What "small group" means on these tours
Most of the van tours state a limit: up to 12 people on the Ranco Travel tour with Tutankhamun included and on both FTS Travelss tours, up to 13 and 15 on the two OceanAir Travel tours. Ranco Travel's best-known small-group day gives no number; one reviewer mentions a group of 8. The Nice Tours tour with "small-group" in its title lists a people carrier or a coach and no limit at all.
Two details matter more than the number. The OceanAir Travel vans collect other guests at hotels on the way, so the first part of the morning is spent stopping. And the FTS Travelss tours label their vehicle "bus/coach" in the itinerary, although they sell the tour as a small group. A limit of 12 tells you how many people share the guide, not how big the vehicle is.
What the big-bus tours promise
Ranco Travel describes a modern, air-conditioned coach with comfortable seats and a toilet on board. That is the main reason to choose a coach for this road: the rest stops are where most of the extra time goes, and a toilet makes them less urgent. Both big-bus listings add that the vehicle depends on the number of bookings and can be a people carrier or a minibus. Book Tour Egypt also warns that convoy times, checkpoints or fog can make the drive longer, and that guides in languages other than English need at least six guests.
One guest on Ranco Travel's big-bus tour reports a pickup at 3:15, almost seven hours to Karnak and pressure from staff to give five stars at lunch. Other reviews of the same tour describe a punctual day without unnecessary stops. The quotes are further down this page, so you can weigh both.
Private group or private car
The Nice Tours highlights day from Hurghada and its Makadi Bay version can be booked as a private group. The tickets for Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, Tutankhamun's tomb and the Temple of Hatshepsut are in both listings. Both Nice Tours two-day tours drive you in a private car; the one with both banks of the Nile picks up at 5:00, the one that stays on the East Bank at about 13:00. Neither two-day listing includes entry fees.
Private does not always mean calmer. A reviewer on the private version of the highlights day describes a driver who spent a long time in residential areas and a schedule that was not kept. A July reviewer on the two-day balloon tour describes a cramped minivan instead of a car.
Comfort on the drive
- Sleep: some listings suggest a travel pillow; one reviewer found a minibus too uncomfortable to sleep in and would have preferred a large bus.
- Food: most tours include water and snacks on board. FTS Travelss suggests asking your hotel for a breakfast box the evening before.
- Luggage: several tours allow no large bags, and FTS Travelss also bans strollers in the vehicle.
- Toilets: the OceanAir Travel listings advise bringing Egyptian pounds for toilets at the stops.
- Heat: reviews of the OceanAir Travel tour with the 13-person limit criticise the air conditioning and seats in summer.
