Dunes & Beyond

Our trip to Egypt far exceeded our already high expectations. Sherif, Dunes and Beyond, was the perfect partner for planning the trip. He was always open to our many ideas, and focused on helping us include these ideas rather than telling us to drop them. Sherif truly was superb…he made our trip the success that it was.

Our guides were amazing. Lena, our guide in the Cairo area, was excellent. She accommodated our needs fully, including some mobility issues of one member of our trio. She had great passion for the ancient wonders of her homeland. She enabled us to go into the Pyramids and to see historic sights, such as Coptic Cairo and Islamic Cairo. She was most patient for our deliberate pace in Cairo’s wondrous museums.

In Luxor (ancient Thebes) AlluhDin was our guide. An expert Egyptologist, he was without equal in enabling us to experience the wonders of Ancient Egypt; his passion was contagious. He never tired of our endless questions, and his answers reflected his deep knowledge and insight. He stayed with us throughout our visits to Thebes (home of the Temples of Karnak, the greatest manmade monument that I have ever seen in my extensive travels around the world), during our four/day Nile cruise and the historic sights along the way, and during our several- day stay in Aswan. He was the key to the success of our grand tour of Ancient Egypt. We could not have asked for more. Thank you to AlluhDin and KimKim and Sherif for giving him to us as our guide…that is what made all the difference.

Our 11-day visit (3 full days in Cairo, nearly 3 days in Luxor, the stops along the way during our cruise to Aswan, our 3 days in Aswan, and our flight and stop in Abu Simbel) was just right for a fulfilling introduction to and emotional engagement with the magnificence of Ancient Egypt.

I recommend buying the extra experiences along the way such as going into the Pyramids, taking in the panoramic view at Philae Temple, and adding the tombs of Seth 1 and Ramses V and VI in the Valley of the Kings. The experiences are well worth the added cost.

My only suggestion for improving the experience is to upgrade the cruise ship. The SemiRamses II was clean, but the meals were pedestrian at best. Getting into the bathtub/shower was a dangerous and frightful experience for both my wife and me.

Thank you, KimKim, Sherif, Lena and, most especially, AlluhDin for this grand experience, truly a highlight of our lives.

The trip Sherif helped me plan was magical! Jordan was absolutely spectacular. Our driver, Omar, was so good. He wasn’t just a driver, but showed us some amazing areas of Amman and introduced us to his childhood sweet treat! He really made our time in Jordan special. Petra was an unbelievable experience. The guide, I apologize that I don’t remember his name, gave us informative information as we walked down the hill to the Treasury. We loved how he had us turn our back and then moved us into position so that when we turned around the treasury was between the rock formations. I actually had goosebumps! On our way to Petra, Omar took us to the smallest hotel in the world! I had actually read about it a year or two before! We spent time with the owner and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! Wadi Rum was another cool place. Our accommodations were so much fun! Sunset camel ride and a Jeep safari were highly enjoyable! Our last stop in Jordan was at the Dead Sea. Floating in it was an experience I won’t soon forget. Omar was fantastic!
We were able to meet Sherif at our hotel in Cairo the first morning there. Because we were meeting up with our cruise several days later, I had sent Sherif our itinerary of things were we’re going to see with the cruise guides. Sherif worked his magic and gave us a perfect compliment of places to visit! We had fantastic guides and visited places that we were not going to otherwise visit, Coptic Cairo, the hanging church, the NMEC as well as a day trip to Alexandria really rounded out our Egyptian experience. Sherif was attentive all through the process as well as when we we on our trip. I would highly recommend working with him if you want a quality experience in Jordan and Egypt!!!! I only wish we had more time to explore. Back home we are continuing to learn more about this amazing part of the world. Thank you Sherif!

