Security on 2 day Private Eqypt Tours

We are on the Princess and will be in both Port Said and Alexandria. After reading many posts, we would really like to do a two day private tour, staying the night in Cairo.

First question is in regard to night activities. Egypt Private Excursions has given us optional activities to purchase of either light & sound show OR a Nile dinner cruise. If we were to choose either of these, does anyone know what security would be there? Anyone recently done a private tour and participated in one of the night activities?

The other questions probably has no answer. I am just thinking of what would happen if unrest should develop during the night in Cairo. I suppose we would be on our own at the hotel. Perhaps two separate day private tours would be the most secure?

Two private one day tours might be more secure, but you would waste a lot of time driving

Just back a few weeks from the Star Princess Egypt/Aegean cruise. We also went on a 2 day private tour for 2 using EgyptPrivateExcursions. Our guide was with us the entire time. He left us in the hands of the hotel personnel at the Oberoi Mena House. They met us at the door, we went through security -checked bags through just like when entering the ship, checked us in and walked us to the room. This hotel at Giza (looking directly at the pyramids) has several security personnel there.

We could hear the Sound & Light Show when we opened our window, but we chose not to go.

If you are concerned, I choose this hotel, since it is about 15 miles from Cairo centre where the protests take place.

Ask H.David about security/guide going to the show with you. They seem able to accommodate almost anything.

Also, we did not travel in a convoy/caravan with the busses and did not have an armed guard with us. Some Princess busses did not have an armed guard on their bus either, while others did.

We felt safe. One incident was starting to gather a crowd at the waterfront in Alexandria but our driver got us out of there quickly.

The photos are of our room at Mena House with a view of the pyramids of Giza.

Thank you, dog for that reply. I feel better after reading your post and after giving it some thought, do not feel that we would need to go out at night once we got settled at the hotel. What did you do for the evening meal?

Thank you, dog for that reply. I feel better after reading your post and after giving it some thought, do not feel that we would need to go out at night once we got settled at the hotel. What did you do for the evening meal?

We went to our room, washed up, rested & ate dinner at the restaurant. Didn't need reservation. Food was well prepared but still follow precautions everywhere you eat. Walked around property, visit giftshops, sit inlounges & enjoy atmoshere. From 3 rd floor pyramid view see pyramids but not show at sphinx. It is on utube. We were tired at that point. There is a pool open til sunset.

Thank you, dog for that reply. I feel better after reading your post and after giving it some thought, do not feel that we would need to go out at night once we got settled at the hotel. What did you do for the evening meal?

Hello DesertSailors, I want to help to put your mind at ease so you don't have to worry at all about your two-day excursion in Egypt.

I just got back yesterday from a Mediterranean cruise + a six-day overland tour of Cairo and Luxor, booked through Memphis Tours.

Our tour leaders, tour guides and drivers took exceptionally good care of us and I can honestly say that I did not feel uneasy for even a second during the whole trip. My advice to you is that you should definitely book through one of the recommended tour companies that you'll read about on this site and they will take care of every detail. They know their country, they know how to keep you safe and they are so happy to show their country off to you, as well.

Like Dog (above post), we also stayed at the Mena House Oberoi in Cairo, for 2 nights and then stayed at the Movenpick Pyramids for one night on our return to Cairo. Both are completely secure hotels, within gated compounds.

The Mena House is exceptionally stunning. I have been to many fine hotels in the world and the Mena House now occupies first place among them for sheer beauty, exotic character and truly exceptional service. It far surpassed my expectations, most especially because we practically had it all to ourselves. We saw only a handful of other guests the whole time we were there.

If you book with a tour company and want to take in the Sound and Light Show or a Nile Dinner Cruise, they will transport you to your activity, wait for it to end and they will be there to escort you back to your hotel. So, you needn't worry about your security. The tour companies will tell you to never go anywhere without them and it's good advice.

But, if you only have one night in Cairo, I would suggest you consider staying at the Mena House, having dinner at the Moghul Room to sample their exceptionally fine Indian cuisine, and then afterward enjoy being serenaded by a 3-piece orchestra afterward in the gorgeous bar that looks out to the Pyramid of Khufu that is bathed in the light from the Sound and Light Show. I guarantee you'll thank me for the suggestion. For me, the Mena House had so much more to offer than either of those two activities. That being said, we did take in the Sound and Light Show in Luxor and it proved to be an eerie and thoroughly memorable experience.

