Trip to Egypt: Pyramids & Nile by Air

Book with David!

Weston, 12/5/22

David was amazing, he has extensive knowledge on the Ancient Egyptian Civilisation. Picked us from our hotel, took us for lunch with a view of the Great Pyramid, authentic Egyptian shops, followed by a trip to the museum which was incredible couldn’t recommend him enough.

AMAZING experience

Gerald, 11/27/22

Memphis Tours is the best tour group out there. Don’t waste your money with anyone else! Mohammed took care of me and provided an INCREDIBLE experience. He helped accommodate a sunrise camel tour and another one within the pyramid complex last minute. He has the best guides who take excellent photos and was very knowledgeable about the history of the pyramids and Cairo. Will be recommending Mohammed and Memphis Tours to all my friends!!! Thanks again!

An Excellent Tour

Liam Elliot, 11/23/22

This was an excellent tour. Super tour guides and awesome experiences.

Great experience

Joan M, 11/17/22

We had a great experience and a great guide
Ahmed Helal for many tours in the area not just the pyramids. He was helpful and informative very nice and awesome driver!

Excellent experience

Faisal K, 11/15/22

Memphis arranged all aspects of our 7 day tour covering upper and lower Egypt. All pick ups and drop off were on time. We did blue shadow for Nile cruising and it also lived up to our expectations. The guides at Luxor/Aswan (George), Abu Simbal (Hiba) and Giza (Mohammad) were helpful and knowledgeable, made our experience more memorable.
Marwa helped us with all arrangements over a period of 6 months where we went back and forth on many aspects. She was always patient and willing to work with us.
Ahmed was our tour manager in Cairo, he made us feel welcome from the time we landed to the time we departed. He was always available on WhatsApp and answered any concerns we had promptly.
I would highly recommend Memphis for a worry free time in Egypt.

Book this Tour! You won’t regret it!

natalie y, 11/14/22

Wow! What an amazing experience. I would highly recommend Memphis Tours. Having a tour made a huge difference. Ahmed Zaki was our guide and made the journey so effortless. He gave us history on the pyramids, guided us through the entire day and even took amazing pictures! I felt so safe and comfortable with Ahmed. Amr Saleh was our driver and was also very attentive and made sure we had very safe transport. I would highly recommend this experience.

First time to visit Egypt

Micheal Williams, 9/7/22

It was my first time to travel with Memphis Tours (definitely not gonna be the last) and I had an amazing experience. I was impressed by all aspects of the tour especially our tour guide who did a great job in making the trip memorable. I recommend this tour to anyone who wants to experience the Egyptian culture and explore the country. Don't miss the hot air ballooning over The Valley of the Kings and Felucca cruise down the Nile river.

Excellent Tour!

Emma Connor, 5/27/22

Highly recommend this tour! It was very well organized. Very memorable experience!

“AMAZING, EFFICIENT AND RELIABLE SERVICE!”

dubai1970, 4/7/14

Overall we had a wonderful experience working with Memphis Day Tours from the moment we started dealing with them. First thing I noticed was the travel agent we dealt with not only knew his stuff but was extremely efficient - Ahmed Fayez. He was great. we were working with very tight timelines to organise a group trip for over 40 people within 1 month. Within a few hours (not days or weeks!!!), he was able to give me answers to questions I had spent over a month trying to dig up! He was super efficient. As a group, we also had several requirements and lots of changes in plans which he was always not only happy to accomodate but quick to repond to. He really did a a great job in organising the trip for us. On the trip, the guide which they provided (Ayman) was excellent and not only knew his stuff but was also very modest and friendly in his dealings with the entire group. As we were a big group and had several transfers during our trip, the ground staff that was arranged was also excellent (Mohsin if I recall his name correctly). Really they helped make the trip an unforgettable experience for the group and I would highly recommend them!

“Amazing Trip of a Lifetime”

Soju24girl , 2/19/14

I was very fortunate to have picked Memphis Tours for the Egypt leg of my trip. The staff are extremely welcoming and really go out of their way to make you feel comfortable. Mohammed Basheer even bought us dinner at the local falafel place so I could try a local place he loved. Upon arrival, we were given a local cell phone that we could call our Memphis representative at any time. The service of meeting us in the airport to escorting us throughout the day is spot on. Just so you know you will have a driver, guide and sometimes an additional guide and/or driver so you will feel totally safe. My favorite guide was Mohammed El-Prince for our Nile Cruise. He was so entertaining and knowledgeable. He made learning fun and challenged us to learn different Arabic phrases each day. I highly recommend you request him as he was one of the best guides on the trip. Every single day was jammed packed enough and most of the additional cost activities were well worth it. If you do the Nile Cruise, take the horse carriage ride in the evening through Luxor. I loved seeing how the locals lived and finishing off my night with a hookah and some tea. One thing that Memphis is great at is timing. They make sure that when they take you, you are not competing with the cruise ships that are docking or other large tour groups and you really feel like you have a VIP experience. One word of caution, if you decide to go to Jordan or Israel, don't go through Memphis as they partnered with Dakkak Tours and that part of the trip was a nightmare. However, that being said, if you plan on visiting Egypt there is no better tour group than Memphis. You will have a trip of a lifetime and love the memories you will make. If you want to see a day by day review of what I did, please visit my blog: jenandasscher.blogspot.com

Highly Recommended

Emma, 12/18/13

I contacted Memphis Tours to arrange a cruise for myself and my boyfriend. Marwa at Mephis was very honest about what we could expect from the cruise and even showed me a negative review she had received from a client.

Due to time constraints we took the cruise on the Swiss Inn Ramadis II which didn't come as highly recommended as others cruise liners. However we really enjoyed the cruise on the Swiss Inn Radamis II and it far exceeded our expectations. We had a good sized room which was cleaned twice daily. The food was better than expected and the buffet provided some variety. Our tours were exceptional due to our guide King Hassam (Professor Hassam). He was extremely knowlegable and very patient with any filming or extra time we took to take photos. The sailing was done well with our first night in Aswan, then Edfu then Luxor.

Prior to our cruise in Aswan we were collected from our hotel by Mustafa from Memphis even though it was a short walk from our hotel to the cruiser. He made this easy and stress free, as well as organising a hot air balloon tour in Luxor at the last minute.

Thanks again to both Marwa and Mustafa for making our time in Egypt really enjoyable. I would not hesitate in recommending your company to any of my friends or family for future trips in Egypt.

“Egypt was a WOW !!”

Sherry P, 12/16/13

My 2 adult children and I visited Egypt the last week of 2012 and saw the most amazing sights! We rode camels at the Great Pyramids of Giza in the Sahara Desert (Bucket List!!), climbed inside the Khufu Pyramid, visited the Sphinx, the Djoser Pyramid in Saqqara, a mosque, the Kahn El Khalili Bazaar, and gazed at the wonders of the Egyptian Museum (including KingTut's solid gold mask) and more - all right in Cairo. Our guide, Maha El Halwagy, was incredible! She spoke excellent English and was full of energy and knowledge of ancient Egypt. Eqypt would be difficult to negotiate on one's own. So I would definitely recommend going with a tour group like Memphis Tours. With our superb guide and a great driver, we always felt safe and taken care of. Our Le Meridian Pyramids Hotel was lovely, too. Then we flew to Aswan for a Nile River cruise, and the wonders of Egypt's ancient culture continued. We saw so many temples that just blew us away. Temples to Isis on Philae Island, to Horus and Sobek, to Horus in Edfu, to Queen Hatshepsut, and the temples of Karnak & Luxor, plus the Valley of the Kings. The stories and the legends and the history behind them all just filled us with awe. Memphis Tours did a wonderful job of taking care of every detail. They drove us with a guide to every attraction, all entrance fees plus breakfast and lunch were included, and even provided us with bottled water. The Egyptian people were gracious and welcoming. If the political situation in calm, go and enjoy the wow! We learned SO much.

“Fantastic Family Vacation!”

FrankGina, 12/15/13

Our vacation to Egypt with Memphis tours was a dream come true! We booked our trip last spring and traveled this past Thanksgiving week. When Egypt had trouble with the revolution over the summer we considered cancelling but Sakr from Memphis tour was very informative, and understanding and provided us with links, etc multiple times to assure us that Egypt continued to be safe to visit. We flew coach on Egypt Air from the NYC to Cairo and the service and comfort of the flight was exceptional. When we arrived in Cairo we were greeted by our Memphis Tours rep Taurek and taken to our beautiful hotel, Mena House. This hotel was fabulous and had wonderful service. While in Cairo we were escorted by Amany, an Egyptologist who showed us many impressive sites in and around Cairo. Amany was very informative and kind to us and our children. She even took time to take fun and memorable pictures of us at many of the sites.
As part of our vacation, we spent 3 awesome nights cruising the Nile in southern Egypt (Luxor to Aswan) on the Sonesta St. George which was a beautiful boat with wonderful staff and service. While touring the Nile, we were escorted by an Egyptologist, Yassir. He was very knowledgeable and showed us many wonderful sites along the Nile.
Throughout our entire trip, we felt completely safe. Memphis Tours ensured that we were comfortable everywhere we went and the guides were very knowledgeable about local merchants and where we could purchase quality souvenirs. Overall, we had one of the best trips that we have ever had in a foreign country and we would highly recommend touring Egypt with Memphis Tours.

“Phenomenal Experience: Memphis Tours Egypt”

mandtlerb, 12/14/13

In June 2013, my friend and I had the privilege of spending just over a week in Egypt! We had an amazing tour guide named Fady, who did everything in his power to provide us with the trip of a lifetime! Throughout our time in Egypt, Fady was by our side to ensure that we had the best experience possible. He assisted us through the airport (at an extremely early time), then proceeded to assist us in planning additional excursions during some of our free time. For our excursions, he ensured that we had the best guides to show us the many spectacular sights the Egypt has to offer! Our stay in Cairo was amazing! We had a view of the pyramids right outside of our door! Incredible! The staff were warm, welcoming and were able to answer any questions that we had. On one of our free days, we were able to ride quads out into the desert and get pictures with the pyramids in the background! This was a highlight of our trip! We highly recommend this! It was surreal to be riding around in the desert with such a breathtaking and highly-famed view of the pyramids before us. Soon after, we boarded a night train to Aswan where Fady provided us with a phone and encouraged us to call/text him about our days and let him know if we needed anything. This was such a comfort to us, knowing that Fady was a call away. It made us feel like he truly cared for us! From Aswan, we went on a nile cruise up to Luxor. The sights are amazing! We highly recommend the hot air ballon ride at dawn! What a awe-striking experience! Once back in Cairo, Fady took us out for a city tour of Cairo. We had a few things that we wanted to do while in Cairo, and Fady helped us make this happen. Simple things, such as going grocery shopping in an Egyptian store. No matter what type of "crazy" things we wanted to do, Fady helped us get there. To end our trip, Fady took us out for a traditional Egyptian meal, Koshari, which we highly recommend trying! Prior to going to Egypt, I was worried about the civil unrest in the country, and if it would hinder the enjoyability of our tour. I am happy to say that there was NEVER a point in our trip that we felt unsafe or in any sort of danger. The Memphis Tours team took extremely good care of us, and made sure that we felt safe at all times. In closing, I believe that everyone should go to Egypt at some point in their lives! Its historical significance and beauty is superior to any other place that I have been. We had a phenomenal time and would love to thank the Memphis Tours team and Fady for all of their hard work and accommodation! We truly appreciated it! Thank you for providing us with the trip of a lifetime!

“10 Days in Egypt”

Barry and Norma Smith, 12/13/13

My wife and I spent 10 day in Egypt on our way to the UK in May 2013.
We were met by Maged at Cairo airport and the first thing he gave us was a mobile phone, saying if you have any concerns just call me day or night, we have travelled extensively and never had this type of service.
Our stay in Cairo was fantastic, great hotel with views of the Pyramids from our bedroom window, amazing!
Nothing was too much trouble for our one on one tour guides, they all had very good command of English and were very polite.
We cruised down the Nile from Luxor to Aswan, what an amazing journey, something that everyone should do in their lives, the history lesson alone is worth it, ad a flight to Abu Bimbel is a must.
Back in Cairo we relaxed before flying off to London, and as we said our fond farewell to Maged and Memphis tours we felt sad to leave, certainly an experience not to be missed.
We would recommend Memphis Tours to anyone wishing to travel through Egypt.

“Memphis Tours is the best!”

JocelynW32810, 12/4/13

We traveled with Memphis to Cairo. 3 days Pyramids, Museum, Mosque, Synagogue, Church, market, Some time on our own. Double complimentary upgraded to Oberoi Mena House in Cairo--pyramid view, wonderful service! Bottled drinking water everyday and Twinings tea.(Boiling it doesn't seem to do it) Great buffet breakfast everyday. Very safe as tour company arranged detours, etc to accommodate potential demonstrations on Fridays/Saturadays. Best vans, well-maintained and clean. Great service door to door/airport to airport etc. Excellent Tour guide in Cairo Ahmed A. Hameed, very knowledgeable and willing to talk. Greatest driver, Emad Sayed, skillful and safe in Cairo. Company representative in Cairo Hamada Rashdy took care of everything from the run down Cairo airport visa scene to our final departure. Mrs. Fattoush Saad, Tour consultant, patiently answered all my concerned emails--about demonstrations, safety, water, non-smoking, airflights, accommodations for my teens, etc. Travel tip- if you have students/children have them bring id for discounted admissions. We got these refunds and gave them to the kids to spend. Daily supermarket trips, negotiated in advance, helped save additionally. (Easy to buy bread, cheese, olives, water and soft drinks, snacks) The Cairo Carrefoures are great! Check out the Egyptian pastry bar! And lots of ready made food. Other supermarkets don't have this. Even Metro or Zhair Zamen(sp).

