Customized Itinerary: Josh & Cari from NYC

Backpacker Concierge customized an amazing 10-day private program for Josh and Cari from New York City. Their program coincided with the feast Eid al Adha, which was certainly an eye-opening experience for the duo.

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After starting in Cairo, Josh & Cari traveled almost 1000 kilometers south to what was once called "the edge of civilization" by 19th century British adventurers. Aswan is home to a large Nubian population like these friendly women below.


Josh took it one step further than the average tourist and agreed to a local shave and haircut. A bargain at $2!


Starting in Aswan, stretching all the way down to Sudan, is (arguably) the largest artificial lake in the world - Lake Nasser. The best view of the lake is from Abu Simbel, home of Ramses II's masterpiece.


In Aswan, the New Yorkers boarded our Princess Sarah felucca. They had the entire boat to themselves for a two-day/one-night excursion to Kom Ombo.


It's a little chilly in December, but remains a beautiful experience.


Our fantastic felucca crew prepared all of the meals on-board (Mahmoud, Hassan, and Luli).


Josh & Cari eventually made it back to civilization and enjoyed a guided tour of Karnak Temple with our Egyptologist Mostafa.


Backpacker Concierge works with a charming hotel on the West Bank of Luxor, the Sheherazade. As a British-Egyptian partnership, the lodging is simple, unique, and quiet. Josh & Cari spent the night and enjoyed a complimentary dinner from Backpacker Concierge here.

A twin room at the Sheherazade

The Sheherazade facade

The amazing entrance

The hotel grounds, soon to feature a swimming pool (one of the first on the West Bank)

A rugged add-on to any trip is a 2, 3, or 4 night jeep safari through the White Desert. In this itinerary, we arranged a two night program - one night in Dakhla and one night camping in the White Desert. The safari passes through Kharga where a local woman sells her hand-made baskets.


The "old" way of life still lives on in the oases.


Our safari coordinator and driver, Waheed, set up a one-of-a-kind camp for our pair in the White Desert.


Even though you're not really supposed to, Josh climbs one of the White Desert's chalky outcroppings. These monuments are scattered about the desert, making one feel like they are on another planet!


Waheed (in the upper left) invites Josh & Cari to one of the most important feasts in the Islamic calendar - Eid al Adha. This festival commemorates the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ishamel and is celebrated by sacrificing cows, goats, and sheeps and giving a significant portion to poorer individuals and families.


Customized Itinerary:
November 29 - Arrival in Cairo
November 30 - Sightseeing excursion to Giza, Saqqara, and Islamic Cairo. Overnight train to Aswan.
December 1 - Morning arrival in Aswan and free day to explore.
December 2 - Day-trip to Abu Simbel
December 3 - Beginning of one-night felucca sailtrek to Kom Ombo
December 4 - Arrival in Kom Ombo and transfer to Luxor
December 5 - Full day's sightseeing: Valley of the Kings, Hatchepsut's Temple, and Karnak
December 6 - Transfer to the Kharga Oasis to begin the two-night jeep safari. Overnight in Dakhla.
December 7 - Jeep Safari into the White Desert and overnight camping.
December 8 - Arrival in Bahariya itself and overnight in the safari camp outside of town.
December 9 - Transfer from Bahariya direct to Cairo International Airport for onward flight to Amman, Jordan.

Customized Itinerary: Doug & Sally - Seattle

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Doug and Sally embarked on a 25 day customized itinerary with Backpacker Concierge during the Ramadan 2008 season. They covered a lot of ground, including all of the Western Desert Oases, Lake Nasser and its amazing temples, and even enjoyed a 2-night excursion with the Bedouins in the Sinai Peninsula.

To commemorate Sally's experience with the Bedouins, she wrote a short story and forwarded it to us. Enjoy an excerpt:

We immediately leave the little village of [St. Katherine] and head directly off the highway into the mountains of Sinai [towards the ecolodge]. The road became sand, the ruts big enough to swallow a wild boar and dust flying everywhere. An hour of that ride and it dawned on me that the Bedouins weren’t coming into civilization with an Ecolodge along the highway, but rather we were going to them and we’d be on their turf! What an epiphany that was!

