Reviews
GUEST REVIEWS
EXCELLENTTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We recently completed the 12-day Pyramids and Valleys tour with Horses and Hieroglyphs and had an amazing time. For people like us that like both horseback riding trips and visiting archeological sites and museums, this was the perfect combination. Visiting Ancient Egypt sites this was wonderful. Everything was well organized and the pace of the trip was nicely balanced. Annmarie was always attentive to our needs and spent time with us in Luxor as well, for many dinners and more. The portion in Cairo and the Giza area was very interesting and the hotel facing the pyramid was comfortable and offered very good service, as well as a nice terrasse with a unique view of the pyramids. Do ask for a room with pyramid view, it is worth it! The horseback riding around the great Pyramids is one of these "bucket list" items we are happy to have done. The perspective is fantastic. The other rides in that portion of the trip, in the Abusir area, are a rider's dream. The desert there is the perfect playground for riders. You can gallop with the great horses from the partner stable and enjoy spectacular views at the same time. We arrived a few days early in Cairo and got to do this twice. It was worth it. We also spent a full day at the GEM thanks to our early arrival, which is recommended if you are interested by that superb museum. Our guide and driver in Cairo were very nice and friendly. In Luxor, home of Horses and Hieroglyphs, we enjoyed a more relaxed pace. With 8 nights in the area, including two separate nights of camping in the desert, you get to enjoy the sites, the riding and have time to relax and do fun boat trips on the Nile and more. The riding guides were all very nice and took great care of us. The horses we rode were so calm and easy to ride, yet also energetic enough to burst into nice canters and gallops when we asked. As commented by another person earlier, I had the pleasure of riding Angel during my stay, and she is a real gem. Walks and trots fast, responds quickly to any request and is just a joy to ride. The desert camping was a nice element of the stay. The team that takes care of the camping is well organized, very friendly and their cook is great. We had there some of the best meals of our trip. Annmarie took great care of us, and her team did an amazing job to make us enjoy every moment of our stay. We added the Aswan extension to the Pyramids and Valleys, as we wanted to see Abu Simbel. We did not regret it. The Abu Simbel temple is far and to get there is a long drive, but it is very impressive and unique. Our stay in Aswan was nice, and the hotel in the Nubian Village is nicely located and the service there was very good and the rooms nice and clean. The boat ride on the Nile in that area was one of the highlights, with our visit to Philae Temple and our "extra" lunch at the Old Cataract Hotel, where Agatha Christie used to stay while in Aswan. We recommend Horses and Hieroglyphs for any riding trip in Egypt you may consider. They are a small team, and this guarantees you an amazing and personalized service from A to Z. Annmarie and Ganun are great hosts and their team will welcome you with open arms.Posted onTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Magnifique balade nature, avec un guide très sympathique. Les chevaux sont beaux et bien traités. Ils les guérissent. Débutant, j'ai beaucoup appris. Je recommande. Nous sommes venus en bateaux par nous même, très facile.Posted onTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Magnifique moment avec « Mo » un amoureux des chevaux qui les sauve et s’en occupe pour leurs redonner une bonne santé. Nous avons fais une balade de 2 hs et ce fut un merveilleux moment. Découverte des cultures agricole. On a même goûter la canne à sucre !! Baignade dans le Nil avec notre monture. Une magnifique balade tranquille tout en respectant sa monture. Merci à eux pour leur accueil chaleureux et leur gentillesse.Posted onTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Had the best time riding with Horses & Hieroglyphs in Egypt! I did the full day ride in Luxor which was such an amazing way to see the countryside, desert, and temples and also the ride to the pyramids in Cairo was 100% worth it. The guides were top notch and the horses were so great to ride and very well taken care. Highly recommend checking out this company! I hope to come back and do the multi day ride one day.Posted onTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Did a 7 day trip with Horses and Hieroglyphs that included time in both Giza and Luxor. Overall, it was amazing! A great balance of riding and sight-seeing that packed a lot in. Riding was super-fun. We had some lovely Arab stallions for our rides near the pyramids and some good desert gallops. In Luxor, we rode the horses that Annemarie and Gnun have rehabilitated who were wonderful as well (I rode Angel, who lived up to her name). In Luxor we rode everywhere - in the street, in fields, in the desert, to ruins… a really special way to see the area. The riding was relatively fast as our group was only experienced riders, but the staff seemed keen to cater to all ability levels and checked in to ensure we were happy with our horses. The sight-seeing was great. The Grand Egyptian museum was incredible, and the various temples were as well (I especially liked the Valley of the kings). We always had guides and drivers taken care of. The accommodations were simple but clean and in amazing settings (in Giza we were RIGHT by the pyramids and in Luxor the hotel had a beautiful courtyard for meals and relaxing). The food was great as well - fresh and plentiful