Giza Pyramids and Sakkara Tour

I would like to thank everybody at Memphis Tours involved in our two day trip to Cairo. We booked a two day trip with Memphis Tour over the internet. I checked around on various web sites to find a company that would suit us and had a good reputation. I specifically wanted a tour that would take in the Pyramids at Dahshur and Saqqara as well as the The Pyramids of Giza and the sites of Cairo, no Papyrus museums or Felucca rides or anything like that. Memphis Tours said they could do that, so I decided to go with them. Their service was excellent from the prompt 8 am pick up to the drop off back at the hotel Sunday evening. Everybody was very friendly and professional, especially our guide Ahmed Farahat and driver Amr.
If anybody is interested in booking a private trip around Cairo or other parts of Egypt I would recommend Memphis Tours to anyone. They are a well established company with an excellent service.

This was my first trip to Egypt and I went alone. I found Memphis Tours on Trip Advisor and I liked the reviews people wrote about them. I contacted Memphis in January about a one week trip for October. I got a reply back quickly from Yosri, who put together an itinerary for me. When I arrived in Egypt, everything was as they said it was. I was met at the airport and checked into my hotel and each day, I had a guide escort me to the sights. When it was time for me to leave, they escorted me back to the airport. Memphis Tours is an excellent way to see Egypt. They take very good care of you. This was my first time traveling to another country alone and I felt very safe the entire time of my trip. I will definitely come back to Egypt and use Memphis Tours again.
 

Brilliant experience and very well looked after by both our tour leader and the tour guide. Very friendly and helpful! :) would definitely recommend them to anybody visiting Cairo/Egypt!

We used Memphis Tours to arrange tours for our family of 6 in December 2012. From the start of my dealings with Memphis Tours, they were extremely efficient. The response to my enquiry of where to go and the cost involved was almost instant. Our day spent viewing the Pyramids was amazing with our wonderful tour guide Mahmoud. He was so obliging and informative. It was very nice having a private tour for our family allowing us to go at our own pace. I would highly recommend Memphis Tours to anybody travelling to Cairo.

Thank you so much for your fantastic service. I went on a guided tour of the Pyramids of Giza, Saqqara & Memphis. I also enjoyed the Felucca ride on the Nile at sunset and Sahara Desert Quad Bike Tour in Luxor. My guides were very knowledgeable and very friendly. Had i stayed in Egypt longer I would've have gladly booked some more activities that you offer.

Memphis tours organsised our recent trip to Cairo / Giza and Luxor. They took great care of us as soon as we landed in the airport. Amr Hassan was at the airport to pick us up and drop us at the hotel. We stayed in Mena House , excellent location especially if you want to see the pyramids 24/7 !!!
Mahmoud was our tour guide in cairo and he did an excellent job in explaining all the historic sites. He had the knack to keep us away from the hawkers . Takes great photos as well !!!
Shimaa Baheeg was equally good when we were in Luxor. She took us to a wonderful lunch at Luxor which was part of the deal when you book a tour with Memphis.
We would highly recommend Memphis tours . Try and combine 2 half day trips as it may work out cheaper that way.
We found the Giza light and sound show expensive when we booked through Memphis . Otheer than that they were quite reasonably priced

Pad / beena

It was my first daily tour in Cairo. I've visited the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx and the older Step Pyramid at Sakkara, and Memphis, the first ancient capital of Egypt. I am glad with the professionalism and helpful services since the first contact, in special Medhat and Ibrhim who conducted very well the day trip and Bassem Saad who had booked my trip by live chat.
I do recommend Egypt, that is a very safe place and Memphis tours's staff.

