Osiris Tours Avis 308

Osiris Tours provided us with an amazing honeymoon in November. From the initial inquiry, founder Mahmoud was extremely responsive. His response rate is impeccable, and I never had to wait more than half a day for a response! He was extremely patient with my constant questions [and trust me, I had a lot of questions]. I let him know what my initial budget was, and he was able to work out everything we wanted within that price. Adding things on or changing things later was no problem and he was very upfront about the costs; he made sure to tailor the trip to exactly what we wanted.

Once we arrived in Egypt, we were met by our airport representative [also named Mahmoud]. He was extremely professional and friendly, getting us through Cairo airport effortlessly! [I would also like to note that our airport representatives in Aswan and Luxor were also extremely friendly and helpful]. Also would like to note that every driver was extremely professional as well and they are amazing to be able to navigate the Egyptian roads! Many things are very different from western countries, but we always felt safe and welcomed!

Our Cairo guide, Sa'id, was extremely knowledgable. He always made sure we had water, even getting us some snacks and pomegranate juice sometimes. He knew all the best photo spots and poses, so we came back home with some amazing photos! I cannot imagine navigating some of the locations in Cairo without a qualified guide- it adds so much more to the experience to have someone there who knows the area and the history.

Our guide in Aswan and Luxor, Hoteb, absolutely made the trip for us. His warm personality made it easy to relax and enjoy the energy of the locations and it felt like was a friend showing us around. He truly went above and beyond to make sure that we were getting everything we wanted out of our time, even making sure we were able to try the local foods we wanted! He took us to a great spot for lunch in Aswan and it was by far our best meal of the trip. He also knew we wanted to try koshari, so though our night was coming to an end, we stopped really quick on the way back to the hotel. He asked us about our family and showed genuine interest in our lives. On our last evening with him, we shared in some more conversation and shisha. We truly feel like we made a friend and we feel that he completely embodies the type of travel experience that Osiris Tours seeks to provide. He was so very helpful, down to every little detail, such as gently reminding us when is appropriate to tip some of the other people with whom we interact. As Americans, we are not accustomed to this particular element and even having done as much research as I possibly could have, I honestly appreciated the honesty, reminders and the help.

All-in-all, all of the Osiris team was always punctual and kind. I would recommend Osiris Tours to everyone, including my family and friends. At the end of the trip, Mahmoud [founder] emailed me to touch base. He was extremely open to feedback and I sincerely appreciate his efforts and guidance. If I ever do return to Egypt, I would love to travel again with Osiris Tours!

Over the years we have travelled to many places, both domestically within the United States and internationally. Egypt is like no other place we have ever experienced. I highly recommend a visit to Egypt arranged through Osiris Tours.

For more than three decades, my hobby has been researching and detail planning our family’s independent vacations. However, as my husband and I have grown older in recent years (we are both in our early 60’s now), we’ve discovered travelling independently in foreign countries is not our cup of tea, especially if we do not speak the local language. Although I still enjoy researching destinations and developing draft itineraries for our trips, we’ve turned to using tour companies to make all our in country travel arrangements. The problem is, how do I find a reliable, affordable private tour company for the country we are planning to visit? No matter how many reviews I read, I always have a bit of worry regarding whether or not everything will turn out ok. I’m happy to report that working with Osiris Tours resulted in a worry free trip.

I first contacted Osiris Tours in late August 2018 for a planned November 2019 trip to Egypt. Mahmoud Gebril of Osiris Tours took my three week “pie in the sky” proposed Egypt private guided touring itinerary (which included Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, and Aswan) and turned it into a seamlessly smooth once in a lifetime adventure in an exotic land. Mahmoud made numerous recommendations for improvements to my proposed itinerary; I am so very grateful I trusted in his judgment based upon his real world in-country experience rather than insisting on an activity / accommodation I happened to have read about in a travel book or on a website. Mahmoud was even able to add an activity to our itinerary in mid October 2019 just a couple weeks prior to our November 2nd departure.