Bring lots of $1 and follow the tipping guide for porters, hotel, buffet tipping etc. Get 1 pound coins for the bathrooms -- grocery stores etc. some banks don't. Bring your own tp!

We never felt unsafe, a concern as traveling with children. Memphis arranged everything. Remember Cairo is 20 million people, even a large demonstration in Tahir Square of 200k people is only a fraction. Tahir Sq. is a busy intersection, which is why it stops traffic--unlike Tiananmen square. which is actually a large area. It affects traffic greatly and must be driven around. Most demonstrations on Friday or Saturday (their weekend), noon on, don't affect much as are much smaller. No demonstrations in Luxor at all.

Do observe clothing norms for women and men--no shorts men, long sleeves and pants for women, no low cut garments.

“SPECTACULAR TRIP IN NOVEMBER 2013”

jlmVirginia, 12/1/13

We had always wanted to take a trip to Egypt and booked an 8-day trip with Memphis Tours a few weeks before the June 30 coup. We went with Memphis Tours because our daughter and son-in-law used them a few years back and raved about them. We found the country to be safe, well-secured and very relaxed. The people we talked with were extremely open about their political views and were very welcoming to us, particularly upon learning that we were American. Tourism has been cut to a small percentage of normal. We had hotels, a cruise ship, museums, temples, mosques, churches, and restaurants virtually to ourselves. The one-on-one service from the entire Memphis Tours staff was extraordinary: tour guides, drivers, tour organizers, everyone. No detail was missed and any request was satisfied immediately. The cruise ship was a very pleasant surprise. We were not expecting anything quite so luxurious. I cannot say enough about Memphis Tours. They truly took care of every thing and enabled us to see both "the sights" and the people ( we highly recommend the market tour in Luxor ).

Best Experience In EGYPT, safe to go

RossD, 11/16/13

Just to share that my recent trip to egypt was fantastic. I went with 2 of my workmates from home. Earlier we were undecided but Ms. N, my workmate who had earlier visited Egypt in 2009 convinced us to go after the western media reports on egypt began to subside. We had used Memphis Tours as recommended by Ms. N. I was quite apprehensive at first but emails from Ms. Fatima reassured me. We arrived in Cairo and was met by Hoessein who was there to meet us as soon as disembarked. Thank you for such a wonderful service. We were in Cairo for1 day and 1 night and visited Giza and Sakkara with Mahoumoud El Ghany, such an experienced egyptologist who must have done thousand rounds of guides and byhearted every thing residing in the Egyptian Museum. As soon as Ms. N arrived from London, we flew out to Aswan to start our nile cruise. We were met by Salah and brought us to the Aswan Dam to join another group of 4 (family from Denmark). We felt privileged throughout as they were either just a group of us 3 (or 2 in Cairo) or just 2 groups of less than 10. A very private tour possibly due to the downturn in their tourism currently. At the high dam, we met Mohamed Emam, a knowledgeable guide. We were educated by Mohamed Emam over the 3 days. What an experience and Memphis Tours do have exteremely knowledegable egyptologists. Kudos! On our 4th day, never once we felt unsafe. In fact, I was worried as Monday approaches which was the 1st day of Morsi's trial. But that went on fairly uneventful, or maybe because we were still far from Cairo. We visited the temples and Karnak was the best. We did a last minute booking for the sound and light show which was really good. My travel friend somehow lost her balance as we were approaching the arena at the Karnak Temple for the final part of the show and hurt herself. So after the show, Mahmoud aka Ruby, the tour rep in Luxor actually helped to take her to the nearest pharmacy to get her checked. Thank you Ruby. WE left for Aswan inorder to go to Abu Simbel. There we met the affable Ahmed Gomaa aka Friday. Well I dont blame them for having these "hip" names after their real names because truthfully, there are many Ahmed Gomaas, Mahmouds etc and one might be mistaken for another. We visited the Nubian Village and the boat ride there was simple breathtaking. Those who appreciate bird watching, real birds, you must take this trip. Birds emigrate to this part especially as winter draws nearer. In the Nubian village we were hosted with hibiscus tea, simpy refreshing but my travel friends were not too keen on seeing alligators in the house. Friday took us to Abu Simbel, along with 2 drivers and 1 policeman in our private van. Safety is certainly their priority. Great job Memphis TOurs. Again, I must say, we never felt unsafe throghout the journey. WE got back to Aswan safe and sound and departed to the airport to take our flight back to Cairo. We were quite sad, really to leave Aswan, Luxor, the cruise boat because, we had such a fantastic trip and thanks to Memphis Tours. Thanks Ms. N for convincing us to join you. I know now why you had returned to Egypt. I certainly hope that I will come back to visit Egypt and use Memphis Tours.
Visited November 2013

“No question: the BEST”

Diosa B, 10/27/13

First of all: not to toot my own horn, but several months ago, I wrote a magnificent review of Memphis (toot toot). But alas, TA appears to have eaten it, so here I am again. This one is going to be quite a bit shorter, but I'll do my best to cover the bases.

We visited Egypt in July, less than two weeks after the ousting of Morsi. Things were tense. Our families thought we were absolutely insane to go to Egypt, the American news was making it look like there was a violent civil war taking place on the banks of the Nile, and we couldn't ignore the countless stories of tourists canceling their trips due to the instability. We ended up throwing caution to the wind and taking the trip anyway--- and I am *so* glad we did.

From the get go, Abdo at Memphis was absolutely fantastic in helping me arrange things. And when the political situation became less than stable, he was always there to promptly and thoroughly answer my almost daily questions about if we should still go. He definitely is a huge part of why we ended up going forward with the trip, so he deserves kudos for that.

In addition to being a calming force, Abdo also booked us a great package. We spent a few nights at Mena House and because there were literally no other tourists, we had the best rooms in the place with absolutely magnificent pyramid view rooms (and for much cheaper than the prices I saw when checking myself before contacting Memphis). Also, every tour we took that he suggested as just phenomenal.

Our guides in Cairo and along our Nile cruise were amazing. Meha in Cairo was witty, knowledgable, and just a great treat. Yassir along the Nile was also a fun, personable, knowledgable guide. It was particularly notable that they were soldiering through in the middle of Ramadan-- thinking how hot and miserable we were traipsing around some of the sites, I can only imagine how much more exhausted they must have felt without eating or drinking all day. But you'd never know--- because they were always totally on the ball and just a wonderful guide.

All in all, I couldn't be happier with our choice to go to Egypt and to use Memphis. I mean, when else will I ever be able to experience being alone (zero other tourists) at the Great Pyramid? We never once felt unsafe or uncomfortable, despite being there in the middle of a huge political movement.

“No question: the BEST”

Diosa B, 10/27/13

First of all: not to toot my own horn, but several months ago, I wrote a magnificent review of Memphis (toot toot). But alas, TA appears to have eaten it, so here I am again. This one is going to be quite a bit shorter, but I'll do my best to cover the bases.

We visited Egypt in July, less than two weeks after the ousting of Morsi. Things were tense. Our families thought we were absolutely insane to go to Egypt, the American news was making it look like there was a violent civil war taking place on the banks of the Nile, and we couldn't ignore the countless stories of tourists canceling their trips due to the instability. We ended up throwing caution to the wind and taking the trip anyway--- and I am *so* glad we did.

From the get go, Abdo at Memphis was absolutely fantastic in helping me arrange things. And when the political situation became less than stable, he was always there to promptly and thoroughly answer my almost daily questions about if we should still go. He definitely is a huge part of why we ended up going forward with the trip, so he deserves kudos for that.

In addition to being a calming force, Abdo also booked us a great package. We spent a few nights at Mena House and because there were literally no other tourists, we had the best rooms in the place with absolutely magnificent pyramid view rooms (and for much cheaper than the prices I saw when checking myself before contacting Memphis). Also, every tour we took that he suggested as just phenomenal.

Our guides in Cairo and along our Nile cruise were amazing. Meha in Cairo was witty, knowledgable, and just a great treat. Yassir along the Nile was also a fun, personable, knowledgable guide. It was particularly notable that they were soldiering through in the middle of Ramadan-- thinking how hot and miserable we were traipsing around some of the sites, I can only imagine how much more exhausted they must have felt without eating or drinking all day. But you'd never know--- because they were always totally on the ball and just a wonderful guide.

All in all, I couldn't be happier with our choice to go to Egypt and to use Memphis. I mean, when else will I ever be able to experience being alone (zero other tourists) at the Great Pyramid? We never once felt unsafe or uncomfortable, despite being there in the middle of a huge political movement.

“FANTASTIC EXPERIENCE WITH MEMPHIS TOUR. EGYPT IS SAFE!”

Patricia & Barry Cathers, 10/17/13

We have no words to express our gratitude to all the wonderful, the most professional and friendly people at Memphis Tours. From the very begining, the planning process with Marwa, she was always so patient with us, showing many different options etc... and then came the political unrest, we considered canceling but decided to go ahead anyway.
Our tour manager, Abdel, was waiting for us basically right at the airplane! He helped us with visa, border control, everything! So professional, I've never seen that before. Took us to our beaufitul Mena House Hotel by the Pyramid, helped us to check in and all.
Our private tour guide Ahmed, knowledge at it's best! Went above his way to take us to the Egyptian Museum, Giza Plateau and all the sites.And our driver, so patient! Our stay in Cairo was wonderful, we felt super safe all the time.
We then travel by plane to Luxor, to board our 5* cruise Sonest Saint George, the best ever. Our tour guide there, Yasser, was also fantastic, he took us to so many wonderful sites along the Nile River, told us incredible stories about Kings, Queens and Goods, some of the Temples we visited at night... amazing experience. We will never forget.
While cruising the Nile, we travel to the sites by car, horse carriage and by small pedestrian ferries! The staff on the Sonesta Saint George were all fantastic, made us fell more than welcome. We made many friends and will never forget.
All the time, between flights, hotels, boats etc, there was always someone waiting for us to take us to where we needed to go, and always on time.
Sorry if we forgot to mention someone by name, you all rock! In a few more hours we will be leaving... so sad
PLEASE COME TO EGYPT, IT'S SAFE.
Patricia & Barry Cathers

“Excellent tour company”

MountainManVan, 10/14/13

We went on a tour from Cairo to Abu Simbel and then on a Nile cruise from Aswan to Luxor with Memphis tours. They organized our flights from Cairo and the cruise. The guide was excellent.

We felt very safe on the tour. Egypt is a bit crazy right now, but the tours are a great deal since very few tourists are going there. The river cruise ship we went on was the Alyssa. It was very comfortable and had very good food.

“Journey of a Lifetime!”

nadine, 10/4/13

I recently visited Egypt with my dad and his partner. We were very well looked after in Cairo and Luxor by the wonderfully brilliant Memphis Tours. Mustafa, Tarek and Ahmed in Cairo and Yasser and Muhammed in Luxor were incredibly informative and friendly and kept us safe and happy at all times. I had such an incredible time in Egypt - from the pyramids, the mosques and museums in Cairo to the Nile, temples and tombs in Luxor. Would not hesitate to recommend - thank you so much Memphis!

Memphis Tours, Egypt is really Superb !

Partho, 8/22/13

I came to know about Memphis Tours Egypt from internet and also confirmed by a friend residing in Cairo. Mr Mohamed Sakr is my tour manager from Memphis Tours. i consider him as a true friend & guide. He gave me valuable advice and suggestions regarding the present condition of Egypt. I highly recommend Memphis Tours Egypt for their service and affordable rate, that suits every pocket. Thanks & wishes to Mr Mohamed Sakr as well as Memphis Tours, Egypt

“Amazing Tour of Egypt - Thank you Memphis Tours”

Alex, 8/11/13

We went to Egypt on a 13 day tour right before the upheavals of June 2013. We are a family of 5 with small children. We decided to book with Memphis Tours after reading hundreds of favorable ratings on the internet and some not favorable ones. We were very satisfied with their services. Memphis tours provided us with hotels and a river cruise ship that was better than what we expected in the price range we were paying. Our tour manager, Usama, was first rate. He helped us navigate the lines at the airport and was always present to see us off or to greet us. Our driver, Hassan, was also very courteous and patient. He had to wait hours to gas up our van prior to every excursion because of Egypt’s fuel crisis.

We stayed at the very historic Mena House Hotel in Giza (near Cairo). Although there are newer hotels, the ambience, history and decor of this hotel is unmatched. The only complaint was the very expensive internet at these nice hotels. It was sad to see that the Mena House was mostly empty. At one point we were the only customers in one of their restaurants. The restaurants are very good, but expensive for Egypt. Our tour guide in Cairo and Alexandria was Mai. In addition to her knowledge of ancient Egyptian history, she was well versed in modern Egyptian politics and culture and provided us with some very interesting views and insights. We learned a lot about both ancient and modern Egypt. Mai (and Memphis Tours) was very accommodating in terms of what we wanted to see. She was very kind to our little girls. Our tours were excellent!! We had a private vehicle, driver and guide, so we could see whatever we wanted on our own schedule. In addition to the Giza pyramids, go see Sakkara and the pyramids of Dashur as well. Our only complaint was the vendors and merchants at these sites. I am not sure if Memphis Tours can do anything about it. We have been tourists in over 30 countries and the merchants were the worst we’ve seen. We would have stopped at more stalls and stores, but we were mobbed by screaming vendors every time we show the least bit interest in anything. So we try to avoid the merchants and bought virtually nothing.