We chose Memphis Tours for both the above tours. We are a family of four, my wife and our two teenage daughters. On both occasions we were very well catered for and looked after by our respective drivers and the Tour staff. The lady guide at Luxor, Nadia Said was very friendly and knowledgeable. At Cairo Giza we were lucky enough to have a very pleasant and amiable young man called Amir, even though he was suffering from a severe ear infection he never let his guard down or his professionalism wane. Well done Memphis Tours

I hired Memphis Tours for a 2 days tour in Cairo and 1 day tour in Luxor, the two guides Ahmed Mohammed Kamel and Shaimaa Baheeg are the best. They know all facts of the history of Egypt they are very knowledgeble and they answer all my questions. The pick up times at my hotels were on time, and did not waste any time visiting sites. I really had a great time in Egypt and I mentioned to them that I will visit them again and hire Memphis Tours. I really recommend this tour company if you want to visit Egypt and learn what this beautiful country has to offer.

From our first email contact with Memphis to the minute they dropped us off at the airport, this tour company was extremely professional and courteous. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to all of my friends and family. My husband and I have travelled to more than 35 countries, and I can honestly say that we have never met nicer, warmer, friendlier or more welcoming people than the Egyptians we met on this trip.

We were staying in Cairo and wanted to do a day trip to Luxor. A driver and company representative picked us up from our hotel and dropped us off at the airport. When we arrived in Luxor, another rep met us and we stopped briefly to pick up our guide for the day, Nabeel. I cannot say enough about how much we loved our day with Nabeel as our guide. He was extremely knowledgable and passionate about Egyptian history. He would explain to us what we were going to see, then allowed us to explore the site on our own, which we very much appreciated. When the tour was done, we had a few hours of free time in town to explore and have some diner, before being picked up again and delivered to the airport for our flight back to Cairo. A big thank you to our driver Majed, who also helped make our day so good.

This trip was very well organized and completely met our needs. Memphis was happy to tailor the day to our needs and we were 100% happy with everything!
 

Memphis Tours did a great job! More importantly, Abdul (tour mgr), Mohammed(driver), and Deen(tour guide) did a great job. Deen's knowledge of the history of Egypt was remarkable and I do recommend him as your tour guide. Unfortunately, we did not have much time to spend in Egypt but, after Memphis's tour I would definitely return back to Egypt to do the rest of the country. Being from the US, my wife and I were a bit concerned about safety but, Memphis made this a priority; not once did we feel threatened in any way in Egypt and this was during the protests in Tahrir Sq. We did the Cairo Museum tour and the Giza Pyramids.
 

We only had a few days in Cairo so wanted to get the most of our time and learn more of the history than if we relied on reading up on things ourselves. Whilst I thought the tour was a little expensive compared to other tours I found, this was the only one that seemed to go to the three areas of pyramids that I wanted to visit: Giza, Sakkara and Dahshur. We're really glad we did. The booking process was very quick and efficient - we booked at pretty short notice. Then from the moment we were collected the people couldn't be more friendly and helpful. Our driver was great. Not only did he negotiate the crazy traffic brilliantly, but completely unprompted went and bought us some roasted sweet potatoes as he'd heard us talking about them. Our guide, Mai, was excellent - very informative, good humoured and spoke very good English. Overall a great day and I would definitely consider using them again. As with a lot of tours, we were taken to some shops during the day, which I always feel quite awkward about. However we weren't pressured heavily into buying, so it wasn't too big an issue.

Today(31-10-2012) I had one of those unforgettable days. The English guide Mr Mehdat Mahmoud Abd El azeem outdid himself with deep explanations and mastery of Egyptology. Not forgetting the endless jokes and humour shared with the equally exceptional driver Mr Ahmed Mohsen. I'm looking forth to visiting Egypt again with my family for an extended multi-regional tour, and I cant wish for a better tour company (Memphis) or a better pair (Medhat and Mohsen) to guide and navigate me through.
Martin M.M.

