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Excursions in
Egypt

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Temple of Edfu

One of the best preserved treasures of Ancient Egypt, the vast Temple of Edfu is an essential stop whether you're travelling between Luxor and Aswan by land or on a Nile cruise. Located in a West Bank town of the same name, roughly 80km south of Luxor, the temple was built in the Ptolemaic era, over a period of roughly 200 years up to 57BC, on the site of a smaller New Kingdom temple. Dedicated to Horus, it is a near contemporary of other exceptional sites such as Philae and Kom Ombo, making this a vintage age of Egyptian invention. There are several striking aspects of the temple, beginning with the immense main pylon through which visitors enter, its walls vividly decorated with spectacular reliefs and the main door bookended by falcon statues representing Horus. Entering the temple and exploring its various chambers and alcoves, this theme of wonderfully intact reliefs, inscriptions and calligraphy is maintained. The recognisable icons and imagery that sweep across the interior walls tell an evocative story of Ancient Egyptian customs and history, virtually unmatched elsewhere. There are two interior hypostyle halls, and the most important chamber is the Sanctuary of Horus, with its atmospheric, polished-granite shrine still in situ. Even for those feeling slightly “templed out” after exploring Luxor, Edfu is unmissable.

Kom Ombo Temple

Situated snugly on the East Bank of the Nile, just outside a small agricultural town that bears the same name, the Temple of Kom Ombo is unique in paying equal homage to two separate gods, both with their own dedicated half of the complex. The western portion is dedicated to Haroeris, or “Horus the Elder”, while the eastern half celebrates the crocodile god Sobek, whose image in relief is equally recognisable and atmospheric as the falcon Horus and the jackal Anubis. Astonishingly, the temple is completely symmetrical along its main axis, which splits twin entrances, two shared hypostyle halls and separate sanctuary chambers for each deity. Dating from the Ptolemaic period, like so many of Egypt’s classic sites, Kom Ombo is not one of the larger temples on the regular circuit, and can be comfortably explored in an hour to ninety minutes. Highlights include the well-preserved friezes and reliefs, again split down the middle to represent both gods, and some impressive, highly photogenic papyrus-shaped columns. There is now a Crocodile Museum next to the main temple site, housing close to 300 mummified crocodiles, and for many visitors, the temple really comes to life when illuminated by moonlight after dark. All of the major cruises visit, some during the day and others by night, which unfortunately means its riverside location acts as both a blessing and a curse, with numerous vessels docked in front of the temple at virtually any time of the day. For those transiting overland between Aswan and Luxor, a visit to Kom Ombo is usually combined with a stop at the Temple of Edfu.

Downtown Cairo Food Tour

A walking food tour allows you to really engage with the local people and fully immerse yourself in the lively streets of Downtown Cairo. You'll mingle with locals, learning about the diverse Egyptian culture and sampling some of the most exquisite local delicacies, including Egyptian sausages, Koshari and taamiya. Not only do you get to sample a wide variety of dishes, but you also go behind the scenes to learn how some of these dishes are made. This immersive experience into the Egyptian culture is definitely worth including during your stay in Cairo.

Women of Egypt Food & Shopping tour

This specialist tour celebrates diversity through culinary exploration and shopping, offering a unique experience that focuses on the remarkable women behind Downtown Cairo's vibrant food scene. Through curated stops at female-owned restaurants, the tour highlights the personal and professional journeys of culinary trailblazers from diverse ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds. The experience also extends beyond food, inviting you to discover female-owned local brands that showcase Egyptian culture and traditions while contributing to the economic empowerment of women and preserving Egypt's rich cultural legacy. This half-day tour significantly enhances your understanding of Egypt, taking you beyond its past and into its future.

