Middle East & North Africa Travel Guide

It's hard to know where to start. First off, everything went as smoothly as could be. I traveled with a friend to Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel, and Alexandria. We also took a four-night cruise on a dahabiya.

Our guide in Cairo and our guide in Luxor and Aswan were excellent, and presented us with far more information than it was possible to digest. Our guide in Luxor and Aswan, in particular, gave us a history lesson as we were sailing on the boat, as I sometimes found it hard to contextualize all that we were seeing. That was an enormous help.

We were taken to a couple of shops in Luxor and Aswan, and I'm always a little nervous about bargaining, as I worry I will come out on the losing end and resent being taken advantage of. I didn't buy anything at the alabaster shop, as I felt their prices started very high. I did buy some essential oils and a handcrafted bottle at a shop in Aswan, and though I don't know if I paid too much, I was very happy with what I bought, including a gift for a friend, who was thrilled.

My mobility is limited and I fatigue easily, so I was apprehensive about going on this trip and yet still eager to visit Egypt. The first few days I was very jet lagged, having traveled nearly 40 hours, and I was somewhat dazed and confused and didn't take everything in like I wanted to. But as time went on, I got progressively more into the journey.

The cruise on the dahabiya was so relaxing. We would see some sights, but also have time to gaze out to the river banks dotted with date palms while lounging on a chair. I kept pinching myself to think that I was sailing on the Nile River.

We met three other pairs of travelers, who were very pleasant. We had a barbecue on shore one night, where some hardy travelers could swim in the cold Nile River. There was local music and dancing. Ordinarily, I hate to dance, but they forced us all to join and before you know it, we were having a blast. The next night there was a belly dancer before dinner on board. If you can afford it, a small dahabiya is the way to go—far better, I can only imagine, than a huge cruise ship where you're stumbling over masses of people.

We took a side trip by plane to Abu Simbel. For some reason, our regular guides did not accompany us and a couple of Nubian guides took us around. They were subpar in their guidance, but very pleasant. And just to see Abu Simbel was worth the 3.45am wake-up call. Absolutely breathtaking; I will never get over it.

Before taking this trip, I was apprehensive, as I said, about my ability to get around, but our guide in Cairo, especially, was extremely considerate in making it possible for me to see everything in a way that was as smooth as possible. I am very grateful to him. He was a delightful man—warm, humorous, engaging, and, of course, highly knowledgeable. And our driver was lovely and the most amazing driver I have ever seen.

When I returned home, a friend who had been to Egypt last year asked me what my favorite experiences were. It's So hard to choose, but I would pick the Valley of the Kings for the brilliantly preserved and colorful iconography, Abu Simbel for its sheer overwhelming magnificence, and, of course, sailing on the Nile.

Through Zicasso’s travel company and its agent, my husband and I had a wonderful experience in Egypt and Jordan. 

While we loved all the sites, the most unexpected visit was to the gorgeous Wadi Rum in Jordan. We were glad we missed the flash flood at Petra by a few hours, so we were still able to enjoy the ancient city and lovely natural canyon. And we were only minimally touched in Luxor by the sandstorm in Cairo! 

The whole experience was five-star, especially in terms of the sites visited, guides provided, hotels, and kindness of the people.

Thank you for arranging such a memorable and enlightening trip! We strongly recommend traveling to Egypt and Jordan through our travel agent and his team "on the ground”.

Our experience with Zicasso’s travel company was fantastic. When I started planning our trip, Zicasso’s travel specialist was very helpful in giving me ideas on putting together an itinerary to cover the historic sites of Egypt, as well as Petra in Jordan. He sent a detailed proposal with hotels, inter-country flights, tours, and optional activities. He made himself available to answer any questions via WhatsApp during the planning process.

When we arrived at and departed from various airports (Amman, Cairo, Aswan, Abu Simbel, and Hurghada), we were met by company representatives to ensure everything went smoothly. We were also given WhatsApp contacts for the operations team while in-country in case we had any questions.

Our three guides in Jordan, on our Nile River cruise from Aswan to Luxor, and in Cairo were all excellent. They were very knowledgeable and made our trip logistically stress free. All of our drivers got us where we needed to be on time. All of the hotels, as well as our Nile River cruise, were excellent.

Everyone at the travel company really wanted to ensure we enjoyed ourselves and all our needs were taken care of. We decided to do a hot-air balloon ride in Luxor last minute and switch from a horse-drawn carriage to a boat ride, and they made it happen. Our two-week trip was relaxing, enjoyable, and stress free.

Every detail of the itinerary was amazing. Thanks to Zicasso’s travel agent. From our driver to the riad and hotel accommodations, and each location we visited (Casablanca, Rabat, Chefchaouen, Fes, the Atlas Mountains, a camel ride at sunset with glamping in the Sahara Desert, and Marrakech), we were partnered with a local guide who showed us magnificent sights and enriched our experience with historical information. Everything was beyond our expectations!

Through no fault of Zicasso's tour company, we were not able to do the Jordan portion of our trip due to the outbreak of hostilities between Israel, Iran, and then the US. When learning Jordanian airspace was closed, the company jumped into action to provide us with immediate alternatives to the Jordan portion of the trip, including a full refund for that portion if so desired. But because they had done such a fabulous job on the Egypt portion of the trip, we decided to extend our Egypt trip and spend several days in Alexandria and out in the desert at an oasis.

My wife and I cannot say enough good things about the job Zicasso's travel company did for us. We received first-class service, travel, and accommodations, with help, from the moment we deplaned in Cairo until we went back to the airport to leave Egypt 15 days later.

My wife and I travel each summer to Europe and beyond, and most often do our trips entirely on our own. However, Egypt and Jordan are places I believe American tourists need help with at most stages of the journey ,and our travel company provided that help in an extraordinary way. I would personally recommend this company to all of my traveling friends, as well as anyone else interested in my opinion.

Flawless doesn't begin to describe how incredible and meticulous the planning and taste that went into designing our Spain and Morocco trip. I reached out to Zicasso’s travel specialist far in advance, describing a dream vacation for my husband and me that included a near-impossible amount of locations to cover through both countries in only two weeks. We had tried coming up with an itinerary with another planner prior to meeting the travel specialist, but it did not work out. When we shared our vision with the travel specialist, he materialized it on paper in a way that made sense and even made adjustments that fit within our budget. We got to see every location with enough time to savor each.

The order of travel from Barcelona to Andalucía to Morocco was an intricate weave that told a story of cross-cultural exchange. We started off with Gaudí architecture and the Sagrada Família, sunsets at the Puente Nuevo, Alhambra, and Córdoba, marveled at the grandeur of the mosque cathedral, savored seafood paella and Picasso art in Málaga. We finished off road-tripping in Morocco, starting from the blue city of Chefchaouhen, continuing our journey through Casablanca, Rabat, Fes, Marrakech, and the Atlas Mountains. It was nothing short of magical.

We will never forget the beauty of the sun rising above the Atlas Mountains, private candlelit dinners on our private terrace in the riads, the colors of the souks, and the hospitality of our Moroccan hosts. Each riad was carefully selected and far exceeded our expectations. And of course, our driver in Morocco was an absolute delight and went above and beyond. Besides providing transportation, he acted as a friend who showed us the ins and outs, helping us see Morocco in a way that we would not have if we went in a large group or had chosen to come alone. Overall, my husband and I cannot recommend our travel specialist enough.