During our travels in Egypt, Mahmoud and his colleagues not only met my very high expectations, but completely exceeded them! (You have no idea how rare of a thing it is for me to say something has “exceeded my expectations”. I NEVER use that phrase.) My mind has been blown. Our guide Khalaf was wonderful. He never lost his patience with me, regardless how many times I asked him to explain (one more time!) the difference between NeferTITI and NerferTARI, or how many times I needed to find a “rest area facility”. Our hotel accommodations went WAY above and beyond anything I would have arranged for us on my own. We were really spoiled by the hotels Mahmoud booked for us.

Before traveling to Egypt, I thought climbing in the Great Pyramid and seeing the inside of King Tut’s tomb would be the highlights of our trip. But the reality of Egypt is so much more than just these two things. These two things were simply the starting point for an adventurous journey more overwhelmingly wondrously awesome than we ever could have imagined. I don’t understand how it was even possible that each successive day of our trip seemed better than the previous day! I almost cried when it was time to return home. We hope to return to Egypt again some day in the future after the Grand Egyptian Museum is fully completed and officially open for tourist visitors. Maybe for our 45th wedding anniversary in 2024 perhaps?

Regarding safety, there was never a time when I felt unsafe, but then we never ventured out on our own without our guide (ok, maybe we were a bit nervous to be on our own in a foreign country where we didn’t speak the language). And I must admit that the chaotic Cairo traffic, the ubiquitous police/military presence, and the bag x-ray machines / metal detectors were all a bit disconcerting. But according to the Gun Violence Archive mass-shooting reports, there were 27 separate mass shootings across 15 different states in the United States during our 24 days away from home (November 2nd through 25th, 2019), so where should I feel safer? Shopping at my local Wal-Mart? or being driven through the streets of Cairo, past the numerous villages between Luxor and Aswan, or across the desert from Aswan to Abu Simbel? Sometimes I think travelling internationally with a private driver and guide is the safest thing I do. Don’t let fear stop you from visiting such a fascinating place as Egypt.

Every detail was taken care of from the moment we arrived in Cairo at 3:30 am and were greeted by a cheerful airport guide who had our visas ready for our passports. The hotels were lovely and our guide wonderful. Seeing the pyramids and the other ancient sites in Egypt was a lifelong dream and Osiris made the dream come true.

We had a fabulous trip to Egypt with Osiris Tours! Planning the trip with Mahmoud was simple and he was very responsive and helpful with our specific requests. We were taken care of at every turn, from the airport representatives who helped us at each leg of our journey, to our great drivers, to our wonderful guide Islam, who was knowledgeable and made our happiness his number one priority. Mahmoud booked us at beautiful hotels with excellent restaurants and attentive staff. We crammed a large amount of historical sites into 10 days and were stunned at every turn by the awe inspiring tombs and temples. It was a once in a lifetime vacation that was expertly planned and coordinated by Osiris Tours. We have 4,000 pictures to remind of us of what was an incredible experience in a fascinating and welcoming country.

We just returned from the most fabulous private-guided trip to Egypt! The staff from Osiris Tours was with us from the moment we landed until it was time to head home. Their dedicated staff saw to every detail as their experienced Egyptologist guides make ancient history come alive while making present day friendships (that’s you, Sayed and Mahmoud!).
Owner Mahmoud Gebril saw to every detail in pre-planning our fantastic itinerary months in advance so we can see and do everything we wanted. Though we had our heart set on a cruise down the Nile, from his vast experience he convinced us to go by private car and driver so we can see so much more and he was so right!
Osiris Tours’ planning was impeccable and by flexing our schedule a bit, we were almost the only ones at each historic site, since the large tour groups had not yet arrived or were leaving as we got there making for an awesome experience. Spend as much time at each site as you please, while other tour groups are hustled on through barely having enough time to take a photo, let alone absorb all of the fascinating history.
Concerned about safety? We were, too, but as it turned out, there was no need. From the moment we arrived the Egyptians are so welcoming and we were thanked again and again for visiting their country. If you had been thinking about visiting Egypt, there is no better time to go than now. There is nothing more exotic than having a delicious dinner along the Nile at sunset after seeing the Pyramids!
If you truly want to join spirits with the ancients, Osiris Tours is the best way to go and I highly recommend them!