and varied with lots of fruits and vegetables. Annemarie was great deal with - she joined us for multiple meals and checked in with how things were going. She also arranged several extra excursions for us in addition to the airport pick-ups/guides… and even surprised us with a special hotel “pick-up” on the last day. As a woman travelling alone, I felt safe and taken-care-of on this trip, and automatically had company with the other riders. At the same time, when you see the huge tour buses, you realize how nice it is to be in a small group and have some flexibility. Plus, seeing things on horseback was really unique. If you are on the fence, just go for it! Truly a once-in-a-lifetime kind of trip.Posted onTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Amazing place! Annemarie is a perfect host, her horses are extremely well kept and the guides are all super friendly and kind. I would definitely recommend coming here when in Luxor - best part of our trip!🐎✨Posted onTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. A wonderful adventure of a holiday. The amazing sights of Egypt are completely magnificent, and seeing some of them from horseback is even more special. Riding around the Pyramids at Giza was amazing - it allowed us to get a different perspective on them from a distance, cover more ground, get away from the crowds, and have some fun desert canters at the same time. The tour then organised us a trip to the GEM which is brilliant, and a bit of time soaking up the busy mayhem of Cairo. Our time in Luxor was great with a mixture of rides through sugar and banana plantations, out into the desert, and around local villages (one thing to note is that the riding was more urban than I was expecting, but when you're there you appreciate this is unavoidable given the location of the stables, and there is still plenty of riding in more open spaces in the desert etc). The one night out in the desert camp was really lovely. Riding pace was generally fast, but our guides were receptive to those who asked for things to be changed depending on preference and ability. The tour organised an excellent and knowledgeable guide to take us round the main sights in Luxor, so you definitely have time to see the important things there as well as ride. We also had some delicious dinners and a lovely evening boat trip on the Nile. The whole team were friendly, good company, responsive and helpful. Would thoroughly recommend.Posted onTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. This is an extraordinarily well-planned horse riding and temple touring journey throughout Egypt from Cairo to Luxor! From the moment our journey began, every moment was filled with activity and adventure. Our accommodation in Cairo was clean and modern with an excellent restaurant on the roof overlooking the Giza pyramids, which are walking distance away. Galloping around the pyramids on beautiful Arabian horses is a bucket list experience. Superb guides and transportation to the new museum of Cairo are also part of the experience before we boarded our flight to Luxor. Now the journey really begins with all kinds of fun extras I wasn’t expecting! Our hotel is exotic in architecture, with inner gardens, a pool, comfortable rooms, covered outdoor eating areas, and provides excellent breakfast, lunch, dinner menus. The stable owners, Gunin and Annemarie, both bring something special to the experience! All the horses are either rescues or were born at the stables, and Gunin trains them all. I enjoyed watching him, as the sun set into the evening, training a new horse. Annemarie is the organizer and she is a specialist at making every moment one to remember. Even picking us from the hotel was turned into a completely fun experience; firstly, with a horse and carriage, a TukTuk, and then she blew me away when I walked out of the hotel to find camels waiting for us. The horse-riding guides are superb! Not once did I ever feel that I wasn’t being looked after and to this point I must add: from the very secure excellent rider to a beginner, Annemarie has the right horse in mind for you! All the horses are very well trained, and well matched to the rider. Between riding adventures, we toured the archeological sites such as the Valley of the Kings, Karnak Temple, and Luxor Temple, with a highly trained Egyptologist. This is the experience of a lifetime and you only have 1 life! So, go! Thank you, Annemarie and Gunin! If you want to see some highlights, checkout YouTube channel: Equine Escapes: Trekking and Dressage AdventuresPosted onTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Horses & Hieroglyphs provided a perfect riding holiday. Annmarie and Ganun are wonderful and accommodating, and the horses are so well-loved.Posted onTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. If you’re wondering if you should book this tour-book it! I just got back and am still glowing from this trip. H&H does an amazing job at creating an environment where you are safe, while also experiencing a literal adventure of a lifetime! I can’t say enough good things about my experience and would relive this wonderful trip a million times over! Anne Marie, who runs H&H is super organized and easy to contact with questions. The flow of the tour and all of the tour guides couldn’t be better. I had so much fun in a trip of lifetime. I was hoping for something amazing and it was well over delivered. Also they’re super flexible and helpful if you have things you want to do outside of their tour, options for people who don’t ride. They also have a wonderful variety of horses (rescues!) to chose from to match with riders and they are all super well taken care of and wonderful to ride.
