Mohamed Zaki

My wife, sister-in-law, her partner, and I had the pleasure of touring Egypt with Mohamed this February, and we spent four incredible days with him. Our trip started in Aswan with a visit to Philae Temple, followed by an early morning trip to Abu Simbel before boarding our cruise and stopping at Kom Ombo. From there, we visited Edfu, Luxor Temple, and then wrapped up with the Valley of the Kings, Temple of Hatshepsut, Karnak, and the Colossi of Memnon before heading to the airport for our flight to Cairo. Mohamed was an absolutely phenomenal guide. Having him with us truly made the entire trip. He’s incredibly knowledgeable and clearly passionate about Egypt and its history. At each site, he gave us context beforehand so we knew exactly what we were looking at, often turning it into a fun kind of scavenger hunt as we explored. Since guides aren’t always allowed inside the temples, we’d take pictures and then go back to him afterward, and he’d walk us through everything we saw. It made the experience so much more meaningful. There were so many highlights, but one of the biggest was how seamless he made everything. While other groups were waiting in line, Mohamed already had our tickets ready and got us right in. Our private driver was always perfectly on time, and he even handled meals off the boat. He was also incredibly flexible. on our last day, he managed to fit in an extra temple and took us to an amazing rooftop restaurant overlooking Luxor. What really stood out most was Mohamed’s enthusiasm. We asked a lot of questions, and he answered every one of them with patience and genuine excitement. One of my favorite moments was in the Valley of the Kings. We found a shady spot and spent about 30 minutes as he walked us through ancient Egyptian religious practices and what daily life was like for the people who built the tombs. It was just such a great conversation and stands out as a highlight of the trip. He also did an amazing job tailoring things to our interests. I was especially curious about the Sea Peoples and the Bronze Age collapse, and he actually took us to a temple where those events are depicted. He translated the hieroglyphics for us and explained not just what happened, but how it connects to the broader arc of history, even up to today. That was such a cool moment. If you’re planning a trip to Egypt, I honestly can’t recommend Mohamed enough. He made our experience so much richer and more memorable than it would have been otherwise. Thank you, Mohamed!