nile blue tours not blue nile tours-eygpt

[gerena]

After doing much research for our 40 day HAL cruise to Africa and the Med, I chose Nile Blue for my husband and I. I went back and forth trying to decide on the ship's tours vs independent. But people on these boards assured me independent would be fine. I e-mailed several and felt Nile Blue was going to be fine. I had shared with Hazem that we were not shoppers and wanted to see the sites.

We arrived in Safaga on May 19 of this year. Ghada, wife of the manager, met us at the ship and took us to meet our driver. When the ships tours left, we followed in the convoy to Luxor. The 3 hours trip to Luxor was in itself as enjoyable for me as all the ruins in Luxor. We really were in a 3rd world country at that point! There was no stopping as we were in convoy, but the presence of guards everywhere secured our safety. There was only 1 mention of cartouche shopping as Ghada had a brochure, but I simply declined and no more mention of it was made. Ghada is not a licensed tour guide, but did answer questions as we went along. Our driver was very professional, too.

 

In Luxor, the convoy ended and the tour buses went one way and we went the other, so basically we had the West Bank Valley of the Kings to ourselves. We picked up our licensed guide at the Valley of the Kings (3 tombs.) and she was with us the entire day. We had lunch at the Egyptian Museum and visited the Luxor and Karnak Temples. She kept us on schedule as we had to be sure to be in line with the convoy to return to Safaga. We lined up with all the buses from our ship and headed back. I talked with Hazem on the way back which was nice. We returned in time for a late dinner as they had kept the buffet open for all.

 

Two days later, we docked in Alexandria. We met our guide and driver at the dock. We left immediately as the road to Cairo did not require a caravan. This road was a 4 lane road in the desert with a few businesses. Not at all like our trip to Luxor. As someone has already posted, traffic is so jammed, they can't get to far too fast!!! We did see one accident, but didn't delay us too terribly much. Fortunately we were ahead of the tour buses and got to the Pyramids early. We had expected excruciating heat, but got there by 10am. There were few people there, so it was nice. We visited the Solar Boat Museum, Sphinx, and Egyptian Museum (just the surface). Our guide knew where to go, and we had about an hour on our own before heading back to the ship. We returned 1 1/2 hours before the ship left, so felt good about that. At lunch, we met Ghada again. She was with another group.

 

At no time did I feel unsafe. Frequently on our return the 2nd tour, Hazem would call to make sure our van was on schedule. This was for about 1/2 the cost of the ship tour.

 

A problem with many guides---ship and independent is that that talk so quickly (and so do I), but with their accent, it was difficult at times to understand them. We also took some ship's tours, and had the same problem. But at least when on independent tours, you can ask them to repeat when the misunderstanding arises.

 

We also took independent tours in Cape Town, Oman, Tunisia, Malta, Seychelles, Mauritius, Lisbon (own thing) Other ports---Reunion, Richard's Bay, SA, Durban, SA, Kenya (3 day safari), Malaga, Spain, Cadiz, Spain, we took the ship's tours. In Spain, it was actually less expensive to go to Seville and the Alhambra with the ship's tours than indpendent.

 

Safe and fun travels.

Rena

[jms2362]

What is the email and web site for Nile Blue? Do yu mind teling approx. what it will cost?

[gerena]

What is the email and web site for Nile Blue? Do yu mind teling approx. what it will cost?

 

This is the excerpt from my printed itinerary. Format may not be the greatest!

SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2008 SAFAGA (LUXOR), EGYPT 7am-11 pm

 

• Arrive to Safaga port . Meet Nile Blue Tours Representative holding signboard with your name and Nile blue tours name at Safaga port., then transfer to Luxor , arrive at 10 :30 am

West Bank Valley of the Kings, (3 Tombs), Colossi of Memnon, Temple of Queen Hatshipsuit.

East Bank Luxor and Karnak Temples - Lunch. Drive back to Safaga, arrive and transfer to your cruise ship in Safaga port

The package Includes:

A qualified tour guide. Starts from the meeting point

All transfers as mentioned in the program

1 day Tour in Cairo with private guide

Lunch on open buffet style

Soft drink & mineral water during the tour

All entrance fee tickets for tourist sights.

Meet & assist at the port upon arrival.

The rate Excludes:

The tips for the guide/the drivers /etc.

The personal expenses.

Any other item not mentioned in the program

 

 

Contact: Hazem manager@nilebluetours.com

Cell: (011) 002 012 287 1367 – (011) 002 012 407 7007

Tel: (011) 002 066 364 6955

Fax: (011) 002 066365 4755

Web site: ***********************

 

 

 

TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2008 ALEXANDRIA (CAIRO), EGYPT 6am-10pm

 

• Morning Meet Nile blue Tours Representative holding signboard with your name and Nile blue tours name at Alexandria port.

