One Package Hot Air Balloon with Best of Luxor Full Day Tour

Posted By : DayTrip04318706347
Mr. Mo, who guided us, gets angry and gets upset easily if there is something he doesn't like. For example, when the additional charge is too high and we ask for more details, or when we choose the cheapest lunch. He just tries to squeeze money out of us. If we refuse, he gets angry. Please be careful.
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Posted On : 2024-05-11 19:24:36

Posted By : S8088XWnathanb
The hot air balloon ride was amazing with great views and going to the Valley of the Kings and Carnak Temple was incredible. our guide Mo was absolutely Amazing! He had so much knowledge about everything and he made the tour so much fun. He has a great sense of humor and was willing to take photos and took fantastic pictures. I would highly recommend this package. It is worth every dollar for the experience you get. Personally, if I could, I would get Mo be my guide for everything here in Egypt.
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Posted On : 2024-04-20 03:47:30

Posted By : Maeva A
Being in Luxor for only two days, we decided to book through this agency which offered an interesting package.
As for the places visited, nothing to say, the sites remain absolutely sublime. We will come back to this in detail. As for the excursion itself and its progress, we have many points to note so that you can be as well informed as possible.

1- the pick-up.
it is mentioned on the reservation page a pick up at 4:30 a.m. or 5:30 a.m. we chose 4:30 a.m. to have morning light during the flight. The day before, “Dr Mo” announced a pick-up at 5:40 a.m. No explanations but we accept without worries. Unfortunately, in addition to the pick-up delay, our vehicle arrived 20 minutes late. Ok these are things that can happen.

2- arrival at the hot air balloon

once dropped off at the hot air balloon departure point, the whole thing is relatively chaotic. No one welcomes us, we don't know where to go and many hot air balloons are getting ready to take off.
So we wait, we wait. After 20 minutes, people told us where our hot air balloon would take off. We see around us that all the hot air balloons have already taken off. Dr mo comes to introduce himself to us and because we have chosen this agency he offers us 4 photos from a “photographer”. In addition, he explains to us the reason for this delayed takeoff: the government gave approval for takeoff late.
However, it turns out that our Adventure Balloons hot air balloon was already in the sky and we had to wait for it to finish its turn so that we could board. (as a reminder, we took the first pick-up at 4:30 a.m.).
Result: 1 hour 15 minutes of waiting for a 25 minute flight (the agency announces a 35/40 minute flight).
As for the flight, the experience was superb, the pilot very friendly and the view sublime. Alas no view in the morning sun.
Once back on dry land, Dr. Mo picks us up. We are given a flight certificate and then asked to immediately write a review. We are then sent a paper document and must write down the experience in front of them. To avoid any potential tension or friction with our guide we note everything in a positive way. Then Dr. Mo wants us to do the online review directly. Not having internet, he wants to share a connection for us for the "five stars" as they say. We feel a little uncomfortable but hey... let's head to the different sites.

3 - Alabaster

During our stop at the Colossi of Memnon, Dr. Mo explains to us the origin of alabaster and tells us why this stone is of exceptional and extremely rare quality. We hit the road again (very good driver by the way), Dr. Mo takes us to a “real family” who makes alabaster. He asks us if we have time to see the 24 original families, says no and oh we're going to go see that one. He explains to us that it is in no way a tourist place. Only 100% true. Once at the front, we are faced with a decoration with naive painting. Four men are sitting at the entrance, motionless. Once we arrive, the doctor reminds us that it is better to take it here and not elsewhere. A man tells us the history of the making and gives demonstrations (very theatrical) of the making of a vase. Do not get fooled. As the backpacker's guide (which is a great reference on travel) says so well, "the prices in its shops are exorbitant because more than 50% of the price is paid in the form of commission to the guide". In addition to that "their workmanship is rather mediocre. The objects are simply polished in local workshops"
We went into the store to test the veracity. We take a vase then ask the price. stupor: $100 (!!!)
We refuse but the seller continues to wrap the vase, offers us tea (probably so that we give in) then asks what we have in our wallet. We only take out a few tickets, the seller looks at our wallet, to check if there are other tickets hidden. Total dishonesty.
We leave. Once outside, the men sitting motionless immediately begin “working” their stones again like a pretty theatrical spectacle.