Unguided Walking tour of Cairo Mosques

For those eager to get inside some of the city’s mosques, there is an easy route that we would recommend in combination with a visit to the Citadel. The unguided walk starts at a square called Midan Salah Al-Din just below the western side of the Citadel. The square is actually a 15 minute walk from the Citadel despite being a stone’s throw away, as you have to wind down the eastern side so a short taxi ride may be recommended if you’re coming from the Citadel itself. To the north-west of Midan Salah Al-Din are the mosques of Sultan Hassan and Rifa’i, similar in outward appearance although almost 600 years separates the two buildings. An often overlooked mosque in the same square is that of Mahmoud Pasha, certainly smaller than its immediate neighbours but still worthy of exploration since it bears the evocative ablaq style of alternating hues of stone on its exterior walls. Walking west from Midan Salah Al-Din along Sharia As-Salbiyya, your eventual destination should be the Mosque of Ibn Tulun however a couple of notable distractions reveal themselves along the way. The first is the twin legacy of the Khanqa (a hostel for monks) and Madrassa left by Amir Shaykhu. The two buildings lie on opposing sides of the street yet have almost identical outward facades and courtyard style interiors. In theory all but a handful of mosques in Egypt are open to tourists and non-Muslims for free. Avoid visiting on a Friday or known holy-day, and it is realistic to pay a small “bakhsheesh” to the guardian who will let you in, and look after your shoes whilst you explore.

Mosques of Islamic Cairo

Make time to get inside some of the city’s oldest and most interesting buildings as you explore the evocative streets of Islamic Cairo. Cairo isn't a city short on mosques, and the views across the skyline from any elevated vantage point reveal countless spires and minarets clawing skywards beyond the urban fug of the teeming streets. Yet for many visitors, this is as close to the mosques as they get. Those that do make the effort to get closer are justly rewarded, for there is no quicker way to leave the dust and hassle of the city behind than to step inside one of these serene havens. Within easy reach of the Citadel lies the unmistakable double façade of the Sultan Hassan and Rifa’i mosques, which at first glance seem like part of the same structure, so similar is their outward appearance. However, while only the thinnest of paths separates the towering walls of these two mosques, so does over 500 years of history. Although the Sultan Hassan Mosque opened its doors to worshippers in around 1360, the Rifa’i Mosque was not built for another 550 years, designed to stylistically complement rather than oppose its neighbour. Both are exquisite in their conception and completion, the tiniest details of the intricately marbled floors and painstakingly carved mashrabiyya woodwork a marvel to the eye. Not far away is the stunning Mosque of Ibn Tulun, one of the oldest but most beautifully composed mosques in the Middle East. The structure is essentially a wide-open plaza that is the perfect antidote to this cramped city. With its distinctive spiral minaret inspired by the Great Mosque of Samarra, the complex feels almost suspended in time.

Old Cairo

A tour of Old Cairo provides the chance to see some of the relatively little known but fascinating Christian and Jewish heritage of the city. The Copts (Coptic Christians), thrust into the limelight in 2012 with the election of their new pope, are an ancient Christian church whose language is the only descendent of the language of the Pharaohs. The Hanging Church is one of their most impressive constructions, built over a Roman gatehouse, with the nave situated directly over a passageway. As well as the dramatic setting, the interior holds an assortment of treasures, from ancient icons to delicate frescoes and impressive marble columns. The nearby Coptic Museum is home to many important artefacts, some 15,000 of which are on display and help to unveil the story behind this little-known Christian church. You can also see the Ben Ezra Synagogue, believed to be built on the spot where Moses was found in the bulrushes, a reminder that Egypt has a surprisingly prominent role in both Jewish and Christian history.

Cairo Citadel

Perched above the old city and containing a treasure trove of intriguing mosques and museums, the Citadel is one of Cairo’s most recognisable landmarks. Construction of the fortifications was commenced by Saladin in the 12th century, and many of the walls, gates and towers date back hundreds of years. In the time since, it has been regularly modified and enhanced, while being variously used as a base for military garrisons, a seat of government and a home for assorted Sultans. Today, its main purpose is as a tourist attraction. The most renowned site within the Citadel is the Muhammad Ali Mosque, built in the 19th century by one of Egypt’s most revered (and sometimes reviled) rulers. Constructed in the Turkish style, partly to wipe out any evidence of Mamluke influence in Cairo, the design was based on Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia, which is easily apparent from the outside. Inside, there is far more glitz and glamour than in your average mosque and it’s often very crowded with visitors. Despite this, the mosque is well worth a visit, and there are great spots outside to capture sweeping, panoramic photographs of Cairo. Other potential stopping points are the Al Gawhara Palace and the Military Museum, and an excursion to the Citadel combines well with a visit to the Khan El Khalili and Islamic Cairo.