Escort to Cairo by the A/C Van to Cairo joining the Security Convoy to Cairo Driving, about 2 ½ hra

Arrival Cairo around 10:30Am

Start the trip to visit the Egyptian Museum, Lunch at Local Restaurant in Giza Site Close to the pyramids site, Proceed to the Giza site and visit the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx escort back to Alexandria port.

 

The package Includes:

A qualified tour guide. Starts from the meeting point

All transfers as mentioned in the program

1 day Tour in Cairo with private guide

Lunch on open buffet style

Soft drink & mineral water during the tour

All entrance fee tickets for tourist sights.

Meet & assist at the port upon arrival.

The rate Excludes:.

The tips for the guide/the drivers /etc.

The personal expenses.

Any other item not mentioned in the program

 

Contact: Hazem: manager@nilebluetours.com

Cell: (011) 002 012 287 1367 – (011) 002 012 407 7007

Tel: (011) 002 066 364 6955

Fax: (011) 002 066365 4755

Web site: ***********************

 

THE TOTAL COST FOR ALL THE ABOVE WAS: $325 US for 2 people. This did not include The Solar Boat Museum ($8 pp), The Mummy Room at the Egyptian Museum ($17 US pp), Kufu Pyramid ($17 pp) Kefern Pyramid ($6 pp.)

We did the Mummy Room and The Solar Boat Museum. We did not do the pyramids for various reasons!

 

If you have other questions, I'll send my e-mail address.

[Chemmy]

Hi Rena,

 

You've posted some helpful information about Egypt tours. I noticed you also did independent tours in Seychelles and Mauritius. Could you e-mail tour information for these places to LRG9929-chemmy at yahoo dot com? We will be visiting these ports in 2009. Thanks.

Chemmy

[Vod810]

I booked Nile Blue tours for my excursion in Egypt on 7/17/08. I found Hazeem to be very knowledgable and very accomodating. He acted as our guide during the tour. We had a private tour for 7 people, (4 adults and 3 children). Yes, his wife, Ghada, was also with him and provided us with a great deal of information about the Egyptian culture. I never felt rushed at any time and they were very considerate of my family's needs. They planned stops both to and from the port in Alexandria, restroom & stretch the legs. They provided soda and water for the entire trip. In fact, they purchased more water when the bottles they had got warm. The Nat'l Museum has 280,000 pieces so having someone with Hazeem's knowledge to guide you through was priceless. We felt we saw all of the things we expected to see. The items that were not included in the price of the tour, which I was aware of when I booked the tour, were arranged on site by Hazeem and we just paid him for the additional cost of tickets(no markup). These were the Mummy room and entrance to the Kafre Pyramid. We could have gone into the Great Pyramid as well, but at approx. $20.00 a person, I felt one was enough. They provided a very good meal at a restaurant right across the street from the pyramid complex and we were able to see the pyramids while we ate. I paid $105.00 US for the private tour per adult and $52.50 US for the children under 12. This included the private van, entrance to the Nat'l museum, entrance to the pyramid complex, soft drinks as described during the tour and the meal at the restaurant (excluding drinks while in the restaurant). They did offer cartouges for sale during the ride, but there was no pressure to buy them. I actually found it quite accomodating to have Ghada help explain the items one on one. I would definately use their services again. Ghada did tell me they were getting ready to change their company name to Nile Blue excursions, if that helps find their site. Although I suggest just contacting Hazeem via e-mail and he will give you all the information you need and answer all of your questions. As an additional note, our passports were stamped by the ship and returned to us the day before we arrived in port. No one ever asked to see them and they were collected the next day on board. I used all private tours while on the Med cruise and can try to answer some questions and give names of tours/prices I used. We sailed on RCCL Legend of the Seas July 10, 2008 - July 22, 2008. We also stayed 3 nights in Rome precruise. All of our arrangements were made on our own and we had 4 tours while in Rome.

 

Dave

Email: dtomasso2@cox.net

[gerena]

Hi Rena,

 

You've posted some helpful information about Egypt tours. I noticed you also did independent tours in Seychelles and Mauritius. Could you e-mail tour information for these places to LRG9929-chemmy at yahoo dot com? We will be visiting these ports in 2009. Thanks.

Chemmy

Chemmy,

I've tried several times unsuccessfully to reach you at the above e-mail address. So am sending a cut and paste copy of the e-mail I sent to you.

