How was your Explore Tour Leader?

Nader was engaging, charming and witty. He made a special effort to talk on every question asked of him. The tip kitty he organised (about UK£15 pp) took all the hassle out of properly and appropriately thanking the dozens of service providers en route and probably saved us a fortune! A great ambassador for Egypt & Explore. 

What tips would you give to someone else booking this tour?

Hold on to all the small change you can for public loos etc. We thought the optional Sound and Light show at Philae Temple (about UK£17 including felucca and bus transfer)  and the extra ticket to see the Solar Barque (about UK£5 adults/UK£2.50 children) near the Great Pyramid were both well worth it. Some people will get stressed by the persistence of souk shop-holders and hawkers.  Best way to deal with this is smile, put your hand on your heart (a universal no thank you) and don't address them.

Do you have anything else to add?

With the current low levels of tourism you can have some of these splendid sites to yourself which is amazing. The people are friendly and honest. They might fleece you if you're not good at haggling but we got the feeling that short-changing, pick-pocketing and being physically threatened were rare.