13+ years guiding Egypt · 34,000+ travelers served from 50+ countries · Licensed Egyptologist · Speaks 5 languages · 1,056 five-star reviews on TripAdvisor · Replies in minutes 24/7 on WhatsApp
Attar is the founder and lead Egyptologist of Egypt Day Tours, the Alexandria-based private tour operator that has served more than 34,000 travelers from over 50 countries since 2013. He is a licensed tour guide who speaks Arabic, English, German, Greek, and Spanish, and who has personally led or coordinated tours of every major attraction in Egypt, from the Pyramids of Giza to Abu Simbel and the temples of Luxor.
Attar was born and raised in Alexandria. He holds four academic qualifications from Alexandria University: a BA in English Language and Literature from the Faculty of Education, a degree in Egyptology and Tour Guiding from the Faculty of Tourism, a degree in Classic History and Philosophy from the Faculty of Arts, and an MA in Hellenistic Studies from the Faculty of Arts. He started guiding professionally in 2007. He founded Egyptdaytours.com in 2013 as the flagship of Atria for Touristic Services, a UAE-based tourism group that also operates AtriaMena, Dubai Go Tours, Cairo Airport Shuttle, and Saudi Travel Experts.
If you want to plan an Egypt trip with a small private group, a real Egyptologist, and a founder who answers WhatsApp personally, start here.
By the time I started guiding professionally in 2007, I had already spent years watching how foreign visitors saw my country. I grew up in Alexandria. My first job in tourism took me to Cairo and Giza, then south to Luxor and Aswan, and eventually to nearly every region of Egypt that travelers want to see.
What I kept noticing was the gap between what Egypt actually is and what most tourists experienced of it.
A typical week-long Egypt trip in the 2010s looked like this: you flew in, got loaded onto a 50-seat coach with strangers, raced past the Pyramids in two hours, sat through a forced carpet-shop stop on the way back to your hotel, watched a generalist guide read facts from a memorized script, and flew home thinking you had seen Egypt. You had not. You had seen the photo opportunities a Cairo tour-bus operator wanted you to see.
The Egypt I knew was different. The Egypt I knew started with sunrise at Khufu Pyramid before the crowds arrived, lingered for a real conversation with a craftsman in Khan el-Khalili, took a felucca on the Nile because the boatman was an old friend, and finished with grilled fish at a Stanley Beach restaurant that no TripAdvisor list had ever heard of.
I founded Egypt Day Tours in 2013 to give travelers that version. Small group sizes (4 to 8 people, never 50). Licensed Egyptologist guides, not generalists. No commission-driven shopping stops. Real itineraries built around what you actually want to see, not what is convenient for a coach driver.
Thirteen years and more than 25,000 guests later, that is still the company I run.
Education (all from Alexandria University)
That last MA matters: Hellenistic Studies is the bridge between Ancient Egypt and Ptolemaic Alexandria. Attar can guide a Roman-era amphitheatre in the morning and a 4,500-year-old Pyramid in the afternoon, in the same language and with the same source-text fluency.
Licensing
Trained as a licensed tour guide through the Faculty of Tourism at Alexandria University. The training is the prerequisite for the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism guide license.
Languages
Attar guides and corresponds in five languages at professional level: Arabic, English, German, Greek, and Spanish. This is unusual breadth for an Egyptian tour operator and lets him work directly with travelers from across Europe, the GCC, and Latin America without a translator.
Operating record
Egypt Day Tours has operated continuously since 2013 from offices in Alexandria. Current customer base: 34,000+ lifetime travelers. TripAdvisor: 5.0/5 from 1,056 reviews. Past 12 months: 1,127 bookings and 3,210 guests.
Behind Attar is a team that has grown with the company. Egypt Day Tours is not a one-person operation. The back-to-ship guarantees, the same-day WhatsApp replies, and the 1,056-review TripAdvisor record reflect the work of a 20-plus-person team across guides, drivers, customer care, and operations.
Operations Manager and Partner
Working language: English
Ahmed runs the operations side of every Egypt Day Tours itinerary: logistics, hotel coordination, vehicle dispatch, and on-the-ground problem-solving. Multiple TripAdvisor reviews credit him by name as the planner who builds the perfectly balanced itinerary. When Attar is not reachable on WhatsApp, Ahmed is.
Senior Tour Guide
Maro is recognized for engaging storytelling, deep knowledge of Egyptian history, culture, and local traditions, and the kind of friendly, personable approach that turns site visits into real connections. He guides across Egypt main destinations and is a frequent reviewer-name on TripAdvisor.
Senior Egyptologist
Working languages: English, Spanish, French
With the company since 2013. Specializes in Alexandria and Cairo programs and is known for combining professionalism with warmth, detailed historical explanations with a welcoming approach. Multiple recent TripAdvisor reviews credit Sarah directly, including from solo female travelers and French-speaking groups.
“Our entire trip was organized by Egypt Day Tours, from start to finish, everything was extremely well planned and smoothly executed. Sarah, who guided us during our days in Cairo and Alexandria, was outstanding. Thank you to Ahmed and Sarah for making our first trip to Egypt unforgettable.”
“We had an unforgettable 15-day private tour of Egypt covering Cairo, Alexandria, Sharm El Sheikh, a 3-night Nile cruise from Aswan to Luxor, and Hurghada. Special thanks to Ahmed for crafting a perfectly balanced itinerary.”
“I booked a private two-day Cairo tour with Egypt Day Tours (pyramids, sunrise camel ride, GEM, then museums and mosques). My guide Sarah was knowledgeable and pleasant. As a solo female traveler, I felt safe throughout the experience.”
“Mina our tour guide was fantastic. He was very informative, kind, great photographer and helpful. We did a 3-day private tour with Egypt Day Tours and it was well planned, we saw the main sights and learned so much. Highly recommend booking with Egypt Day Tours.”
The fastest way to reach me is WhatsApp. I keep the inbox open more or less around the clock, and during Alexandria daytime hours my typical first reply lands within a few minutes. Outside those hours, you will usually hear from me or someone from the team within an hour.
If you prefer email, I read attar@egyptdaytours.com daily and reply within 12 hours, often faster.
My working hours: Cairo time is GMT+2 year-round. I am typically online Sunday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time, with WhatsApp coverage on Friday and Saturday too.
Yes, for the pre-trip planning. You will exchange WhatsApp messages with Attar to scope your itinerary, dates, group size, and any specific requests. On the ground in Egypt, you will work with the senior Egyptologist Attar assigns to your trip, and he stays reachable on WhatsApp for any escalations during your visit.
It depends on dates and on which region you are visiting. Attar personally guides a limited number of trips per month, typically Alexandria-based itineraries and premium full-Egypt programs. For other trips, you will work with one of the senior Egyptologists on the team. Either way, the itinerary and standards are his.
During Cairo daytime hours, typically within a few minutes. Outside those hours, you will usually hear from Attar or someone from the team within an hour, and never longer than 12 hours.
Five languages at professional level: Arabic, English, German, Greek, and Spanish. He guides and corresponds directly in any of those five without a translator.
Yes. For premium itineraries (10+ days, luxury vessel selection, multi-region custom routing, or VIP service), Attar personally manages the planning and often joins key portions of the trip on the ground.
Trip planning resources: Plan your Egypt trip · What is always included · Cancellation policy · Egypt FAQs · Contact
From Nile cruises to desert safaris, every trip is built around what you want to see.
Attar and the team also specialise in private Egyptologist-led visits to the Grand Egyptian Museum.