There are many reasons to go to Egypt right now, apart from the most obvious one: to visit the sites. Visiting Egypt right now must be what it was like to visit Germany after the Wall came down. The people are brimming over with optimism for the future and greet new visitors with abundant enthusiasm, knowing they defy those who say it's too dangerous. Another reason is that, sadly, there are so few tourists at the sites. Right now, while visiting those incredible sites, tourists can frequently find themselves alone with their tour guides at the same place where several short months ago there may have been thousands in a crowd. In the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, my wife and I stood alone for twenty minutes at the golden mask of Tutankhamun ... something that has practically been impossible to do since it first went on display over eighty years ago. We visited Ramses IV tomb in the Valley of the Kings ... and were alone for several minutes. When we visited the Red Pyramid, Egypt's 3rd largest, we were alone in the desert there, accompanied only by our guide and a guard on his camel. I went inside and stayed in its burial chamber for 30 minutes ... completely ALONE in a Pyramid's burial chamber for 30 MINUTES! It will be a memory that will last a lifetime.

It is sad that many, even on this site, are warning that it is too dangerous to visit Egypt at this time. If that were true, then on the same basis, it can be said that is too dangerous to visit Israel; to visit Greece; to visit Washington DC. I wouldn't go out unaccompanied in those places at night, either. If you take care and book with a well recommended company, there is little chance of any hiccups. No one can predict when and where trouble will popup, but IMHO the idea that something might popup shouldn't deter you from traveling. On our cruise, for instance, we visited Athens ... the next week, there were violent demonstrations in the very square we walked in. Personally, I wouldn't think twice about going there again this week.

Best of luck with your travels, hope all of this helps.

We stayed at the Mena House last November, ate in the Indian restaurant, and saw the Sound & Light show with the travel agency in their lobby.

HAVCAMWILTRAVEL,

Thanks so much for your informative & upbeat report of Egypt. Now I'm practically "drooling" to get there in November! Wanna go back??? :-)

Awesome! Thank you for such a thoughtful reply. We're ready to see the sights!

Hello DesertSailors, I want to help to put your mind at ease so you don't have to worry at all about your two-day excursion in Egypt.

 

I just got back yesterday from a Mediterranean cruise + a six-day overland tour of Cairo and Luxor, booked through Memphis Tours.

 

Our tour leaders, tour guides and drivers took exceptionally good care of us and I can honestly say that I did not feel uneasy for even a second during the whole trip. My advice to you is that you should definitely book through one of the recommended tour companies that you'll read about on this site and they will take care of every detail. They know their country, they know how to keep you safe and they are so happy to show their country off to you, as well.

 

Like Dog (above post), we also stayed at the Mena House Oberoi in Cairo, for 2 nights and then stayed at the Movenpick Pyramids for one night on our return to Cairo. Both are completely secure hotels, within gated compounds.

 

The Mena House is exceptionally stunning. I have been to many fine hotels in the world and the Mena House now occupies first place among them for sheer beauty, exotic character and truly exceptional service. It far surpassed my expectations, most especially because we practically had it all to ourselves. We saw only a handful of other guests the whole time we were there.

 

If you book with a tour company and want to take in the Sound and Light Show or a Nile Dinner Cruise, they will transport you to your activity, wait for it to end and they will be there to escort you back to your hotel. So, you needn't worry about your security. The tour companies will tell you to never go anywhere without them and it's good advice.

 

But, if you only have one night in Cairo, I would suggest you consider staying at the Mena House, having dinner at the Moghul Room to sample their exceptionally fine Indian cuisine, and then afterward enjoy being serenaded by a 3-piece orchestra afterward in the gorgeous bar that looks out to the Pyramid of Khufu that is bathed in the light from the Sound and Light Show. I guarantee you'll thank me for the suggestion. For me, the Mena House had so much more to offer than either of those two activities. That being said, we did take in the Sound and Light Show in Luxor and it proved to be an eerie and thoroughly memorable experience.