EXCELLENTVerified Great solo sunset ride with horse resuce I had a great time riding with Horses and Hieroglyphs. They are a horse rescue in Luxor. I signed up last minute, but they were able to accomodate me and I ended up having a solo 2-hour trip. My guide didn't speak much English, but we had a fun time nonetheless and he encouraged me to trot quite often as I got more comfortable. The tour goes through neighborhoods and fields on the West Bank. I also chose to go at sunset, which was quite beautiful and I would recommend. The owners also helped me arrange a car to/from the ride, and also helped me find a place for dinner.Posted onVerified Fantastic riding vacation I had a brilliant time. The horses were wonderful, the accommodation was delightful, food was delicious.Anne Marie was a gracious host.I highly recommend everything about this.Posted onVerified Luxor, Pferde und Sonne - zum Zweiten Nach meinem ersten Aufenthalt in November 2025 hat es mich erneut nach Luxor zu Horses & Hieroglyphs gezogen. Ich wollte die Gastgeber und natürlich die Pferde wiedersehen und mich erneut in den Sattel schwingen. Und erneut wurde ich nicht enttäuscht. Das fängt einfach bei der Kommunikation an. Annemarie organsiert einem einfach alles, was man möchte. Fahrer von Hurghada nach Luxor und zurück? Kein Problem. Eine Empfehlung zum Schwimmen mit Delfinen? gebucht. Reiten am Strand am Roten Meer? Check, organisiert sie. Und in Luxor gab es am stall ein herzliches Willkommen, verbunden mit netten Überraschungen, wie das Abholen mit Kamel zum Stall vom Hotel. Individuelle Wünsche werden wann immer es geht, berücksichtigt - egal, um welche Aktivitäten es sich handelt. Und nach wie vor werden Pferde aus unzumutbaren Zuständen gerettet und aufgepäppelt. Die Zeit und Fürsorge, die das kostet, ist immer wieder herzzerreißend schön, mit anzusehen. Ich werde wiederkommen.Posted onVerified Great riding and impressive sights Horses and Heiroglyphs put on such a great week for me, would highly recommend! The riding was very varied, with urban city / village areas, green sugar cane and banana plantations and the wide open spaces of the desert allowing for lots of gallops. The horses were well cared for and in great condition, really fun rides. The team were friendly, accommodating and good company, and open to suggestions for changing horses, routes, ride speed etc based on our preferences and abilities. One thing to note is that the riding was more urban than I was expecting in Luxor, but when you're there you appreciate this is unavoidable given the location of the stables, and there is still plenty of riding in more open spaces in the desert etc. Seeing some of the ancient sights from horseback gave a really amazing different perspective. We also were taken around all the other important sites (GEM, Karnak, Luxor temple, Valley of Kings) by an excellent guide, so nothing was missed out! Accommodation was a bit basic in Giza (I had a bedroom with no windows) but seemed to be on a par with what is available, and was very lovely in Luxor in a beautiful guesthouse with courtyard garden and pool and nice rooms. The food was universally brilliant - we were taken to some great restaurants and had some delicious home cooking. Over all, a really fabulous trip!Posted onVerified Breathtaking Wintertime Horseriding in Egypt January in Denmark is dreary and I had been dreaming of going on an active vacation in north Africa for over a year. I felt a tad rusty in horseriding and worried about Egypt (never been to a Muslim country as a solo female traveller) but I could not have chosen a better experience than Horses and Hieroglyphs. I did a bit of research about Egypt, made sure to exercise over Xmas, but I could not believe that the trip was happening till I was standing in the hotel lobby in Cairo. And it was a blast from day one. After sleeping for bare 5 hours due to delayed plane arrival, the gallop around the pyramids of Giza was simply breathtaking. The pyramids are stunning, no image can communicate that, and seeing them from horseback is the *right* way. I felt like Napoleon. The weather was just right at 20c, the haze over the city filtered its noise and contours away from the pictures, the horses were forward going and desert amazing. The guide was knowledgable and expert at taking videos in gallop! The first ride set the standard for the rest of the trip, with one great experience after another. In Luxor, Annemarie had a surprise prepared for us every day, from a new type of ride, to new riding routes and tightly packed schedule of monumental locations. I loved the serenity of the desert at night, the milky way passing over us like the goddess Nut, and the beautiful carpeted tent with horses whinnying behind. The sunrise ride through irrigated fields amidst the waking town in view of dozens of hot airballoons is not to be missed either! And of course I am not doing justice to the monumentality of the temples and brilliance of colors preserved after thousands of years in the tombs and covered porticos of the open-air sites. The only thing I wish for it that I could have stayed longer! Annemarie is a fantastic organizer, responsive to needs and creative with all arrangements (I asked for a tour of the pre-Aswan flood zone on my additional day and I got it together with an authentic egyptian breakfast, which is not what you get in the hotel :). I loved being in the middle of a village life with famous sites at our fingertips, so I could choose whether to inspect mudbrick houses and jewels in the bazaars or get rest at the swimming pool (and yes, we swam in January!). Out hotels were lovely