Mahmoud and his company Osiris Tours are fantastic! Before we even left he was able to add two additional travelers on to our itinerary last minute - and for that my parents will be forever grateful! Every detail was accounted for. Every step we took was perfectly guided. Sam and Sayeet (sp) were phenomenal guides, knowledgeable and hilarious! 
Hesham was incredible. He found missing luggage, steered us effortlessly through multiple airport scenarios and even brought us treats! Can’t wait for the next trip with you guys! Thanks for everything!

Amazing !!! Nothing compares to a customized 13 day tour with Osiris Tours! I was debating between a group or private tour and glad we chose the private tour with Osiris... Seeing first hand problems with group tours at our hotel (bus waiting for people running late) or just being rushed through the location your visiting..... Having your own personal guide and vehicle is totally worth it. The owner (Mahmoud) sent a detailed checklist and guide which was very helpful being our first trip. He is very detailed and responds quickly if u any questions.

Our trip included Cairo, Aswan, and Luxor. All three hotels we stayed at were top notch with Four Seasons being our top pick. On days we left super early, our guide was able to arrange a to go breakfast from the hotel. We had Islam and Mahmoud as our guides. Both very knowledgeable and known everywhere we went (museums, hotels, locations we went). Thank you again Osiris Tours for an amazing trip! Made our first trip out of the country memorable!!!!

Wow! This was the most amazing trip my husband and I have ever taken. From start to finish it was seamless. We felt 100% safe. All our needs were taken care of. This was worth every penny. Egypt is a magical place and we can't wait to not only return but explore more of this part of the world, of course using Osiris Tours. Thank you!

Osiris Tours planned a wonderful customized 10 day private tour of Egypt from the start to the finish. Highly professional private tour guides, drivers, and airport transfer agents. Our hotels were top notch. We thoroughly enjoyed learning about the ancient Egyptian civilization during our trip. Highly recommend this company for travels to Egypt. Our tour guides Khalaf and Mahmoud were the best. This tour was a value for our money.

My husband and I have always wanted to visit Egypt After reading the reviews on tour companies, we decided to book with OsirisTours. We sent them an Email, and immediately received a response from the owner Mahmoud. He called us and spoke to us about our interests and provided us with the trip of a lifetime. Every detail was taken care of, We got off the plane and Abdul was waiting for us with a welcoming smile. He got us our visas, got us thru customs, grabbed our luggage and we were on our way with Amro to the Four Seasons within 30 min. Impressive! Our guide Ahmed was with us the full 10 days we were there. He made this trip so enjoyable with his knowledge, and he was so patient with all of our questions. . He picked us up early in the morning and got us to the temples and tombs well before the crowds got there. He made the effort to get worms so that my husband could fish when we went sailing on the Falucca! This whole experience was absolutely perfect. I cant say enough about Osiris Tours. We plan on booking with them again when we visit Alexandria and Jordan.

Awestruck - simply awestruck with the amazing history, culture, science, philosophy, art, religion, medicine, architecture, engineering of Ancient Egypt! I have been to over 60 countries and experiencing the splendor of Egypt is a MUST DO bucket list item – period – bar none – drop the mic!

However, the key to this amazing trip was the unbelievable professionalism and dedication of Osiris Tours to ensure this was an extraordinary luxury tour seeing and experiencing the best of Cairo, Aswan, Luxor and many other smaller cities with zero stress for a exhausted woman traveling solo. The story behind organizing the trip is worth sharing for you to understand that with Osiris Tours, you will get a level of service unlike any other travel company!

I was burned out working multiple clients, flying from New York to a different city every week, and I was exhausted with NOTHING left to give. I needed a break and had no energy to organize a vacation, but I needed to fly back to New York, pick up my passport, empty my suitcase, repack, and just go on vacation.

I thought of Mahmoud, the owner of Osiris Tours, whom had organized another favorite trip hiking through Jordan. I emailed him in the very early hours of the morning, and he responded almost immediately!

