Join Far Horizons for a 14-day tour to areas of Egypt that most tourists never get to see – an archaeological trip that’s truly off the beaten path.
We begin our Undiscovered Egypt tour in Alexandria, a city founded by Alexander the Great and once home to Cleopatra. It was here where ancient peoples entered Egypt, greeted by the Pharos Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
After we explore Alexandria, we move south along the Nile to Middle Egypt, where we see Meidum, an enormous pyramid built by Sneferu. We then visit the Tombs Of Beni Hassan, an ancient Egyptian cemetery, and Abydos, once the holiest site in Egypt and the burial place for the first kings of a unified Egypt.
A highlight will be spending a day with the archaeologists excavating Tell el-Amarna, the city created in honor of Aten, the sun disc god, by Egypt’s most infamous pharaoh, Akhenaten. Near Luxor, we’ll board a dahabiya, a beautifully crafted private wooden yacht, for a cruise along the Nile River.
We will dock at our leisure to examine several remarkable sanctuaries, including the Temple of Horus, the falcon-headed god, at Edfu and the Temple of Kom Ombo, dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek.
(Want to explore Far Horizons’ other upcoming tours? Browse our full calendar of Archaeology and Culture Tours.)
Depart on a flight bound for Cairo, Egypt.
Upon arrival, transfer to the Cairo Marriott Hotel, our home in Cairo, for two nights.
A drive takes us to Alexandria, located strategically on the Mediterranean Sea. This city was the capital of the Ptolemaic Dynasty, the last dynasty of Egypt, and also one of its greatest. Although much of the 2,000-year-old city is covered by today’s modern infrastructure, there is still much to see. Originally designed and created by Alexander the Great, the city became the center of Hellenistic culture. Under the Ptolemies, the Library of Alexandria – the ancient world’s single greatest archive of knowledge – was created, along with Pharos Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. This afternoon, we visit the Alexandria Museum, the Amphitheater, and the modern Alexandria Library, or the Bibliotheca Alexandrina as it was once called in Ancient Egypt. Located on a magnificent site in the Eastern Meidum Harbor, the building’s unique, modern design represent the library’s mission as a cultural hub in Egypt, with a conference center and planetarium on complex grounds. In the late afternoon, return to Cairo and enjoy our welcome dinner party. (B/L/D)
We spend the morning at the spectacular Giza plateau. After an early lunch, depart for the Pyramid at Meidum, a colossal tower-shaped structure almost 200 feet high believed to have been built by the 4th Dynasty King, Sneferu, as one of the first attempts at building a pyramid. Continue through the countryside through Middle Egypt to the town of Menya and the simple Horus Hotel, our basic home for the next two nights. (B/L/D)
Originally stretching for nine miles along the Nile, Tell el-Amarna was created by the Pharoah Akhenaten and his Queen Nefertiti for the revolutionary religion that worshiped Aten, the disc of the sun and its life-giving force of light. We will explore el-Amarna today. The tombs here contain a unique Amarna mural of Akhenaton’s daughters that are unequaled anywhere else in Egypt. Many display the activities of the royal family not in the formal attitudes of worship repeated so often in other tombs but in intimate and vivid detail as human beings engaged in everyday domestic affairs. Today, covered by a cemetery, the Great Aten Temple was roofless to allow the rays of the sun god to flow into the sanctuary. We will walk the streets of the Central City and through the Northern Palace, reputedly built for Queen Nefertiti. We will view at least one of the Boundary Stelae (marking the city limits), one of which is almost 25 feet high and covers a nearby cliff. In the afternoon, visit el-Ashmunein, or Hermopolis (Khmunu for the ancient Egyptians), the main cult center of Thoth, god of wisdom and writing and patron of scribes. (B/L/D)
Today, we will visit several interesting sites in the surrounding area. Carved into the hills along the east bank of the Nile are the tombs at Beni Hasan, dating from the Middle Kingdom. This necropolis was the burial place of military and regional rulers. The interiors of the crypts portray colorful scenes from daily life – wine-making, acrobatics, dancing, military sports – and are well preserved. There are also scenes of making flour, baking bread, weaving cloth, and even a husband and wife on their wedding night!
Time permitting, see Speos Artemidos, a rock-cut temple for Pakhet, an aspect of the lioness goddess Sekhmet. It is here that the female pharaoh, Hatshepsut, made her declaration denouncing the Hyksos and telling of her mission to resuscitate the temples of Egypt. Cut from the living rock, the temple is composed of two chambers connected by a short passageway. The outer portico is rectangular and originally had eight stone columns arranged in two rows. The rock face above the external pillars of the portico is dressed and inscribed with text bearing Hatshesput’s name. Upon coming to power, Seti altered the text to replace Hatshepsut’s name with his own and changed representations of the Queen to depictions of himself.