4 - Valley of the Kings

Dr Mo doesn't explain much to us and pushes us to do Tutankamun's tomb for $30 each with him (already indicated on the reservation but it remains excessively expensive even though it is 360 EGP/per person). As we did not pay to see this tomb, he did not want to tell us the story as well as that of the other tombs visited. Yes he wants us to see 3 different tombs but never explains to us how they are different. We know that the guide is not allowed to enter the tombs but he did not warn us that one of the recommended tombs was under renovation and therefore partly closed (only access to the corridor). It's only once we get out of the tomb that he tells us it's being renovated. Nice. As indicated on the reservation we are supposed to spend 2 hours at the Valley of the Kings. We only stayed there for an hour maximum.
On the way back we pass by a tourist souk, many sellers recognize our guide, including one who asks him for our nationality to hand us a book in French on Egypt. Dishonest.

5 - “Hat cheap suit”

During the trip he asked us to write a review. This makes us uncomfortable again but let’s move on. We arrive in front of the (sublime) temple of Hatshepsut. Dr Mo encourages us to take the paid shuttle when it is possible to do it on foot without any worries. He explains 3/4 historical elements to us and leaves for the tourist cafeteria where he waits for us. We stay there for 30 minutes even though on the reservation page it says 1h30. At no time does he explain the details of the temple to us. The whole thing seems very scripted.

6- lunch
We then head to the meal break. Dr mo offers us an alternative. He explains to us that the Karnak temple is an hour away so he shows us another restaurant on a boat to cross the Nile and go faster. Price: $75 per person (!!!). We refuse and opt for the one hour journey. Before that we stop at another restaurant which, according to Dr. Mo, is absolutely not touristy, with fresh, authentic food.
Result, we arrive in front of the “Paris restaurant”, without forgetting the Eiffel Tower on the logo (yes you are not dreaming). Very local indeed…. We place ourselves on a sparsely populated terrace in which we find only tourists. Many buses drop off there. Moreover, the prices are much higher than any restaurant on the west bank of Luxor (3 times more expensive) with waiters who make you feel uncomfortable and touch our food to prove "homemade". Everything for a tip except that here, the intention does not seem sincere, far from it.

We take the road towards Karnak. The expected travel time of one hour magically turns into 25 minutes. The reason ? A bridge “blocked by the government” but on which we see vehicles circulating… this planned travel time was simply to encourage us to take the option of crossing the Nile and having lunch there on the boat. Nothing more.

7- the last temples

On the road to the temple of Karnak, Dr. mo introduces the question of makeup and oils in ancient Egypt. My partner and I understand that we are going to want to get into a new tourist trap. Something we refused. We just pass by the storefront whose poster and appearance do not announce anything authentic.

Once on Karnak, Dr. Mo gives us some explanations and accompanies us a little more than on the other sites. We appreciate this and then leaves us to enjoy the time alone for 35 minutes (announced 2 hours on the reservation). Unfortunately the few historical anecdotes are light and some raise questions.

He claimed that Howard Carter was a painter and not an Egyptologist (false, he certainly painted when he was young but studied to be an Egyptologist)

He claims that Ramses II never committed incest on his daughters even though he had already married one of them. When my companion said that he married one of his daughters, Dr. Mo simply said “we are not animals.” Whereas here we are simply talking about proven historical facts.

He claims that Nefertiti is the mother of Tutankhamun (false) and therefore tells us that it is a real shame that we did not get to see the tomb because the entrance to Nefertiti's tomb is probably right next to the burial chamber of the young pharaoh. You surprise me, he didn’t get his $30 per person.

He claims that Tutankhamun was a huge king (false, his legend came about thanks to the myth of the curse of his tomb, he was not a great king because he died very young)

He claims that the missing Luxor obelisk was a gift for a young woman because it was sublime. Hence the fact that the obelisk is in Paris. This is obviously false. This is a gift in recognition of the work of Frenchman Jean-François Champollion in deciphering hieroglyphs.