Activity Reviews

Amman City Tour - Jerash - Amman

Egypt

I think may favorite part was actually walking through the open air market and and tasting Omar’s favorite childhood treat!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Petra

Petra

Omg Petra is amazing! We stayed at the Petra House Hotel which is right at the entrance to Petra. It was perfect. Neither of us knew what to expect but having a guide with us to point out the sights and give us background on the place is the only way to go the first time there. The place is enormous! Seeing the iconic treasury carved into the mountain is unbelievable and the fact it is thousands of years old is amazing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sharif, the travel agent, was absolutely awesome! Throughout our adventure, we had numerous changes to our itinerary and different activity requests, but Sharif remained positive and communicated exceptionally well. His patience was remarkable, making our experience much more enjoyable. We sincerely appreciate his flexibility and dedication to ensuring we had a fantastic time. I can't express enough how amazing Asaf, our travel assistant, was during our trip. From the moment we arrived, he went above and beyond to assist us with our visa application, ensuring that the process was smooth and efficient. He made sure we didn't have to wait long and guided us through the return journey, always ensuring we were on the right track and making use of the quickest lines. As if his outstanding service wasn't enough, Asaf displayed a level of care and consideration that truly impressed us. When I realized I had left my glasses in the car on the day of our departure, Asaf didn't hesitate to return to the airport just to deliver them to me while we were checking in. This level of dedication and thoughtfulness is a rare find. I must also mention Lena, an exceptional guide who accompanied us. Her helpful nature and genuine eagerness to assist us added immense value to our trip. She was informative during our tour of Sakarra, Memphis, and The Giza Pyramids. Lena was amazing with efforts to avoid the most crowded times as well. We were truly appreciative of her communication. Asaf, Lena, and Sharif formed a dream team, making our journey seamless and memorable. I highly recommend anyone in need of reliable, efficient, and caring guides. They truly go the extra mile to ensure their clients' comfort and satisfaction. Thank you, Asaf, Lena, and Sharif for making our trip an unforgettable experience!

We had a great adventure with our guide Lina and driver Mohammad! Everything was so well planned. This was important since we didn't have much time in Cairo. I highly recommend working with Sherif for a customized trip.

Thank you Sherif for organising our trip to Egypt! Everything was fantastic and we were very well looked after by all guides, drivers, hotels etc. Thank you! And also to Leena for showing us Cairo.

Guides Lina and Aladdin were awesome! Loved seeing the Pyramids and Valley of the Kings. We were a little disappointed in the docking location of the Movenpick boat. We saw a number of other boats docked near the city center in Luxor, a much better location. We also had a very limited liquor selection on the boat. Food was awesome, staterooms very nice. Overall, the trip was very nice.

Having a knowledgeable, attentive and trusted local guide with you when touring Egypt is a MUST. From the perspective of crime or personal safety, we felt completely secure at all times. However, there are nuances specific to airport procedures, visiting different sites, and poor signage, that make exploring on your own challenging at best.
Sherif was an incredible tour coordinator. While I was planning the trip from the US, he addressed my questions and dealt with changes in the itinerary promptly and accurately. After we arrived in Egypt, he was immidiately available via text AT ANY HOUR of the day with any issues, and was proactively making sure all our needs were being met. I would give Sherif's work my highest accolades.
From the second we arrived we came to appreciate the relief and joy of having a personal airport coordinator at each site. Mr. Ahmed made all the tranfers, E-visas, and luggage issues seamless and effortless. My husband and I travelled with 8-years old twins. For that resason, we planned our itinerary to include some well deserved beach relaxation at the end , after days of sightseeing . Our tour guides in Cairo was Ms. Lina. She was very knowledgeable, poised, and very gentle with kids. Lina's passion for Egyptology was contagious and made the kids jump with excitement. Our guide on the Nile cruise was Mr. Moataz. His attention to details and assertive style always allowed us to avoid the crowds, and get the best out of every excursion. Of course, it goes without a mention, that Mr. Moataz was an excellent guide, and has a great eye for photograpghy as an added bonus.
Egypt is HOT. Having a comfortable air conditioned van, with water bottles and snacks waiting for you the minute you need it is a luxury not to be discounted. All the drivers throughout the trip were corteous, accomodating and smiling, and the vans were impecably clean inside. Cleanliness was 5-star in all accomodations that Sherif has recommended, and the food also was good, tasty, and always fresh. All the packets of Pepto bismol were brought back home unoppened.
We had a wonderful trip. Thank you, Sherif and ALL the people who helped our family to have an unforgettable experience!

