Middle East & North Africa Travel Agents and Reviews

Our Zicasso travel planner did an excellent job creating a wonderful itinerary for our trip. All the information we needed was mailed to us in an extensive, detailed packet. This became our Bible as we navigated Istanbul, Athens, Mykonos, and Santorini. We had so many moving parts to what we wanted to see and the coordination of over 16 car transfers, four hotels, three flights, and two ferries was perfect. The tour guides in Istanbul and Athens had master’s degrees in history and architecture and added so much to the experience. With private tour guides, we were afforded the opportunity to add some spontaneity to our daily adventures. (My husband is obsessed with European football, so we did a detour to visit the Istanbul stadium.)

The hotels were first rate and made for perfect end-of-the-day unwind locations, with great amenities. In addition, the Mediterranean breakfasts are first rate and afford you the opportunity to skip lunch and plan a dinner on your own. There were contact people in each country to easily access for support.

Our trip to Morocco, Marrakech specifically, was wonderful, starting with our interaction with our Zicasso travel specialists. They listened to our interests and wish list and put together an amazing itinerary. I highly recommend this travel company, with no hesitation.

Our driver and guide were knowledgeable, personable, and interesting, providing insight into the history and culture of Morocco and Marrakech.

Zicasso’s travel company was excellent – extremely responsive and very thorough!

These are my specific thoughts regarding Cairo:

The hotel had the best breakfast. It was really impressive in terms of service and food.

The days in Cairo were really long in terms of touring. Admittedly, I was not feeling well for the majority of the trip.

We didn’t appreciate the carpet-seller stop. They tried hard to sell to us, but we were simply not interested. I would remove this (although I didn’t see this on the original itinerary). Also, we weren’t interested in the Papyrus Institute, but felt it was being pushed on us.

Instead of carpets and papyrus, we would have appreciated the Marian apparition site that I reached out about. We would have loved to see that.

Also, there was not a food tour. We stopped for lunch at a shawarma place. It was delicious, but there was no ‘food tour’ as we experienced in other cities. We declined the dessert/ice cream stop.

We did not do the camel trip. The heat was oppressive at this point and I didn’t feel well.

Specific thoughts regarding the second half of the trip:

Our Egyptologist was amazing. He was very personable and very knowledgeable, and it really added quality to our trip. He was able to revise the itinerary, etc, when I needed medical help.

The hotel in Aswan was amazing! We loved this stop.

The Nile cruise was the absolute best experience. The staff arranged for me to see a doctor when I was sick and were so kind and thoughtful. The food and service were exceptional on this boat. We were sad to leave!

In Luxor, I would give folks the choice between dinner at their hotel or a meal at another venue. Our hotel was beautiful and I would have preferred to stay in that night rather than go out for dinner. The hotel really was an incredibly unique venue, with music and a table with a view, but the food was just okay. I think the food could have been better.

We did not do the balloon trip before we left.

It was an excellent trip! So many of the folks acknowledged our anniversary and birthday, and we are grateful for their kindness. We are very appreciative of your help and would recommend this Zicasso travel company’s services to all!

 

Zicasso’s travel agent was on the money about everything. I am normally a control freak and research everything to death, so it was tough to give over the reins. He planned it all, and I can honestly say he exceeded my expectations. The itinerary and choice of hotels was excellent. He was very responsive before and during our trip, which gave me peace of mind. We had to come home two days early and somehow our agent managed to rearrange everything last minute, creating an excellent experience. There was never pressure to do more or spend more.

Our driver was amazing. He had such a great personality, was flexible and helpful, and always on time. We learned so much from him about Berber and Moroccan culture, and Morocco in general. And he always found us good places to eat. And no, not every place has good food.

I would definitely use Zicasso’s travel company again and recommend them to everyone.

Our trip was fantastic – well beyond our expectations!

Zicasso’s travel agency did an amazing job every step of the way – planning the itinerary, booking our lodging (each place was more beautiful than the next), arranging our meals, and connecting us with a wonderful driver and extremely knowledgeable local tour guides! The logistics were seamless!

The company was extremely attentive to our needs/preferences, including incorporating Jewish history into our travels and accommodating our last-minute request to attend a cooking class in Marrakech.

The trip was the perfect combination of learning Moroccan history, being immersed in the culture, eating delicious food, observing ancient traditions and artisanry (weaving, mosaics, tanneries, making of argan oil, copper/metal work), being exposed to Islam culture, having an opportunity to shop, and a variety of hands-on experiences.

The trip organization was excellent. Despite many changes, the Zicasso tour agency was on top of all the changes and made the trip successful and memorable.

Our agent organized a climb with a guide and his team of porters, cooks, etc. I cannot recommend the guide and his team enough. They were the best I have had over the past years. I will recommend them to anyone wanting to climb Kili.

The Zicasso tour operator was friendly, accommodating, and helpful. He told us he wanted us to have the best possible trip and that nothing was too much trouble. I believe that was his intention.

For example, when the Wi-Fi aboard the cruise turned out to be very poor, our guide immediately got a data SIM for our phones. We had two guides, one for Cairo and the north and one for Luxor and the south. Both were very experienced and well-versed in their knowledge of the history of Egypt and the monuments they were guiding us through.

Our hotels in Cairo and Alexandria were entirely acceptable. We were, however, disappointed that sometimes we were taken for lunch at tour bus restaurants. It would have been much nicer if a quieter and more intimate restaurant had been selected. By contrast, in Suez, we were guests at a private social club and treated to an incredible lunch as we watched massive ships glide by so close to us. It would have also been nice to have had more information on tipping customs, since every country is different.

What a great trip! Zicasso’s tour operator and her people laid out everything so wonderfully! They were with us every step of the way. From great tours to fantastic restaurants to top-notch hotels, they planned all of it to perfection. They even had the trains planned, including the switch in Paris from one station to the other.