Osiris Tours

A Private Egypt Specialist That Reaches Across the Region

Osiris Tours designs private, guided tours of Egypt and custom trips to Morocco, Dubai, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Turkey, which the homepage says can be "seamless additions to any tour of Egypt or as stand-alone holidays on their own." Every trip is built for one party: the homepage opens with "Ancient wonders and modern marvels, timeless monuments, and vibrant culture," and promises that "The president of Osiris Tours, Mahmoud Gebril, will consult with you personally to design the perfect vacation for you or your group."

According to the About page, Gebril founded the company in 2015. He is described as a born-and-raised Egyptian with a bachelor's degree in ancient Egyptian history and tourism management from El Minia University, who spent ten years guiding tours in Luxor before emigrating to the United States in 2013 and earning a master's in business. The page says he "works only with providers he knows and trusts," so the company plans each trip and puts it together with its own guides and a set of local providers. The site's phone number is a US toll-free line, 888-688-8854.

What a Trip Can Include

In Egypt, the homepage sketches the kind of days on offer: the Great Pyramid of Giza with "your personal Egyptologist guide," Old Cairo's mosques and Coptic churches in a private vehicle with a stop for koshari, a palatial hotel with pyramid views, the Valley of the Kings, and a sail on a Dahabeya toward Aswan and Abu Simbel. Its Egypt package summary runs "from the Great Pyramids and the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities to a luxury Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan or from Aswan to Luxor."

A blog post on Aswan lists the company's favorite tours there: the Temple of Isis at Philae, Abu Simbel ("One of our most popular Egypt luxury tours"), a felucca sail past Elephantine Island and the Tombs of the Nobles, a Nubian village visit and the Aswan High Dam with its museum and views over Lake Nasser. The post explains that both Philae and Abu Simbel were moved to higher ground with UNESCO's help in the 1960s, and it promises that visitors to the brightly painted Nubian villages are likely to be offered karkade, a hibiscus tea.

The other countries get a paragraph each. Morocco runs from Casablanca and Rabat to Fes and Marrakech; Dubai includes a desert safari and Sharjah; Jordan covers Amman, Ajloun, Jerash, Mount Nebo, Petra, Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea; Saudi Arabia takes in Jeddah, Riyadh and Medina with hiking, Red Sea diving and camping; Lebanon runs from Beirut and Byblos to Baalbek, Sidon and Tyre; and Turkey covers Istanbul, the fairy chimneys of Cappadocia and Old Smyrna in Izmir.

Guides and Logistics

The About page makes one specific claim about staff: "All of our guides at Osiris Tours have degrees in ancient Egyptian history." It says travelers are escorted "from one incredible experience to another in your own private vehicle, driven by one of our dedicated local guides," that the team can arrange a foodie tour of Cairo, and that they can help skip crowds at a popular site. At night, the page says, "you'll rest easy in historic and palatial five-star accommodations."

Guest reviews, which are the company's selection, fill in the rest. One couple's December 2023 account, shared from Tripadvisor, thanks the "Osiris attendants at our flight arrivals and departures," praises the hotel and Nile cruise cabins, and names guides Sayed, Khalaf and Ahmed. Another group of 12 friends says Osiris representatives met them at Cairo airport and "took care of all visas." Other reviewers mention a 10-day and a 12-day trip and a private tour for three people "instead of a group of 25 or more." A reviewer also mentions staff "on the ground in Cairo, Aswan, Luxor and Hurghada."

The site does not say which languages its guides work in; the reviews are all in English.

Booking and Terms

Every trip starts with the Request a Quote button or a call to the president, and the site lists no prices. It also does not publish deposit amounts, payment methods or a cancellation policy; the only nod to refunds is the homepage's remark that "you may be able to refund the money for a bad vacation experience, but you can never get back the time spent." Anyone booking should get the terms in writing with the quote.

The site displays a Tripadvisor badge saying Osiris Tours is rated "excellent" by 626 travelers. The site also runs a blog written by the founder, with pieces on Egyptian food, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and reasons to visit Egypt, and a news item on new luxury trips to Saudi Arabia for American travelers.

The founder's post on planning an Egypt trip doubles as timing advice. It calls the winter months, October to April, the most favorable time to visit, with daytime temperatures between 68°F (20°C) and 79°F (26°C), and warns that summer, May to October, often brings heat above 104°F (40°C) in some regions. Because winter is also the peak season, it suggests the shoulder months of October, November or late April for fewer crowds, and it names March to November as the best window for diving and snorkeling in the Red Sea, with water between 73°F and 86°F.

Safety, Gaps and Who It Suits

The company's blog describes Egypt's security presence at tourist sites, with security personnel, surveillance and checkpoints, and the December 2023 guests wrote that fears about the conflict in Gaza "were completely overblown" for them. That is one couple's account, published by the company.

The site leaves open prices, terms, guide languages and the specific hotels used, and its general pages carry no day-by-day sample itinerary beyond what reviewers describe. It does not address accessibility.

Osiris Tours suits couples, families and small groups who want a private Egypt trip with an Egyptologist guide, their own vehicle and airport help, planned directly with the founder, and who may want to add Jordan, Morocco or another neighbor. It suits less well travelers on a tight budget or anyone who needs to compare posted prices before making contact.