4 Days in Luxor with Dendera and Esna Included

Beware of getting scammed by friendly guide!

I organised 2 weeks of tours through this company. On our first leg, through Luxor and valley of kings etc, we were having such a fabulous time with our guide until we learnt that he had taken us to places that totally scammed us and which he would have received a kickback. After that, we had a difficult time trusting anything he had to say, and it made us question everything that had happened prior. To the companies credit, when they found out, they forced the operators to refund our money and we got full refunds, either that, or they refunded us from their own money. But, it had already done the damage unfortunately. I organised the entire trip, yet, every male guide and the operator of the company continued to address my friend (a male) and tell him he had to “get me into line” - to which he responded, you have to talk to her - she’s the one who has organised everything and if you need to resolve something, you do it with her - I’m tagging along on her trip. I had made clear during the booking process that I was not interested in any animal related things, I.e donkey rides/ horse rides/ camel rides etc. yet, on 2 occasions they showed up with a horse drawn cart with a severely dehydrated and poorly looking horse. The vendors then appeared aggressive towards our guide when I refused to take said horse. We did not enjoy being put in such situations not once but twice and I felt sorry for our female guide who had to deal with up to 6 aggressive men to explain. These things should not happen. And lastly, they basically bully you into providing a 5 start review while you are there with them. I made it pretty clear I had no intention of giving them a 5 start review due to the scamming situation, but after they owner provided a refund and an additional “bird watching tour” to say sorry -I was basically forced into providing. A 5 start review review on the spot, as was my friend. So while those reviews exist - this is a honest review of everything else that occurred while on this trip. There were a bunch of other frustrations too but a year on, I can’t remember most of them, it all this is etched into our memories, and sadly detracts from what would have been an awesome trip otherwise.

Response from the operator: Thank you for sharing your feedback. We are genuinely surprised and saddened to read this review almost one year after your journey, particularly given the detailed five-star review you published immediately following your trip. We do not wish to challenge how you feel today, but for the benefit of future travellers reading this review, we believe some important context should be provided. In your original review from August 2025, you openly described the shopping incident and the pricing discrepancy. You also stated that as soon as Rady and Mohamed became aware of the situation, we took immediate action and ensured that you received a full refund. You further mentioned the complimentary bird-watching experience we arranged and described our response as demonstrating “excellent customer service and commitment to guest satisfaction” and our company’s “integrity and dedication to customer care.” That remains exactly how we remember the situation. The shopping issue was unacceptable to us, which is precisely why we intervened immediately. Odysseys Voyage did not financially benefit from what happened, and once we became aware of it, our priority was to protect our guests and resolve the matter. We are particularly concerned by your statement that you were “bullied” or “forced” into leaving a five-star review. We would never want any guest to feel pressured to leave a particular rating. We may invite guests to share their experiences, as many tourism businesses do, but reviews should always represent the guest’s own opinion. We also take seriously your comments regarding animal-related activities and communication being directed toward your male travelling companion. Your preferences should have been respected, and we will continue reinforcing this with everyone representing our company. What is difficult for us is that your original review was already extremely detailed. It openly discussed the negative shopping experience rather than concealing it, praised your Egyptologist’s knowledge and enthusiasm, and described our handling of the problem as professional and a demonstration of our integrity. We therefore had no indication that you considered your overall experience to be as described in this new review. Nevertheless, we respect your right to reassess your experience with time. No journey is perfect, and when something goes wrong, what defines a responsible travel company is how it responds. In this instance, when the problem was brought to our attention, we acted immediately, secured a full refund and provided an additional complimentary experience in an effort to make things right — facts which were documented in your own original review. We remain sorry that, a year later, these experiences have left you with a different impression of your journey. We wish you and your travelling companion all the very best. Odysseys Voyage Team

via Tripadvisor