In Upper Egypt and during our cruise, we had Alaa as our guide. He really put his heart into making sure that we had a great time. He seems to care very much about the tourists in his care. Wish we could have tipped him more. The Memphis Tour rep (we forgot his name) who greeted us at the airport was also extremely dedicated. When my daughter forgot her glasses after checking out of the hotel, he personally went back for us while we were on an excursion to get them. The hotel Movenpick in Aswan was probably our favorite. It fits our style a bit more. It is a nice luxury hotel that is a lot more casual than the Mena House. Our Nile cruise ship, the Sonestra St. George, was quite luxurious and the food was excellent, especially the desserts.

Overall the program arranged for us by Memphis Tours was excellent and we were very happy with our trip to Egypt. We would like to thank Memphis Tours and all of the staff there for working so hard to show us what a fascinating place Egypt was and is.

8 days tour of Egypt - Cairo, Luxor to Aswan

Dean Scott, 7/30/13

We booked an 8 day tour with Memphis Tours to Egypt which included a 5 day Cruise down the Nile from Luxor to Aswan, between 20th July to 27th July 2013. We had one of the best holidays and experiences of our lives. We had a tour guide and driver with us at all times, which were highly knowledgable about Egypt and were professional and timely throughout our stay. We had a jampacked tour planned which ran like clock work and managed to see so many destinations. The cruise on Sonesta St George, Nile Cruise was amazing and the best way to relax in between the daily tours. Staff and crew were very welcoming and professional and meals were great!
If we had not know about the Revolution from the news, we would not have realised on our holiday as our trip was totally uneffected by the protests or demonstrations.

Thank you to Abdo Shawky (Tour Consultant), Mohamed Abdelrady (Cairo Tour Guide), Ahmad Kamal (Giza Pyramids Tour Guide), Alaa (Nile Cruise, Luxor - Aswan Tour Guide) & Emad (Cairo Driver) for all your great work. We can highly recommend Memphis and will choose your company for our next trip!

Loved every minute with Memphis tours

Manya Sharma, 7/15/13

I travelled to Egypt in July 2013 with my husband and 3 year old daughter. Till June end we had planned nothing regarding our itinerary but had just a vague idea of what we wanted to see in Egypt. Fortunately I started chatting with Marwa, a memphis tour operator and she gave shaped to all my vague ideas and fit them into a tailor made itinerary suited to fit all our needs. She was very prompt in her responses (all via Email) and we had absolutely no issues even when our flight arriving into Cairo got delayed by over 8 hrs. Mohammad our tour manager was there at the airport to receive us when we reached Cairo and he calmed all our fears regarding the political situation hampering our visit. We were taken around Cairo very safely and even got a quick tour of the Egypt museum at Tahrir Sq which we had thought we would not be able to see due to the unrest. Our Guide Karam was very knowledgeable and he showed us all the highlights of the museum quickly and took us out of Tahrir sq before the crowds started amassing there. Due to him, our visit to the giza pyramids was also very interesting and he also struck us a good bargain with the camel rides. Later we took a nile cruise on Sonesta moon goddess from Aswan to Luxor and our tour guide Yassir accompanied us on the cruise. He was very energetic and extremely thoughtful. He kept us well informed about the ongoing political situation as well which was very helpful. He was a powerhouse of information and gave us a great tour with ancient stories and latest info on whichever site we visited. He patiently answered all the question we ever had and even gave us an insight into the local Egyptian culture proactively.

We loved every minute of our tour which was extremely well managed, with absolutely no hitches, got all that was promised and were not even charged extra for our child except the flight tickets within Egypt.
Overall, a great vacation in a wonderful country with a superb tour company. I would recommend Memphis tours to anyone planning to visit Egypt.

“Treasures of the Nile”

924Helen, 6/5/13

What a fabulous place Egypt is. We spent 11 days there which we organised through Memphis Tours. They provided an efficient, personalised and friendly service. I was amazed at the knowledge of the tour guides. They are well studied in The Classics, Egyptology Or Archaeology and are fluent in a number of languages. Very informative and humorous.

We did a number of day tours in and around Cairo. It is extremely busy there and has a population of 20 million. Also they are crazy drivers. Thank goodness for our tour guide Ahmad Abd El Hakim and our driver. Just close your eyes.

We did a tour of some of the many Mosques which made we think of the similarities between religions. An eye opener. We saw the usual tourist things of course which I loved. In Particular the Cairo Museum is fabulous and you need lots of time to take it all in; especially the treasures of Tutankhamun. Alexandria is also worth a visit, although a 3 hour drive from Cairo, to see the various Roman ruins, Citadel and catacombs.

The highlight of the trip was the Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan. The banks of the Nile are green and lush framing the harsh dry desert behind. A welcome change from the bustle of Cairo. Only 5% of Egypt is populated because of the water limitations; which is likely to intensify in the next few years. All this information and much more we learnt from Sayed Selim; our Memphis guide and new friend on the cruise. Loved it all and Sayed Of course. So much fun and laughs as well as getting a good insight into Egyptian History.

Visited the Temple of Luxor and Avenue of Sphinxes, The Valley Of Kings - extraordinary. Then on to Edfu and the Temple of Horus; to Kom Ombo & the Temple dedicated to Sobek and Haroeris. As for Aswan. Magnificent. We took a boat to Agilkra Island and the Philae Temple saved with help of UNESCO in the 60's with the building of the High dam.
Thank you Sayed for a memorable trip which was fun with many laughs. Sharron and I loved it. With fond regards Helen (from Melbourne, Australia)

“Once in a lifetime trip!”

coolakay, 6/2/13

My husband, brother and I toured Egypt with Memphis tours from 13th - 22nd April. We had the most wonderful trip. Egypt is certainly an interesting place to visit - its history is unprecedented. Memphis looked after us every step of the way from being met at Cairo airport by Hassan, our driver Mr Humdy who kept us safe in the crazy Cairo traffic and Tarek our knowledgeable guide. Mena House hotel in Cairo is a wonderful oasis, overlooking the amazing Great Pyramid. Our Nile cruise on the Royal Lily was comfortable and a great base for exploring the temples and tombs of the Nile valley. Our guide Mohamed Iman traveled with us and helped us enjoy his country with his passion for its history and his patience with our many questions. We took a flight to Abu Simbel, a must do and stayed overnight in Aswan at the Movenpick hotel on Elephantine Island. Thank you to everyone for a fascinating holiday. Thank you also to AbdoShawky who was excellent in helping to plan our trip; nothing was too much trouble for him. I would recommend Memphis Tours to anyone wanting to visit Egypt. Now is the time to go, when they are so desperate for the tourists to return.

“Let Memphis Tours guide you through Egypt”

annac47_13 , 5/29/13

I can't begin to tell you how pleased I am with memphis tours. For the most part we had a private guide and driver, with the exception of three days on the Nile. We couldn't have handpicked better guides. Mamoud, with driver Mustafa, took care of us in Cairo and long drive to and from Alexandria. Mamoud's knowledge, his English skills, his attention, all rate him as outstanding...and Mustafa certainly knows how to deal with Cairo traffic.
Memphis tours took care of all of the details (eg, providing us with a phone and free minutes which we used a couple of times to make last minute changes etc), dealt with any concerns...absolutely first rate...Tareq, a job well done...the hotels, with the exception of the sheraton hotel in Alexandria, were first class, most especially the Mena in Cairo, and the St George river boat...
The people of Egypt, even the persistent vendors, were welcoming of visitors...it was such an enjoyable trip..
Would use Memphis tours again in a heartbeat...thank you for helping to make it a memorable vacation

Amazing

shams a, 5/28/13

I booked with Memphis tour itinerary were I visited Cairo, Luxur and Aswan. Everything was absolutely perfect; I was worried going to Egypt myself and being female but loved it. Abdul my representative was waiting at the airport upon arrival he assisted me with my visa, and booked an awesome hotel le merididen pyremd hotel and spa for the night in Cairo. Abdul was welcoming and gave me pre-paid cell phone to use while in Egypt and also kept in touch with me when I went to Luxur and Aswan and returning the last night in Cairo. I honestly cannot praise him enough. Second day I was picked up from the hotel by my tour guide Ahmed Farahat and driver Yasser Auof to see the pyramids, museum and many other sites. Both were amazing but Ahmed was fantastic throughout, phenomenal, I felt much looked after, safe and to me he was like an older brother. Ahmed was very knowledgeable, polite and great to talk to and boy can he take good photos, seriously he was awesome. Highly recommend him to see Cairo, thank you so much Ahmed. In Luxur my tour guide Ahmed Hassan was friendly, knowledgeable, polite and very helpful always willing to help and go the extra mile for you. He was staying in the cruise therefore could always reach him. Highly recommend him when visiting Luxur and Aswan. Ahmed recommended a trip to see the Nupian people on the last day of the cruise in Aswan, to learn how they live and their culture. We took a boat (what a view oh my goodness). The people of Nupian tripe are indeed "brown people with white heart" as Ahmed says. They are kind and welcoming if in Aswan definitely visit the Nupian people. Safety: have not come across any issues and top of that my tour guide, drivers and representatives were always on the lookout. So Egypt is cool and no one hackled me, mainly because they thought i looked like Egyptian it was fantastic. Every single person I came across in Memphis tours we absolutely great. In summary, I can go on and on of how great Memphis tours are but honestly it's easy to book with them and they will look after you. I definitely felt much looked after. Thank you so much Memphis tour I hope to see you soon, but this time with the family.

Amanda460

“Excellent in Every Way” , 5/17/13

I did a lot of research when looking for a tour company. I wanted to spend just under two weeks in Egypt and there were several sites off the beaten path that I wanted to see. Memphis tours was able to create a complete custom tour package that included all the sites I wanted to see including Tel el Amarna, which requires an extra 4 hours of driving from Cairo and another 6 into Luxor.

I was also traveling alone. As a 24 year old woman, I was somewhat nervous about being by myself but I never really was. Memphis Tours always sent a guide and a driver with me wherever I went and I was always in good hands and was always safe. I always felt safe in Egypt. The people are friendly and polite.

All the vehicles were air conditioned and comfortable. They provided me with a bottle of water each day while I was out at the sites. The also provided me with a pre-paid cell phone in case I ever needed to get a hold of my trip manager.

My guide in Cairo, Momen, was very knowledgeable and was able to answer every question I had about the sites we were visiting. Momen taught me about the culture in and around Cairo in addition to all the ancient history. It was really interesting to learn about the culture of modern Cairo from someone who had lived their his entire life. Its very different that the perspective you get from guide books.

All the people I worked with from Memphis Tours were polite and friendly. I had a small incident with one of my drivers and using the cell phone they provided me, I was able to get a hold of my trip manager and the situation was handled quickly and appropriately. They were able to accommodate any last minute requests and all the specialty tours I had asked for, all at a very reasonable price.

I took a cruise from Luxor to Aswan. I was with a small group of other tourists and we shared a guide, Yassir. Yassir was fantastic in every way. He was funny, very well educated and a pleasure to be around and learn from. He was able to pack a huge amount of information into a short, entertaining lecture. He was also very good at finding shade for us tourists who weren't used to the heat.

Over all, Memphis Tours was an excellent choice. I hope to come back to Egypt some day and I will book with them every time. Their guides are excellent, their staff is polite and helpful and they are able to take me where ever I wanted to go, no matter how far out of the way.

“Amazing, outstanding and professional. What a first class tour company Memphis Tours is. Don't go with anyone else.”

sallyinaus, 5/16/13

We undertook a tour of Cairo, Aswan and Luxor which was organised with Memphis Tours. I am amazed at the level of organisation, professionalism and detailed knowledge all the guides displayed. We were met at the airport and our experience of being chauffeured through the customs and passport process was absolutely first class. On each day and with each trip through Egypt we were chauffeured to and from airports, cruise ports, temples etc and I will never forget the beautifully mannered and articulate guides. I have never experienced service like we received in Egypt and I would recommend Memphis Tours to anyone considering travel to Egypt. Our accommodation was fantastic and I simply cannot fault any part of our tour. Thank you to all of our wonderful guides, our Tour Manager and the office staff who made my plans come to life.

“Memphis Tours (Part 1) - No Better Way to see Cairo”

sophiedogdaddy , 5/5/13

We had an opportunity of a life time to visit Cairo with our daughter living there for a year. She kept telling us that it was no place to travel without assistance, and after a lot of research my wife selected Memphis Tours. We couldn't have been happier. The first part of our trip was in Cairo and the second part was a Nile River cruise from Aswan to Luxor.

On arrival in Cairo, Usama Mustafa met us at the airport - before passport control! He got us our visas, through passport control, our luggage, another security check and to a car --- in less than 45 minutes. Dulles should be so organized! And then we hit Cairo traffic, which is indescribable. Anyway, we booked our hotel separately (Marriott in Zamalek) which I recommend because Memphis seems to put people up in hotels a bit out of the way.

For the next three days, our guide, Raheb, led us thoughout Cairo. While some of the stops were a bit whirlwind, and the amount of time at some of the stops seemed a bit rushed, Raheb was always willing to adjust the schedule if we asked. We did all of the usuals with her (Great Pyramid, Sphynx, Coptic Cairo, market, Citadel and Egyptian Museum.) It was at the Egyptian Musuem where Raheb was an outstanding guide. She is studying for her doctoral degree in an area of ancient Egyptian history, and her passion and knowledge really came through.

One note on security. We never noticed any problems, but we did observe that Raheb and Hussein were always on the lookout. With demonstrations scheduled one day at Tahrir, they adjusted our schedule out of an abundance of caution. Bottom line, we felt completely safe in Cairo with Memphis.

I also can't say enough good things about our driver, Hussein (?) Like I said, the traffic is horrendous, and Hussein was an ocean of calm.

And the person at Memphis you should DEFINITELY ask for is Usama Mustafa. At every stop, Usama made things easier for us. He was realy gracious and welcoming. He is a terrific ambassador of Memphis Tours and of Egypt.

