hey all i need some help and people's opinions. i am planning to do Egypt and the Nile tour with Contiki at the beginning of 2009, i went to my travel agent to book but then she recomended me with Gecko's tour instead because she said it was heaps cheaper.

Egypt and the Nile with Contiki is $1129 for 8 days and you have to pay $250 extra for Abu Simbel. While with Gecko's their 14 dats Felucca Odyssey tour is only $690 which includes Abu Simbel and going to the Rec Sea as well. Meals are also included.
The major diffeence is the accomodation, with contiki its more superior.

i am REALLY CONFUSED right now becasue i dont no much about gecko's and how they operate. the forum wasnt much help because nobody goes one there. lol

What do people think and any advice they can give me? Has anyone travelled with gecko's before?

Thanks heaps

Geckos are the budget arm of Peregrine adventures. They run their tours in a manner similiar ,to other backpacker style rough and ready tour companies like intrepid, Budget expeditions,imaginative traveller, busabout.In Europe where the infrastructure is modern these are certainly good options but in Egypt its totally another story.

If you can handle the basic accomodation/food standards in a 3rd world country middle eastern country then you would be saving yourself some money. They tend to use guesthouses / camping component and the train is the normal class non sleeping type.
It will certainly not be as comfortable though and you might even get a totally different experience of the country all together.

If you're not a seasoned traveller you might not even enjoy the experince at all.I know of experienced backpackers who have used the other companies and after a few days even they had enough of roughing it.

This company's tour is essentially a high end tour as it uses a reputable sub-agent.So the hotels/nile cruise ship and overnight train components are of a very high standard. Its of the same standard as that used by companies like Insight(which is considered as the 1st class touring company) except that you're travelling with young people and paying around A$500 less .Insight flies their clientel from Cairo to the lower Nile both ways.

Overall its pretty good value and would appeal to the general mainsteam young traveller.

Hope that enlightens you.

NUGYEN... Iam also having this problem deciding whether to go Contiki or Gecko. Although you are forgetting although geckos tour costs $600 or something, they also have another 250EURO Fee which is paid when arrival/tour starts... Which is noted on the website and through travel agents...

Although this ovious Contiki worker says its backpacking or such for Geckos, I think that in Egypt you are not really looking at living it up or staying somewhere nice, you are going for the cultural experience so why not do as some of them do and camp? Just an idea.

Iam looking at going with 3 other girlfriends in Sept/Oct 09 and at this stage we are looking more at Geckos... Also another thing that was really ideal for us was that Geckos groups are MAX 15 ppl, whereas Contiki can be as much as 45 ppl... This will give you opportunity to enjoy things a lot easier and quicker and more personal with a guide etc.... Whereas my European Contiki Experience was waiting for the other 30 ppl to get on and off the bus and waiting for some...

Just some suggestions for you to look over as Iam currently doing.... Contiki is a great company and great ppl.... Just have to weight up your options.... Booking in advance etc you get discounts with Contiki too, mayb look into those...

A trip to Egypt will certainly be a cultural experience regardless of which company you decide to go with.I've been to Egypt twice . First time in 99 on a diving trip and most recently in late April 08 with this company.

I was also considering booking with Intrepid for 08 and had lots of discussions with workmates who had travelled with the other backpacking style companies.

This is to get a through idea of the way these tours were run and all of them mentioned that it was primarily the living/travelling conditions that got to them in a big way and they regretted their decision.Some did not like it at all and couldn't wait for the trip to end.

The important thing prior to booking with any company that conducts their operations in Egypt like a backpacking style company ,is to decide whether you can actually handle a trip living in rough 3rd world conditions.

Actually I do not work at all for Contiki, its just that I've used the product before as well as used other companies.
I have even been closely monitored for my criticism of mainly European tour operations with this company.

Contiki's Egypt is a little different as its professionally organized.

I have also used Intrepid, Kumuka, Busabout for other trips in Europe along with extensive independent travel throughout many parts of the world.

I'm just stating bare honest facts that will help out another traveller. It will be a real tragedy if you decide to book a backpacking style tour and then realise when you are actually on it that this is not that suitable or that you could not handle it for that time frame.Its important to have an idea of what you are actually signing up for.

If you can handle drop toilets where you can smell it from 100m away, create own toilet on felluca /camping segment ,basic showers which may/ may not have hot water, occasional no showers for a day or 2, disrupted sleep due to not that proper/basic accomodation(no AC,only noisy fans), don't mind using poorly maintained public transport, local food which might not be that hygenically prepared then a backpacking style tour is certainly an option.

Any holiday / overseas trip is a serious financial outlay so its definitely important to do as much research online or even better still - Communicate with people who have done the tours with the companies that you're interested in touring with to get an idea of what you are actually getting yourself into.This will assist in your decision making.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Praha335Ci,

I don't know too much about Gecko, but I do know that there are tours to Abu Simbel where you take a bus instead of flying. I would check into what the trip to Abu Simbel is. I've heard that the bus tours do not always run and are more likely to be cancelled then tours that are by plane.

One thing to keep in mind about egypt, which is much different then europe is that it is very dirty there, everything is covered in sand. So if you're camping and don't have access to proper water and showers you'll have to deal with being dirty. Also if you're going in the summer, when it's REALLY hot, you might not be able to take a shower.

Keep in mind that your version of budget might not be the same as a 3rd world countries version of budget. As Praha said, if you can deal with those things then go for it. But if you're on the fence about the budget thing then Contiki is probably the better choice for you. I LOVED my tour with contiki, the TM's in egypt are locals who are all knowledgeable about Egyptology and the Muslim religion.

The temples at Abu Simbel are certainly the highlight of any trip to Egypt. I believe most roadtrips from Aswan to Abu Simbel are approx 4.5 hour ride via local bus 1 way. Its via poorly maintained semi-paved roads as well.

So its almost 9 hours too and fro. This will severly reduce sightseeing time and also the schedules for departure vary significantly. Sometimes yes sometimes maybe no - typical Egyptian time as people who have done the tours will tell you.On my recent tour the overnight train was delayed almost 3 hours and that's the way things typically work in a 3rd world country.They don't adhere to any schedule.It just arrives when it arrives kind of thing.

A lack of showering opportunities will also severly impact on your mood for touring and add to the discomfort factor especially in summer.

On Contiki's Egypt people will also experience the lack of showering opportunities for at least 1.5 days This is due to the scheduling on the first day.

Its early start around 8ish then downtown Cairo - Museum visit; Giza Plateau- Camel ride; Perfume factory; Overnight train ( no showering facilities) Arrival in Aswan sightseeing high dam etc lunch. Its only when you arrive on the nile cruise at around 1 ish that there are showering facilities. This also got to a few people on tour and that's only for 1.5 days a 1 off time. You could tell by the body language and certainly by the body odour. Ha!Ha!

So can you imagine a situation whereby you tour in 40-50C and go without a shower for up to 2 days a few times.Its pretty hard core travelling.

I did the Egypt and the Nile tour back in June. I have never travelled with Gecko, but I can tell you that if you go with Contiki you will really, REALLY enjoy it because the tour guide (Sherif) is absolutely amazing; he's an Egyptologist, very knowledgeable and funny, and at the same time very well organized. In a sense you'll feel safe and at ease.