An extensive exploration of ancient Egypt which deviates from the tourist trail as well as including its main highlights.  Beginning with the pyramids at Giza, the Step Pyramid at Saqqara and the treasures of Tutankhamun in Cairo,  the tour then travels south overland, allowing visits to some of the country’s fascinating but blissfully little-visited sites.  

Visit the early pyramids at Dahshur, Meidum and Hawara, then take a 4×4 safari to Wadi al-Hitan, a UNESCO World Heritage site where fossil whale remains have been found in the desert. Continue to the fascinating but relatively unknown Middle Kingdom tombs at Beni Hasan.

A highlight of the tour is a specially arranged visit to the pivotal site of Tell el-Amarna, where the joint Cambridge University /Amarna Project excavation team is making exciting finds. Later explore Abydos, site of the memorial temple of Seti I, and Dendera’s Hathor temple enroute to Luxor, where the tour ends with spectacular temples and the iconic tombs of the Valley of the Kings. 

This year for the first time, we are also offering an optional pre-tour to Alexandria and Siwa Oasis. Explore Alexandria’s historic landmarks, visit El Alamein, and discover the ruins of Shali and the Temple of the Oracle amidst the salt lakes, hot springs and lush palm groves of Siwa.

Highlights

• Journey from Cairo to Luxor, visiting off-the-beaten-track sites in-between the well-known highlights.
• Enjoy a behind-the-scenes visit to the Great Palace in Tel el Amarna, where Cambridge archaeologists will reveal the team’s work uncovering this pivotal site
• Take a 4×4 safari to Wadi al-Hitan and the Valley of the Whales with its invaluable fossil remains of the Archaeoceti.
• Optional pre-tour extension to Alexandria and the desert oasis of Siwa, where according to legend, Alexander The Great was proclaimed ruler of Egypt by the Oracle of Amun.

ITINERARY

The full itinerary can be found on the Temple World website.

Egypt tour