I have just returned (10/17/21) from this tour. Our guide and Egyptologist Dena, was the best and an expert which made the trip extra special !!! Everything flowed seamlessly, and if there were any hiccups along the way, they went unnoticed. We did appear to have a few changes from the original itinerary, but it was due to an Egypt Airlines change, not Smartours. The hotels, cruise, transportation and all meals were top notch. Our group size, was perfect at 14, and made it easier to get in and out of places than traveling with a larger group. I never felt unsafe. We traveled with armed security everywhere in Cairo and police also appear to be everywhere. Everyone is super friendly! Some vendors can be pushy, but a simple "no thank you" or "la shokran" will usually do the trick in most cases. I wished we had more time to spend at Khan Al-Khalili Market - an hour is not enough and you barely scratch the surface. I am sure there are many who may say it's too much time, but there are plenty of cafe's to sit and people watch if you are not a shopper. . Of course when you travel with a group of 14, everyone has their own idiosyncrasies, likes and dislikes and there were different comments from different people, but this girl LOVED the trip and nothing happened to the point of complaining about it. Besides, my days were filled with amazement and awe, Verklempt at the immensity of the history we were surrounded with everyday to complain about anything but the heat (and there isn't anything anyone can do about that)! I am still in AWE! I will travel with Smartours again, as was the opinion of everyone else on the tour who wasn't already on their 8th or 10th trip!! I met some AMAZING friends who I will travel with again. Thank you Smartours for giving me everything I hoped and dreamed of!!