** Good: Tour is excellently managed with chartered flights and transportation on time. Coverage of pharonic sites terrific. Mena house, St Regis and the old cataract house exceptional hotels. Tour director more than fantastic, For many people this was their 5 or 6th Tauck tour .
** Bad: Although we wore our masks and washed our hands frequently, I would say most of the people on the trip got an energy draining URI with cough brought from home by other guests. The ill ones did not wear masks to slow spread of illness. Most of guest thought the few of us wearing masks were crazy (before we got ill and afterwards). Unfortunately for the guests that got sick this made the fast pace of the tour a miserable experience. I do not think Tauck could have asked those ill guests to be courteous and wear mask and avoid others as the majority when they got sick did not wear a mask to help slow the spread of the illness. I think the Tauck clientele have a certain mindset. But I guess a winter trip has its risks. There were many nights we just skipped dinner and went to bed.Before ill we had lots of surplus energy.
**Highlights of trip for us:
- Nancy Davies tour director, all of the pharonic sites and special Tauch touches- charters, after hours in the Valley of the kings, sitting on our balcony at the Old Catact enjoying the Aswan NIle view
-The Q&A about non pharonic Egypt with the Cairo guide and the Nile cruise guide
- Our self arranged pretrip 3 nights in London. As we were on west coast time did so to help jet lag. No jet lag until got sick.
- The 2 extra nights pre tour at the Mena house with self arranged tour to Sakkara, Dashur pyramids and Memphis city by" tours by locals" and theexcellent lunch with them. The National Museum of Egyptian Civiliation. It is not the Gem but the 20222 "mummy " museum. Note: the Mena house can arrange car and driver for 4 hours-$82USD. That day was n Egyptian holiday and trouble getting an uber ride.
-Our post trip to the White desert and Bahariya Oasis including a night camping with the Bedouins in the White desert. Bring a duffel/backpack full of warm clothes- hat, gloves and wool socks. Food some of the best on the trip. Tauck said did not offer so went with Marsaalam tours
-What I would have done differently:
You do not have to eat at the "Tauck" tables. Even though I would have missed getting to know some of the people on the trip, I would have chosen to eat away from the group. Being sick and exhausted really detracted from our trip.