 I had 3N4D Nile cruise (Sonesta St. George) and 1 day Cairo tour with 23 of my group provided by Memphis tour. I had many kids in my group from 6 families. It was very hot season, however the trip was great. Tour guide on cruise (Alaa) has vast knowledge and very kind. During hot month of Ramadan, without any drop of water, he provide the best guide for us. Touring Cairo was impressive not only because of the great pyramids and museum but also because of the comprehensive guide (by Nesserin). I met very nice people there. I can tell that traveling Egypt during holy month of Ramadan is not bad as people thinks. It was great. I could see the Ramadan is being unfolded. It was great experience. Curise and Cairo toure are ideal itinerary for Ramadan period. (Traveling in winter would even be better!) I would like to recommend Memphis tour and people who served us: Alaa, Nesserin, Mohamed and Fatima.

 Mahmoud Aghany and Asharf gave the perfect tour to the Giza pyramids and the city of Alexandria. Couldn't ask for a more professional company and guides! I felt safe during the entire tour and would not hesitate to recommend Memphis Tours Egypt to anyone. Thank you for a great Egyptian experience!

 Mahmoud Aghany and Asharf gave the perfect tour to the Giza pyramids and the city of Alexandria. Couldn't ask for a more professional company and guides! I felt safe during the entire tour and would not hesitate to recommend Memphis Tours Egypt to anyone. Thank you for a great Egyptian experience!

My wife, daughter and I completed a wonderful world tour earlier this year. We had many highlights; but the greatest highlight of all, was our time in Egypt; mainly because of our guide Ahmed and our driver Osama. We were based in Cairo, but our tours included day trips to Alexandria, the Suez Canal via Tanis, the Pyramids at Dahshur and around Faiyum and last but not least the Pyramids at Giza.

We felt absolutely safe and secure the whole time; mainly because of our guide and driver. A deep love and friendship developed between us so that we felt we were family; their warmth and consideration for us exceeded our expectations. So much so that even now, we are overwhelmed as we think back to their exceptional care for us. We have fallen in love with Egypt because of them.

Now is a great time to go to Egypt, because there are less of us tourists. There is great opportunity to see the wonderful historical monuments that Egypt has to offer, in a more intimate way, without contending with hoards of people. We had many magical moments where it was just us and our guides; experiences of descending into ancient monolithic pyramids alone, for example that can never be replaced in a life time.

We would highly recommend our guides and Memphis Tours, nothing was too much for them; they catered to our every need; at such a reasonable price too. I have travelled extensively, and been on many tours over the years and I can say wholeheartedly they were the best.

I am heading to Egypt in a few days and I have been using Memphis tours to organize a number of excursions. They have been excellent: they reply very quickly at any time of the day, they are helpful, and they listen to any suggestions that you might have. Highly recommended. Can't wait to begin with them.

I've only completed the arrangements so far for a couple tours out of Egypt and one out of Aswan. I'm actually going next month. They are very prompt with answers to questions and helpful with their replies to questions I've had. I've been dealing with Mr. Mohamed Sakr. I'm sooo looking forward to the tours and will report back afterwards.

Egypt was one of my dream destinations for a holiday and I thank God for making that dream come true. Booked our flights and hotel through Expedia and the internal tours through Memphis Tours Egypt who gave us an excellent service. To start with Mr. Maged with his prompt answers for all my online bookings, Mr. Mohamed Abdo our tour consultant for his friendly service with a smile, Mr. Momin for sharing his knowledge about Alexandria and the drivers for our safe journeys in the extremely busy roads of Cairo.

