I’ve just returned from an excellent 10-day Signature Egypt tour with Exodus Adventure Travels - Spirit of the Nile. This is one of their new upgraded style of tours that offers enhanced touring, luxury accommodation and extra sightseeing inclusions, and it did not disappoint!

The whole tour is luxurious from start to finish. We even got a VIP arrival at the airport; we skipped the immigration queues and were whisked away by golf buggy to relax in a lounge whilst our visas were sorted and suitcases collected.

The first hotel was the stunning Four Seasons Hotel Cairo (a luxury 5★ property, they start as they mean to go on!) with great views across the Cairo skyline. The next day we were itching to get out and explore the sights and had a tour of the world-famous Pyramids of Giza and Great Sphinx, as well as the new Grand Egyptian Museum which opened 6 months ago. It may have been two decades in planning and construction but well worth it. When you’re looking at artefacts that are thousands of years old… what’s a few decades between friends!

Our guide was superb throughout, as he was clearly passionate about Egypt’s history and it never felt like he was reading a script or going through the motions. He showed us so many things that you would miss if you were just walking around on your own.

The Signature tours are a step up from Exodus’ normal tour offering, giving you even more inclusions as standard, such as staying in the very best hotels in each location and virtually every meal already covered (in fact there were only two meals in the entire trip that were not included!). They also have their ‘Signature Experiences’ – extra special moments during your itinerary, the type of things that you’ll remember forever and really enhance your holiday. 

Exodus’ most experienced guides lead the Signature Tours too, and so much thought gets put into the itineraries. For example, when we arrived at the panoramic viewpoint of the pyramids in the afternoon, there was no one else there. Perfect timing that only an expert would know!

Signature Tours also try to incorporate something a little different to every other tour in the destination. For example, on day three we ventured into the desert to go and spot whales… yes, you read that right, whales! We headed out to the UNESCO World Heritage Site where you can find whale fossils that are over 40 million years old. Certainly not what I was expecting to see in the desert.

Lunch overlooking the pyramids on day one was special, but the highlight has to be when we headed south to see the incredible temples of Luxor and boarded our dahabiya, a traditional, two-masted Egyptian sailing ship, which I can only describe as a floating boutique hotel. After the busyness of seeing everything in Cairo, it was a lovely contrast to have four nights aboard to relax while sailing down the Nile, watching the world float past us. In between relaxation, we visited local villages, explored temples, lounged in the jacuzzi, visited local families to learn about their life, with all food and drinks included and barely a whim wanting! 

Our disappointment of disembarking our beautiful dahabiya in Aswan was cushioned somewhat by stepping off the Nile directly into the Sofitel Legend Old Cataract hotel, legendary for being where Agatha Christie wrote her famous 1937 novel, Death on the Nile. Today visitors can view (or even stay in) her former suite, as well as Winston Churchill’s.

If you wanted to make this a longer holiday, I would recommend adding a beach extension after the tour at the Red Sea resorts of Hurghada or Sharm El Sheikh which Trailfinders can easily sort for you.

And do bring your appetite, as the Egyptians are feeders! The portions are large and there is a lot of great food included in the tour.