And when we ask questions, the answers about Dr mo are very evasive, avoiding any in-depth investigation.
All this raises questions about his real abilities to know the history of ancient Egypt.

This is why for the visit to the Luxor temple we accept his proposal to do the tour only by car (a shame for a “passionate guide” / holder of a so-called diploma not to want to visit the temple and to "go there only by car. But we accepted because we wanted to return, disappointed with this dishonest excursion. We went there alone on our own the next day) His justification for the visit by car thus allows us to "save money 'money ". Good joke. So that on the way back he once again suggests that we stop at the perfume store where he must undoubtedly receive good commissions. We obviously again refused the judgment.

In the end, an excursion which greatly disappointed us. Once again on the road we are asked to put the 5 stars in review. We preferred not to make waves during the tour in order to avoid any icy/tense atmosphere.
Future travelers, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us. Pay attention to the numerous reviews… Word to the wise.

PS: they promise to provide bottled water. It was not the case. Fortunately we had stocked up on our side.
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Posted On : 2024-03-23 14:23:41

Posted By : Journey63208674340
The hot air balloon ride was amazing!
The pilot's skills were excellent, so we were able to enjoy ourselves without worry.
Dr.Mo's tour took us to a stone shop? and a perfume shop that weren't in the guidebook, which made us suspicious at first (we had been ripped off by taxis in Cairo and the pyramid guide, so we had become distrustful of people), but it was a really nice shop, and we were able to buy some great, authentic souvenirs♪
I think Japanese people can feel safe asking Dr.Mo.
However, the Japanese guide fee, Tutankhamun guide fee, and lunch fee are all paid in cash (USD), so it's best to check in advance (we were ripped off so many times that we ended up not having enough money for the Tutankhamun guide fee...(;_;)
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Posted On : 2024-02-28 08:42:04

Posted By : henrikowitsch
Since we only had one day in Luxor, we booked this tour. The tour guide was great and the balloon ride was an absolute highlight. Highly recommended!
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Posted On : 2024-02-11 12:45:59

Posted By : rubina_r
amazing trip , our guide was the highlight and she was awesome, she had a lot of knowledge, she was a female guide and really good one
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Posted On : 2024-02-01 10:22:06

Posted By : Ale_B
Dr. Mo was by far the most unprofessional tour guide our group has ever experienced. He made several of the women in our group feel uncomfortable through his comments and awkward jokes. He also did not provide explanations for several of the tombs we visited. We essentially paid $900 USD among the 5 of us for a private driver. He is very deceptive and charged $35 per person for a 5 minute explanation, which was unclear. He claims his goal is to be an ambassador of Egypt one day to showcase the good of the country, which we found ironic as we have felt welcome and enjoyed every aspect of the trip despite our tour with Dr. Mo. When we confronted Dr Mo about the scam he got very upset and to help us with a better price, he refunded us through Viator and charged us separately. We recommend NO ONE do this tour and Viator to remove him from the listing.
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Posted On : 2024-01-20 13:24:14

Posted By : Naaila_D
The Hot air balloon experience was amazing. Kudos to those young men. P.S. I’m still waiting for my video/ photos.
However the tour that followed was something else. I was very disappointed with Dr. Mo, and I did not have the best experience with him. I feel cheated, and taken advantage of. The place he took us to get lunch was super expensive, and cost above average. I been in Egypt long enough to know that $42 USD is a lot to spend on food for two ppl. (No left overs.) it’s like the prices for everything were hiked up as if he were getting commission on everything and everywhere he took us. . Be very careful on choosing your tour guy. I felt like he didn’t put a barrier between us and the locals, who were extremely pushy and pressuring us to buy any and everything. It took away from our experience. I came to enjoy Egypt, not cure all it’s problems. I felt extremely overwhelmed and alone. We didn’t get to see the last Temple on the tour,(Luxor) and only spent 25 mins in the largest and most important temple of them all. Karnak. He’s knowledgeable, and educated, prideful and very empathetic with his peers. I get that. But he came off very sleezy. Like a snake oil salesperson. He’s very charismatic, cunning and clever. My experience with Dr. Mo honestly left a very bad taste in my mouth, so much so, that I didn’t use his services in Cairo. Beware of the King Tut tomb experience, just say no and save yourself the headache.
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Posted On : 2023-12-30 16:24:39