I shared my situation and said I will call for the next flight out to Cairo and you handle the rest, which he did! He picked the most exceptional schedule of activities, hotels, suites, tours, entrance to numerous sites that less than 1% of the visitors have seen. The selection was cleaver, fun, exciting, educational, and really enjoyable! Remarkably, I never had time to research anything.

Within a couple of hours -----seriously maybe 2.5 hours ------ he booked every hotel, tours, guides, transfers, cars, and every detail was well thought out! He did all of it and I could not have planned a more exquisite trip myself. He saved me hundreds of hours of research, reading reviews, and making decisions. Simply put, all I did was called the airline and booked the next first-class flight to Cairo. I was in Cairo 4 days later thanks to Osiris Tours.

This was my second tour with Osiris Tours and it was as exceptionally executed as my trip to Jordan. The industry has a ton to learn from them.

Its definitely an over-used phrase, but going to Egypt was probably the trip of a lifetime for a history nerd who wants to be Indiana Jones when they grow up - and Osiris tours went out of their way to make sure things were great from the initial planning and booking to following up after the trip to make sure that everything was perfect.

Mahmoud and the Osiris team helped plan a trip that was off the standard tourist path (Abydos, Dendera, the Meidum pyramid, and the Bent Pyramid especially stand out) and made the whole trip completely seamless from landing in Cairo to departure.

Special shout-out to our guide Essam aka Sam for being not only super knowledgeable about the various sites but super friendly and willing to share and talk about what it’s like to live in modern Egypt, which definitely added some great background and perspective to the trip.

If you book with them, definitely ask about the restaurants in Cairo, Saqqara, Aswan and Luxor (Sam won’t steer you wrong!) and swimming in the Nile before visiting a Nubian village, which was truly a magical experience. Also going on a food tour in Cairo was amazing as well - I felt like Anthony Bourdain getting to check out some of the places that the locals go to have falafel, pastries, coffee, etc.

And for anyone who’s nervous about traveling to Egypt, now is the time to go and they are super welcoming to tourists! Yes, there might be some hassling, but the Osiris crew is great about helping you avoid the craziness if you want to and it is really all part of the Egyptian experience anyways.

The Osiris Tours team did a great job of ensuring our experience in Egypt was a pleasant one, from arrival to departure. From the moment we arrived at Cairo's airport, visited Cairo, enjoyed a Nile Cruise, to the moment we departed the country from Hurghada by the Red Sea, we felt in great hands and treated like family. Their organization, coordination, and knowledge of the country and the areas we came to visit were simply spectacular. All we had to do is simply enjoy our experiences. It allowed us to learn about Egypt, its wealth of rich culture and history. We are privileged to have had the opportunity to visit. We plan to return to the Land of the Pharaos' in the near future and will definitely do it with Osiris Tours.

A great 'thank you' to Osiris Tours and their team of professionals for making ours an experience of a lifetime.

Special thanks to our guides for their support.

Thank you: كتر خيرك

Our trip to Egypt was better than expected. From start to finish, everything was perfect. Mahmoud organized the perfect trip based on what we told him our interests were, and tailored exactly to our wishes. The hotels were amazing, especially the Old Cataract Hotel in Aswan. But best of all was our guide Amr. We learned so much about Egypt, the history, the symbology, the heiroglyphs, and the people. I highly recommend a trip planned by Osiris Tours.

Osiris Tours was instrumental in making our family’s vacation to Egypt the trip of a lifetime. When our local travel agent didn’t seem to be putting together the trip we wanted, we turned to Osiris for a more in-depth and customized approach. Our usual person had also discouraged us from going when we wanted to go (August — perhaps not ideal, but the only time we had); Mahmoud showed us that despite the heat, we could find a way to make it work, and see all of the key sites from Cairo to Abu Simbel. From the moment we arrived in Cairo, Osiris staff helped us every step of the way — from getting our visas / navigating the airport to making sure we got checked in at our hotel. The selection of hotels, and overall service, throughout the trip was excellent. In addition, because of Osiris’ connections, we were able to access sites that others were not getting into — most importantly, the tombs of Seti I and Queen Nefertari, which are almost overwhelmingly incredible — and we literally had them to ourselves. Our guide, Ahmed, who stayed with us for the entire trip, was amazing. He tirelessly shared his very in-depth knowledge with us, including taking care to see that our 15 year old son was engaged and learning.

