I can’t recommend them enough. I got into Cairo on a 12-hour layover at 2:00 AM. By 3:15 Hani and his driver were meeting me at the airport. For the next five hours we strolled through lovely downtown Cairo & over the Nile, wandered through (friendly, well-organized) Tahrir Square, toured the Bazaar at dawn to marvel at the graceful architecture, and had a typical breakfast at a sidewalk tea shop. By 8:00am we were at Saqqara for its opening, and so wandered through temples and pyramids with perhaps a half dozen other tourists–AND got to see fields and town life in Egypt. Back into Cairo by 9:30 for the obligatory “Big Stop” at all the pyramids at Giza, and the Sphinx. Hani knew all the right places to stop. When I mentioned on the trip back I’d like a souvenir he even ran us into a very fine papayrus shop and negotiated a price for me that was less than half the asking price. And still I was back to the airport by noon!
I will happily return to fascinating Cairo for a longer stay, but I feel I got a thorough taste of it in this well-run 9 hours. I learned a lot from my knowledeable guide, but two things impressed me the most about this company: (1) I never felt rushed–stopping, strolling, drinking tea were all part of the trip because Hani (I’m sure) kept a vigilant eye on the time and continually adjusted as needed all the while maintaining a sense that nothing was rushed–and also because he and the driver had a seamless system of drop-off/pick-up that allowed plenty of time to walk and a ride the minute it was needed. And (2) I always felt safe. Indeed, Hani had emailed to reassure me that yes, pre-dawn walks through Cairo as a middle-aged woman solo traveler were perfectly fine (and he was right!) In short, we saw a lot, in a vibrant and changing city, beginning before it was light, in a short period of time, and yet the overall feeling of it all was a casual stroll with a friend.
The price is wonderful for such a thorough–and thoroughly well-run and enjoyable–tour. If you’re considering (as I was) just staying in the airport and waiting for your plane, please do yourself–and Egypt–a favor and get out and see it.