Grand Egyptian Museum

Poised on the Giza Plateau within sight of the pyramids, the Grand Egyptian Museum represents a bold new chapter in the country’s custodianship of its ancient past. Designed as one of the largest archaeological museums in the world, the GEM’s striking modern architecture – all sharp lines, warm limestone and soaring internal spaces – serves as a dramatic counterpoint to the timeless monuments on the horizon. Inside, the scale is equally impressive: vast, light-filled galleries have been purpose-built to showcase Egypt’s most iconic treasures with the clarity and reverence they deserve. The full Tutankhamun collection will, for the first time, be displayed in its entirety, allowing visitors to follow the boy king’s story through over five thousand objects, from exquisite jewellery to the famous golden funerary mask. Beyond Tutankhamun, the museum’s thematic approach brings coherence to Egypt’s long history, with masterpieces drawn from across the country presented in spacious, meticulously curated halls. One of the GEM’s most arresting features is its monumental Grand Staircase, lined with towering statues and architectural fragments that rise in procession towards the glass façade. As Egypt’s new cultural flagship, the museum promises an experience that is at once scholarly, elegant and overwhelmingly awe-inspiring – a fitting gateway to the ancient world.

Memphis

Memphis is important for its past role as the capital of Ancient Egypt for nearly 1,000 years, and the city for which Saqqara was the royal necropolis. It was also the spiritual centre for the worship of Ptah, the god of creativity and art. The great temple to Ptah forms the heart of the open-air museum at Memphis; statues and sphinxes are dotted throughout the ruins and a large modern building covers a colossal statue of Ramesses II (the Great). Much of the city’s previous pomp and grandeur has been lost to the ages, but it still makes for a fascinating visit to complement the more renowned big hitters for history buffs and those with a hankering for all things Ancient Egypt.

The Pyramids of Dashur

Virtually unknown to the general public, Dashur actually deserves to be almost as famous as the Pyramids of Giza, but this oversight really is your gain. When Giza is seething with tourists, hawkers and numerous purveyors of camel rides, Dashur will be as good as empty. Yet here you’ll find two incredible pyramids, the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid. Constructed from an unusual and striking red rock, the Red Pyramid is almost as large as the Great Pyramid itself. Its shallower angle creates a squat appearance which belies its size, but as you approach there is a gathering sense of its vast scale. While the descent into the pyramid can be a nerve-jangling, mildly claustrophobic affair, the rewards inside are well worth it, especially without the jostling and heat of attempting the same at Giza. Further afield on the remote plain is the Bent Pyramid, believed to have been built by the same pharaoh as the Red Pyramid as a sort of trial run. Constructed initially at too steep an angle, halfway through its construction, the engineers realised this, so the top half of the pyramid rises at a shallower angle, creating the bent appearance. Like Saqqar,a this allows you to see the development of pyramid building as it happened. We believe that Dashur, as much as Giza, should be a stop on anyone’s visit to Egypt.

Saqqara & the Step Pyramid of Djoser

Saqqara is an instructive place to visit, especially to gain an understanding of the development of the burial rituals and monuments of the pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. Around the site are numerous mastabas: single-storey structures with flat roofs and sloping sides which were built over one or more burial chambers cut into the bed rock. Inside these mastabas you’ll find beautiful painted scenes and hieroglyphics that echo but predate those found in the tombs of the Valley of the Kings in Luxor. As the pharaohs became wealthier and more grandiose, they began to stack layers of decreasing size onto their mastabas, a style that culminated with the Step Pyramid of Djoser, an impressive structure with an interesting attendant funerary temple. The logical development of the pyramid continued from Djoser’s Step Pyramid and reached its apogee with the Great Pyramid at nearby Giza. In addition to providing context to the development of tombs and pyramids, Saqqara fascinatingly combines large-scale monuments with smaller gems, like the tomb paintings.