in both locations, food was delicious (one had to exercise discipline!) and the horses were exceedingly well cared for. When I close my eyes now, I still bask in the glow of the desert dusk. I am now very good at taking selfies in the saddle; I miss my travel companions and I am totally ready for another trip! If you are hesitating whether this is the right choice, go book your trip now :DPosted onVerified Perfect Ride in Luxor for Intermediate/Advanced Riders Annmarie and Ganun, the owners of Horses & Hieroglyphs, are wonderful and accommodating. They worked with each rider to match them to a compatible horse, and were flexible in making each rider comfortable with the rides. I spent 6 days/5 nights with this group and we got to ride about 3 hours per day, and when we weren't riding, we saw many of the local sights. We were a group of 4 people and typically rode with 2 guides. The atmosphere was fun and light, and our group, who largely didn't know each other before this trip, got along very well. Overall, I can't recommend them enough. The horses are rescued and so very well loved. I will absolutely return for another ride.Posted onVerified Couldn’t have been a better experience I originally booked my tour solo, but a friend later joined. We also connected up with a couple of other solo women. I say this because anyone thinking about going, but concerned about being solo-don’t be! Anne Marie who runs H&H is extremely well organized, accommodating, and easy to contact with any extra questions. I had the most amazing time. I was expecting and hoping for fun and adventure, but never in my dreams could I imagine it would be so fun and such an adventure in the best way. The sites chosen to visit, the horses (rescues!) available to ride are lovely (they have a variety to match with your riding abilities) and the tour guides were all so so lovely and go the extra mile to make sure you have a good time! The flow of the tour was perfect and we packed a lot in-I can’t imagine trying to organize it all myself-plus having the super great guides along the way was paramount to having the experience I had. This is a top number 1 pick for me for anyone looking for adventure, fun and to be immersed in an incredible place of history. I cannot say enough good things and I am just so happy I came on this tour. If you’re thinking about it-do it! I’m so glad I did!Posted onVerified I left part of my heart ♥️ in the Luxor desert… One of the most unforgettable and memorable trips to Cairo and Luxor with Horses and Hieroglyphs 🙏🏻 this is my second trip with the team and already after the first one I knew I had to absolutely come back! And I will come back again! Traveling with H&H I didn’t need to worry about anything - the high level of flexibility and service mindedness and most importantly a feeling of coming home to really close and caring friends! I absolutely loved my first trip in March 2025 and returned in Jan 2026. Easy communication, great hospitality, all extras and change of plans are possible. But most importantly - I have never experienced the feeling of being so connected with myself, the horses and the desert, where we were camping 🏕️ It is a once in a lifetime experience, even if you are new to riding as I was. When I first arrived last year, before that, I only sat on a horse once for 30 mins.. but with the great matching of the rider and the horse, that the team does, almost individual approach to especially new riders and patience, I was cantering in no time. It’s truly an amazing way to spend your vacation! The team was kind and friendly, sharing their culture and traditions, inviting to be part of this mysterious land, food was delicious, the hotel very authentic and cozy. I am generally not a fan of visiting the same place twice, but I would in a heartbeat go back! ♥️ here you always feel welcome, as a dear and special guest and friend, and not just as another tourist.. thank you 🙏🏻Posted onVerified Trip of a lifetime I just returned from one of the most unforgettable trips of my life—experiencing Cairo and Luxor by horseback was more fulfilling than anything I could have imagined. We rode past ancient temples, tombs, and the pyramids- through living history. There is something very surreal about feeling your horse’s footsteps on the same ground where civilizations stood thousands of years ago. The light alone deserves its own praise. The desert camping was magical. A night under the stars and silence that felt sacred. During the rides, we rode through banana fields and tall sugar cane, alongside farm lands full of daily life, where people waved and called hello as we passed. It felt intimate and real, not staged or curated. The Gem Museum was stunning, the history overwhelming in the best way, and the people we met everywhere kind and so welcoming. This wasn’t just a sightseeing trip. It felt like being allowed to step into the rhythm of Egypt. If you ever have the chance to experience Egypt on horseback, take it. It is a way of traveling that slows you down enough to truly see, feel, and remember. There are too many people to mention by name but they went over and above and made our trip so much fun! I will carry this trip with me for a very long time.Posted onVerified Great riding adventure through Egypt Horses and Hieroglyphs did a wonderful job planning out a weeks worth of riding and sight seeing. We got to experience both the history and culture of Egypt. The guides were great and the food was yummy! We met great people within our group and saw so many amazing things throughout the countryside and cities.
Have you ridden with us? We'd love your feedback!