“Superb Cairo/Luxor Trip”

BigJoeNYC , 5/4/13

I did a lot of research before deciding on Memphis Tours. Since I was travelling alone I was very concerned about the company I chose. Memphis Tours was an excellent choice. Every aspect of this trip was more than I had imagined and the treatment from Memphis Tours was absolutely VIP in every way. I was met at the Cairo airport by the tour representative Ahmed El Sayed who escorted me to the hotel, checked me in, and explained the plans for my days in Cairo. After two nights in Cairo I flew to Luxor where once again I was met by another tour representative, Hassan Mohamed Hassan, who also transferred me to the hotel and checked me in. Both tour representatives checked on me throughout my stay to make sure all was well and that I was content. Tour guides in both cities, which included Karam Mostafa, Hagar and Shaimaa Bahig, were extremely friendly and knowledgeable. They made every day of the trip one of discovery and wonder. This was the trip of a lifetime. Service was superb from all of the Memphis Tour staff. I cannot recommend them more highly.

A Very Enjoyable Trip through Memphis Tours

Akt, 4/30/13

My wife and I had a very enjoyable 8-day tour of Egypt last month through Memphis Tours. Firstly, their tour consultant, Maged, was very helpful in working with me to come up with an excellent personal tour itinerary. Then, their tour representative met us right at the airport gate as we got off our international flight and helped us through the visa, immigration, and custom formalities before taking us to our luxurious hotel.

The arrangements for the hotel in Cairo, our Nile River cruise ship, and the private car transportation at each place were excellent.

Our guide in Cairo / Giza, Ahmad was very knowledgeable and friendly, giving us a nice historical background on the beautiful sights there and adding much enjoyment to our visit.

In summary, we have nothing but positive things to say about our experience with Memphis Tours. They provided us an excellent Egypt experience with an expertly-run private tour, with less cost than that for the standard pre-packaged tours with 20-30 people size groups.

Great trip to Egypt

BuddyLee, 4/3/13

We just finished a great trip to Egypt with Memphis Tours! We were nervous about going with all the negative media coverage, but we are so glad we did!! Memphis Tours made it all easy and we always felt safe. Ahmed El Sayed greeted us in Cairo and was always there to make sure everything went smoothly. Our guide was Medhat Mahmoud and he was very knowledgeable and a great guy. Our driver Ahmed Sabri always greeted us with a smile and was able to get us through the crazy streets of Cairo. We also visited Abu Simbel which was amazing before going on the Sonesta Moon Goddess Cruise down the Nile which we highly recommend. There were only 13 people on the ship!! It's sad to see the decline in tourism since the revolution. If you want to see an amazing country, now is the time. There are few tourists and you can visit everything without the crowds. Make sure you use Memphis tours, they are the best!!

“Thank you Memphis Tours”

Tlscjs, 2/5/13

First I’ll review Memphis Tours – Overall terrific tour. We were met at the airport despite being more than 2 hours late from a delay in Addis. Ayman was terrific and enthusiastic even though he must have been exhausted. He took us to the hotel and saw us through check in and reviewed the itinerary for the following day. We had Momen as a tour guide in Cairo and I cannot praise him enough. He took the time to ask what we were most interested in seeing and adjusted our tour accordingly. He was knowledgeable and enthusiastic about everything. We were lucky to get Momen again at the end of our trip for our final day of sight-seeing. Our transfers to the night train to Luxor and the pickup upon return were well organized and easy. The night train departing Cairo was several hours late, and we were told while waiting that it is usually late. Something to keep in mind when planning whether to go by train or by air. At the train station you stand outside by the tracks waiting, so there isn’t a comfortable inside seating area in which to wait.
The Nile cruise was on the Nile Dolphin and was lovely. It was so wonderful sailing up the Nile and enjoying the beautiful scenery. The staff aboard the Dolphin were terrific and caring. The rooms are spacious and experiencing the transition through the lock was cool. Everyday they made cute animals from the towels and my daughter thought that was fun. On the day of our check out, we had a 6 hour wait until we were taken to the train. The manager was kind enough to give me a cabin for my 5 year old daughter to sleep in until we left.
The guide for the Luxor-Aswan portion of the tour was Ahmed and I honestly cannot recommend him. He was abrasive and dismissive when we asked questions. When he met us at the train station he held up a clipboard and said come this way. We were not assisted at all with our luggage and had to traverse a set of steps down and then back up again. I am a single parent trying to handle everything myself, and we also had a man recovering from surgery who also had to manage his luggage without any help. This might seem like a little thing, but after an exhausting journey, it was not pleasant. We were informed that after arriving at the cruise ship we were expected to assemble in the bar for a meeting. We had a couple of these required meetings which unfortunately were scheduled as we returned from an excursion which prevented us from getting lounge chairs up on the deck. After the meetings we would head up there and find all chaises occupied. He seemed disinterested most of the time, and I felt like it was definitely a job to him and not something he enjoyed. He also kept pushing the excursions to the point where it was annoying. None of the other Memphis guides did this. On the boat ride to the Philae temple he invited one of the vendors to come on board to sell jewelry to us. It is sad because the rest of the Memphis staff are fantastic. The cruise from Luxor to Aswan is amazing and the sights and temples are so fantastic that I was in a constant state of amazement. We were so lucky to get a guy named Hassan for our day trip to Abu Simbel. In my opinion Memphis is missing out on a true gem here. They aught to get Hassan to do the Luxor-Aswan tour. He was so delightful. He had us all laughing all the time and seemed to really love showing us his country.
When we were in Aswan I realized I had left my baseball cap in the tour car in Cairo. I figured "Oh well" it's probably gone now. When we got back to Cairo I mentioned it to Ayman and he made some calls and amazing enough the driver still had it. Ayman made a special trip to meet the driver and get my cap back for me. In my opinion that is above and beyond their responsibilities. I would tell anyone to use Memphis Tours.

Helpful Hints for Egypt.
It is dry! Dry! Dry! Within 2 days our lips were cracked and bleeding. Take plenty of chapstick and moisturizing lotion. When visiting the unfinished oblesque – wear hiking or sturdy shoes. You will be hiking through a granite quarry and it is not easy to climb on the rocks as some of them are covered with sand and/or tiny pebbles. I don’t wear contacts, but anyone who does should be prepared for really dry and dusty conditions. We took 4 or 5 showers every day to remove the dust. When reviewers write about annoying vendors – they are not exaggerating. We were all annoyed beyond tolerance because they would not take no for an answer. The best advice we found was to keep your head down and don’t even say “no thank you”. Just run the gauntlet of vendors that you have to endure as you leave each temple. Everyone expects tips – everywhere. This also get tedious as people will try to grab your bag to carry it 10 feet – then put their hand out for a tip. Egypt has been hit hard with the decline in tourism. I can honestly say that we felt perfectly safe at all times during our trip. I would not hesitate to tell friends and family to go to Egypt. I think the media really exaggerates the political situation there. It was a fantastic trip.

“Excellent, wonderful, amazing!!!”

Iwona, 1/25/13

My friend and I decided to spend a week in Egypt (9-16 Jan 2013). After extensive research we decided to go with Memphis Tours, on the Egypt Experience by Air tour. From the first e-mail until the day we left everything was just perfect. We were met and picked up by Ahmed - what a surprise that he was there before we cleared customs! We were taken to the Movenpick at the Pyramids Hotel, checked in and informed about our schedule. Next morning we were met by our tour guide Amany. Such a lovely, warm and helpful person. Her knowlege and way of conducting the tour simply impressed us. Had a lot of fun, taking all those jumping pictures. On our way to Sakkara I realised that I lost my spare camera battery. Amany did everything to get it back and she managed!!! We were also provided with the cell phone, so we could stay in touch with Memphis. Next day Ahmed came to pick us up and took us to the airport. Flight from Cairo to Aswan went smoothly and when landed we were picked up and transferred on our cruise. For next 4 days we were with different tour guide - Ahmed el Prince. Yet another great, knowledgable and funny person. We learnt so much about Egypt's history. Both Amany and Prince were organized, helpful and thanks to their recommendations we could enjoy this trip even more. At no point they seemed to be tired, upset or bored. You see how they love what they do, their dedication to the groups is just superb. On the 5 th day of the trip we returned to Cairo, where Ahmed was able to organize Sound and Light Show at Pyramids. Last day we met Amany again and went to explore the city and Cairo Museum.
If you are planning to visit Egypt, I would strongly recommend an organized tour, rather than going on your on. And if you think about company Memphis Tours would be the best pick.

“Amazing experience”

Kellie and Kindy. , 1/19/13

My friend and I booked a last minute holiday to Egypt and were very pleased with the service, experience, knowledge and friendliness of the people we encountered. Our tour manager Mohammed (abdo?) answered all our questions (and there was a lot!) and helped reorganise our holiday to suit us at the drop of a hat. On arrival we were greeted and transportedby friendly memphis staff, this continued througout the whole trip and ensured an easy and relaxing process between sights.

In Cairo we were very pleased with our tour guide Karam and driver Osama. They were extremely welcoming and had us laughing until our stomachs hurt. Osama was full of energy no matter what hour of the day and always up for a dance anywhere anytime! Karam was also energetic and very knowledgable about many different sights (we visited the pyramids, sphinx, sakkara, memphis, dashar, alexandria and the egyptian museum in their care)

We were then transported to Luxor where we boarded our fantastic nile cruise (MS Nile Dolphin) and were greeted by our next tour guide Sayed Selim. Sayed stayed with us from Luxor/Karnak Temple and cruised with us to Edfu temple where we were sad to have to say goodbye. Sayed was very helpful and thoughtful and had an enthusiastic knowledge of egypts sites. He would explain a site and then allow us to explore without rushing us through. On board the nile the staff were helpful and accomodating and we especially loved entering our room to find towel animals, flowers, or whatever else they had carefully constructed.

Our next tour guide fridays escorted us to Abu Simbel (AMAZING!) Despite the 3am start Friday was patient and answered all our questions easily and with a smile. We would also like to say a special thankyou to ALL our memphis drivers who transported us safely to and fro as well as Ruby and Mustafa (Mustafa ya Mustafa, Ana bahebeck ya mustafa) who helped reorganise our schedules while on the trip.

Overall Egypt was the most amazing experience of my life. We felt safe (depsite the protests begininng), welcomed, valued and evern learnt some of the local egyptian language/music. Good Job people! :) We will be back,

Shakkrun!

Memphis Nile cruise and Cairo city tour

Venita botha, 1/12/13

After lacklustre replies from several tour companies in Egypt, I contacted Memphis Tours. I received a customised agenda within hours. All further questions were also dealt with promptly. We did the Cairo city tour and the Nile cruise (Luxor to Aswan). From the airport meet and greet right up to departure we had superb customer service and support. Our guide on the Nile cruise, Alaa Elsawy, was not only the most knowledgeable and professional tour guide I have ever met, but he also managed to get a very diverse group to gel. I got ill towards the end of the cruise and he did everything in his power to see that I get treatment. I will recommend Memphis ans all their staff, especially Alaa, to anybody that consider traveling to Egypt. IN fact, thanks to them, I, a anti organised tour traveler, are already planning my next trip with them

Everything we had hoped for...and more

schaden, 1/4/13

I had vowed to write a review once I was back from Egypt as I had heavily relied on Trip advisor in planning our holiday so here it goes!

We traveled to Egypt for a 7 day tour from 15th December 2012 amidst the constitution referendum voting and were slightly nervous about how things might pan out especially in Cairo (as we had avoided the Sinai to begin with) even though we had organised a private tour. However, Memphis travels as promised delivered us an awesome 7 day holiday (Cairo, Abu Simbel & Aswan-Luxor Nile Cruise) and we not at the slightest felt we were in a country which was in the midst of protests and riots as made out by the media. We weren't sure if we could visit the Egyptian museum before we went to Egypt as its situated adjacent to Tahrir square but we actually managed to visit Tahrir square too albeit for a short time as our day was packed with other things to cover in Cairo.

We stayed at the Mena House Oberoi & Movenpick Aswan which were just great. The Al Jamila cruise as indicated in the forums is not really 5 star as per international standards. We had a 3 day cruise but the ship actually cruised for actually just 1 day when we went from Aswan to Luxor and was docked at Aswan and Luxor for the remaining time. We had a lot of idle time and so If you wish to pack in more temples, attractions at the cost of less leisure time then this cruise may be avoidable in case you have other options available.

The drivers and guides offered by Memphis were professional, punctual, very helpful (especially in helping get rid of touts & pushy sales people) and courteous. Only advise I would wish to offer is that if you wish to pack in more attractions and are not interested in visiting alabaster, perfume, papyrus or carpet factories at the cost of sigh-seeing time than you need to be firm in telling the guide that you're not interested. My hunch is that as expected they get a cut off the sales and so keep insisting you visit these factories. Don't get me wrong - some of these factories are great but if you're visiting on a real tight schedule then you may not want to waste your time there as it can take a significant chunk of your sight seeing time and there's just so much to see!

On the whole - it was our childhood dream to visit Egypt and Memphis tours delivered big time.

Egypt is perfectly safe to visit provided you remain a tourist and show no inclination in any of the political activities ongoing there. The media helped us greatly by keeping the crowds away at most sights which was great for us; not so much for the Egyptian people who are so heavily dependent on tourism.