Based on the very positive reviews I read in Tripadvisor, I contacted Memphis Tours via their website. I received a prompt reply to my enquiry from Ziad, one of their tour advisor. The dialogue through e-mails was fantastic. Ziad answered many of my questions very cordially and swifly and then the two day tour was organised at a fair price. I was already very pleased.
On our first day, we were met by the tour agent, our guide Tareq and our driver. The tour agent kindly proposed additional tours without any hard selling, which was very much appreciated.
Then we were driven to the Cairo Egyptian Museum in a very confortable minivan. When booking with Ziad, I did request if it was possbible to have Tareq as a private Egyptologist duing the tour as I read several commandable reviews on him on Tripadvisor. Ziad pomised to do his best and delivered. Tared is not only a very knowledgable guide but he is also a courtious and pleasant gentleman. My husband, son of 12 and I learned a great deal about Ancien Egypt with him but also about today's Egypt which was equally interesting. We also visiste the Khan El Khalili Bazaar and felt very safe in the centre of Cairo with Tareq.
The following day we visited Dashur, Saqqara and Giza. This was magical to see so many ancient monuments still standing and this complemented the visit to the Museum the previous day as Tareq linked the artefacts to the buildings. Another highlight was the camel ride aroung the Giza pyramids. We were introduced to Ayman who took care of us during our 30mn ride which was organised by Memphis Tours before the trip.
I can only recommend very highly Memphis Tours and repeat my thanks to Tareq for such a pleasurable experience that we will not forget.
This is our second visit to Egypt and certainly not the last. We definately recommend Memohis Tours.
Note: Tareq mentionned that Memphis Tours offers a desert safari if any of you are interested. It seems really good.

I visited Egypt with my family by the end of Jan. 2012. We usually travel on our own, but due to political situation in Egypt, I decided to get in contact to a local agency. From the first time I felt Memphis Tours was the right choise. Ahmed Fayez in charge of prearrangements of our travel could not be better. He was under every detail and gave us confidence and good advise upon every matter related to our trip. We want to thank the ground staff , specially Mohamed Besheer who was always willing to satisfy us and gave us a cell phone to call him if we need something or had any trouble, our guide Ayman in Cairo, Memphis and Alexandria, who was very kind and professional, our guide in Luxor who was happy and proud about the future of his country and our driver Kamel, who without speaking a word in English or Spanish, was kind, polite and said good bye with a bunch of flowers for my wife. As a conclusion, Egypt is a wonderful country with uncountable things to be visited, but it is not easy at all. I do really recommend Memphis Tours if you wish to spend an unforgettable time in Egypt. I would choose them again.

Just got back from Egypt after a very short holiday. We were greeted by Abdul Mohammed a tour manager from Memphis tour. He explained all the do’s and don’ts and explained the itinerary while we were driving to the hotel, He was extremely friendly and helpful. Next day we started our sightseeing and we were given with a personal vehicle and a personal English speaking guide named Momen and I must say that person had unbelievably amazing knowledge about the culture history and each small details. I think I had no question unanswered. Well We enjoyed each and every moment and I would personally recommend Memphis tours who made our experience unforgettable, right from the booking till the final handshake they were very friendly and extremely professional.

Memphis Tour Company was recommended to me by a friend who recently travelled to Egypt. I found their staff members to be very gracious and their service throughout my trip excellent. All I had to do was enjoy the customized excursions they planned for me based on what I wanted to do. The most enjoyable part for me was being shown the Wonders of Egypt by Egyptians who are very proud of their country!

Just returned from holiday in Egypt which included a one night stay in Cairo. As we were there for such a short time we per booked a tour with Memphis tours via the Internet. An excellent a day it'inary was put together by Eman Rashad who dealt very efficiently with the entire booking process.
Our tour took place on the 26th January and when our guide arrived in the morning for pick up we were informed the museum in Cairo was closed. We were obviously disappointed but our guide had a number of suggested places for us to visit instead. We chose to see the step pyramids at Sakkara. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and informative and made our day very enjoyable. We also saw the pyramids at Giza and at his recommendation saw the solar boat. It was amazing.
I will certainly use Memphis tours again as the whole process from booking to the end of the tour was very professional.

My wife & I have beeen on two previous tours with Memphis Tours Egypt.and are now in the process of planning another in August 2012.We were fortunate that we had Fattoush Saad as our travel consultant,she was so helpful.professional & honest in all her dealings with us,nothing was to much trouble for her.We have no hesitation in recommending Memphis Tours to anyone.

