How to book your Egypt tour: what the quote must state, how to pay and red flags

What should the quote and contract state?

The price should list every item you are paying for, so you can compare two quotes line by line. Ask for the following in writing:

1. The exact company name and address, and a contact you can reach on WhatsApp or email.
2. The dates, the hotels or ship named (or “or similar” with a stated standard), and the cities.
3. What is included: transfers, guide, meals, domestic flights, and entrance tickets.
4. What is excluded: tips, drinks, visa fees, optional tomb or pyramid tickets.
5. The currency, the total, the deposit, the balance due date and the payment method.
6. The guide’s language and the maximum group size.

Entrance tickets are a common gap. The Ministry’s Giza Plateau page says the area ticket does not cover the Great Pyramid, the Pyramid of Khafre or the Pyramid of Menkaure, so a “pyramids tour” may or may not include going inside. Ask which tickets are in the price. Experience Egypt says entry tickets can be bought at the door or online, so a fair quote should say whether the seller pays them or you do.

What do site entrance fees look like in a quote?

Entrance fees are set by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, not by the company, so two honest quotes should agree on them. The table lists what to look for on each Ministry page we opened on 29 October 2026. The Ministry publishes the figures in the local currency only, so we show none: read the page, and use the table to understand a quote, not to price your trip.

Vehicle fees are charged on top at many sites: the Ministry pages list separate fees for a car or taxi and for a bus. If a quote says “all entrances included”, ask for the list. If it says “excluded”, ask for the total you should budget, stated in US dollars.

Which opening hours should the day plan respect?

A day plan should fit the sites’ opening hours, so check each stop against the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities pages. The table lists the hours we found on 29 October 2026. The Giza Plateau page and the Great Pyramid page give different hours, so ask the seller which one the plan assumes.

If a plan puts a temple visit at 7:30 and a second site straight after, you can see how much time each stop gets. Early-opening sites let a plan start before the heat builds, but only if the pick-up time allows it. Ask for the pick-up time on every day in writing.

What should you ask about the guide and the vehicle?

Ask for the guide’s name, the language of the tour and the maximum group size, and keep the answer with your confirmation. Experience Egypt says multilingual tour guides are available throughout Egypt for private and group tours of museums and of archaeological and cultural sites, and that small or private tours can use vans, cars and other tourist vehicles.

The vehicle matters at Giza, where the Ministry page lists vehicle fees by vehicle type: car or taxi, micro-bus, coaster and bus. Ask whether vehicle fees are in the price.

How can you protect your payment?

Use a credit card where you can, and keep every receipt. The US Federal Trade Commission explains that under US law you can dispute a billing error on a credit card, that your written dispute must reach the issuer within 60 days after the first bill with the error was sent, and that you can withhold payment on the disputed amount while it is investigated. The FTC page does not describe equivalent rights for debit cards, wire transfers or cash. Rules differ by country, so ask your own card issuer what applies.

Agree the deposit, the balance and the due date before you pay anything, and make sure each payment gets a written receipt that states the amount and the currency.

How do you spot a fake travel site or offer?

The US Federal Trade Commission gives three warning signs. A “free” holiday that asks you to pay fees or taxes first is one. A premium package at a deep discount that you cannot find anywhere else is another. A look-alike email that appears to come from an airline or hotel you know is the third, and the FTC says it is not from the real company.

Its protective steps are simple. Type the company’s web address yourself instead of clicking a link in a message. Search the company’s name with words like “scam”, “review” or “complaint” before you accept a deal. Do not pay by wire transfer, gift card or cryptocurrency, because the FTC treats a travel site that demands one of them as a scam sign. If you meet a scam, report it at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

Which transport should the quote name?

A quote should say how you travel between cities, because the options differ a lot. Experience Egypt says domestic flights take about 60 minutes to most destinations and are sold by EgyptAir, Nile Air and Air Cairo. It also says trains offer first class and sleeper cars. Ask for the mode, the departure times and who books the ticket for each leg.

What should you ask about a Nile cruise booking?

Ask which ship you will sleep on and which cabin category you are paying for, not only a star class. Ask the sailing days, the number of nights and which temple stops are in the plan; Edfu and Kom Ombo are often stops on a Nile sailing. The CDC Yellow Book notes a risk of norovirus on Nile cruises, so good hand hygiene helps. Our comparison of a Nile cruise and a land tour covers the choice itself.

What should you confirm in the final week?

1. Check your passport expiry and your visa choice against the entry rules. Our entry visa guide sets out the fees.
2. Print or save the booking confirmations, the contract and the receipts, and keep a second copy in the cloud.
3. Carry photocopies of your passport, visa and flight ticket, kept separate from the originals. GOV.UK says police check ID often and that a copy is accepted.
4. Confirm the museum plan. The Grand Egyptian Museum sells tickets for one date and time slot, so ask which slot your day plan assumes.

Which special dates and extra tickets should the quote mention?

Two items catch buyers out. At Abu Simbel the Ministry lists a standard foreign adult ticket on most days and a higher one on 22 February and 22 October, when sunlight crosses the main hall and lights the innermost statues. If your dates fall on either day, check that the quote uses the right fee.

At Philae the Ministry lists a foreign adult ticket and a separate temple panorama ticket. At Karnak the inclusive ticket covers the temple and the Open Museum, while the Mut Temple is a separate ticket. Ask whether the quote includes these extras or leaves them for you to pay at the gate.

What are the red flags?

• No office address, or an address you cannot match to the seller’s name.
• Selling only through unverified social media pages or messaging apps.
• Pressure to pay in full by bank transfer or cash before you receive a written quote.
• A price far below every other quote, with no list of what is included.
• A website that sells visa help at a high mark-up. GOV.UK says visa agents often charge more than the 30 US dollar official price and you do not need to use one.
• A “free” holiday that asks you to pay fees or taxes first, which the FTC lists as a warning sign.

What entry paperwork should you sort out yourself?

Keep passport and visa matters in your own hands, even if the seller offers help. GOV.UK says your passport must be valid for at least 6 months after arrival and have at least one blank page. The official digital visa on arrival at Cairo International Airport costs 36 US dollars from 1 August 2026, according to GOV.UK, which also lists 30 US dollars on arrival at approved airports, and says e-visas are valid for up to 3 months. Experience Egypt gives the e-visa portal as visa2egypt.gov.eg. If a quote includes visa handling, the line should state the fee and who applies.

What should you know about photos and dress before the day?

These are not quote items, but they help you plan. Experience Egypt says personal photos are allowed at archaeological sites, and indoors only with the flash disabled. It recommends light, loose cotton clothing and comfortable shoes for archaeological sites, and modest dress with covered shoulders and legs at places of worship.

Who do you contact if there is a problem in Egypt?

For tourist complaints the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities lists a hotline, 19654, and a complaints email, shakawa.mta@mota.gov.eg, on mota.gov.eg. For urgent matters the tourist police number is 126 (Experience Egypt, GOV.UK). Contact your hotel reception first for problems during your stay, as Experience Egypt advises.

What does a good quote not tell you?

A quote shows what you pay for. It does not show service quality. Read recent reviews on sites the seller does not control, ask for named guides’ languages, and ask for a sample day plan. When you are ready to compare real routes, start with our Egypt tour packages or send a brief through plan my trip.