5 stars experience

vasil kalpatchev, 1/1/13

From the begging to the end you will feel exceptional. Memphis ensured as an amazing service. We want to thanks especially Tamer, Kareem and Yasser - friendly, well educated, keen to help you in every situation. The warnings about the political issues has nothing to do with the real situation. Your tour guides will advise you how to behave with local poor people and which bargains to buy. Do not be afraid to fly with a balloon or ride a camel. It was memorable experience for our 7 years old boy. The Nile river is really majestic with beautiful islands, birds and the desert borders. Be prepared to wake up sometimes before sun rise and to endure a couple of hours walk. If your want to thanks local people caring your luggage, waiters in the restaurant on the Nile cruise, tour guides, horse, camel, boat riders - be prepared with 5, 10 peaces Egyptians pounds exchanged at the Cairo airport , may be equivalent to 70 $ for whole family for the entire stay. Its deserve to see it. Thanks to Memphis tours.

Vasil, Maria, Lyubomir - Bulgaria

“Memphis Tours Rockzzzzz!!!!!!”

ryo6063, 12/19/12

This was our 2nd holiday in Egypt (1st time with the kids). Had a blast of a time there. Most of it thanx to Memphis Tours. Took the 12 days private package, from 30th Nov. to 12th December. Covered most of the historical sites,and more.

My wife & I came to Egypt as tourist and left as a honored guest, or part of a family, the Memphis Tours family. Personal touches abound from the very moment we touched down at the Cairo Int'l airport. It is harder to fulfill our expectations or wants due to very fact that it was our 2nd time 'covering' Egypt. Not only Memphis Tours fulfilled our expectations, THEY EXCEEDED THEM!!. The staffs' warmth and perpetual sense of humor kept us captivated & engaged all the time.

First class tour guides, sumptuous food, 5 stars hotels, lovely weather, wonderful people AND historical sites that we can never have enough of, even if we were to visit it again & again. All these blends are the 'spices' of Egypt & made possible for our pleasure by Memphis Tours. BRAVO. We will be back AGAIN.

Sites visited: Cairo, Alexandria, Aswan, River Nile, Luxor, Abydos, Dandera, Hurghada

Activities: (Other than visits to the splendid historical sites) Sight and Sound Show at Giza pyramids, Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor, Balloon ride in Luxor, Carriage ride in Edfu, Quad Bike ride, Camel ride and Alfaleila Waleila in Hurghada

Accommodations : Mena House Oberoi (Cairo),Movenpick @ Aswan, Al Jamila Cruise, The Marriot (Hurghada)

Tour Guides :-
Our deepest appreciation to :- Mahmoud Abdel Ghany (Cairo & Alexandria)
Mohamed Emam (Luxor, Aswan & the Nile Cruise)
Hassan (Abu Simbel)
Abdel Aal Wanan (Abydos & Dandera)
Khaled (aka Hunga) (Hurghada)
Ahmed (Balloon Ride @ Luxor)
Yassin (not MT) (Sunset Safari @ Hurghada)

Tour Leads/Coordinator:- Amro, Mohamed Sakr & Mohammed

Drivers:- Ashraf (Cairo, Alexandria & Hurghada back to Cairo
Maged (aka Captain Maged) (Abydos, Dandera & Hurghada)
Sayed (Abu Simbel)

To all the individuals mentioned (or not)......our deepest appreciation and sincere thanx to each and everyone in Memphis Tours, whom in their own unique ways made our honeymoon truly memorable.

“Felt like royalty all the way”

milu086, 12/17/12

Memphis Tours take care of you before you come to Egypt until you are at the airport. Our experience was more than great. I booked the trip with Abdo Shawky, he was very efficient in replying to my emails. We were in Egypt from 8th-15th December. I booked a Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor on the Alyssa Ship and went from Cairo to Aswan and from Luxor to Cairo on the sleeper train. At the airport I found Mohammed Abdo which informed us of eveything we need to know and gave me a mobile phone to keep in touch. In Aswan I found a Memphis Rep waiting for us at the station, sorry I forgot his name and then we spent 4 days enjoying the sun and the temples with Egyptologist Ahmed El-Prince. He was awesome and couldnt have been a better guide, Very cool guy with a nice sense of humor. His English was good and a very friendly guide which made all the group very comfortable. Our experience of Egypt was great, although the news portrayed Cairo to be like a war, we never felt anything bad. Back to Cairo from Luxor we were always escorted with Memphis Reps and drivers Nader if i remeber well and others whom I forgot their name. We also had a guide in Cairo who showed us the Giza Pyramids and the Musuem, his name was Hassan if I remember well. I would of course suggest Memphis Tours to anyone who would like to go to Egypt.

“Memphis Tours = awesomesauce”

mjhoops, 12/10/12

I just arrived home from my first trip to Egypt. It was incredible, thanks to Memphis Tours. If you want to see the best of Egypt and want to be taken care of, choose memphis.

Our trip was jam-packed with so much to see and do. At the same time, I never felt overwhelmed or stressed. I was traveling with 2 friends and we joined more people to make a group of 9 on my tour. We all wanted to be in egypt on Dec. 3rd for the planetary alignment over the Giza pyramids. We spent a few days seeing Giza, Cairo and Memphis, then flew south to Aswan. There we took a day trip to the Abu Simbel Temple, and cruised up the Nile river to Luxor to see it's beautiful tombs and temples.

Memphis tours has an incredible staff that made me feel like I didn't have to think about or plan anything. Abdu was super helpful in accommodating our schedule and found a way to get us on an earlier flight back to Los Angeles so we could make it home for work. Houssain was in Cairo with us, meeting us before and after excursions to make sure that we had everything we needed. When I needed snacks, he took me to the store to get snacks. He even arranged for my friends and I to take 4-wheelers into the desert before sunrise to catch photos of the planetary alignment over the pyramids. He met us at 3:45 in the morning to go with us, and this was something we planned the night before on a whim. Talk about really going above and beyond to make us happy. Terek was our tour guide for the Cairo portion of the trip, and Alaa was our guide for Aswan-Luxor. These are not guys who read off a script. They are egyptologist who know their stuff, and can answer questions you have about anything. They are also cool guys who speak great English and are very personable. It's clear that they enjoy their jobs and are always smiling.

I am a 20-sometihng californian blonde girl, and I'll admit I had some questions about safety in Egypt. Also, our trip took place during a time of protests and riots. A lot of people were concerned about me going. I will say to anyone thinking of traveling to egypt....GO! I never felt unsafe while there. Everyone was very welcoming and friendly. We traveled during the peak tourist season and we had Egypt almost to ourselves. It's sad that people aren't traveling here right now, it's a beautiful country with great people, and tourism is a big business there. Eqypt has always been at the top of my bucket list and I'm so thrilled that I went. You definitely can't see it all without a tour group.

Some advice to travelers.......the hotels memphis put us in are fantastic and have free wifi. But most hotels in egypt only have free wifi in the lobbies. The cruise ship had wifi that you pay for, but seeing as it's traveling up the nile river, service is spotty. So just know that if you aren't paying for wifi, you will mostly be using your iphone as a camera :)

Don't drink the tap water, bottled water is available everywhere.

bring snacks from home because most of the snack foods we found available were chips and cookies.

Bring money for tipping. There are a lot of people who work hard to make your trip great. Drivers, tour guides, wait staff.....jus make sure you have it in your budget to tip them.

Enjoy your trip! You won't regret choosing Memphis tours.

“Yes ! Yes ! Yes ! They're awesome !”

Iman_Shah, 12/7/12

Memphis Tours made everything easy, safe for family, and always with a warm friendly smile,, our 8days tour was a last minute decision, but Memphis Tours made it a memorable one!!.. we managed to do 12hr train ride, Nile cruise in this time,, Cairo, Luxor, Kom Ombo, Aswan, Cairo again and Alexandria,, the best time of our lives. all Thanks to Memphis Tour who were humbly accommodating to our every needs,, even the little details like getting fruits or books, one cannot get any other better guides than these professional people at Memphis Tours..
Personal thank you from our hearts :
Mr Hussein Zakaria – Airport Expert/Specialist who assists with visa entry upon arrival (through a long line of hungry humans) and helped us pushed into a crowded single small door entrance upon departure.. such pushing skill is truly admirable!

Mr Ahmad Omar – My Hero – who shoos away harrasers ,, not because of the well built body but the curly chest hair that went up to his throat (haha just joking ), “”Mr Friday”” as everyone calls him.. a very knowledgeable (Cruise) guide, jovial, helpful and we are so sorry to be asking questions that was already informed again and again.. a very patient individual indeed!!!! Tourist like me is very lucky to get the calm Mr Friday as our guide!!!
Mr Ahmed Farahat – our Cairo/Alexandria guide, a really easy going, fun, loving, fast problem solving with great photography skills .

Drivers - Mr Emad (Abo Shams) and a few others.. also named Ahmad, yes!.– sincere apologies as we were so caught up in the scenes we forget to get all the driver’s correct names..
And last the slim tall slender Mr Ruby,, also forgot the real name.. In all to be doing all the sights we did in 8 days, takes great timely co-ordination (considering the traffic we saw there), and all their historic explanation seems to be more tiring for them, is truly very much appreciated!!! It was more of their protective ways in handing us from one guide to another that made us feel secure.

PS: listen to your guide and all their advise, If there is any uncertainty , just ask, they will be happy to obliged. I will come again to Egypt , through Memphis Tours!!

“Memphis went out of their way to provide my new wife an I a trip that we'll never forget!”

Steven H, 12/5/12

It wasn't just Memphis Tours that made the trip. Each and every individual guide (and driver) gave us the personal attention that we needed to make our trip from Cairo to Aswan to Hurghada as hassle free and unforgettable as possible. I couldn't say enough good things about each of the area's local guides. They weren't just putting on a show. You could easily tell that each of the Memphis Tours guides and drivers genuinely wanted you to learn their countries history and to make that journey as enjoyable as possible. All of the small things that make travel a bother were taken care of in advance. All you had to do was tell them where you wanted to go or what you wanted to see and they arranged every form of travel, every hotel, every site ticket, and they were there for every transition of our trip. Each guide personally took care of every logistic issue you could think of from getting your VISA stamp on arrival to seeing you off at the airport's gate. Each guide and driver that found out it was our honeymoon either had a cake made for us or bought us flowers. When we wanted to change part of our trip, our tour manager (who gave us a cell phone to use during the entire trip) told us "no problem" and booked several dives for us in Hurghada. When I compared the resort's prices to what Memphis had charged us for the extra free day, it was almost HALF what we would have paid if we'd booked ourselves! The managers and guides for Memphis have a very good relationship with true 5 star establishments all over the country and they were able to pull a lot of strings to make sure that we were well cared for. When we initially booked, we purchased one of the discount tours, but we were upgraded every step of the way to the best hotels and even the best cruise ship on the Nile. Of the hundreds we saw, I honestly didn't see a better ship than the one that Memphis put us on. We went during a relatively tumultuous time after the first revolution, and we were concerned about the turmoil, but our tour manager told us that there was nothing to worry about and true to his word, each of the local guides kept us well away from areas that they knew might be an issue. The guides are all college educated, very intelligent, and extremely vigilant about our safety and they kept us informed about each area's issues (if there were any) all along the way. We made some true friends there as well. My wife is on Facebook with Alla (he handles the Aswan to Luxor cruise) and just yesterday we were able to see his new baby boy. If you ever plan on going to Egypt, or anywhere in that region (to my understanding, they cover several countries) make sure you go with Memphis Tours. You won't regret it.

“12 Days Egypt Tour--Great Trip”

maria g, 11/30/12

Our group of 7 people fully enjoyed our recent trip to Egypt. We enjoyed several days in Cairo as well as a four day 5 star Nile cruise to Luxor and Aswan. The combination was a perfect blend of sightseeing! Our guides with Memphis were terrific! Mohamed Sakr coordinated our trip, Mohamed Besheer was our main coordinator upon arrival, and we had two Egyptologists: Maha and Alaa. Everyone we dealt with was knowledgable and kind! We never once felt uncomfortable in the country. Mohamed Besheer did a job working with us to book extra adventures such as a hot air balloon ride in Luxor, Nubian Villiage excursion, and a sound and light show at the Giza Pyramids. He also helped me attain my lost luggage, which did not come to Cairo for 2 days after my arrival. He ensured that I received it on the cruise and the use of their local cell phone provided by Memphis Tours was a big help with this challenge.

We stayed at the Mena House in Giza (just outside of Cairo) as well as the Sun Godess Cruise ship. I would recommend both. The service was quite good on both.

I would endorse Memphis tours and personally use them again. Now is a great time to go to Egypt (with great pricing, given that tourism is not as high right now). I would highly recommend using a reputable tour company in Egypt and Memphis followed through on all my expectations.

I would also recommend building in a day or two of down time in your itinerary. You will see and learn a lot on this trip and having time for relaxation will be important!

Enjoy your time; Egyptians are really great people!

“Simply Wonderful!”

Sian Hoff, 11/4/12

So after an amazing trip to Jordan I wasn't looking that forward to Egypt. I really didn't think my experience in Egypt could match Jordan, but I was wrong. I was travelling with my mom and I have to say we were both blown away. We were treated so well and everything was taken care of. They offered us a cell phone in case we needed anything and they were not around. Our drivers were wonderful and so were all of our guides.

We spent a total of 7 nights/8 days in Egypt which included: Cairo and a Nile Cruise between Luxor and Aswan. We received an upgrade and stayed at Mena Lodge in Giza, Kempinski in Cairo and our Nile Cruise was with Sonesta where we were upgraded as well to a ship with full suites and balconies. Servicer at all fo these resorts/cruise organized by Memphis Tours were amazing.

Our trip organizer Abdo was wonderful and very patient with our many requests and itinerary changes. Our rep in Cairo and who oversaw our trip was Abdul - and he was just awesome. Abdul was so eager to help us and ensure everything was working well - he is very passionate and dedicated to his job and he represents Memphis tours very well. We had a wonderful driver named Mustafa - who was so sweet and kind. Mustafa was also very attentive and our safety was his upmost concern for us. Our guide on the Nile cruise was amazing - a huge kudo's to Alaa El-Sawy. He is an amazing guide who is truly passionate about Egyptian history. We felt so lucky to have him show us around the amazing sites on the Nile. He also convinced me to do the baloon ride in Luxor (which meant a 4:00 am wake up call) and it was worth it. His recomendation became one of my top highlights in my time there.