 

In Port Louis, Mauritius, I contacted Taxi's Mauritius--just searched on the web. There I had contact with Sakhawat.

email: bookings@taximauritius

Phone: (011) 230 412 7895

Cell: (011) 230 725 7536

Fax: (011) 230 412 1138

 

It was just my husband and I and the charge was $85 USD. We tipped $30 because it was such a good tour. There was an extra admission fee to Charmaral for $3.00pp. They needed the local currency at the Charmaral, but our guide paid and we reimbursed in US$.

 

 

Taxi’s Mauritius (bookings@taximauritius.com) We will meet our guide at the pier with our name on a signboard. Our tour will take us to the south and southwest part of Mauritius, famed for its pristine beaches, emerald seas, craggy shorelines with colonies of water birds and the beauty of the Black River Gorges area, a major bio diversity zone. We will visit the extinct crater of Trou au Cerfs, the sacred lake of Grand Bassin, the unique seven colored earths of Chamarel. Charmarel earth is tinted in several colors oscillating between ochre and chestnut and between red and purple.—the presence of volcanic ash in the ground which contains mineral oxides of different colors. We may be able to visit the Mauritius Glass Gallery and see the original method of recycling glass. ($85+)

We did not go to the Glass Gallery, but did go to the model ship factory which was very interesting. Really got out into the country. As far as meeting us at the pier, this didn't happen. We had to to walk beyond the pier gates and wait there. Police officers called for us at the above number and there was no problem. Only a few are let in at one time. Of course those in the line up will tell you that that taxi company doesn't exist along with 100 other excuses for them to take you. Our guide was able to take us right to the ship upon our return. He was in awe of the size of the ship and it is one of HAL's smallest.

 

 

In Victoria Seychelles:

 

Unfortunately, it rained most of the day in the Seychelles. so the itinerary below was adjusted.

 

7° South (http://www.7south.net) Will meet us at the pier with signboard at pier, full day private tour.

 

09:30hr Depart quayside and head for Victoria enroute you will pass the National library which doubles up as our National Assembly, the Unity Monument – depicting our four main industries, the Bicentennial Monument commemorating our origins, the old Law Courts with its colonial architecture.

09:45hr Arrive Victoria (30 minutes) guided visit by foot. Visit of the market, clock Tower – erected in 1903 to commemorate Queen Victoria, and is the replica of one of the Vauxhall Bridge road – Victoria London. The market was most interesting.

10:15hr Depart Victoria and head for the Botanical Gardens visit of the endemic flora and fauna and the giant tortoises. (Nice)

 

11:00hr Continue to the Craft Village. En route your guide will brief you about the history of Seychelles, its culture, vegetation climate etc.

 

11 :30 hr Arrive Craft village, enjoy a welcome drink and watch the local craftsmen at work. Also included is a visit of La Marine where models of sail ships are handmade to scale. We chose not to do this as it was raining, but we did go to the area and it was quite nice.

 

12:15hr Depart Craft Village and continue to Anse royale for swimming. No swimming, but we did wade in!

 

12:25hr Arrive Anse Royale Beach

 

13:00hr Depart beach and head towards Chez Batista Restaurant for lunch. We did not do lunch. Took a snack off the ship.

 

13:30hr Arrive at a restaurant for lunch and time at leisure for swimming etc…

 

15:00hr Depart restaurant and proceed to Mission Lodge, ruins of school for children of freed slaves.Photo stops on the way. Did this.

 

15:45hrsArrive at Mission Lodge

 

16:15hr Return to Victoria – photo stops on the way

 

17:00hr Arrive at the Port ($255+)

 

Contact: Mary Dookley

7° South

Phone: (011) +248 292 800 http://www.7south.net

Fax: (011) +248 292 899 E-mail: 7south@7south.net

 

Hope this helps!

 

Rena

[SteveS]

We used Nile Blue two weeks ago and were very satisfied. There was no convoy. The six of us got in the in the van with the driver a guide and Ghada and drove on a four lane super highway to Cairo. It took 3 hours with one rest stop.

[gerena]

We had no convoy from the port to Cairo. We did have a convoy from the port to Luxor, however---both ways. However, as soon as we got to Luxor, Ghada, the driver my husband and I went to the Valley of the Kings and the tour buses went the other direction--then we went the other way after lunch. That way we avoided lots of the buses and the crowds. There were few people at the tombs. THe road to Luxor was an experience. Thoroughly enjoyed watching the people do everything by hand in the fields, donkeys and carts, children waving as we drove by, etc. There were guards and guard stations all along the way. No restroom stops, however, as we had to stay in convoy. Be prepared. Great trip.