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

The early morning drive through the desert to see Abu Simbel. The Moon, the night and the sunrise was breathtaking. I also enjoyed the hospitality and the supper in the Nubian village. It was great to pee in different parts of the shore of Nile (from feet burning sand to mud) while floating on the felucca as I didn't swim in the river...

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

Be aware of the climate. Don't be afraid to bargain but always ask your guide about the right price before you go to the market or shop. Always smile - it is very appreciated in Egypt. Girls - don't ask for trouble, respect the local culture and customs. Don't take hassle personally - it is part of the touristy places! - but learn to handle it.

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

This trip was beneficial for local economy, we hired local taxis and visited local shops etc. However, I hardly think that our trip made a big affect on the environment just looking at the amount of plastic of the bottled water we drank (tap water is not recommended for westerners). No recycling, no bins on the streets...

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

Our guide did his best, tried to balance among the different needs of group members. The time I had chosen to travel was not too good (usual 45 °C) but the scenery, the cultural heritage and even the local food mostly compensated the difficulties. I got loads of support coming back as I had to cut my trip short.

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

Petra, the Lebanon day trip, Dahab.

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

Be prepared to read a lot. Definitely bring hand cleanser to use after using the toilets as clean water and soap are luxuries found only really in hotels and you often eat lunch with your hands straight after.

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

The tour guide was always careful to say what we should or should not be doing to help the local economy, environment etc but it was never really enforced in any way and she didn't give the impression of really caring and there was no way really given to help you do the things she said (e.g. don't throw your toilet paper on the ground when camping) but there was no real bin except to find the key to the truck and then throw it away or use your own plastic bag - this hoping that you had a spare one.

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

It was value for money because it is the cheapest overland truck company and it does everything the other companies seemed to have done so it is well worth it. Nevertheless on the whole, perhaps because it’s not my type of travelling, I was a tad disappointed - we were whisked through Egypt so fast I feel I want to go back and do it properly and it was difficult to really interact with any of the locals except through shopping! I was also disappointed that the tour guide had no knowledge of Arabic, and whenever we stopped to eat simply directed us all to the nearest McDonalds or kfc and didn't seem to really have extensive knowledge about the area except what she needed to know in order to do her job (which she did do well and it was well organised).

Read the operator's response here:

Thank you for taking the time to complete this review. We value all traveller feedback and have discussed the points you raised with your Tour Leader and our Middle East Operations Manager. We are pleased that you think the trip was ' value for money...well worth it' and that Tracy our Tour Leader did her job 'well... and was well organised.' We will endeavour to answer each of the points you have raised in turn.

When eating group meals prepared on our overland truck you will always have clean water, soap, a bowl and often hand sanitiser to wash your hands with. Although some local restaurants can have very limited toilet facilities most do have water to wash your hands with and our Tour Leaders generally carry hand sanitiser with them for anyone that doesn’t have it, but taking your own sanitiser is a good idea.

Our Tour Leader was quite upset to hear that you felt she didn’t ‘really care’. We can assure you that this is not the case. Tracy has a strong commitment to the environments and the people whose countries we travel through. Our Tour Leaders are correct to advise and encourage our groups regarding responsibility to the environment and local economy, however, we cannot enforce codes upon our groups or individuals within our groups. Our groups are made up of independent adult travellers who can make up their own minds about how they conduct themselves as they would do in their home country. Regarding your comments about not leaving toilet paper on the ground when camping- every truck is supplied with at least one shovel for burying toilet paper and your Tour Leader informed me that the bin is always left outside the truck with the shovels and the hand sanitiser and that the truck is not locked in any case when you are camping. Unfortunately, despite our crew’s efforts in encouraging travellers to dispose of litter appropriately they can all cite many instances of having to go around themselves and clear a camping area of litter, or refusing to leave an area until those responsible have cleared it up.

Regarding the time spent in Egypt. On the trip we spend 13 days in Egypt which we have found for most people is absolutely fine as there is a mix of 4 days on the coast in Dahab and plenty of time for sailing the Nile as well as seeing the well known sites that Egypt is famous for. We're glad you enjoyed Egypt so much and hope you do go back to see more of the wonderful sights and experiences it has to offer.

Your Tour Leader on the trip has been leading trips in Middle East and Egypt for over a year and while she does have only basic (but improving) Arabic, most of the people she deals with in Egypt are travellers like yourself or Egyptians who work in the tourist industry who all speak very good English. The trip you were on covers 3 countries and we cannot expect our Tour Leaders to have extensive knowledge of each place they go to in each country. That is why we provide local guides at many of the places we visit. We believe they have the best local knowledge and insight, and we also hope that we are supporting local communities better in doing this. Generally in Egypt there are a lot of opportunities to interact with local people: in Dahab, on the Felucca, a Nubian dinner in Aswan and like you say when you are shopping in markets.

In the destinations where international fast food restaurants exist our Tour Leaders tell us that the reason they point these out is because they have free WiFi access and more westernised toilets which many travellers want. Our Tour Leaders don’t always point out the local restaurants (although if asked they will happily recommend their favourites) because they are generally plentiful and easy to spot-it’s sometimes nice to find your own place-look out for the ones full of locals-rather than the Tour Leader recommend somewhere and you the whole group overrun the place and reduce your chances of having a meaningful interaction with the local people.