So I realize people worry about safety and this holds them back from travellign to Egypt. My own experience in telling people where I was travelling to was commonly responded with that I was absolutely nuts for going. However, they are so very wrong. We felt very safe travelling in Egypt and this is a top priority of Memphis tours. Furthermore, I found the people in Egypt very kind and open to people travelling to their country. I highly recomend Memphis Tours and I do hope you experience this amazing country. I can't wait to go back and spend more time there - next time on a 7 day Nile Cruise so I can see even more.

“Ammmmazing tour company!”

Michelle N, 10/22/12

My boyfriend and I wanted to do something phenomenal for his 30th birthday. Egypt was on our list to check off, but after hearing about the riots, we researched tour companies, one including Memphis Tours. We are so happy we went with them! All the reviews are correct about the tour company being wonderful people, well organised, caring and well planned.
We took the 6 day tour and it was so much fun! We had a private tour guide who was well educated and would even have fun historical debates and talks with you!
We also had 3 day cruise on the Nile and meet people all around the world. Story and history time were always so sight fulfilling and educational. The tour guides were just so amazing sharing their life experiences.

We did camel riding, visited the largest temple in Egypt and indulged in the culture. So beautiful, and even better as the guides would give you all the history. They really made you feel welcomed and introduced you to their culture. Although there are current issues over there, we never once felt in danger or threatened. It was such a beautiful, peaceful country with very very little harm.
We are so happy we swallowed our fears, didn't listen to anyone else and found Memphis Tours!

Such an amazing experience! They have many tours which they mentioned one was camping in the Oasis... we cannot wait to do that one with Memphis Tours!

“Memphis Tours Nile Cruise”

Gordon W, 10/11/12

We just did a one day tour of Cairo and and 5 day Nile Cruise. Highly recommend both! Special thanks to Memphis Tours, our experience was amazing, we have never felt so welcomed and safe in any country. Our guide in Cario was great, but particular thanks to our Nile River cruise guide Abdel Hamid, who was professional, and knowledgeable but friendly at the same time. We would also like to thank Tamer who meet us at the airport and did a lot of the arrangements and also Mohamed Sakr who was our initial contact and answered all our emails promply.

Nile Cruise - A unique experience thanks to Memphis Tours

Oeyvind, 10/10/12

For period of more than a year a group of 19 friends from Norway have planned for visiting Egypt and its extraordinary cultural treasures along the Nile. We teamed up with Memphis Tours after reviewing price and suggested itineraries provided by competitors. They were not even close!

We were truly excited when we landed in Cairo. How good of a job have they done for us? Well, we were not disappointed. On the contrary. From the point in time when leaving the plane in Cairo we were in the hands of their excellent staff, taking care of every possible detail. Everything well prepared, no hick-ups, bus transports, horse carriages, boat rides, air balloon trips, guided tours, all exceptionally very well organized. - Just relax and enjoy.

Along the Nile we had the pleasure of staying onboard the St. George from Sonesta; nice cabins, helpful staff and excellent food. Not to forget; the waiters served you in a very friendly way. - But, the very top of experience was our tour guide; Ahmed El Prince. In a highly inspiring way he to took us through the myths and history of ancient Egypt. We were thrilled and could not wait for the next "lesson" when he asked us to "stay tuned".

This was simply the trip of our lifetime! Many Thanks to Memphis Tours.

Very professional pre-travel arrangements

Greg dunbar, 7/31/12

I won't be going on my trip to Egypt with Memphis Tours until December, but I felt that the pre-travel arrangements made with Maged Al Gohary needed praise with Tripadvisor before I left. Maged was prompt and efficient with all of the email correspondence, and answered all my questions and concerns effectively. It really does give me peace of mind knowing that all of my travel arrangements were handled so well, that I am confident this will be the trip of a lifetime for me.
Greg Dunbar
Vancouver Canada

Memphis Tours were great

Kate Teddy Morrison, 7/26/12

I spent two weeks recently in Egypt in a group of 13 people touring around. Memphis Tours put the trip together and I have to say a big THANK YOU to them for making it the trip of a lifetime. Our tour manager Osama Mostafa and our Egyptologist Ahmed El Prince from Memphis Tours were pivotal in making our stay in Egypt such a success. They were at all times patient, helpful, efficient and organised. They handled the wide-ranging demands of the group with charm, grace and good humour. In fact it will be the humour that I will remember the most - the two guys didn't feel like employees at all; we all felt like one big family. It was sad to say goodbye - thank you so much again Memphis Tours!!!!

10 Days in Egypt with Memphis Tours

Kerry, 7/9/12

Having recently returned from a wonderful trip to Egypt and the Middle-east,I can highly recommend the services of Memphis tours in Cairo and our Tour organiser Miss Eman Rashad, to anyone travelling to Egypt.

Eman was most helpful in the planning stages of our trip for 7 adults,and every detail was meticulously taken care of,from beginning to end.We were even offered Hotel upgrades in Cairo,at no extra charge,which turned out to be delightful alternatives to our originally chosen accomodations.

Our comprehensive tour included three nts in Giza(Mena House Oberoi) with visits to The Pyramids,Coptic Cairo & Egyptian museum,flight and overnight in Aswan(Movenpick/Elephantine Is),4 nt cruise on Sonesta moon goddess with day tours along the way,flight Luxor to Cairo and overnight(Nile Kempinski Hotel) before flying out to Abu Dhabi. Our private tour guides and meet & greet representitives offered a most professional & friendly service throughout.

I would not hesitate to contact Memphis tours again for any further travel arrangements.

Excellent

Fernando, 7/1/12

Besides the overwhelming beauty of Egypt and all its monuments the warmth and professionalism of people at Memphis Tours made my family's trip an experience we will never forget.

From the moment we arrived at Cairo Airport Ahmed (our coordinator) has been permanently taking care of us and making everything easy for us. Very professional and available for us anytime we needed him, he also allowed flexibility to accomodate our plans and add other places we wanted to see besides the tour plan.

I also want to mention the warmth and excellence of the guides. At El Cairo Said has quickly managed to integrate in the family and made the day extremely fun and instructive.

In Luxor we also met with Sayed, our guide from Luxor to Aswan. I have no words to explain how caring and knowledgeable he is. Spending 4 days with him allowed us to learn not only about Egyptian history but also the way Egyptians live and feel.

The service on the boat was amazing and so was the food. There were no bad surprises anytime during our trip, just good ones.

We had a wonderful experience, and felt taken care of and safe from the first up to the last minute.

Anyone who has the means to afford a week in Egypt should definitely do it, and i recommend Memphis Tours in every single sense.

Perfectly organized vacation thanks to Memphis Tours

Vikram, 6/25/12

Just returned from a wonderful holiday from Egypt all thanks to Memphis tours. Starting off with our tour consultant Marwa Amer who was very patient and helpful with us from the past 3 months of constant change of plans as we were uncertain at times about the safety in Egypt.All i can say its definitely SAFE and there is nothing to worry about. We finally booked a 9 days 8 night package which included the Nile Cruise and Cairo.

On arrival we were picked up by our tour representative Mr Amro and briefed about our entire Itinerary. Mr Amro was was excellent and made sure everything went according to plan.

The Cruise started in Luxor and ended in Aswan and throughout the sightseeing we covered a ton of places as promised in the package. Our tour guide at these places was Mr Mohamed Emam who was wonderful throughout with his knowledge about History and passion about Egypt.He suggested us to do Alexandria and we thank him for that.

Back in Cairo we visited the Pyramids, the Egyptian Museum, Khan el Khalili Bazar, Coptic Cairo etc and took an additional tour to Alexandria on one of our free days and absolutely loved it, and our guide throughout all this was Mr Sharif Hindi, he was excellent and as mentioned earlier their knowledge and passion is unbelievable.Mr Sharif also helped us out in the busy streets of Khan el Khalili in looking for particular souvenirs too.

Positives:

Everything went exactly as planned and promised from Pre Booking from Marwa Amer to Mr Amro dropping us back to the airport with No surprises @ all.

The Hotel in Cairo Mena House Oberoi, and the Cruise Sonesta Star Goddess were excellent.

Guides were also friendly and really helpful.

The Cars provided were in great condition and we were provided a bottle of water or two on every sightseeing visit.

The Restaurants we were taken for lunch on day tours were also of good quality.

Nothing negative at all.

So i would conclude by saying Memphis did not put a foot wrong throughout the vacation, Egypt is beautiful country with so many things to see and learn,Due its current political situation the tourism is sadly low but its the right time to visit cause of the same reason as its not crowded.

So if you are on the fence about visiting Egypt or choosing Memphis all i can say is Book NOW and start packing your bags...

Our Wonderful Week in Cairo

Suzanne W, 5/25/12

Go to Egypt without any fear. It is safer than where we live in Stockton, CA The exchange rate is fabulous and so is Memphis Tours. They treated us like royalty. We were picked up each day in a wonderful car, with a competent driver (Ashof) and a knowledge Egyptologist, MAha. They had cold bottled water for us and tickets to the places we had outlined on our tour. They stopped enroute for other attractions that were enlighting and fun. Our lunch was provided and it was always wonderful. We saw so much more than we could have ever imagined. Memphis arranged for us to fly to Luxor and stay overnight at the Sheraton Hotel on the Nile. Our 2-day Memphis guide was Shimaa. All the guides spoke very clear English, were polite and very accommodating as were all the people we met in Egypt. Go now. It will be the vacation of a lifetime. Suzanne & Paul Waters USA
Visited April 2012

Tailor made trip for 8 persons

Lydia, 5/20/12

From 30 April 2012 until 9 April 2012 we used Memphis tours for a tailor made trip from Cairo to Aswan and on to Luxor. In total we were 8 people (4 adults and 4 children). Overal we are very satisfied with the service that Memphis tours delivered. There was only one problem with a hotel reservation that could have been handled better.
Our visit of Cairo did not go very smoothly, because 2 of the children became ill, so we needed to adjust our planned itinerary several times. The guide and chauffeur were not only excellent in their job as guide and driver, but they were also very flexible and made sure that the children could receive the appropriate medical help. Thanks to all their efforts we were able to continue our trip without problems.
Our guide in Aswan was very knowledgeable of the sights, but here we encountered a problem with the hotel that was booked for us. Although we received a confirmation that all hotels we had requested were confirmed, we were brought to a different hotel without any explanation in advance from the guide. When asking why we were not dropped at the hotel we had requested, the guide told us that the hotel (Movenpick) had been closed for already 2 weeks due to a strike of the hotel personnel. We called the office of Memphis Tours in Caïro who acknowledged that they had made a mistake. They should have let us know immeadiately that the hotel was unavailable and offer us a choice of alternatives and pay back the difference in rate. We were booked in the Iberotel, which offers a lot less in terms of food and pool area than the Movenpick. In the beginning Memphis tours proposed that we would book another excursion with them as compensation, but we already had a full schedule. Then after a lot of debate they offered to refund us what was according to them the difference in room rate (50 euro’s in total for 1 double and 2 triple rooms for 2 nights...).
In Luxor our guide and driver were friendly and we stayed at the excellent Sheraton hotel as requested.
During our trip lunch was included, but I would not recommend doing this, because you are taken to the restaurants were all the tourists are dropped for a buffet meal which offers almost everytime the same food. Only in Aswan we were taken to a nice restaurant on the Nile, this was also the only restaurant of ones we had on the tour, that was recommended in the travel guides.

So overall a very good trip, but some room for improvement regarding the hotel reservations & restaurant selection.
Visited April 2012

Memphis Tours-Cairo, Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan

Judy, 5/12/12

Have just returned from an amazing tour organized by Memphis Tours. Very well organised and friendly staff, from being met in Cairo by Ahmed and related transfers to Luxor and from Aswan and hotel stays.
Terrific guides- Amr in Cairo, who took us to the Museum, Coptic Cairo, a bazaar for tea and the pyramids. Eid met us in Luxor for 4 days of the Karnak temples, and Luxor temple, Valley of the Kings, and Aswan. Both men were very friendly and knowledgeable. Felt very safe for two female travellers.
We preferred to fly to Luxor from Cairo to catch our cruise, rather than overnight train.
Thank you for providing us with such a memorable trip.
Judy and Louise
Visited May 2012

Continued excellence and flexibility

Wairsie_Murada, 3/10/12

I have just booked my next trip to Egypt through Memphis Tours again. Having used several companies over the years, Memphis Tours offer the right balance between flexibility, assurance and knowledge that I need.

My visits to Egypt often concentrate on Aswan, to enable me to continue my Nubian studies. For this, Mustafa Osman has been the Tour Leader who manages my programme when there, and suggests the best places for me to visit, people to meet etc and makes all the arrangements on my behalf. He has been excellent indeed and I have come to rely on his input. And as anyone who knows this area and its people will have found out for themselves, help is always delivered willingly and with a warm smile.

Great tour with Sayed Selim, cruising the Nile

dmr064, 3/3/12

Cruised the Nile with Memphis Tours on the Royal Jaz. Our tour guide, Sayed Selim was very informative and knowledgable on Egyptology. Cruise went from Aswan to Luxor with tours along the way. We had a great time. Thanks Sayed.