My wife and I have just retuned from Egypt ,we were hesitant to travel there with the unrest so only booked for 3 days. 2nights Cairo 1 night Luxor. We contacted Memphis tours and arranged the whole time there with them. we arranged all airport transfers a visit to Cairo museum ,Giza pyramids,Nile cruise & dinner another tour in Luxor to Valley of Kings ,Karnak temple and Luxor temple.Always on time to meet us great drivers in the congested traffic Our guide Maha ,a scholar in eygptology and John also educated in this area were fantastic. Thank you for a memorable visit and we both highly recommend Memphis tours

Our travel consultant ( Fattoush Saad) planned all our travels within Egypt and she did it in a very organized and concise manner. We were booking a Christmas holiday late and she make us her top priority . She was a great help to us and answered all questions to the best of her ability ! She even got us bumped up to a luxury hotel while in Cairo !

We had two tour guides that were courteous, punctual and knowledgeable and made our visit to Egypt memorable. Their names were Shaimaa Baheeg in Luxor /Valley of the Kings and Ahmad El Sayed in Cairo for the pyramids/city tour/ saquarra.

Coordinator: Osama Mostafa
Tour Guide: Ahmed Abdulhameed

My wife and I were in Cairo, Egypt just recently. I am still stunned by how good the service was, especially as the price was very fair. We were there for five days, and we were taken care off throughout. If you're booking with Memphis, I'd say go ahead and get the airport pickup and drop off. Our trip coordinator (Osama) met us *before* we got to customs, and he was able to check us in, and he was with a driver and they transported us to our hotel. The trip coordinator made the trip nice for us because we didn't have to worry about some of the little things--like checking in and out of the hotel, or knowing a good place to get food.

For some of the sites, we were assigned a tour guide (Ahmed) who was very knowledgeable and gave a lot of context to the places we were visiting. I mean yes, the statue of Ramses is cool, but do you know he had two crowns? Yes, Memphis is the ancient capital of Egypt--but how about seeing how every day Egyptians live at a carpet school? Such attention to detail made things more memorable than they already were (I mean Pyramids!!!).

Both the tour guide and the coordinator had lunch with us on the days that we were assigned. We were sad to leave them behind as we'd become quite fond of them in the short time we shared!

If you're visiting Egypt, please be sure to consider Memphis.

I have just returned from a visit to Cairo, when I visited the pyramids (day and night), sailed on the Nile, went to Sakkara and Memphis and to Old Cairo, the Coptic Churches, Synagogue and Mosque and the stunning Egyptian Museum. I shall never forget the warmth of the lovely Egyptian people, and how well I was looked after, especially by Mustafa Ahmed (and Emat, his driver), who put himself out to accommodate me and explain so much Egyptian history, and also by Basseem at the Memphis office, who arranged it all. Egypt needs tourists desperately - I was entirely safe the whole time I was there and never felt threatened. It was wonderful.
Visited November 2011

My family and I, travelled with Memphis Tour to the The Pyramids of Cheops, Chephren and Mykerinus. Then proceed to visit the Great Sphinx, the head of a pharaoh with a lion's body, which dates back to the time of Chephren; the tour also includes a visit to the Valley Temple, which belongs to the Pyramids of Chephren.Move to visit the Step Pyramid of Zoser and to Memphis and see the Statue of Ramses II.

We have a wonderul time especially with the guidance and expertise on Egyptology of our tour guide. Thank you for the wonderful time and special thanks to our travel consultant Mrs. Fattoush Saad of Memphis Tours.
Visited November 2011

 We recently spent a couple of days in Cairo on our way back from Europe. We booked just prior to the January riots but as things had calmed down decided to go ahead with the trip as planned. We booked our airport transfers, full day tour to the pyramids, Sakkara and Dashur, plus a half day tour of Cairo with Memphis Tours. They were very effiicient and quick to respond to all emails/enquiries and the service we received on the ground on arrival from Mohamed Besheer, our Egyptologist guide Momen and driver was all exceptional and professional. I would thoroughly recommend Memphis Tours. Cairo itself was very quiet and tourism is still not back to full capacity, however we found it very safe and were pleased that we went ahead with our trip.

