ANZAC DAY 2025 - 5 day

I did the Discover Egypt and I definetely recommend it. They take care of every detail (they manage to do our PCR with the stamp that we needed). They book quite comfortable hotels and the guide and the local guides are extremely good and passionate about their work. I would repeat it!! :) ...more ...less

Wish I could rate Encounters higher! From the onset, Anthony (Ant) was professional and extremely knowledgeable, and far more helpful than I had hoped. He always had time to respond to my inquiries and never showed any sign of frustration...no matter how many times I asked the same question. Meeting Saul at the Cairo airport shows just how valuable the RIGHT travel rep is: he had us go from the gate to getting our visas to picking up our luggage and out to the waiting van in 15 minutes! UNBELIEVABLE! Saul also checked in with us almost daily to make sure everything was to our satisfaction. Our guides Big Mu and Mahmoud were fantastic in their knowledge of the sites, the history of the area and where to get the best bargains. Encounters Travel made this trip of a lifetime 100x better than anything I had hoped for. I cannot recommend Encounters strongly enough...if you have Egypt on your bucket list, like we did, book safely and securely with Encounters! ...more ...less

Amazing 2 weeks trip to India. Great organisation. Great contacts local guides and organisers. Absolutely recommend. Already thinking about next trip to India

I so appreciated the care taken by all the staff ensuring that we were well taken care of and had no problems. They were very responsive to all of our questions. The tour itself was incredible!

We had a fantastic time exploring Jordan with our knowledgeable and flexible guide, Amer. The tour was tailored to our needs, and Amer's expertise brought the country's history and culture to life. The accommodations were decent, although the first hotel in Amman didn't quite live up to its 4-star rating. However, this was a minor issue, as the tour itself was exceptional. Highlights included a full day in Petra, which was good enough time for us to explore. Wadi Rum had its own unique charm, and we appreciated the comfortable car with WiFi transportation throughout the tour. Jerash was another standout destination, and we're glad we got to experience it. Tips for future travelers: Make sure to get your Jordan Pass, as it will help you save money and time. One day in Petra is sufficient, and I recommend skipping Petra by Night, as it's not covered by the Jordan Pass. Overall, we're grateful for the opportunity to experience Jordan's highlights with Amer as our guide. ...more ...less

Northern India solo trip. Some of the hotels were past their prime as 4 star establishments. Paid a substantial amount for side trip to varanasi which was supposed to be 3 days, 2 nights. It turned out to be really 1 day, 2 nights. Plane left after 8pm and we didn't arrive at hotel until after 11pm. Had to leave at 5.30am the following day and we didn't get back to hotel until after 10pm. The following day we had to leave hotel at 8am for flight back to dehli. We could have left for varanasi in the afternoon as originally implied and left on a later flight back to dehli. Everyone not staying extra days then had to spend 6 to 10 hours waiting for their flight home.The one day in varanasi was great but I wouldn't have gone if I knew the time frame. Not worth money either. Also bus used on trip was old, bad suspension and rattled Window style was old so not very good for taking photos. My view was shared by most of the other travellers. I think the standard of travel via Encounter has dropped over the past years based on comments from some of the others. ...more ...less

I bought the package to Egypt from the Groupon on April from Chicago. Next day I received the email from the encounters travel that says they don't have a flight from Chicago available and I need to pay extra 450$ per person and take a flight from New York. Why do you advertise something you don't have? Then I called them and no one knows nothing. No one can answer any questions and help with nothing. I'm traveling a lot and this is the worst experience ever. Not definitely recommend this company to anyone. You are kindly ask to remove my review? Not even funny 🤣 . You are continuing to sell the packages that you don't have at all ! People buying it and having the same problems that I have right now. It is not easy to refund the money. I spent over 2 hours on the phone with a Groupon and now I have to wait about 10 days to get my refund 3200$ . And they said I'm not the one who doing that because of your "MISUNDERSTANDING" and for some reason you still continuing to sell it ... And "kindly ask me to remove my review" ? Tell me one good reason for that ? I gave you one star only because I can't give you the negative stars . Again thank you for your service and understanding. My review is my honest reaction and opinion on your business. ...more ...less

BUYER BEWARE Before you book anything with Encounters Travel, be SURE to read all of the fine print. This is especially important regarding their cancellation policy and the deposit you will forfeit. I didn't find that we'd completely lost our deposit until I contact the company to process a cancellation. I thought I could cancel for a full refund up until a certain point, but apparently I was mistaken. I booked a 3-night late-September boat trip at the end of May, and mid-June we realized we couldn't take it. It's been less than 3 weeks since I booked the trip and it's over 3 MONTHS until the trip will take place, so you know they will have no issue filling our two spots. Even so, we are out $250 each for our trip. They are within their rights to not refund the deposit - I should have waded through the fine print to find this buried detail. But they also have the choice to refund the deposit given the circumstances. Don't make the same mistake I did. READ EVERYTHING BEFORE YOU BOOK. Better yet, consider not booking with Encounters Travel. ...more ...less