“Very well organised tour”

Josie Jo James, 1/7/12

Memphis tours contacted me via Responsibletravel.com and from the beginning showed they were not only an extreamly organised but also a flexible tour operator.Ahmed Fayez listened carefully to what we initially wanted and then happily changed when our initial ideas changed/we requested different hotels, always responding quickly.All details of the tour were emailed in detail so we knew exactly what we were doing and what was included.Our family of 5 was met at all airports (especially useful at Cairo airport where a visa is required) by young, articlate,friendly Egyptians and transported in clean,air con minibus's .We visited Cairo (3 nights),flew to Abu Simel (for 2 hour visit)then flew to Aswan(1 night),followed by drive to Luxor(3 nights stay)and final night in Cairo for early morning flight.
The English speaking Egyptologists who guided our family were all extremely friendly, knowledgable,and punctual. Special mention is due to Doaa Hussein our guide at Aswan who was (if rather over qualified with a PHD in Egyptolgy!!) fantastic and showed such enthusiasm for her subject.
Both the guides and the Memphis tour reps advised us how to deal with the 'traders'at all the tourist sites and made us feel less hassled .They also dealt with many of the small tips, a requirement of Egyptian life.
We had an unforgettable family holiday in Egypt seeing the most fantastic sights and also meeting such interesting enthusiastic Egyptians. Although it was lovely for us to visit the sites when they are so quiet Egypt needs the tourists to return in greater numbers and I would highly recommend using Memphis Tours Egypt.

Memphis Tours Surpassed Our Expectations

Ann_Matt, 10/9/11

We had such a great experience booking our vacation with Memphis Tours we were crossing our fingers that the actual trip would be at least as great. It was everything we hoped for and dreamed of!! Egypt is an amazing and beautiful country but our enjoyment of it was enhanced by the all of the arrangements and support we received from Memphis Tours. From being met at the Cairo airport after 29 hours of travel, to the overnight hotel there and our trip to Luxor the next morning, to the trip to the Cairo airport to leave, they were with us all the way making things easy and relaxing. The Nile cruise on the Sonesta Moon Goddess was incredible- great food, outstanding staff and gorgeous scenary. The short stay in Cairo that included our hotel- the Mena House Oberoi- was the perfect end to our Egyptian vacation. We had a private guide there and the hotel is like a 5+ star resort in the heart of busy Cairo. And, YES, we had a view of the pyramids from our balcony, definitely worth the extra cost. All through the trip we had options from Memphis Tours to add on other sites to visit. Some we did and some we didn't (we have to save something for next time :) but there was never any pressure either way. If you are considering Egypt we give it a definite recommendation- everyone keeps asking us if we felt safe and the answer is we felt safe every minute of our trip- and you can't do better than Memphis Tours to book your trip. They deliver everything they say and more.

Excellent pre-booking service!

pasartida, 9/5/11

In the search of a Nile cruise and day trips around Egypt on the journey I am planning with my girlfriend in November I came across Memphis tours in trip advisor and then paid a visit to their site.I e-mailed them requiring more information on diverse things such as hot air balloon flight over Luxor and sleeping trains from Cairo to Aswan and I was happy that very quickly I got a response from a representative of Memphis tours called Maged Al GOhary.I soon got all the answers needed and booked a bunch of day trip,excursions and other stuff very easily thanks to Maged who is very helpful,very efficient and very kind and made my efforts for building an ideal holiday package a lot easier.thanks maged and looking forward to write comments after I ll be back from vacation to tell you more

Great experience using Memphis Tours - excellent customer service on the ground!

Kramer, 8/19/11

We had a fantastic time in Egypt! We were very impressed with the high level of service and ability to meet all of our needs that Memphis Tours provided during our trip. Osama, our facilitator in Cairo met us at the Airport, and walked us through customs and claiming our bags. His overview of our itinerary for the entire trip as well as specifically for Cairo was great. Mustafa our guide in Cairo was very knowledgeable and provided excellent commentary of the Pyramids and Sphinx. We were traveling with three generations (Grandparents, Parents and kids) and both Mustafa and Eid did a great job of keeping our kids (ages 10-16) engaged, excited and interested, while also providing a lot of background information about Egyptian and Pharoic history.

Our cruise from Luxor to Aswan was amazing! The Sonesta Moon Princess was a great ship, and we felt like we were cruising "British" style out of an Agatha Christie novel. The sights in Luxor, Edfu, Aswan and Abu Simbel were incredible, and we found this part of the trip to be the best. Eid was an excellent guide, and really became part of our family!

We had a high level of expectation for the trip - but it was blown away! I would highly recommend Memphis Tours to anyone looking to book a trip to see the historic sites of Egypt, either southern or Cairo. Memphis Tours accommodations, food and tours were all 5 star quality at 3 star prices! I would be happy to be a reference and share with others about our trip. It also should be added, that given some of the political dynamics of the "Arab Spring" - we were a little concerned over the safety and how people would view American Tourists. (In fact, one family decided to cancel their trip, given the potential instability.) We were again pleasantly surprised - we felt completely safe and found all of the local people that we met very friendly.

Excellent staff and tour

zeusu, 6/17/11

I went to Cairo and Nile river cruise with my wife and 4young kids(10,7,5&3yrs old).
I did not expect to have great holiday in Egypt as normally kids are staying swimming pool and stuck in resort hotel.This time with this tour was totaly different.All staff are very kind and helpful.The cruise bort was very clean and comfortable.The staff are so friendly and enjoyed every supper.The tour include everything tour gide ,temples,transfer and even carriage transfer!!We never get board.We visit so many temple with the tour guide who has so much knowledge of ancient history.Our kids are learn a lots from him.Even my 7yrs daugher was interested in Egyptian history and listen to him very well.I would like to sayThank you to all staff !We had brilliant hpliday!

Used Memphis Tours Twice - Recommend it to anyone

faarias, 4/12/11

We first used Memphis Tours in January 2008 to arrange ground transportation, tours, and a Nile Cruise (booked hotels and flights on our own). The tours were great and everything was delivered as arranged/expected. The Nile Cruise was awesome (Sonesta St. George). We stayed at the Mena House Oberoi and Conrad in Cairo.
The second time in October 2010 we used Memphis Tours to arrange our hotels/flights/tours whithin Egypt and were once again very pleased with their services. We stayed at the Mena House again as well as the Four Seasons Nile Plaza and took a Sonesta Moon Goddess cruise this time.
Feel free to contact me with any questions.
Visited October 2010

“Another Fabulous Adventure With Memphis Tours!”

kmy, 1/23/11

I have just returned from my second trip to Egypt, and I loved it just as much as the first time! On our initial visit, we chose Memphis Tours based on their numerous positive reviews and competitive prices. This time we chose them based on our exceptional and unforgettable experience with them the first time around.

Ahmed Shalpy, our tour consultant, was on top of everything, from start to finish. He quickly responded to all of our questions, and readily accommodated any changes we wished to make along the way. He was also more than willing to grant our request to have the same group of representatives as last year - at least for the Cairo and Alexandria portion of our trip. During the Nile cruise, we had different drivers and guides, provided through the cruise ship.

Our tour leader was Hamada Roshdi. Our tour guide was Amany Salem. And our driver was Sayed Anwer.

Hamada was wonderful, greeting us at the airport with his huge, cheerful smile and a bouquet of flowers. He even served as mediator when the airline misplaced the luggage of one member of our group. Throughout our entire stay, Hamada was always VERY friendly, accommodating, charming, and eager to please! I love that no matter what the time of day, or how long his day had been, he always had a great big, adorable smile and wonderful sense of humor! He is very personable, professional, and an enormous asset to Memphis Tours.

Amany, our fabulous tour guide, was very knowledgeable and had a lot of information to impart regarding the numerous places we visited. Even as we drove, she described the various buildings we passed, and pointed out sites of interest. She also allowed plenty of time for taking pictures, which was very important to me! And, knowing that we didn't really desire buffet lunches, she offered up various options for our meals (all of which were excellent choices!). She too was very friendly and open, and always had something positive to say.

Sayed, our driver, also greeted us with a great, big, cheerful smile and a bouquet of flowers! And obviously there are many drivers who can maneuver in, out, and through Cairo's crazy maze of traffic, but both this year and last, there were many times when I was absolutely amazed at his ability to expertly manipulate our van through the hectic streets and "parking lots" of Cairo with ease! I also appreciate that he stopped a few times (without me asking!) so that I could take pictures! And, like Hamada, no matter how long our day had been, he was always smiling and cheerful.

We also had security, provided by the tourism police, Ahmed Alsayed Ahmed. He too was very friendly. I do think, however, we caused him concern when we spread out or lagged behind to take pictures, but he was always very patient!

From the moment we inquired about our trip till the time we passed through airport security to go home, Memphis tours was there to support us and to ensure we had a memorable experience. Hamada, Amany, and Sayed were constantly going out of their way to ensure we were happy and comfortable. They readily adjusted our itinerary to fit in SEVERAL last minute sites, including a visit to Alexandria. They stopped many times to get us snacks (sometimes from places they knew and liked, sometimes from places we had read about and were interest in trying). We had a couple of VERY long days, lasting 12 hours and more; they stayed with us, always smiling and always cheerful!

Memphis Tours even surprised us, providing us with hotel rooms in Aswan so that we could rest between our early morning trip to Abu Simbel and our late night return flight to Cairo!

There is talk of a return trip to Egypt in 2012, at which time we will definitely be contacting Memphis Tours! And, of course, we will once again request the same amazing group of representatives! I miss all of you, and hope to see you again next year!

“the best tour company in Egypt!”

HRPETS, 11/5/10

I was recently in Egypt, and was reluctant to do a "package tour", but I read in so many guidebooks that in Egypt, a packaged tour would make the trip much easier. Upon arrival in Cairo, I was greeted by a friendly tour company employee and driver. Everything was prearranged, and my itinerary was discussed. They were willing to let me change my itinerary, when I felt too much was scheduled in one day. The guides were the best. I cannot believe how much they know, and it was explained in perfect english. As a solo traveler, who has traveled to many places in the world, I was so thankful to have hired Memphis Tours. Many people I met on the cruise up the Nile were very dissatisfied with their tourguides, and were jealous of mine. They were not that expensive for my 8 day trip, and I cannot recommend them enough. Ask for Tariq (the guide) in Aswan, as he is a doll, and simply the best!!! Make sure you get an upper cabin on the cruise ship, perhaps towards the front, so you can wake up to the scenery and not another cruiseship right next to you. Ask to get a hotel closer to the airport in Cairo on your return, so you don't have to sit in unbearable traffic the early morning of your departure flight. Besides that, hire Memphis Tours, you will be thankful you did!!!

“Fantastic way to experience Egypt”

nikki_a_s, 9/8/10

My sister and I used Memphis Tours for our trip to Egypt in September. We booked the Best of Egypt tour and the service we received was exceptional. Everything was arranged as outlined in our itinerary and booking from Canada over email was simple and replies were quick.

Our guides were very knowledgable and passionate about Egyptian history, and answered any questions that we had. Having the same guide in Cairo and then from Aswan to Luxor was nice as you were able to get to know them and there was always someone to help you out. Our guide from Aswan to Luxor, Sayed Selim, was excellent and made sure we were always taken care of and had input into the day's plans.

Overall a great experience, I would definitely reccomend this tour company to anyone looking to go to Egypt. A great deal and makes traveling Egypt simple and you're able to enjoy without working about logistics.

“Very professional and on time!”

Behzad , 8/9/10

We recently came back from a 7 day tour of Egypt. My wife and I were very excited and nervous going to Egypt but Memphis really came through for us in making sure that everything went smooth and we got to see everything we wanted to see. They worked with our schedule, made sure we were properly picked up and dropped off from sites to hotel and airport.

Egypt is NOT easy to travel on your own, unless you speak Arabic and know how to get around their roads and transportation. Their infrastructure is still 10 years behind other developing countries and if this is your first time in a developing country, definitely be ready to be shocked. So I highly recommend working with a tour company like Memphis.

We worked with Maged from Memphis to setup our itinerary. For the most part Maged was responsive to our emails and questions. He answered all our questions in a timely and professional fashion.

Hasan, came to pick us up at the Cairo Airport and from the very first second he's very helpful and accommodating. We had our own private car and driver (Ahmad) dedicated through out our trip. Hasan's English was very good and we had no challenge communicating with him. He provided us with a cell phone with his number in case we need anything during the trip.

Mahmud was our tour guide while we visited the Pyramids and Cairo. He's very Knowledgeable and patient in answering all our questions. He takes good photos too.

During the 4 day Nile cruise on the "Sonesta Moon Goddess" (look for my review later), Eid, was our tour guide. He was also very knowledgeable about the sites we were visiting but sometimes his accent made it difficult to understand what he's was saying. The only thing I didn't like about him was that he told us who to tip ("Bakshish") and how much to tip. In Egypt every other person will expect you to tip them, even though they didn't do anything extra for you or even interact with you. We didn't feel comfortable to be put in a position to give tips to people who didn't earn it but Eid insisted that we should tip the third party vendors and their employees too. Many times we were not able to enjoy the sites because we were too busy trying to figure out who to tip and how to tip without offending Eid or anyone else.

The Nile cruise itself was very good but the ship we were on, The Sonesta Moon Goddess, was not a good experience. They are supposed to be a luxury cruise but there was not much luxury about it. The service was very poor for a luxury cruise. The food was below par. We are vegetarians and usually on other cruises there are always decent options to eat but on this ship there's hardly anything to eat other than rice and tomato soup. The manager did make some effort to provide us with decent food but it was after our third day there and it was only after we are ready to eat and then they actually decide to make some veggie soup for us. There were only two times when they actually had something for us to eat that was good and filling. The staff didn't seem too motivated. The only good thing about the ship was our room, which had a balcony and all the other amenities of a hotel room.