I have to say that, as someone who loves antiquity and has spent time in Greece, Italy and Jordan (and I do love these countries), there is nothing quite like seeing the magnificent art and architecture of ancient Egypt. It is incredibly humbling and moving to visit the sites (including the Nile River itself) that most of us have studied in school and read about our entire lives — but never really thought we’d see. Osiris tours showed us we could not only fulfill the dream of seeing them (along with the country itself, including various towns and their people), but do so while feeling perfectly safe, being given all the time we wanted at each site, and learning every step of the way. We highly recommend Osiris for anyone considering a trip to Egypt.

Osiris Tours did a fantastic job planning and executing our Egypt trip. They worked with us for hours to determine exactly what we wanted and to customize our trip to give us exactly the activities and price that we wanted.

The schedule we ended up with worked perfectly. We only had nine days for our trip to Egypt, and at the end of the trip we felt like we had seen everything we wanted to see (Giza, Egyptian museum, old mosques, Alexandria, Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, plus a three day dahabiya Nile cruise), and we had time to wander the souqs and explore Cairo and some of the smaller towns on our own.

The tour guide they provided was terrific--he was very knowledgeable, enthusiastic, always prompt and professional. He was also flexible enough to change the schedule in response to our preferences once we got there.

I would strongly recommend Osiris Tours to anyone. They are the gold standard for customized travel.

I have already recommend Osiris Tours to friends planning a trip to Egypt. During our the planning process of this trip, Osiris owner Mahmoud Gerbil happily discussed all of our options with us providing feedback on various historic sites and activities based on our groups abilities and interests. We were a group of 12 friends.
For example: Going into the tomb at the Great Pyramid. While a few of us wanted to do this extra activity, it became clear that for those with weaker knees and a touch of claustrophobia, this would not be a good adventure. But we all visited tombs later (including highly recommended King Ramses, King Tutankhamen, and Queen Nefertari) in the Valley of the Kings and Queens. Some of us continued to explore tombs at Deir el-Medina, the worker's village while others enjoyed viewing the village structure from above ground.

Our tour also included two Felucca boat rides, one in Luxor at sunset and the other in Aswan in the morning. Both were fantastic, beautiful and relaxing. We highly recommend this for anyone.

In visiting Abu Simbel we chose to drive instead of fly which was an excellent choice given that we had a lovely, air conditioned van, and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the changing texture of the desert as we headed south. We didn't have to rush to meet a departing airline schedule. These things worked for our group; they may not be what everyone chooses. But it was those discussions with Osiris that made this trip a really custom tour that really worked for us!

Our guide for the full 11 days was wonderful. Very knowledgeable, and fun -- a lovely man who we very much liked. He was also able to respond to ideas that developed during our trip such as an interest in smelling the real perfumes made from the formulas found on the temple walls. He later arranged for us to stop at a perfumery that made the authentic scents.
Our hotels, especially the Luxor Hilton and the Nile Cruise Boat Sonesta St. George were beautiful with top notch staff.

The ability to respond to our group's unique interests and abilities is what made this tour so fantastic. We truly feel that we saw the most significant sights, as well as learned about aspects of current life. Our guide was very helpful, for example, in explaining Ramadan which began while we were there.

Osiris sincerely worked hard to give us our trip of a lifetime, and he did!