A short ride from Cairo to Mephis & Saqqara is a great 1/2 day trip.
Saqqara is a large area of step pyramid and more, which are older than the great pyramids at Giza. But get an experienced egyptoligst to take you and see the best mural reliefs in the tombs. The detail of daily ancient egyptians life is great to see, and the fact that the paint is still there from 2500B.C. I had Fatma Soliman of www.aroundegypttours.com, who was very knowlegable and able to answer any question that I had. If I had not had a tour guide, I would have missed out on all the important pieces of history that there were to see.
Mephis had great statues in a small musuem like area, and again it is helpful to have a guide explain the about the statues, as well as guide you through the people selling things along the way. We stopped at a local rug school, where they showed you the different kinds of rugs, how they were made and even let you make a few stiches with them.
There is no better time then now to visit Egypt, as the cost will never be better. Many tourists are afraid to go now, but the people are very welcoming and really appreciate you being there, as they are trying to get there country back to normal after the revolution. It is very helpful to have someone who speaks Arabic to navigate around the places that you want to visit. If you go now, there are less crowds then before, which to me is a bonus.

I booked an independent tour through Memphis Tours as i had some friends that booked a week long trip through them and they thoroughly enjoyed it. I gave Ahmed a list of all the things we wanted to see in the 2 days we had in Cairo and although it would be alot, he was very accomodating and telling us how long we would be able to spend at each place and suggested a lunch on the go so we could fit everything in. We paid the 25% deposit and with the unrest that has happened, unfortunately the cruise cancelled the port. I was afraid that we would not be able to get our money back, but that concern was not necessary. Within 10 minutes i had a confirmation that our tour would be cancelled and the money returned to the account. They have been extremely wonderful to work with and very helpful. I do plan on going back to Egypt and would not hesitate to book again with Memphis Tours and Ahmed.

Went on the Giza, Memphis and Sakkara tour. We felt calm and comfortable with them and able to see a lot of things quickly.
Highly recommended.

We booked a day tour with Memphis, and had a fantastic time. We visited the main Giza Pyramids and went into the second (scary but worth it), the Sphinx, the open air museum at Memphis, Imhotep and Saqqara. The tour included lunch at an outdoor egyptian barbecue (yum) and on to the perfume factory/store - great but you do feel the need to purchase - and chose to skip the carpets and parchment places for this reason.

Our driver was amazing, and allowed you to see the sights and get dropped off and picked up with no fuss or waiting.

Our guide was lovely, and we especially appreciated him taking us off he main tourist trail for the afternoon pyramids as we got to see some hidden gems.

Definitely recommend letting Memphis look after you - very quick to respond, no issues at all and you manage to come away with the full Giza/Cairo experience without feeling like a complete tourist. As a couple we also appreciated our guide proactively suggesting photo opportunities, and have a whole day of amazing pics of the two of us together.

We hired Memphis tours with a driver and English-speaking guides to do the Pyramids, Sakkara and Memphis in one day, then the Museum, Bazzar, and Cairo sights the 2nd day. We couldn't have been happier. We were able to do whatever we wanted, for however long. The driver and guides were great. Better than we expected. I would highly recommend you request Ahmed Saeed Aly if you are booking a tour with them. His english is superb, and he's studying Egyptian Archaeology. His email is chinamoon1428(at)hotmail.com. Undoubtedly the best tour experience ever!

