14-Day Itinerary to Israel with Unfrequented Destinations

Zicasso’s travel specialist worked very hard in putting our trip together, a trip of a lifetime that was perfect from beginning to end. The coordination and logistics—with tours, flights, hotels, drivers, and experiences—that really should have been impossible to do due to the conflict and peace talks, making everything changing, were handled perfectly.

Our tours were excellent and our hotels were first class, as was communication with guides, drivers, and the travel company any time we visited Egypt, Jordan, and Israel. We were not only shown the wonderful historical sites, peoples, and cultures, but also a Christian pilgrimage following Moses and Jesus. We never could have dreamed of such a wonderful trip and experience. We still have to catch our breath and say, Wow, that was great. People we share our experience with are so very interested and enthusiastic hearing about all the things we did, saw, and experienced, and you see the excitement in their faces and how amazed they are that we could experience so much in one trip.

Zicasso’s travel specialist more than lived up to the many favorable reviews the company has earned. He was receptive and responsive to my requests and used the considerable input I offered to create an itinerary that translated my goals into an itinerary that was flawlessly executed. The drivers and guides assigned all were excellent, and the pampering we received from our arrival to our departure made all of our travel comfortable and seamless.

We were treated to some VIP extras that elevated our experiences and when we encountered a problem onboard the river cruise part of our trip, he and his staff were able to address them on short notice and on a weekend. It is perhaps conventional to tell a customer one is available 24/7, but that truly was the case with the travel company. When circumstances warranted altering the planned itinerary, it was accomplished deftly. This flexibility was much appreciated and truly helped make our trip even more memorable than initially anticipated.

We have friends who expressed their envy at our trip plans and their desire to visit Egypt. My wife and I certainly will share with them our thoughts and views about the wonderful services the travel company provides.

Our recent trip to Egypt and Jordan with Zicasso's tour operator was extraordinary! From start to finish, every aspect of the journey was meticulously planned and executed, leaving us with a wealth of cherished memories and deep appreciation for the cultures and historic sites in these incredible places!

The quality of our guides made for a very special experience. Each guide was passionate in sharing their knowledge. The itinerary was well crafted, balancing sightseeing and cultural experiences. Our transportation was seamless and accommodations were conveniently located and impressive. Our trip with this tour operator exceeded our expectations.

Zicasso’s tour company provided us with a truly unforgettable itinerary and travel experience across Egypt and Jordan. From start to finish, the team of airport assistants, Cairo representatives, drivers, and tour guides handled every detail with professionalism, making for a completely worry-free vacation.

The guides were not only friendly and engaging, but also deeply knowledgeable, enriching our trip with fascinating historical insights. All of our accommodations were excellent and the Nile cruise was a particular highlight. An exceptional experience in every way!

Largely, we had an amazing time and really appreciated many people going out of their way to make it amazing for us. Here is everything we have to share:

Positives:

Guides: Our guides were largely a bright spot. One guide was excellent and having a female Egyptologist also helped us feel very comfortable. She was excellent as a photographer and had many interesting stories to share. We loved her best of everyone who worked with us. Our other guide I also thought was an excellent guide and, overall, I really enjoyed him. It was only the photos thing that I did not like. Otherwise, I thought he was very kind, flexible, and knowledgeable. I really loved that he’d give us a very thorough tour, then free time to explore and a very clear meeting point.

Special Event: As honeymooning couples, there were many spots where our guides really tried hard to make it special for us. We really appreciated this thought and care, and we came away very happy with our experience.

Hotels: The hotels were mostly all lovely and great choices (with one exception, as below).

Nile Cruise: We felt the river boat was extremely pleasant and the staff were very kind and thoughtful from the first minute we boarded. They took extremely good care of us and were very sweet.

Support Team: A member of the support team, as well as everyone we communicated with online via a messaging app and the Zicasso portal, was truly excellent and very accommodating with almost every single request. Even my minor negatives below, if ever brought up, the team was very receptive to listening to the feedback to fix it mid-trip or for future guests!

Negatives: Overall, very minor! But, these few things could make a big difference in the future!

Promotional Images: One of our guides initially asked us if he could take a photo of our group with the company sign for promotional purposes. Although we’re a bit shy, we agreed to avoid confrontation and wanted to help the team. However, this turned into him asking to take upwards of five to 10 photos and, sometimes, videos of us daily. Then, after the trip, he messaged multiple times asking for these photos and videos. While we sent some, we’re not comfortable with being an advertisement and wish he had been a little more understanding. The more he asked, the more uncomfortable we became, and we still feel a bit uncomfortable now.

Early Flights/Days: Before the trip, I mentioned that it was a priority for us to be able to eat a relaxing breakfast in our hotels prior to early flights. I was assured they were able to move flights to later so we could eat at our hotels, but every single day we were brought to the airports quite early and given "breakfast boxes." This is fine for some, but for us, it wasn’t what we expected/hoped for based on conversations with the team.

Tourist Traps: Although we learned partway through the trip, there were many requests by the guides to take us to "tourist-trap-type" stores and restaurants. This was worst in Jordan, but happened a couple of times in Egypt as well ("papyrus workshop," "stone workshop," etc.), where goods are sold at high premiums, with likely guide commissions. In general, I would have had a much better time if guides were able to point us to more inexpensive souvenir options. One that was recommended to us later in the trip by our guide was the shop inside the Egyptian Museum, which we found very reasonable and nice. Other options like this would have been great!

Jordan Guiding: Our experience in Jordan was very different from Egypt. In particular, our guide was not ideal. He did a few things that bothered us. He was a chain smoker and every single opportunity to stop, even if we didn’t want to stop, he stopped to smoke. He would often smoke with one foot still in the car, but technically mostly "out of the car." The car was fully black above the driver's seat so it was obvious this was common. He would talk to us even outside of the car and be constantly smoking and blowing smoke in our faces, which was extremely inappropriate. His English wasn’t very strong, so he wasn’t able to tell us too much about the area. On the day of us going to Petra, he didn’t even come to the hotel to help us get settled or take us to the ticket office. We could easily handle it, but I wonder if the company even knows we didn’t see him that whole day. He took us to a lunch restaurant on our arrival day that felt like a tourist trap, was expensive, a buffet, and didn’t cater to our dietary restrictions, despite us asking ahead of time.

Our hotel at the Dead Sea did not have the best customer service. They were rude checking us in, provided inaccurate time assessments, delayed in providing us our breakfast boxes in the morning, delaying our trip to the airport, and there were similar delays when ordering food within the hotel (besides their dinner buffet, which came with good food and good service). If you have other hotels you partner with along the Dead Sea at this price point, I would consider sending more customers to your other partners.

Overall, our experience was excellent and five stars, without a doubt! These minor things are just to help guide improvement and we really can’t thank the team enough. The trip was truly magical. We've had many friends from home ask for the trip details and I've shared your information!

I loved my trip to Egypt and Jordan, planned by Zicasso's tour company! The tours were well run, the guides were fantastic, and the history and scenery were absolutely breathtaking. Every day brought something beautiful and unforgettable. Highly recommend!