUNTRY:
Egypt
LOCATION:
Luxor, Nile cruises, Pyramids
HOLIDAY TYPE:
A small group adventure
DEPARTURES:
2012: 22 Apr, 20 May, 3 Jun, 8 Jul, 5 Aug, 9 Sep, 7 Oct, 21 Oct, 4 Nov, 18 Nov, 16 Dec, 23 Dec
2013: 13 Jan, 10 Feb, 31 Mar, 21 Apr
PRICE:
From £1199 - £1929 (13 days) including UK flights
MORE INFO:
From £699 - £1329 excluding flights. Single supplement £200.
VOUCHERS:
Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday
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Holidays in Egypt, discover
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Holidays in Egypt, discover

Small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.

How this holiday makes a difference

UK office
It all starts at home so we have first worked to reduce our carbon footprint in our UK offices. Through energy conservation measures and recycling policies in place, we are proud to be actively reducing the waste produced and our impact on the environment. We support various projects all over the world to try and give something back to the places we visit.

Leaders & local suppliers
We have an excellent long-term relationship with the local operator who employ and train all leaders. We provide refresher training with a focus on Responsible Tourism, so our local leaders can educate our clients locally on helping to preserve the way of life in their area. After the “Tahrir Square” revolution earlier in 2011, numbers of tourists visiting Egypt has been at its lowest for years. By visiting Egypt we are directly contributing to rebuilding this ailing industry and giving local businesses and communities a boost during this difficult time for them. We also use local leaders and they get additional refresher training on a regular basis. They will give a short briefing on Responsible Tourism issues on arrival to help you understand the local issues and how you can help. Many of our leaders are qualified Egyptologists and all are extremely keen to promote local ways of life and traditions.

Group size
We operate small group tours that have a low impact on the communities we visit and we always ensure our operations do not disrupt or lead to the displacement of local people. This allows us to stay in unique and characterful accommodation that would not have benefitted from tourism due to their limited size.

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Story of the holiday provider

This tour operator was the first to get access to China over 30 years ago and the first to take a truck to Everest Base Camp on the Tibetan side. They have since expanded into 91 countries. Their product is driven by their clients because they listen to feedback and have to constantly evolve to provide a greater experience and better value. The exclusive centres they use have been grown organically and are often owned by ex-leaders. The holidays remain innovative, though you will now be travelling in a Mercedes 16-seater sprinter coach rather than a rusty old Bedford overland truck.

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Holiday provider no: 55

Holidays in Egypt, discover
Holidays in Egypt, discover
Holidays in Egypt, discover

Holidays in Egypt, discover

Reviewed 09 Feb 2010 by Marcel Nahodil3 star rating

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?


Sunrise at Abu Simbel.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?


Don’t know.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?


Very good & I'd recommend it to others.

Reviewed 26 Sep 2009 by Sophia Lawson1 star rating

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?


Egypt itself is just fantastic. Really amazing.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?


Be careful with the operator... really understand what the additional costs are. Also, in Egypt they don't have their own people on the ground, just representatives from other travel companies. This is not a great model if you want really good service. Be clear on what cruise ship you are using on the Nile. Ours was vile.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?


Not clearly, no.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?


While I loved Egypt I would never use the operator again.

Read the operator's response here:

Dear Sophia,
I'm glad you enjoyed Egypt and sorry you had cause to complain about both us and our local operator. Our local partner, South Sinai Travel, have been working with us for 15 years and currently operate several very successful trips for us. They are very experienced and also run similar trips to this one for both us and other companies.

I will investigate your comments about the cruise ship on the Nile however I am surprised to hear that you did not enjoy the experience. We haven't had any other negative comments about the ships we use so far this year. We usually use the 5 star M/S Shahrazade, which has great facilities with a swimming pool, reading room, gift shop, restaurant and two bars. Each of the 40 en suite bedrooms is fully air-conditioned and has a wide picture window. I apologise if this was not the case and if you inform me of the boat you used on the Nile and the exact concerns you had I will be happy to check in more detail.

Reviewed 30 Oct 2007 by Jane Mitchell4 star rating

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?


The visit to the Valley of the Kings, Karnak Temple in Luxor and Abu Simbel. The full-day snorkelling trip.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?


Bring mainly dollars (hard cash is best) as everything is quoted in dollars and it's the easiest currency to exchange.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?


It certainly benefited the local people. I think we impacted far less on the environment than the locals, who are ruining their very beautiful country by appalling littering (on a very large scale by companies and organisations, not just individuals), and damaging the fragile coral reefs through over-commercialisation and lack of awareness.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?


Very good, although probably a little less active than I am accustomed to.

Reviewed 30 Dec 2006 by Carol May3 star rating

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?


Small group, some sites visited away from the tourist masses. The Nile cruise was highlight, just our small group of 13 on a small 20 cabin boat

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?


Lots of travelling but the sites despite the crowds are well worth it. Try and read up a bit in advance.

3. Any areas for improvement?


We did stay in hotels, one of the more 'comfortable' of this operator's holidays but there was evidence of trying to find an eco-friendly hotel.

Reviewed 31 Dec 2004 by Keren Greenwell4 star rating

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?


Going to the Valley of the Kings and my camel ride in the Sahara.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?


For that time of year lots of warm clothes for the evening. Don't eat any uncooked vegetables as practically everyone got a dodgy tummy.

3. Any areas for improvement?


The hotel in Cairo was dirty and dingy and everyone on the tour were not impressed so I'd look at an alternative. The night train was also terrible, it would have been OK if it was a sleeper but it was practically impossible to sleep as the chairs only reclined slightly, people were walking through from other carriages all night looking for seats, it was cold, the lights weren't dimmed on the carriage and the drinks trolley went rattling through every hour. I would suggest swapping for a flight from Cairo to Aswan instead.

4. Any other comments?


Overall it was a fantastic holiday which allowed me to see loads of the sites of Egypt I'd wanted to see for years. Our guide was brilliant and I felt safe at all times and learnt loads about Ancient Egypt. I would recommend this trip to friends but I feel some of the changes as I listed below should be made to make it a better trip.
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Holiday Reviews

We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!

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Holidays in Egypt, discover
Holidays in Egypt, discover
Holidays in Egypt, discover
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