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From The Times

October 27, 2007

Egypt in one trip

Vincent Pearson wanted to know how best to tick all the boxes on his Egyptian tour wish list

The Pyramids at Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo

Julia Brookes

My wife and I, both now retired, are thinking of a trip to see as much of Egypt as we can cram into a two or three-week visit. We would like to take in Cairo (the museum and Gaza), Luxor (Karnak and the Valley of the Kings and Queens, plus a balloon trip), a boat trip up the Nile to Aswan and a visit to Abu Simbel. All the UK tour operators seem to have set itineraries that cover two of our three preferred options and I was wondering if it would be possible or even advisable to book the flights and a hotel in Cairo or Luxor for a week and then to use local tour operators to fill in the blanks. What do you think? – Vincent Pearson, via e-mail

Times travel expert, Julia Brookes, responds: It would be possible to do it yourself, using good local operators such as Jolley’s and it would probably be cheaper but, given that it’s a fairly long and complicated trip, that Cairo and Luxor are competing for the title of hassle capital of the world, and that you don’t have any contacts there, you need to ask whether you’d enjoy endless hardcore haggling.

If not, opt for a tailor-made trip from one of the Egypt specialists – you can do everything on your list and have someone else deal with annoyances such as confirming domestic flights. Bales (0845 057 1810, www.bales.co.uk) suggests a 17-day trip with hotel stays in Cairo and Luxor, cruises on the Nile and Lake Nasser and a hot air balloon ride for £2,524pp. Abercrombie & Kent (0845 618 2213, www.abercrombiekent.co.uk) has an 11-night itinerary from £2,244pp, starting with three nights at the Four Seasons hotel in Cairo and guided tours of Giza, the Egyptian Museum and the bazaar, then cruises from Luxor and Aswan. A balloon ride would be extra. A&K can also arrange a private opening of the tomb of Siti I in Luxor – now closed to the public – but this would cost a whopping £1,020.

Egypt is an easy country to see for cheap. Firstly its best not booking an trips until you get there. I was in Egypt, the summer which just past and absolutly loved it. My way of travelling through Egypt was based on the cheapest possible way as i had just travelled through russia, mongolia and china before that and i did not have too much money left.

Its always hard to know who to trust in Egypt, this is why the best way of doing things there is by booking something directly from the company yourself, and not having a middle person do it for you. So if you want to buy a coach ticket, go to the station and buy on from there, as booking it through someone else could cost you double the amount. Flying is probably one of the cheapest methods of travel in Egypt, however hard that may be to believe. The trains are nearly always fully booked between Luxor and Cairo, so its worth booking as soon as you get there if you are espically keen to travel on Egytian trains.

Hope this helps :)

Mirko Nicholson, altrincham, cheshire

My son has invited me to join him and his girlfriend on holiday in Egypt, mid-February. I have always wanted to go on a Nile cruise but my budget is about Â£700 tops and theirs will be even less. Plus, I am traveling from the UK, while they are taking the scenic route back from Japan; I think the last lap is from India.
He suggests I book a package, flight and accommodation, then they will try to book rooms in the same hotel, and once we are there, organize excursions.
Never the worldâ€™s best for keeping in touch, from the middle of this month onwards, he is more or less out of radio contact, so any swift suggestions would be much appreciated.

Many thanks.

Carole Baldock, West Kirby, Wirral