We were in Egypt on a cruise of the Holy Land and the cruise's excursion was sold out so I used Trip advisor to find a tour guide for Cairo and the Pyramids. This was a private tour for $620.00 we had our own car driver and Egyptoloist " Sherwet Ali" our driver was Asraf Fouda Both were great. We felt very safe and secure and learned so much during our trip to the Pyramids,Sphnix, Camel ride, Lunch and the Egypt Museum. We had our own private tutor..we passed some people from our cruise on the ships tour. But since we had a private car and guide we did'nt have to wait on anything zoom-zoom on visits, shopping, parking. also one side bonus is we had our own photographer Sherwet took some great pictures of us that we will teasure forever. on the mass tour you can't get this! We were picked up at the port in Alexandria and transported to Cairo and then returned to the port that night. The ship was 2 hours late but "Sherwet" was 'there waiting for us with a sign with my name on it. My wife and I liked the attention to detail and the individual attention we received to our questions and the information. In the museum Sherwet explained to us the history of the displays and what they stood for. people just standing there started to ease drop because they did'nt know what they were looking at. But Sherwet kept us moving along filling us with info all along the way.I felt very special having the guide and driver because where ever we went the car was there close to the store or attraction . We never stepped more than 10 steps from the car Sherwet handled everything, Lunch, Camel ride, museum fees I didnt pull a dime out of my pocket except at the Papyrus store and shoping we did.Sherwet said a few words in Arabic and proof we got where or what we wanted she was great! So smart and pretty too! One funny story is when we returned to Alexandria at night the city was alive traffic everywhere, people of all ages crowded in the streets, it looked like Madri Gras in New Orleans! Well we metioned this to Sherwet and in translation she thought we said we wanted to get out and join the party! She said she'lll write down the address of the ship and let you out here! We were like ohhh NOOO thats all right, we don'y know the langauge and we have too much jewlery on to walk the streets at night please take us back to the ship. She understood and the driver returned us to the ship After a great day we will never forget. If you don't use Memphis tours with "Sherwet Ali" and "Asraf fouda" you will be making a mistake!

My wife and I are taking a cruise that overnights in Alexandria, naturally we wanted to go to Cario to see the pyramids. I actually tried booking my Egypt through another top tour company, but it ended without success, plus a lot of frustration. I couldn't get recommendations and it proved difficult to even get my questions answered. I finally posted the experience on CruiseCritic, asking for help, eventually deciding to try another company. I was worried that I'd encounter the same problems over again.

I blindly emailed Memphis Tours, sending them the same information I'd sent the first company. Within approximately 30 minutes I received a quick reply from Mohamed Mokhtar, and it was PRECISELY what I was looking for. It was like he'd read my mind, the schedule was what I wanted, and more importantly he was offering good recommendations to make it work even better.

This is the kind of well planned, direct information I received from Mohamed Mokhtar.

"Accommodation:

I recommend you staying this night at Marriott Cairo & Omar El Khayam Casino as it will be a great experience....on the first day you will finish at the museum and it is close to your hotel. On the second day you will start early to be at the first place at 8 am. Also, staying at Marriott is a great experience and I do not want you to miss it.


Note:

it is better to start the first day eith the pyramids and the museum as the museum still opens till 6:30 pm and you will not be ableto do the Sakkara, Memphis and Dahshure together on the first day as they all close at 4 pm so it will be better to do them on the second day but you will start early at about 7 am and after you finish you will go directly to Alexandria."

It only took a few emails and 1-2 hours total with Mohamed and I was finished booking the trip after I'd spend days agonizing with the other company, plus my posts on the CruiseCritic. I haven't traveled yet, but I am feeling confident that if they can work details out this well up front, the trip should also go flawlessly. Now I'm really excited and looking forward to our trip to Egypt, thanks again Mohamed!!!

To be honest, below is the type of information I recevied from the other company, I am removing their name from the email, but everything else is directly from their email. You be the judge which company you'd prefer to deal with.

"Greetings from a top company of Egypt

1. kindly note its the same visits but in your itinary you will just change the days

2. to add dahshur there will be no time as our company knows that there are so many wonderful places for you to see in Cairo. And so little time to see them when, you have a schedule you must respect.

Please allow us to paint you a picture in words about Cairo and staying in a time frame.

