Your trip only
costs you when it's real.
Sawa was built to end one specific disappointment: paying for a group tour that never actually runs. So we made the rule simple. You reserve your seat for free. Payment only becomes due when four travelers confirm the same date and the GoAhead lights up — a deposit then, the balance before you travel. If the date never confirms, you pay nothing. No card is charged and no hold is placed. All prices are in euros (EUR).
Confirmed means confirmed. Four travelers on the same date is what confirms it. From that moment we don't cancel it for low numbers — if someone drops out afterwards, your trip still runs.
Reserve free
Taking a seat costs nothing. We never capture payment while a departure is still forming — you're simply holding your place in the group. Never more than twelve. Ever.
Pay at GoAhead
The moment a fourth traveler joins, the date locks and your deposit falls due, payable by secure link — not a minute before. The balance follows before you travel, on the date shown on your confirmation.
Never charged if it doesn't run
Every date has a deadline to reach four travelers — 30 days before departure on a multi-day package, 7 days on a day tour, and always shown on the departure before you reserve. Miss it and the date is canceled automatically, you're emailed, and nothing is charged — there was never anything to refund. No fee, no fine print.
From reserve to refund, step by step.
Total transparency on every stage of a booking — because the whole point of Sawa is that you never wonder whether your trip is real.
You reserve a seat — €0 EUR taken
You pick an open departure and reserve. Reserving a seat costs nothing. No card is charged and no hold is placed, and no money leaves your account. You can cancel anytime while the group is still forming.
The group fills in real time
You watch the seat counter climb as travelers from across Sawa's operators join the same date. You'll get an email the moment it's one seat away.
GoAhead — the date locks, payment begins
When the fourth traveler joins, the departure is confirmed and the operator is notified to run the tour. Only now does payment become due: a deposit on the per-person price you saw — 10% on a day tour and 25% on a multi-day package — with the balance due before departure. If the date confirms within 30 days of departure, the full amount is due at confirmation. Your exact figures and balance date are shown before you reserve and on your confirmation.
It never fills? Auto-cancel, nothing charged
If the deadline passes without four travelers, the date is canceled for everyone. No card is charged and no hold is placed, so there is nothing to release. You're free to join another departure.
Nile Cruise · Luxor to Aswan
Example dates · led by a licensed operator
You travel with licensed Egyptian operators — never a stranger.
Sawa pools travelers, but the tour is always run by a real local operator licensed by the Ministry of Tourism. Before any company can list a departure, we check the things that actually keep you safe — Sawa never lists freelancers or unregistered entities, as open marketplaces often do.
We confirm registration with the Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities before a single seat is listed.
Operators carry the passenger and liability insurance required to run guided tours.
We ask for references and evidence of past operation before a company can list. We do not publish traveler ratings.
If anything goes wrong on the ground, you reach Sawa support — not just the operator.
Going alone, together.
The travelers Sawa was made for often can't or won't travel Egypt entirely on their own. A confirmed group changes that — here's what you can count on.
A real group, every time
You never set out alone. A Sawa departure only runs with at least four confirmed travelers and a local guide.
Clear itinerary up front
You see the full day-by-day plan, meeting points and what's included before you ever pay.
Support you can reach
WhatsApp, answered 24/7, and a named contact for your trip, from booking to the day you fly home.
The protection part, answered.
If your question isn't here, the full FAQ covers booking, changes and on-trip details.
Read the full FAQNot before GoAhead — the moment the fourth traveler joins your date. Payment then comes in two parts: a deposit at GoAhead (10% on a day tour, 25% on a multi-day package) and the balance before departure. If your date confirms within 30 days of departure, the full amount is due at confirmation. Until GoAhead you've reserved for free, and you can cancel with one click. All amounts are in euros (EUR).
The departure auto-cancels at its deadline and you owe nothing. No card is charged and no hold is placed, so there is nothing to release. We'll suggest similar dates that are closer to confirming.
Once a date is confirmed, our cancellation schedule applies — it's set out in section 13 of the Terms, and an operator's own schedule applies only where it was disclosed before you reserved. Before GoAhead there is nothing to refund, because nothing is charged: you can cancel free, any time.
An operator registered with the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities licensed by the Ministry of Tourism and registered with ETAA — named on the departure. Sawa coordinates the group and your payment; the operator delivers the experience on the ground.
Payments are processed by tab.Travel, a PCI-compliant payment gateway built for the travel industry, and Sawa never stores your full card details. Nothing is charged before your trip is confirmed — the payment link is only sent once your date reaches GoAhead.
Reserve free. Pay only
when it's real.
Find a departure that's forming, take your seat, and watch the gold dot light up.