Nile Cruise Holiday in Egypt

Our Clients’ Reviews

Here at Exodus we thrive on feedback from our customers. It's the only way we can ensure our trips continue to be the best they can be. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of the trip you're interested in, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers. Any feedback collected (Good or bad) from Exodus clients is posted straight onto our website - totally unedited. Read more...

Average Review Rating: from 62 reviews.

Darshan Jagani

NILE CRUISE HOLIDAY

Written February 2009
I loved this holiday , it was full of history but with some time to relax aswell.Our tour leader George was fantastic and supremely well organised
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Seeing karnak temple , it was vast and really impressive, very beautiful.
What did you think of your group leader?
Very well organised and confident, he gave us lots of advice and support about life in Eygypt and helped us not to be ripped off in the markets!
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Carry hand gel to clean hands
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Gets cold in the evenings
Rita Lanzarotti

NILE CRUISE

Written December 2008
A great group of people. As a single female traveller, I didn't feel left out at all; everybody bonded immediately and we got on well. Holiday was fun, but very tiring (I think describing the trip as leasurely is not quite accurate) Hated the sleeper train, not many people got much sleep.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
The cruise on the Nile and Aswan - lovely place. Would have liked to have spent an extra day there instead of rushing back to Cairo for two days... I felt that we did not get much of a chance of soaking up the atmosphere there.
What did you think of your group leader?
This was his first Exodus group and I think he would have benefitted from being told that Exodus travellers are not your run-of-the mill package holidaymakers and we don't have to be shielded from reality. He carted us around like a coachload of japanese tourists and I think more advantage should have been taken of the fact that we were a relatively small group (16) and we would have enjoyed a bit more contact with the community... He stuck rigidly to his schedule which included (much to our dismay and sometimes against our wishes) visits to so called "museums" (alabaster, papyrus & perfume) which were really just an excuse to try and sell us stuff. Most annoyingly, we had to rush our visits to major sights to accommodate these "museums" i.e. ten minutes in front of the Sphinx to rush off to spend 50 mins at the papyrus joint... not amused and very un-Exodus in my view.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Bring lots of pens for the children (and adults!) a bought a pack at my local pound shop and they went like hot cakes!
If you are travelling solo and you are female be aware that on the cruise boat (Shahrazade) there is a horny staff member... he was trying it on with all the single females and was quite uncomfortable. I don't know his name but you will know who I mean if he starts telling you that "his heart is empty" .... avoid like the plague. Having said that, the rest of the crew were wonderful.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
All in all it was a good holiday. We saw all of the major sights and had some time to relax on the cruise boat along the Nile (when not running away from horny staff members!), Extremely well organised and the hotels we stayed at were very comfortable. My only gripe would be that we could have had more contact with the local community instead of always being taken for meals to tourist-only restaurants... One afternoon four of us escaped from the guide and hired a taxi who took us around the outskirts of Luxor and showed us some village life... this was excellent and I feel that something similar could have been incorporated into the trip to balance out the ancient Eygpt focus. I also think that an Exodus traveller would be very interested in this type of encounter. Having said all this, I would go on another Exodus trip and certainly recommend them to a friend, in fact, I think my friends are thoroughly fed with me going on about my holiday!!!
Abigail Seltzer

NILE CRUISE

Written December 2008
Okay, so we never went off the beaten track, but this trip gave us exactly what we were looking for - an overview of Egypt north to south in congenial company.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Where to begin? Contrary to others' complaints, standing on an almost deserted deck at 2am as the boat went through Esna lock was a high point - calm and other-worldly as locals fished or just watched the spectacle. The antics of the local sales(sails?)men who threw their wares on deck from motor boats down below as we whiled away the evening waiting to go through the lock. Sunrise over the desert as we drove in convoy to Abu Simbel. Abu Simbel itself. Aswan at sunset. The Nile at sunset. The Nubian market after dark. The smelly, stuffy interior of the Step pyramid. The realisation that hieroglyphs are EVERYWHERE. Breaking ranks as a group to dip our toes in the Med at Alexandria. The library at Alexandria. The schoolkids who kept trying out their English. Oh yes, and the pyramids, the Sphinx, Luxor the Valley of the Kings and the Egyptian museum. By the end, even the Cairo traffic became a source of awe!
What did you think of your group leader?
Enthusiastic, charming, young, and possibly a bit fazed at having in his charge a group which included some very independent minded people! His organisational skills were generally excellent, and we could tell he was working really hard to make everything run smoothly. He was very protective of us, which may or may not have been warranted, and in the end we felt the same about him! I suspect he wasn't used to working with such a small and relatively adventurous group, but his warmth and openness made up for a lot. He knew his stuff and overwhelmed us with information about the ancient monuments, but was at his most absorbing when he was persuaded to go 'off script' to talk about life in everyday modern Egypt.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Although we were relatively sheltered by our group leader, do bear in mind that a) it is a relatively conservative Muslim country, and while we saw tourists in vest tops and shorts, we felt more comfortable more covered up (though head scarves not necessary except as protection from sun) and b) many people rely on baksheesh to live - so don't grudge eg the toilet attendant an Egyptian pound or two for the paper that you don't really need because you've brought your own. No matter how hard you try, you will be singled out as a tourist and targeted as such - not as aggressively as in some countries, but targeted none the less, so unless you're an Arabic speaking old Egypt hand, just grin and bear it. Drinks on board boat are not included - we occasionally 'smuggled' some cheaper water on board, but prices generally are not outrageous. The most we paid was the equivalent of UK £4 for a beer on the terrace of the prestigious Winter Palace Hotel, but it was worth it for the experience and the view. Be aware of the optional extras which seemed to increase as the trip went on...well worth it in our opinion, but added to cost quite a bit.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
If you are looking for a high intensity short introduction to Egypt, this is a good trip to choose. The schedule didn't always feel leisurely, but that was because we packed so much into a short space of time, although nothing was really truly physically challenging. Just enough of a sense of adventure (eg the sleeper, the convoy) to make it feel more than your usual package tour, although in fact we never slummed it for a moment. We were nearly always surrounded by other tourists, but managed to retain our sense of superiority!
Alyson Wilson

