Leona C.
Egypt had been on our wish list for…
Egypt had been on our wish list for many years but to be honest, we were concerned about the safety of visiting there. We worked with Vaya on an itinerary and addressed our concern about the political situation in the Mideast. Heather patiently went through many tweaks of the schedule, the itinerary, how many people would travel together...and we finally went at the beginning of December 2025. And we even had a last minute cancellation by one of our group of 6 on the Friday before our Sunday departure from NYC ! Heather took everything in stride without a sign of frustration and with great empathy, and helped us figure out every possible workable scenario. Five of us ended up going, (3- 65+ years olds, my 36 year old son and 32 year old daughter). From the moment we landed in Cairo after midnight, we were met by a lovely, welcoming Vaya representative Mohammed. He directed us through the lines and had our visas all ready for us ahead of time! He was kind and understanding, and seeing how tired we were from our travel, suggested that he re-arrange our next day's activities to allow us to get some sleep. An incredibly wise and thoughtful suggestion based on his decades of experience. He continued to appear to help us through check-ins for other flights, for checking into hotels, for getting us through airport security which could sometimes be difficult. He was a welcome face at every point. Throughout the trip we also had skillful experienced drivers, knowledgable greeters to guide us through the airports and through check-ins at the best hotels, and two amazing professional and highly educated Egyptologist guides, Sharif and Emad. Very quickly, any of the concerns we held about Egypt were dispelled. I wrote home immediately to friends who had expressed concern about traveling there, that we were wrong. I would not hesitate to recommend people to visit! I never felt unsafe. I never felt unwelcome (quite the contrary). I never sensed any anti-American sentiment. The people are diverse and moderate in their beliefs. Their economy also depends on tourism so they are extremely sensitive to tourists' needs. I learned much about the long history of Egypt and admire their accomplishments even more than I already did. At each stop, our guide would talk to us about what we would see, what it meant, and this way we would understand the meaning of the sight, not just see it. We were also privileged to be taken to some "special" sights - like entering a lesser known off the beaten track nobleman's tomb, riding camels to a "secret" place to go to be photographed at the pyramids without anyone else there, having lunch at a friend's tiny rooftop restaurant with amazing fried eggplant, and even eating the best gelato only in Alexandria! The trip was packed and in retrospect, I wish we had added a few more days, even just to relax and enjoy the incredible hotels (Especially the Four Seasons Cairo Nile Plaza, Sofitel Old Legend Cataract Aswan). But the inside knowledge and decades of experience of the guides (and of the Vaya partners on the ground) was invaluable. They knew the traffic patterns in Cairo. They knew what time Nile cruise ship passengers disembarked and their time schedules for each sight. They knew the best way to see the GEM and bypass the crowds. They knew what time to start the day to make our day the most efficient. I have been telling people that this is probably the best trip I have taken - for the adventure, the history, the people and the tour group for making it all so seamless and comfortable. I consider myself to be obsessive and organized especially when traveling, and I was immensely pleased with the quality of the entire private tour. I have not stopped raving about it since I've returned and have already convinced two friends to use Vaya and go!