Posted By : Henrique_L
This was a bad experience. I have read a few bad reviews before booking this and thought it would be alright. Oh man, I regret it!
It has been my childhood dream to do a hot air balloon ride as well as visiting Egypt, so this was a well planned and thought out trip.
We booked everything ahead of time and decided to go with a higher priced experience so we can ensure and we don’t miss a thing.
Let’s start from the beginning, we chose the 4:30am option for the Hot Air Balloon ride so we can see the sunrise and I’m obsessed with sunrises and sunsets. Just imagine a sunrise at a Balloon in Egypt! Well, the night before Dr. Mo reaches out to let me know that they’ll pick us up at 6:05am. Oh man, that boiled my blood, he gave different excuses and contradicted himself saying things such as Egypt is too crowded this time of the year, or the government changed the weather conditions and also said the ride time for the 4:30am group would be reduced to 25 min and the 7am group would have a full 55min in an attempt to calm us down and convince us. My husband decided to let it go and go for 7am ride since there wasn’t much we could to do enforce them to pick us up at 4:30am.
Everything went well with the ride, however, it didn’t last 55 min as he said, but the same 25-35 min he said the earlier group would have.
Okay, let’s continue, once the ride is over they sat us down and introduced us to our private tour guide Mohammed, pretty cool and knowledgeable guy, however Dr. Mo wanted to charge us $15 per person for the Luxor Temple which was actually included in our package. We didn’t realized that was included until later on and we had to ask Dr. Mo to explain to us why we would be paying for the Luxor Temple if it was included, he said he got confused with the different packages they have. Well, I think he was just trying to get some more cash out of us, and on top of that, they would only take US dollars or EGP at 1 to 50 rate. Opposed to the standard price of the day or close to 30-31 egp per usd. The visit to the Tutankamun tomb was not included on the package and we wanted to do it, which is extra $35 per person for the guidance, however, nothing was explained and we learned almost nothing about him. I understand guides cannot go to the tombs, but $35 per person for nothing?! Plus the extra tickets. Well, just don’t book this company.
Moving on to the Hatshepsut Temple our guide sat us down at another coffee shop and gave us a lecture for about 5 minutes about it and told us he would be there waiting for us while we visit the temple. We thought that was the norm but once we got to the temple everyone has their guides and we’re there by ourselves just trying to figure out what everything we’re seeing. Called Dr. Mo and asked him to make sure Mohammed is there with us at all times to explain everything, we paid $270 and expect full attention.
After that everything seemed to be at the expected standards and it went well. Just feel like there was way too many bumps, and a constant feeling of missing out or being scammed. At the end, starting with the balloon ride at 7, instead of 4:30am delayed everything and rushed us out since we only had 1 day in Luxor and we had a transfer scheduled to Aswan at 5pm. With that being said, we decided to skip lunch and Luxor Temple because we didn’t have enough time. Finally, I don’t recommend this and like I said, stay at Sonesta St. George and book with the concierge, their customer service and facilities are amazing! Fairly priced and very attentive, up to standards. Top notch.
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Posted On : 2023-12-29 13:28:20

Posted By : 736pawank
We did a full day tour with Dr Mo including hot air balloon, valley of kings, Karnak temple, Luxor temple and a Felucca ride. Our guide was Khaled - an Egyptologist, who was the best guide we have had across our tours in Cairo, Aswan and now in Luxor. Very knowledgeable, not selling things you don’t want, quick to understand and adjust to what family wants, and kind natured. I highly recommend Khaled for your touring experience here.
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Posted On : 2023-12-28 23:56:58