NILE CRUISE

Written April 2008
Fantastic trip seeing the ancient wonders of Egypt and making new friends at the same time.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Abu Simbel is just stunning and the Egyptian Museum in cairo was fantastic I could have spent hours more at both of these places.
What did you think of your group leader?
Our trip leader George was great, very knowledgable on the history, passionate about his country which showed through in his descriptions.
Susan Royle

NILE CRUISE

Written April 2008
Both my daughter and I really enjoyed this trip, we met some lovely people, it was well organised and our guide was wonderful.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
My favourite part of the trip was the first day we spent in Aswan (my daughter was ill the second). In the morning we went to Abu Simbel, which was fascinating. I hadn't realised how well decorated the inside of the temple was. Although it was more expensive than the other optional excursions and required an early start, it was definitely worth it, and if anything, moving the temple to its new spectacular lakeside setting has only enhanced it.
In the afternoon we went on a cruise along the Nile in a felucca which was very peaceful and tranquil, and was a good induction into the laid back atmosphere of Aswan.
What did you think of your group leader?
Our group leader was wonderful. He was very helpful, knowledgeable, sociable and organised.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
When we went towards the end of March it was very hot, 43 degrees Celsius in Luxor, so be prepared. Take Immodium and rehydration fluids as a number of our party were ill towards the end of the trip. Take small English change to give as baksheesh, as it's rare that you will get small Egyptian change, and they are more than willing to take English money.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I had been waiting to go to Egypt for 20 years, and I wasn't disappointed. The trip was very well organised, although I think spending two days in Cairo either at the beginning or the end of the holiday, and flying into or out of Luxor, instead of splitting it would be better. We really enjoyed ourselves, everyone else on the trip was lovely and we got on very well as a group. The hotels were of a very high standard and we were given plenty of time to relax on the cruise down the Nile.
Francis Geoffrey Coupe
NILE CRUISE

Written April 2008
A brilliant introduction to Egypt, both ancient and modern. My wife and I tried all the optional extra visits and really enjoyed the whole experience. We have already recommended this holiday and Exodus to our friends.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Being able to enter the Great Pyramid at Giza and the Red Pyramid near Sakkara. Seeing the temples at Abu Simbel.
The Coptic Cathedral in Aswan.
Having several trips in feluccas on the Nile.
Cruising for 2 days and 3 nights on the Nile.
Taking the sleeper train (but check for fleas!)
What did you think of your group leader?
The group leader (Ahmed Moussa) is extremely knowledgeable - he would walk up to a wall full of heiroglyphs and read out what it said: impressive! He is also very likeable and easy to get on with. He likes a positive response to all the information he conveys.
He is very good at making the arrangements, whilst still being flexible and adapting the detail of the schedule to suit people's wants. He is also very good at sorting out any problems with street traders, taxi cab drivers and horse carriage drivers; he stood no nonesense.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Take your opportunites and visit all the sights.
Always make certian you have bottled water.
Buy your visa when you land in Cairo (£15GB)
Expect a couple to spend £500GB - more if you visit Abu Simbel.
Visit Abu Simbel by air - much quicker and safer.
Be prepared to barter - and don't forget to walk away if you still think its too expensive. Conversel, they do have to make a living so always driving them to a minimum to enhance you ego is not nice or necessary.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
This was the third big trip in our lives (after crossing US by train and visiting Hong Kong for 2 weeks).
We'll do another trip when we can afford it!

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