I debated mightily about writing this negative review because I tend to feel badly when reading negative reviews online. However, upon further reflection, as an avid traveler and travel writer who has traveled abroad for the past two-and-one-half years, my conclusion was that I needed to share this information as a caution for fellow travelers.

Whether other reviews (all positive) are actual I obviously cannot attest to, but it seems questionable to me that the reviews are so favorable when my experience was abominable. Perhaps I was with the company's only "bad guide."

Having dreamed of seeing the pyramids since a child, this was finally a fantasy coming true. I did extensive research before selecting this company for my pyramids tour b/c it offered a five-hour tour, not just the two-hour in and out that most other companies offered. I assumed---mistakenly---that our tour would be more in-depth, historically based, and very complete, given the length of time. NOT THE CASE.

I shall summarize as best I can the day (there were three of us on the tour, and we were all very disappointed):

1) The driver/guide arrived 25 minutes late while I stood outdoor in the chilly morning and nasty wind awaiting while ALL of other vans and buses picked up their passengers at the same location at the agreed, designated time. Muhammed the guide (driver's name unknown) never apologized for letting me cool my heels; I called him twice to inquire as to their ETA, thinking it rather odd that he had not arrived when everyone else had left quite some time earlier.

2) We were not informed that we would be walking the entire 2+ km up to the plateau...obviously, now I realize that it is part of the reason (perhaps the sole one) would be longer. Thankfully, I was wearing running shoes so it was not problematic, however, I was nursing a foot injury so was a bit concerned. One of my tour companions, however, was wearing slide sandals, and maneuvering the rocky, uneven walk was a bit treacherous. THIS OUGHT TO BE MADE clear in the trip summary.

3) Never did our guide say: okay, this is what we will do today; this is the schedule; this is the itinerary; these are the options; this is available; this is possible but will cost X pounds more. Doesn't a guide owe his clients some explanation or direction? We kept wondering: what are we doing? where are we going next? what is happening? Even as we left the pyramids to go to the plateau where the camel rides were, he told us zip.

3) The tour was nowhere near five hours (more like 3 1/2 including lunch)

4) Aside from decent information about the Sphinx (the only thing he gave us any info about), our guide told us absolutely zilch about the pyramids. I finally had to ask which was built first. Sadly, in answer to my query, "So how were the pyramids built?" his reply was, "We really don't know." That's when I realized this guy knew nothing and probably cared less. I think I may actually have known more about these ancient structures than did he. Mostly, he was concerned about how his hair was faring on the incredibly windy day. Beyond disappointed and frustrated, I was still a good sport and pleasant. He did take lots of photographs, and we definitely got the feeling he felt his job was to smile a lot, take photos, and hope for a big tip. I actually did tip him well, despite his wholly lackluster performance and lack of any "guiding". On hindsight, that was probably a big mistake, and I should not have tipped him at all.

My conclusion was either or both that he was totally new to the guide gig and that he'd only gotten to the Sphinx yet on his own Google research b/c he'd memorized a few facts about it. HE TOLD US NOTHING ABOUT THE PYRAMIDS, THE RULERS, THE PERIOD OF HISTORY, ZILCH! What a colossal disappointment!! I think there ought to be some code of ethics for these guys or some basic test they have to pass to ensure they offer some information to tourists who spend a small fortune to travel here.

4) I asked about the camel ride b/c I'd read that costs were much less if negotiated as part of the tour. He seemed to know nothing about it, and in fact made a phone call to someone (I assume someone with the tour company), which led me to finally ask: "Do you actually work for Cairo Adventure Tours?" which he answered in the affirmative. My companions were interested in a ride as well. Eventually, we got on camels but he still never gave us a price before we departed on the ride; hence, I thought perhaps the ride was part of the tour cost we'd already paid. Only AFTER we alighted our camels did he tell us the cost. It was reasonable, so we didn't quibble with the amount. BUT THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISCLOSED FIRST.

5) Only after we had already climbed up on the Great Pyramid, did he mention the location to purchase the ticket to enter it, requiring us to walk back down and some distance back to get it. Disgusted by then, I decided I didn't want to go through the exercise of crawling around all the tourists, down the pyramid and back up, and go to the back of the line again. He never offered to go buy the tickets for us, but merely pointed the direction. I realized only after getting back to my hotel after the tour that he also NEVER mentioned the option to visit the boat museum.

6) We were happy about the restaurant selection and lunch...it was as if that was what he was waiting for and shortened the tour to eat. I found it amusing when he showed us the options for sizes of koshary bowls, he tried to steer everyone to the smallest portion (knowing he'd have the extra funds to keep if he spent less). I strongly urged the fellow on the tour who was a big guy, though, to get a medium size, knowing he'd want more food.

6) After the tour, he actually phoned me at my hotel to ask me to write a good review for him. I thought this pretty 'gutsy' but said nothing that I was feeling, which was: "you really don't want me to write a review about your performance."

7) It felt like the guide was merely going through the motions with no interest whatsoever in the amazing antiquities and history lying before him in his own country. I felt sad about this...and angry at having drawn such a crummy guide for a trip that has been a dream since childhood. Incidentally, I heard similar comments from other travelers with younger guides who seem only to be doing it as 'a job' with little real interest in the history or archaeology of this magnificent country.

To the company's credit, when I wrote (not all of the above, but some of the worst aspects of the tour) to it, I got an immediate reply and offer by the office manager to take me herself back to the pyramids. However, she was in Australia at the time and would not be returning prior to my departure. She offered to cook me Egyptian food at her home, too, which seemed odd and held no appeal to me whatsoever. I wasn't in Egypt for the food...but rather for its amazing history and primarily to see the Great Pyramids. Unfortunately, she did not offer one of two things, which would have compensated somewhat for my incredible disappointment, which would have been: (1) to refund my monies (I told her I felt I'd been totally ripped off...truly, if I'd have taken a "Lonely Planet" guide and went on my own, I'd have learned far more), or (2) to offer to send another qualified guide to take me back that next day while I was still in Cairo. At that time, I informed her that I hadn't yet decided if I'd write a poor review on-line or not, and actually have debated for two weeks whether to do so. Ultimately, I opted to write this as a caution to others like myself who are interested in the history (not just having photos taken for you) and perhaps to serve as instruction for training their guides better or selecting only qualified ones.

Having had two truly AMAZING guides secured through other sources during my time in Egypt, I know that they exist. But in each case, they were older, more seasoned and well-educated guides with extensive experience (15 to 22 years) in guiding. It was obvious in the substantial difference in quality and interest.

Hence, my advice to any travelers interested in history, Egyptology, and culture is to specifically ask for a seasoned (as in many years' experience) guide. Those individuals LOVE their work, have done if a long time, and are a joy to be with because they're passionate about their country's treasures.

As an interesting side note, I happened to be with one of these fabulous guides another day on a tour to Saqqara/Memphis/Dahshur and saw the guide Muhammed (from the pyramids tour with Cairo Urban Adventures) with his clients in one of the sites. Whereas my guide was instructing me as if a teacher and had a wee flashlight along the walls explaining what the hieroglyphics meant, Muhammed was standing with his hands in his pockets saying nothing to his clients. WHAT A DIFFERENCE...I felt sorry for those folks and delighted to be learning something on this trip from my own guide.