We also took a side trip to Abu Simble. The Abu Simble temple is pretty magnificent but the drive there was a little scary. We knew we were going with a convoy but didn't realize that there were only three cars in the convoy and that we'll be accompanied with machine gun carrying police through the desert for three hours without any stops. I am sure the risk of anything crazy occurring was very little but I would've liked to know ahead of time what was going on.
Once we got to Abu Simble, we realized that we were the only two people there since it was very hot and July is not the best time to visit Egypt. The entire town seemed deserted and all we saw was military/police with guns and couple of locals. We got a little anxious thinking, "Is there something we don't know about this place? Armed convoy, deserted town, no tourists and so many guns??" It turns out that there are some areas of Egypt that the government might not have control over and they might have experienced some problems in past where the tourists got in trouble. Everything went okay with us though, we got out of there in an hour back to Aswan. This this the convoy consisted of ONE car!! Just us. So the policeman with the machine gun got into our car and escorted us back to Aswan. Little scary but no incidents to report.

Overall, Memphis is a great company to choose to travel in Egypt.

“Look no further. Memphis Tours is the best!”

Craig94108, 8/7/10

With unmatched hospitality and efficiency rivaling the Swiss, Memphis Tours crafted a spectacular tour of Egypt designed exactly to my specifications. My desire was to visit the wondrous archeological sites of an ancient civilization and spend time conversing with Egyptians rather than with other tourists. In order to achieve this, I chose to travel by air-conditioned minivan and Egypt Air rather than take the more common Nile cruise. Of course, Memphis Tours can provide any type of tour that you desire. I requested 4-5 star accommodations for my family and, whenever we were touring, we had a Memphis representative, a minivan driver and a trained Egyptologist fluent in English. This was an incomparable educational and cultural experience that my family will never forget. I arranged my entire trip online from California with Memphis’ Cairo representative, Ahmed Shalapy. Their most gracious host, Hamada Roshdy, greeted us when we arrived in Cairo, provided us with a complementary mobile phone, and oversaw the details of our entire journey. We were particularly impressed with our Egyptologists, Ahmed Abulhameed in Cairo, Shaimaa Bahieg in Luxor, and Ahmed Alhaddad in Aswan and Abu Simbel. If you want to ride camels in the Giza dunes, be sure to ask for Atef Ragab Tartor, a third-generation camel guide. And the cost for this in-depth private tour? Less than a Nile cruise of the same duration! Having traveled extensively and independently for more than thirty-five years, I can assure you that Memphis Tours is the rare organization that delivers more than it promises.

“Look no further. Memphis Tours is the best!”

Craig94108, 8/7/10

With unmatched hospitality and efficiency rivaling the Swiss, Memphis Tours crafted a spectacular tour of Egypt designed exactly to my specifications. My desire was to visit the wondrous archeological sites of an ancient civilization and spend time conversing with Egyptians rather than with other tourists. In order to achieve this, I chose to travel by air-conditioned minivan and Egypt Air rather than take the more common Nile cruise. Of course, Memphis Tours can provide any type of tour that you desire. I requested 4-5 star accommodations for my family and, whenever we were touring, we had a Memphis representative, a minivan driver and a trained Egyptologist fluent in English. This was an incomparable educational and cultural experience that my family will never forget. I arranged my entire trip online from California with Memphis’ Cairo representative, Ahmed Shalapy. Their most gracious host, Hamada Roshdy, greeted us when we arrived in Cairo, provided us with a complementary mobile phone, and oversaw the details of our entire journey. We were particularly impressed with our Egyptologists, Ahmed Abulhameed in Cairo, Shaimaa Bahieg in Luxor, and Ahmed Alhaddad in Aswan and Abu Simbel. If you want to ride camels in the Giza dunes, be sure to ask for Atef Ragab Tartor, a third-generation camel guide. And the cost for this in-depth private tour? Less than a Nile cruise of the same duration! Having traveled extensively and independently for more than thirty-five years, I can assure you that Memphis Tours is the rare organization that delivers more than it promises.

“Memphis Tours offers a first class journey throughout Egypt, with incredible staff and admirable infrastructure.”

The Loaf , 8/5/10

While I was a bit weary about traveling to Egypt, it ended up being one of my more incredible life experiences and Memphis had much to do with this. Let me say on the outset that $2,200 per person for two folks is a big price for 12 days in the country. I was inclined to spend extra given the more foreign nature of the trip but have largely positive feedback.

First off, I scheduled the tour only about 4-5 weeks out from the actual departure date, which may have had something to do with the big cost of internal flights (we flew from Cairo to Aswan and from Luxor to Sharm and then back to Cairo).

1. Tour Coordinator – Mustafa Ahmed was incredibly helpful designing the trip. He was extremely accessible and helped me design the best possible combination of cities. Since we were doing a custom trip, it was time consuming but Mustafa was patient, understanding and aggressive about seeing to it we were able to be satisfied. He was terrific and I was pleased to meet him in person out there. We were ecstatic that he was also able to get us an upgrade to the Sonesta cruise.

2. Guides – Nasreen (Cairo) and Sayed Salim (Luxor / Nile Cruise) were both our best guides. Nasreen’s world knowledge, patience and insights were incredible. Sayed always had a smile and was really impressive as well. I’d recommend both for your trip.

3. Drivers – Ashrof (Cairo) was the best. No doubt about it – His selection of 90s boy band music could make even the most avid ex-teeny bopper blush. Just a good dude all around – and a very safe driver. His English was also impeccable.

4. Local Coordinators – Osama (Cairo) was the best by far. I came to him with all my problems. My only complaint about the whole trip was about the coordinator in Sharm, who neglected to pick us up, and just dropped us at the airport without observing a delay that in our outbound flight. We got stuck with a driver who could not speak English, and since our luggage was delayed, mostly had to fend for ourselves. Thankfully, Osama was quite helpful in this regard.

5. Sites – Tour was incredible. We felt like we saw everything we wanted to see, from Abu Sembal to Alexandria, the tours were enviable. (In the interest of full disclosure, we canceled Alex at the last minute because 4 hours each way would have been the nail in the coffin. We were exhausted.)

That’s about it! I would definitely recommend Memphis and Egypt to my friends and hope to send some business their way in the future…

“First Trip to Egypt - Fantastic!”

CDRM, 7/25/10

We were visiting Egypt for the first time and wanted to see as much as possible in one week. Our guides, Egyptologists, and driver were fantastic. On the first day we started off with the Pyramids at Dakshur and the Great Pyramids. Our guides were patient as we took lots of lots of pictures and video. We suggest good walking shoes (I wore sneakers the entire time), sunglasses, and a hat for shade. We went in the begining of July and although a lot of people said that it would be too hot, I did not find it any hotter in Egypt than at home. The big advantage is that there weren't great crowds so we could really linger and enjoy. The Light and Sound show that first night was incredible. I wish we could have taken our camera in there because the Great Pyramids were beautiful against the setting sun. It looked like a picture and was completely unreal.
We stayed at the Staybridge Suites which is within walking distance of the Citystars mall (largest mall in Africa and just around the block). The mall stayed open until midnight. We used the ATM machine of the HSBC bank (the egyptian ATM machines did not honor our ATM cards). One mistake that we made was getting travelers checks before arriving - never again! It was hard converting traveler checks to Egyptian currency. From here on we will just carry cash or convert at the airport before arriving in Egypt. Our hotel converted our US Dollars to Egyptian currency with no problem.
We went on the Nile Cruise for dinner at the end of the second day - it was fantastic! The food was the best we had the entire time in Egypt! Again a great picture opportunity at night. Make sure you have a camera that takes good pictures in low light (at night). Cairo was truly beautiful at night. Our guide was great - he even saw us on the cruise ship and seated before he left!
The second day we visited Coptic Egypt full of churches and the Mohamhed Ali Mosque. The Egyptian museum was also a must see.
On the third day we flew to Luxor and visited Karnak temple, the Valley of the Kings and the temple of Queen Hatsheptsut. Again visting in July was great - no crowds! One suggestion is to bring a little hand fan. Some people had little hand held battery operated fans with them. Going into the different tombs especially at the valley of the kings was hot.
By our fifth day in Egypt, my husband and I were ready to explore Egypt by ourselves. We negotiated a price with the taxi driver and went shopping at Khan al-Khalili. This is Cairo's main souq. It was very picturesque, you can find all of your souvenir items here. We were constantly being approached to buy something, but it was all a lot of fun. Just shake your head no and keep walking if not interested. Just about everywhere we went the people were nice and friendly. Every shop you go into will offer you something to drink, its part of their hospitality and everytime you go to the bathroom it will cost you some "baksheesh" (a tip).
We had a great vacation in Cairo and Luxor - one that we will not soon forget. I've already told all of my friends if they are going to Egypt for the first time they have to have a guide. I know we would not have enjoyed our vacation without the wonderful people we had showing us around and taking care of us in Cario and Luxor.

“Family vacation to Egypt - June 2010”

kanutekpor, 7/11/10

My wife and our 3 girls went on a family vacation from June 12 to 25, 2010 to Egypt. We saw and learnt a lot! We rented a car from Europcar and travelled on our own while staying at our RCI resort of Moon Beach Club.
We also booked tours with Memphis Tours in Cairo, as well as a Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan. In Cairo, our tour guide was Mr Tariq and our driver was Mr Sayed. They were both very professional and very nice to our family. they brought us cold water, fruits and some Egyptian music. Good job!
On the Nile cruise, our guide was Mr Sayed Selim. He was excellent! It felt like he became one of our family. When one of our daughters became ill, his concern and empathy was greatly appreciated!
Miss Fatma Sayed was our "travel agent" at Memphis Tours. She and I communicated by email for about 6 months before our trip. Through it all, she was very patient and understanding of our need to change our choices many times over. When we got to Cairo and had a misunderstanding, she backed down quickly and sent her assistant to come and make sure we were not mad! Great customer service!!

“Sayed Selim, our incredible Egyptology guide makes our day”

Photofont, 6/9/10

The two things that makes our vacation trip to Egypt (Luxor to Aswan, Cairo) very enjoyable and incredible are the professional backroom Memphis Tours consultant (Abdo) and our extremely knowledgeable plus humorous Egyptology guide, Sayed Selim because he make us feel safe and he is attentive to our needs.
If we go back to Egypt in the near future, I will use Sayed as my preferred tour guide anytime and I will recommend Sayed ([--]) to anyone going to Egypt, especially Luxor to Aswan.

We booked a 7D/6N private tour, Fly & Nile Cruise from Cairo fly to Luxor to join a Nile cruise, MS Mojito to sail to Aswan. Plus an optional private tour to Abu Simbel that leave Aswan at 4am in the morning and return by noon on the same day.
We arrived end May, which is the beginning of Summer in Egypt, so the temp can goes up to 42degC at noon, night about 25degC. This make Nile Cruise an excellent choice, cooler next to a river. The other plus point is that we can get up close and personal at all the historical locations with our guide, no need to fight the crowd. All the planned tours start early morning, would finished at around noon. In the late afternoon you could visit the museum(s) on shore.

The beauty of a private tour is that we have the undivided attention of a tour guide, as he accompanied us throughout the Nile Cruise and to all the historical sites, till we fly back to Cairo from Aswan. You can appreciate why having a professional knowledgeable Egyptology guide like Sayed Selim with a great sense of humor is very important here.

MS Mojito, is a cosy Nile Cruise ship, staffed by professional. The breakfast, lunch and dinner buffet are reasonably good quality. The drinks (include bottled water) are charged at double the shore price. The room are clean and they have a window that can be opened. This is a plus for us, as we could enjoy the cool breeze in the evening while the cruise is sailing on the Nile.

Points to note are, Memphis Tour staff are very professional and punctual. And if you don't like to be taken on shopping trips in between tours, you must tell your guide from the very beginning you met up with him. Then you will a wonderful exceptional experience like we do in Egypt.

Many thanks to the Memphis Tours team, Abdo (tour consultant, handling booking), Ahmed (tour leader at Luxor), Hamada (tour leader at Cairo), Mohamed (tour guide at Cairo) and Sayed Selim (tour guide from Luxor to Aswan).
Job well done, everyone!

Memphis Tours is an exceptional tour operator

pekII, 4/30/10

We traveled to Egypt in March 2010 with a group of 6 adults and 4 teenagers. Our trip was amazing, and due to the well planned efforts of Memphis tours. From the initial planning with Shaimaa (who was ever so patient with the fine tuning of the trip) to our Luxor/Aswan guide Hosni Ahmed, everything went exactly as planned. The guides really engaged the group, and Hosni managed to even connect with the teenagers, getting them to sing Egyptian songs with him by the end of the trip. We felt very safe the entire trip, and well taken care of. Some of our best memories from the trip are sitting with Hosni smoking a shisha pipe in a local cafe. We have a very different view of Egypt because of the interaction with our guides, than we would have had we only visited the tourist sites without them. Another highlight was our day trip on the felucca Glory of Nubia in Aswan - almost a surreal experience on the Nile. Well worth any effort to add it to your trip.

What an Experience!!”

phro57, 3/12/10

I had a magnificent time in Egypt! All of the tour guides were great and knowledgeable. I'd like to especially acknowledge Mohsen, the tour leader and Ahmed, the tour guide. They definitely took time to handle our interests. They were also accomodating and fun to be around. What a very good group of people! Memphis Tours is a company I will recommend to others in the future.
Thank you
Rose P

Trip to Egypt: Pyramids & Nile by Air

Day 1: Arrival in Cairo

Day 2: Pyramids and GEM

Day 3: Fly to Luxor - East Bank Sightseeing

Day 4: West Bank Sightseeing

Day 5: Edfu and Kom Ombo

Day 6: Aswan Sightseeing

Day 7: Fly to Cairo - Optional Tour to Abu Simbel

Day 8: Cairo - Fly Back Home

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