2 - Private Luxor Tour von Marsa Alam mit Heißluftballon

Mark Samir was our guide and Amar Atito our driver for a 2 day private trip to luxor. Amar picked us up from our hotel at the arranged time and welcomed us to a clean and modern air-conditioned car. Although Amar's english was limited we had some great chats via google translate on our journey. He explained when we had to stop for the tourist police safety checkpoint and pointed out interesting things on the way. We had a comfort break at a service station half way to luxor. We felt Amar cared about or safety and comfort the whole trip. At Karlak temple we were met by our guide, Mark, an Egyptologist, was very knowledgeable and friendly. Entrance to the Temple and to every place we visited was seamless and unhassled. From the outset Mark didn't stop explaining and telling stories about ancient Egypt and is very passionate about his subject. There was one hiccup whereby there was some kind of miscommunication between the booking agent and tour company. Because we are both mobility impaired with various health conditions, the trip was to be conducted over 2 days not 1 and Mark had been booked to show us all of luxor's sites both Eat and West bank in one day. Upon seeing my distress at hearing this Mark became very concerned and went off to talk to his boss and rearranged his schedule to accommodate our needs. He couldn't do enough for us throughout the trip, making sure we were comfortable, hydrated and happy. Amar was always waiting in a convenient place for us with the car so we were able to leave our possessions in complete safety and didn't have to carry everything around. The hotel we stayed in was more than adequate, clean and comfy right on the banks of the River Nile with a Nile view from our window. The second day was just as lovely despite the hit air balloon trip being cancelled due to high winds, a shame but these things do happen. Mark and Amar looked after us very well I would recommend them both. I would also say that although you may be tired early morning or on the journey home take a while to chat with your driver and you'll learn many things on the journey. If I can add any criticism it would be to suggest that when someone books a private tour the schedule should be more relaxed and fluid as the reason for booking a private tour as opposed to a coach tour is flexibility. For example both days we still stopped for lunch at large buffet style restaurants full of coach party tours and feel it would've been better to stop at smaller local restaurants and have the opportunity to taste local dishes rather than bland Luke warm 'western' food, which felt rushed and cattle market like. All in all we had an amazing time and 8 year old me fulfilled the dreams of seeing ancient Egypt come to live through Marks words and stories.

Even if the price seems high at first (we felt that way anyway) we can say in retrospect that it was worth every euro. With the guides Mustafa and Hamdi, as well as our driver Mooda, we were given an unforgettable experience. From A to Z everything was well organized and we felt very well looked after. With a lot of expertise on history and the city, we got to know Egypt, but also the city of Luxor. We had enough opportunities for free space or short-term adjustments in the process. Of course the balloon ride was the highlight, but everything around it was interesting and worth seeing. The hotel for the night, with us the Hotel Lotus, was perfectly fine, right on the Nile, with pool and a magnificent view of the west bank of the Nile. It was actually a private tour, just us as a couple and that of course opened up many possibilities for individual design. The tour guides and our driver were always on time and concerned for our welfare. All descriptions in the tour offer were also fulfilled. 100% recommendation from us and a huge thank you for this experience. The ballooning experience report is done separately...