Just wanted to give you our review of our experiences on our Osiris planned trip to Egypt ( Cairo, Aswan and Luxor) and Petra in Jordan. We always review every trip we take and since Zicasso also wants our input on our trip we will pass it to them after you have a chance to review it.
Egyptian portion
Our overall experience was excellent. Our guide Khalaf, was a delight to be with. He had extraordinary knowledge about the history of Egypt, their language and details about every site that we visited. He went out of his way to make everyday a wonderful adventure which really enhanced our experience. Having him for the entire trip also gave great continuity to our understanding of ancient Egypt. We would highly recommended Khalaf for anyone wanting a terrific experience in Egypt.
Hotels
All the hotels in Egypt that you selected were outstanding. The rooms, service and amenities were all excellent. These were all excellent places to stay at on our tour.
Drivers
All the drivers and cars/vans were very good. We especially liked our driver in Cairo. As you are aware, driving in Cairo is pure insanity but he was able to safely navigate through the craziness and get us to our destinations without any issues. He was excellent.
Airport representatives
I must admit that I was highly skeptical of their value before we left the USA but after seeing them in action they are worth their weight in Gold. Especially your representative who met us at Cairo Airport on our trip from Cairo to Jordan. He was like a whirlwind getting through one terminal to the next, through security and to the Air Jordanian ticket counter ( which by the way is not called Air Jordanian but some other name spelled in Arabic ). We never would have found our way without him. He was a real treat to be with and a great help.
Again, we felt that you did an exceptional job in planning and executing our trip through Egypt.
Petra, Jordan portion
Our experience on our three day trip to Petra, Jordan was excellent
Airport Representative
We had the same representative arriving and departing the airport in Amman. Again he was excellent with a seamless entry and departure from the airport. He is very professional and very personable and really understands how the airport works. Excellent to work with.
Driver
We had the same driver going to Petra and returning to the airport from Petra. He was a very safe and courteous driver who drove the three hours ( each way) without any incidents. He did a very good job and most importantly he got us back to the airport on time.
Hotel
We loved the hotel in Petra. The room, the service, and location were all excellent. The food was excellent, the best we found on our entire trip. The breakfasts and dinners there were something we actually looked forward to. An excellent choice.
Guide
There were some issues with the arrangements for our guide that were resolved. Osiris tours listened to our concern and addressed the issue with us to make sure that we were totally satisfied with this portion of the trip. Our guided tour through the Petra Historic site was excellent.
Our overall assessment of the tour to Egypt and Jordan
We had a wonderful time on our tour of Egypt and Jordan.
We would highly recommend Osiris Tours to anyone who wants an outstanding experience visiting the wonders of Egypt and Petra. Mahmoud at Osiris, was an excellent resource in helping plan and execute all aspects of our trip. His depth of knowledge in Egypt and Jordan and his customer focus, helped craft this terrific trip.
Thank you for all your help. You have a wealth of information about this area of the world and have been a real pleasure to work with.

I am so glad I found this priceless gem of a tour! I'm fairly well traveled but Egypt was like nowhere I've ever been. The history is incredible and the current situation is different from anywhere I've ever been. A trip here is a cultural flood of information from beginning to end. From the moment we landed in Cairo airport, we were very well taken care of for 9 days. We had fantastic first-rate activities the entire time. It is great to have the same guide with you throughout all the temples, museums and tombs. Our guide for the week was Sayed, who is worth his weight in gold. We connected with him very well and he expertly adapted his guiding for our group of 5, ages 10 - 70 years old with varying knowledge / interest levels. He also went above and beyond to help us through 24 hours of sickness by our 10 year old. All the coordination through the flights and cruise went great and we were very happy with our accommodations everywhere. Mahmoud worked extra hard in the planning to get us all the in-country flights we were looking for and the hotels / cruise we wanted. Thank you for all the work making this an amazing adventure of a trip! My family will be talking about it for decades!

A 5-Star Tour
Mar 4 thru 24
What a trip put together by Mahmoud Gebril of Osiris Tours for our 20-day tour of Egypt. From the time you arrive in Cairo, standing in lines are keep to a minimum with your escorts in the airports and while on tour with you guide. Our custom and private tour included stays in Cairo 2x, Aswan, Nile Cruise to Luxor, Alexandria as well as additional visits to Giza, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Dendera, and Abydos. We were pleased that our tour guide, Sayed, was with us for whole tour. We thank you Mahmoud for the flawless tour you put together and the memories that we will have for a life time. We would highly recommend considering Osiris Tours for you tour in Egypt.
Rita & Bob M.