Notes from the Nile — the Sawa blog
Private Tour, Group Tour or DIY in Egypt? Four Ways to Tour Egypt Compared — Private guide, big-bus package, small shared departure or going it alone: compare the cost, flexibility, company and logistics of four ways to tour Egypt. (November 2, 2026)Is Sawa Tours Legit? Who Runs Sawa, Who Runs Your Tour, and How to Check — Is Sawa Tours legit? Sawa is a marketplace matching travellers with licensed Egyptian tour operators — nothing is charged until four travellers confirm. (October 28, 2026)How the GoAhead Works: Sawa's Four-Traveller Confirmation, Step by Step — Reserve free, pay a 10% deposit only when four travellers have joined, and the balance two days before departure. How Sawa's GoAhead works, step by step. (October 25, 2026)How Egyptian Tour Operators Can Fill More Departures: Selling and Operating on Sawa — Shared departures for Egyptian tour operators: pool travellers onto your unfilled dates, confirm at four, and keep your brand, licence and margin. (October 25, 2026)Can You Visit the Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum in One Day? — Plan the Pyramids of Giza and Grand Egyptian Museum in one day, with an hour-by-hour itinerary, ticket guidance, costs and insider tips. (October 23, 2026)Why Tour Operators Cancel Under-Filled Departures (and What It Really Costs) — Why under-filled Egypt tour departures get cancelled, what each cancellation really costs, and how pooling bookings changes the economics. (October 17, 2026)How to Calculate a Tour's Break-Even Group Size (With a Real Giza Costing) — The break-even formula for group tours, worked through on a real Giza day tour: fixed costs, per-traveller costs, discounts, and why the minimum group size should sit above break-even. (October 14, 2026)Why Egypt Group Tours Get Cancelled, and How to Book One That Will Actually Run — Why Egypt group tours get cancelled for low numbers, how late it can happen, and how to book a departure that is more likely to run. (October 12, 2026)What Is a Shared Departure? How It Differs From a Normal Group Tour — A shared departure is one tour on one date, pooling travellers from licensed Egyptian operators with one guide, one vehicle and one fixed price. (October 9, 2026)How to Check an Egypt Tour Company Is Licensed (and Why It Matters) — A legitimate Egypt tour company holds a Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities licence (Law No. 38 of 1977) and ETAA membership. Here's how to check a company's licence in about ten minutes, for free. (October 7, 2026)Abu Simbel Sun Festival 2026–2027: Dates, Timing and How to Go — The Abu Simbel Sun Festival falls on 22 October and 22 February. Timing, where to stand, crowds, and how to get there from Aswan. (September 29, 2026)Fayoum in a Day from Cairo: Meidum, Hawara, and the Problem of Getting Between Them — Getting to the Fayoum is easy. Getting between Meidum, Hawara and Lake Qarun — sixty kilometres apart with no public transport link — is the part that catches people out. (August 15, 2026)