Activity Reviews

Private Tour to Giza Pyramids

Cairo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour to Egyptian Museum, Islamic Cairo and Khan El Khalili Bazaar

Cairo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor-Philae Temple / Unfinished Obelisk/ High Dam - Overnight in Aswan

Aswan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor-Kom Ombo & Edfu Temples - Overnight in Esna

Egypt

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor-West Bank - Overnight in Luxor

Luxor

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor- East Bank- Disembarkation

Luxor

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

From start to finish the experience was first class. Sherif managed to put a tour that was exactly what we needed. Excellent service from Mohammed and Ahmed at Cairo Airport where they made sure we had got through security and checked in as quickly as possible. Lina was our guide for Cairo pyramids and museum, very engaging tour and so knowledgeable. Ismail looked after us from Luxor to Aswan and was our tour guide. He again was so knowledgeable, friendly and funny and we learnt so much from him. The highlights were the Valley of the Kings, Karnack Temples but also mixed with many others at Edfu and Aswan that were all very different. Philae temple by boat was also very special.

Activity Reviews

Tour to Giza Pyramids & Egyptian Museum

Cairo

The pyramids or just iconic and clearly a must see. The Egyptian Museum was actually mind blowing, the amount of artifacts collected and brilliantly explained by Lina.

Quality of Experience

The whole experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Friendliness, knowledge

Transport

Comfortable and always close to hand

Nile Cruise from Luxor to Aswan- East Bank- Overnight in Luxor

Luxor

Good food and lovely boat

Quality of Experience

Scenery along the way sitting in a very comfortable environment

Food

Varied and good quality

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Knowledgeable, friendly, highest possible service

Transport

Very comfortable

Nile Cruise from Luxor to Aswan-Edfu & Kom Ombo Temples - Overnight in Kom Ombo

Egypt

We saw the temple at night which made for a variation in the experience which we loved. Seeing the temple lit up and night was incredible

Quality of Experience

Lighting of temples at night

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Knowledge, humour, friendliness

Transport

5 minutes walk to temple

Nile Cruise from Luxor to Aswan-Philae Temple / Unfinished Obelisk/ High Dam - Overnight in Aswan

Aswan

Really interesting to bring Egypt story up to date with an understanding of the dams but the unfinished Obelisk and explanation of the how they were made and transported was a highlight.

Quality of Experience

Flow of trip through history. We liked the Luxor to Aswan route for this.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Knowledge of guide again was perfect.

Transport

Comfortable and enjoyable

Thanks you for connecting us to the best guide for our trip to Jordan and Egypt.
Amman-Dead Sea-Petra-Cairo
Feb 2023
My wife and I were paired with Mr Sherif Khalil from Dunes and Beyond in February 2023, for an 8 day trip of Jordan and Cairo, Egypt. Everything went perfectly! This company is very professional. Do not have any doubts whether or not to use them. They delivered exactly as described and were always punctual. Thank you Sherif. Thank you Jad in Jordan, and Lina in Cairo, and Mohammed, our driver. The Middle East is my favorite part of the world. This is our 3rd Middle East trip, and I will be using Dunes and Beyond (KimKim) for our next trip.

Sherif and his team at Dunes & Beyond (DB) in Egypt and his associates in Jordan (Karma House Travels ) made our dream holiday come true! They were outstanding! Smooth airport assistance and hotel transfers that made us feel like VIPs. And local private-guided visits including transfers that were such a pleasure!

The itinerary was well planned as per our requests and beautifully executed! Sherif also communicated throughout our entire trip to ensure there were no issues. 

Special mention to the guides, Lina in Cairo and Muhammed on our Nile cruise.  The Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan was the highlight of our visit, with Sherif managing an upgrade to an upper deck suite. 

Special mention also to Khalil, who drove us around Jordan. Not only was he a fantastic driver, he was also our walking wiki on all things Jordan! Such a pleasure to have him for our trip!

Thank you Sherif and the team at D&B and Karma House !  

Activity Review

Nile Cruise from Luxor to Aswan-Philae Temple / Unfinished Obelisk/ High Dam - Overnight in Aswan

Aswan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport