Nile River Cruises

We did the 9 day Nile Valley Highlights small group tour with Peregrine. Overall the tour was great. Our guide, Hoda, was absolutely brilliant. Everything was organised perfectly and Hoda was extremely efficient and planned everything to a tee. We also had a very good group of people that we travelled with. Seeing the ancient sights of Egypt was amazing. It certainly isn't a "luxury" tour (I don't really think Egypt does luxury very well) but had some unique experiences (especially the overnight ...read more train ride to Luxor!!). For the price the overall experience was amazing and would highly recommend this tour for anyone wanting to see the main sights of Egypt.

Very well organised tour. Extremely knowledgeable guides that enjoyed sharing their expert wealth of experience with us. Every detail was taken care of which made the trip extremely enjoyable. The small group ensured the group dynamics were good which led to lots of banter and laughter during the trip and some enduring friendships.

It was an amazing trip with a great leader, and fully lived up to expectations. It was expensive, but we knew that in advance and it was worth it. I would disagree with a couple of points that others might criticise: 1. The number of early starts: Mohammed was very clear on these from the start, and fully explained the reason for them (to beat the crowds and the heat of the day). They were worth it. 2. The number of excursions not included. I do think that Abu Simbel should be added to the itinerary, ...read more as everyone seems to want to do it and there's otherwise nothing included in Aswan. However in terms of the overall number of options not included the itinerary was very clear, as were the optional excursion costs, so everyone should have gone on the tour realising this. Three things we would pick up on 1. Veggie food: on the train the veggie option was 'leave the meat' (which was in a separate pack, but this isn't the point: it meant not getting the protein and having less to eat); whilst the cruise food was great but the one area it lacked was veggie options. I am veggie and went pescatarian (ate fish) for the cruise. If I hadn't it would have limited me. 2. Access: my travelling companion sometimes uses a stick (if it's rough ground / long walking) and sections of the trip were a challenge: without me to assist she'd have really struggled. The trip notes only really cover the need to carry your own bag, which she can easily do as she has a wheeled case and short-medium distances are no issue.I would like Explore to add 'access notes' to trips and excursions which summarise points like the evenness of ground, whether there tend to be handrails, whether there are lots of steep curbs/steps, the sort of distances to be walked etc. Access to boats should also be covered (as there's a big difference between walking a railed gangplank, and stepping across/down a biggish gap or a plank without a rail). This would be very helpful to people planning a trip who are mobile but with some access challenges. 3: Paying for excursions. It should have been made 100% clear before the trip that excursions had to be paid for in cash, not with cards. This made for a lot of ATM visits (and associated charges). We could have brought more foreign currency had this been clearer. (Review provided by Explore Worldwide.)

I booked my Bunnik tour (Egypt in Depth) through Global Journeys. The process was clear, simple and reassuringly efficient. I had always wanted to visit Egypt and the trip was everything that I could hope for. I visited in March - April and the weather was warm and sunny each day but cool in the early mornings and evenings. The tour guide made the trip; he was so knowledgeable and organised. The itinerary covered all the highlights of Egypt, accommodation was wonderful, including the Nile River ...read more cruise. If you have ever thought of going to Egypt, my advice would be: just do it! Go now, it is wonderful and you will be so glad you did.