The EcoLodge consists of a compound of small round rock buildings which were clustered together and each held several, separate guest rooms. The rooms were adequate in size, stuccoed on the inside with grass mats covering sand floors. There were thin pads on the floor atop the mats. A hard pillow and a blanket made of goat or camel hair was also provided. The room had one piece of furniture, a low, round table with 2 candles laying on it for the two nights we’d be staying. This didn’t look even remotely like the Metropole Hotel in Alexandria where we’d just slept the night before. But hey, that's why we travel, right?....

As we sat at the big outdoor wooden table watching our guide leave in a trail of sand dust, the five Bedouin men tried to make us feel welcomed. They were friendly and smiling and speaking in their tribal dialect. If only we knew that language, or even Arabic would have helped. Just then, a man with a Scottish accent came round the corner of the patio and introduced himself! He looked like a vision'; a real travel angel perhaps? We quickly introduced ourselves and wondered how he had arrived and why? He told us Eric Monkaba, our Travel Planner had arranged for him to come and share an evening of astronomy with us. Can you believe that?....

[That evening,] on my mat on the floor I could see the star studded sky from an open, screened, window above me. The sky was friendly and brilliant, the room felt safe, and slowly I sank into the isolated beauty of this wondrous desert. This had been a remarkable evening and I was ever so grateful to have been included.

Press: The Denver Post

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Journalist Thom Wise interviewed us for what would turn out to be a critical analysis of tourism in Egypt. While this Denver Post article points out hardships a lone backpacker may experience in the country, he did admit by a frantic telephone call from Alexandria that he should have used our services.

"..this might be the one country in which I would suggest going on a tour, or at least finding some way to insulate yourself from the grind, the grime and the grim realities. Sitting in one of those double-decker monsters, careening down the side streets of a busy market, starts to have a certain appeal here.

"Everything is an obstacle in Egypt," says Monkaba, "as many independent travelers quickly find out. Tourists must travel (by law) in convoys between certain cities, foreigners are only allowed on a few trains each day, walking down the street can be an exercise in patience with the harassment, noise and traffic. Egypt is a great country — so much to see and do — and the people are so hospitable and welcoming . . . but it's not easy to do by yourself. Without a little help, there's a good chance the independent traveler won't see the beauty of the country.

Click below for the entire article:
http://www.denverpost.com/travel/ci_10741490?source=bb

Press: LAN Chile Airlines

One of Backpacker Concierge's very first customized clients, Juan Edwards, sent us a .pdf of the photo series he completed for LAN Chile's in-flight magazine. Captain Hassan and our felucca, the Princess Sarah, were featured in this stunning photo series.

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Captain Hassan looking very Ralph Lauren

Sunset on a felucca

http://www.in-lan.com/en/

Customized Itinerary: Francoise & Thierry

Backpacker Concierge customized an amazing 17-day private program for Francoise and Thierry from Singapore. Both are avid photographers who were wiling to travel during the hottest summer months and wake up before sunset everyday to capture their journey on film. We think the results were worth it!

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As Thierry is in the hospitality industry himself and expects a certain level of service, we put together what we call a "Backpacker Concierge: Elite" program. By working with Abercrombie & Kent's luxury cruise ships, the opulent Sofitel and Oberoi hotel brands, and pairing the adventure-seekers with Smithsonian-approved Egyptologists and guides, we put together that once-in-a-lifetime trip everyone wishes for when they travel to Egypt.

The White Desert, between Bahariya and Farafra

The Aswan Spice Market

Local color in Luxor

The majestic Giza Plateau at sunset

Francoise gives us perspective on just how big the pyramids are

A view of Mohamed Ali Mosque (inside the Citadel )from the serene Al Azhar Park

Travel Dates: June 8 - 24, 2008

Inaugural Tour with Columbia University

On March 8, 2008, fourteen MBA students from New York's Columbia University journeyed with Backpacker Concierge on an 8-night customized tour of this fantastic country!