We also visit Tuna el-Gebel, which was the necropolis of Hermopolis, where we see the catacombs, a Late Period temple, and one of the boundary stelae of Tell el-Amarna. Continue to Sohaj and overnight at the Hotel of Life Abydos for one night. (B/L/D)
Depart this morning to Abydos, one of ancient Egypt’s most sacred ancient cities. It was the cult center of Egypt’s most beloved hero of the Osiris legend, and the lovely wall reliefs in the temples tell of this popular tale. The main monument at Abydos is the Temple of Seti I, built around 1300 BC by this pharaoh and his son Ramses II. It is especially notable for its fine reliefs, considered among the best of the New Kingdom. In the afternoon, we visit Dendera. There are many temples to Hathor, the cow goddess who presided over love, music, dance, and enjoyment, but the temple in Dendera is the best preserved. The building is richly decorated with 18 Hathor-headed columns supporting the roof of the hypostyle hall and a series of reliefs linking the traditions of Hathor with her husband, Horus. Continue to Luxor and spend two nights at the Nile Palace Hotel. (B/L/D)
Today, we will also have a wonderful opportunity to visit several of the intriguing but often overlooked Tombs of the Nobles in Luxor. These tombs, belonging to priests and officials of the 17th through 20th dynasties, offer an opportunity to see not only depictions of daily life but also characterizations of resurrection, the afterlife, and judgment. Here, we will view the depictions of winemakers, farmers, a cat under a chair, two fighting girls in the field, musicians, dancers, etc. The Tombs of the Nobles become an exclusive window into the lives of the people who lived here more than three thousand years ago. The rest of the afternoon will be free to enjoy a stroll (or kalesh ride) along the corniche or shop for souvenirs in the bazaar. (B/L/D)
After a morning visit to El Kab, continue to Esna, where we board our privately chartered dahabiya, or wooden yacht, based on designs of sailing vessels that have traversed the Nile River for centuries. Our luxurious vessel contains air-conditioned cabins, dining and living areas, along with an outdoor deck. We will be lulled to sleep this evening to the sound of the waters of the Nile lapping at the hull and perhaps awaken to the song of the Nile Valley Sunbird with its shimmering blue coat or the richly-colored Little Green Bee Eater as they forage for breakfast. We will spend three nights onboard our yacht and all our meals will be served onboard. (B/L/D)
Begin the morning at Edfu to visit the temple of Horus. This is a Ptolemaic temple and the best-preserved Edfu facade temple in Egypt. Built over 180 years from 237 BC to 57 B, it was buried beneath the sands of the desert until its excavation in the 1800s. Sail to Gebel Silsila, a huge quarry that provided the stone for all the great monuments like Dendera, Thebes, Karnak, Edfu, and Kom Ombo. The site is scattered with private chapels—there is even one dedicated to the great pharaoh Amenhotep III. Overnight onboard. (B/L/D)
Continue our sail to Kom Ombo to visit the Temple of Sobek. That is two temples in one, dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile god, and Horus, the falcon-headed god. Here, you will hear about important carved texts still visible on the walls of the sanctuary, as well as clear depictions of ancient medical instruments. In ancient times, sacred crocodiles basked in the sun on the riverbank near here, and hundreds of mummified crocodiles were found in the vicinity. (B/L/D)
Today, we sadly depart our floating home at Aswan. In the morning, visit Kalabsha Temple, a Greco-Roman Period temple dedicated to Mandoulis, a Nubian solar deity. Enjoy an al fresco lunch at the Old Cataract Hotel, majestically positioned on an outcrop of pink granite overlooking the Nile. Built in 1899, the hotel once was a rendezvous for royalty and is where Agatha Christie wrote Death on the Nile in the suite still named after her. Built like an opulent Moorish palace, it is beautifully furnished with dark wood paneling, rich red velvet furniture, wonderful Oriental and Victorian antiques, and an air of discreet luxury. Time permitting, we will visit the Nubian Museum before transferring to the Aswan Airport for our flight back to Cairo. Overnight at the Fairmont Heliopolis Hotel, conveniently located near the airport, for two nights. (B/L/D)
Begin today with a tour of the newly opened National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, which houses 22 mummies, including 18 kings and four queens. Time permitting, we will continue with a tour of the famed citadel, fortified by Salah al-Din in 1176 AD and 1193 AD, to protect the area from attacks by the Crusaders and the Ibn Toulon Mosque. We return to the hotel for our farewell lunch. The afternoon and dinner on our own. (B/L)
Early morning transfer to the airport for our flights home. (B)