In 1863 Cairo was very close to still being an medieval city. With street plans that changed very little in 500 years. However Cairo was starting to transform in the late 1800's into a city that could be compared to Paris. Now Cairo is a city of over 18 million souls that live there year round and that number continues to grow. This population count does not count the daily guests in Cairo which is also a very high number of its own. Add to that number the traffic: Cars, buses, trucks, trains, trams, and humans. Cairo has its own amazing traffic situation. 8 million vehicles on her old street plans.

What would your current city or town be like with such numbers of people and vehicles?

In Cairo traffic moves at its own pace minute by minute. No one can predict how long it will take from point A to point B. One must always allow for traffic time and situations.

It is a fascinating adventure, but also a serious fact in travel time.

That is why our company factors in all concerns connected to your travel time here in Egypt.

We at the other company want you to truly experience the Cairo Museum or the Pyramids in leisure and not with a stop watch that is ticking away the time you must hurry and blast off to the next site! That is not the proper way to share our beautiful land with you.

You are guests in Egypt. You are not here to run in a marathon race of how many sites can you see in "X" number of hours. We welcome you and wish to give you a relaxing visit. For you to feel Egypt's soul where ever your presence graces our land.

We are aware of your time and the serious fact your ship will leave the dock at a certain time and respect this and give you what is best for you to enjoy your time here with us.

We know other agencies offer you the whirlwind tours of Cairo. We write to you now as a friend and suggest you be quite careful with such offers. We know our land and cities. We never offer anything to our guests that may cause them stress and problems.

Please ask us any questions or concerns you may have about your travel time here in Egypt. We are professionals and promise to always be honest and respectful with our information to you.

so we can add dahshur instead of memphis or sakkara so please feed me back"

I went to Cairo with some classmates in June. Had a great time! Our coordinator, Mimmo, was, extremely helpful, kind, and fun---an all-around GREAT guy! I can same the same for our guide, Mohamed Marghany (this guy is impressively knowledgeable about Egyptian history)! If you decide on Memphis Tours (and I STRONGLY suggest that you do), ask for these two (that is, if you enjoy learning and laughing)!

 I booked a 4 night stay in Cairo for my girlfriend and I in Feb 2010 and decided to book transfers in advance. I found Memphis Tours on the internet and their reviews sounded good. I booked online and we were met at the airport by our tour rep Ahmed Elsaid and a driver. Ahmed was extremely friendly and pointed out various sights on our way to the hotel. He helped us with our bags and gave us a number to call if we needed anything else. The next day we called Ahmed and arranged a full day tour of the Great Pyramids, Giza and Saqqara. We were given our own tour guide and private mini-bus and we found the tour to be very informative and reasonablly priced. I would definately recommend Memphis Tours and are already planning a return trip to Luxor with Memphis Tours! Thanks Ahmed and everyone at memphis Tours!!

At all stages of the planning, communication, payment, pick up, transfers, tours etc this company was a pleasure to deal with, did everything they said, on time and with no hassles or pricing issues.

Unfortunately I used a different company, white desert tours based out of the international hot springs hotel in Oasis Bahariya for my western desert / white desert tour and did not get nearly the same experience. I used Memphis for my other tours and wish I had for the desert tour as well.

 We were in Cairo for 2 days in January..our guide Khaled El Saman was really superb..what he didnt know about Egypt and especially the pyramids and shinx etc was not worth knowing!! we were picked up on time from our hotel both days...taken for an excellent lunch both days,and treated superbly. Must mention our driver Faysal who deserved a medal driving through manic traffic in Cairo! he treated us with supreme courteousness...and couldnt have been more helpfull when he drove us to the sound and light show by the pyramids..and sorted out our tickets and our headphones..nothing was too much trouble. The 2 guys from Memphis travel MADE our stay in Cairo.
They have our highest recommendation and thanks
Mavis and John..................................Akbuk, Turkey