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New cast of "The Real World: Egypt"?

We jump-started the program with an evening walking tour of Khan al Khalili, followed by a fantastic Sufi performance at Wikalat al Ghouri.


The next day, our guide Shima took us the last remaining ancient wonder of the world - the Giza Pyramids!

Eric and Jessie at the scenic lookout.

Sattish and Angela taking a break from the sun.

Later in the evening, we boarded an overnight Seater Train to Aswan, where we met our camels for a trek through the Nubian villages and onwards to St. Simeon's Monastery.

Ryan absolutely loving the camel ride.

And since no trip to Aswan is complete without a ride on a traditional sailboat (felucca), we enjoyed a local meal and some cold beers in the afternoon.


Of course we visited Abu Simbel, home of Ramses II's masterpiece.


Some of our clients prefer to stay at more authentic, local lodging. So, for the Columbia students, Backpacker Concierge arranged a private Nubian home north of Aswan.

The guesthouse by night

A little dancing to work off the amazing barbeque dinner

Sattish ... pondering life

We traveled north to ancient Thebes, now known as Luxor. In between bicycle rides through the villages and visits to the temples, we had a chance to hang out in the pool and catch some sun!

Traveling by pick-up truck is worth it when...

cold beers are waiting for you on the other side!

A few days of sightseeing later, we flew to Sharm al Sheikh for some SCUBA and snorkeling.


We rented three villas for the students with private swimming pools - their last chance to rest up before returning to the Big Apple!


Complete Itinerary:

March 8 - Arrival in Cairo, Khan al Khalili Night Bazaar Tour

March 9 - Full day Egyptologist-guided tour of Pyramids at Giza and Egyptian Museum, overnight train to Aswan

March 10 - Morning arrival in Aswan. Free morning, afternoon camels to St. Simeon's Monastery.

March 11 - Private land transport to/from Abu Simbel, afternoon lunch on felucca while en route to village guesthouse accommodation
March 12 - Private transport from Aswan guesthouse to Luxor (with stop at Edfu). Afternoon guided tour of Karnak Temple in Luxor
March 13 - Morning bike ride to the Valley of the Kings, Hatchepsut Temple, and through the West Bank villages. After a late lunch, fly to Sharm el Sheikh.
March 14 - Full day in Sharm el Sheikh for diving/snorkeling.
March 15 - Afternoon return flight to Cairo
March 16 - Departing flights to USA

Backpacker Concierge Launch!

After 4 years in the making, Backpacker Concierge is open for business!

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The Backpacker Concierge travel consultancy was founded by Eric Monkaba, a former tour leader for several of the region's largest tour operators. For years, Eric witnessed first-hand the steady degradation of product offered by the major players, as quality was being sacrificed for shareholders' returns. Not to mention, the negative impact these companies were having on the local culture and work ethic was an unfortunate side effect. Eric was left wondering, "isn't there a better, more responsible way to go about this?"

Backpacker Concierge has positioned itself as the one-stop solution for globe-trotters, whether they be true backpackers or are simply looking for more unique experiences. By actually listening to their customers, the Concierge team is able to put together a program that compliments the clients' tastes and utilizes the expertise of their expansive network of service providers.

The team recognizes and understands the apprehension some adventure-seekers may have when it comes to traveling in Egypt. And therefore, adds a personal touch to every excursion, itinerary, and experience, such as:

• free, local mobile phone and SIM card upon arrival
• an "our doors are always open" policy - call us 24/7 for assistance
• English-speaking service providers along the way

Additionally, Backpacker Concierge is only working with a select network of tried, trusted, and reliable partners, such as:

• affordable boutique hotels with personalized service
• international, non-government organizations (NGO)
  
• Fair Trade and microfinance start-ups
  
• eco-friendly sailboats for multi-day trips
• Brooke Animal Hospital-approved/supported animal owners (for camel, horse, and donkey excursions)

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backpackerconcierge@gmail.com