 

There are many reasons to go to Egypt right now, apart from the most obvious one: to visit the sites. Visiting Egypt right now must be what it was like to visit Germany after the Wall came down. The people are brimming over with optimism for the future and greet new visitors with abundant enthusiasm, knowing they defy those who say it's too dangerous. Another reason is that, sadly, there are so few tourists at the sites. Right now, while visiting those incredible sites, tourists can frequently find themselves alone with their tour guides at the same place where several short months ago there may have been thousands in a crowd. In the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, my wife and I stood alone for twenty minutes at the golden mask of Tutankhamun ... something that has practically been impossible to do since it first went on display over eighty years ago. We visited Ramses IV tomb in the Valley of the Kings ... and were alone for several minutes. When we visited the Red Pyramid, Egypt's 3rd largest, we were alone in the desert there, accompanied only by our guide and a guard on his camel. I went inside and stayed in its burial chamber for 30 minutes ... completely ALONE in a Pyramid's burial chamber for 30 MINUTES! It will be a memory that will last a lifetime.

 

It is sad that many, even on this site, are warning that it is too dangerous to visit Egypt at this time. If that were true, then on the same basis, it can be said that is too dangerous to visit Israel; to visit Greece; to visit Washington DC. I wouldn't go out unaccompanied in those places at night, either. If you take care and book with a well recommended company, there is little chance of any hiccups. No one can predict when and where trouble will popup, but IMHO the idea that something might popup shouldn't deter you from traveling. On our cruise, for instance, we visited Athens ... the next week, there were violent demonstrations in the very square we walked in. Personally, I wouldn't think twice about going there again this week.

 

Best of luck with your travels, hope all of this helps.

Thanks for your excellent review.

It's nice to have a positive factual report rather than the imagined horrors reported by others.

;):D

Thaks so much for that. After some indecision, we have just made the final payment for a HAL cruise which goes to Egypt. It is great to have positive feedback, and we have already booked an overnight private tour.

I have to say, and no offense intended to any of you kind people, but the place I felt most uncomfortable in all my travels was Washington DC at night. We accidentally picked a good hotel in a bad area, in the days before the internet.

I am most looking forward to fewer crowds in Egypt. I hate crowds and for that reason haven't been tooo keen to go there. But my husband has entirely different tastes so we compromised with the cruise.

I'm concerned about security too but it's for the drive to and from Cairo. Did anyone has a security guide with them during the drive? Thank you.

We just booked last night for January and have the first two nights at the Mena and appreciate all the good advice..we will stay in Hotel, have a lovely dinner and watch from there! Thanks, Sherry

I'm concerned about security too but it's for the drive to and from Cairo. Did anyone has a security guide with them during the drive? Thank you.

We went on private excursion for two with own guide & driver. Felt no need for secrity on drive tocairo. It was busy highway all the way.

Princess bus / some had an armed guard while others didnot.

Havcamwiltravel told it like it is. We returned last week from our cruise that included Port Said and Alexandria. Our private tour was great, as was the one we did last October. We didn't have an armed guard and never felt like we needed one anywhere our guides took us.

Thank you, dog & Grannycb! It's good to know that it is a busy highway all the way. Somehow in my mind was a desert road with open space and no one in sight. Thanks for putting my mind at ease. :)

Havcamwiltravel told it like it is. We returned last week from our cruise that included Port Said and Alexandria. Our private tour was great, as was the one we did last October. We didn't have an armed guard and never felt like we needed one anywhere our guides took us.

I forgot to mention the tour company we booked through: it was Memphis Tours, a company that has been in business since 1955, with offices in the US for the convenience of North American travelers.

Our Tour Leader, Abd El Fatah Mohamed, our tour guide, Sahl and our driver Sayed Anwar were exceptional people. We had a blast with Sayed, he kept us in stitches and got us everywhere in safety and comfort. Sahl was a terrific tour guide and Abd El kept us organized with thorough professionalism and calm.

I highly recommend Memphis Tours. They do ship excursions, Nile cruises and overland tours.

Thanks, havcamwiltravel, will keep it in mind when we are ready to book.