Explore Egypt with an Expert Egyptologist

This experience is all about adding real depth to your time in Egypt. Rather than simply visiting the sights, you’ll explore them alongside a highly knowledgeable Egyptologist who will bring the stories, symbols and history to life as you go, in a way that’s engaging, enriching and easy to follow. Your expert guide will tailor each visit to your interests, whether that’s pharaohs and tombs, daily life in ancient Egypt, religion and mythology, or how these extraordinary monuments were actually built. As you move through temples, tombs and archaeological sites, they’ll help you understand not just what you’re seeing, but why it matters. What really sets this experience apart is the conversation. There’s time to ask questions, pause where something catches your attention and dig deeper into the details that fascinate you most. It feels far removed from large group tours or rehearsed scripts, and much more like exploring Egypt with a passionate expert who genuinely loves sharing their knowledge. For anyone keen to go beyond surface-level sightseeing, this is one of the most rewarding ways to experience Egypt’s ancient history.

Eat Like an Egyptian

One of the best ways to get to know Egypt is through its food, and today you’ll do exactly that – eating like an Egyptian with someone who knows Cairo’s street food scene inside out. You’ll head out on a relaxed food walk with a Cairo resident, stopping at four different spots along the way, so come hungry. First up is koshary, Egypt’s much-loved national dish. It’s a hearty mix of rice, pasta, lentils, chickpeas and crispy fried onions, finished with tomato sauce and chilli. It may sound unlikely, but it works – and it’s famously filling. You’ll also try Egyptian falafel, made with fava beans rather than chickpeas and usually eaten for breakfast. They’re flatter than their Middle Eastern cousins, which means more crunch in every bite. Alongside this, you’ll sample a small selection of traditional meze-style dishes and stop for a fresh juice or coffee at a local café to reset the palate. As well as tasting some brilliant food in places you’d probably never wander into alone, this is a great chance to spend time with a local, chat about daily life in Cairo, and get a more honest feel for the city beyond the sights.

Cairo by Night

This evening excursion is a great way to see a more local side of Cairo, when the city starts to slow down and the locals come out to socialise. You’ll head out with a young, friendly Cairo local who knows the city’s food and drink scene inside out. Together, you’ll explore Downtown Cairo, an area laid out in the 19th century and still one of the most walkable parts of the city, with wide pavements, lively streets and plenty going on after dark. Downtown is where people from all walks of life live, work and unwind. Shops stay open late, cafés spill onto the pavements and the food scene ranges from no-frills local favourites to old belle-époque cafés that have barely changed over the years. It’s also a brilliant spot for people-watching, with friends sharing street food and ice cream, and artists and thinkers gathering in long-standing cafés or small cinemas showing independent films. Over the course of the evening, you’ll stop at a handful of local favourites – perhaps to try koshary, Egypt’s much-loved national dish, pop into a traditional sweet shop, and finish the night with a cold beer on the rooftop of a vintage hotel, looking out over the city lights. It’s a relaxed, informal way to get under Cairo’s skin and see how the city really comes alive after dark.

Sahara Adventure

This excursion from Cairo will see you leaving the city behind as you journey into a vast desert landscape with endless rolling sand dunes. Just 1.5 hours out of the city, travelling by 4×4 with an experienced local driver, you’ll weave across the dunes, or, if you’re feeling a little adventurous, stop to try your hand at sandboarding down their soft slopes. As the desert opens up, the turquoise waters of Magic Lake come into view, an unexpected oasis of colour in the middle of the sands. It’s a brilliant place to top, enjoy a Bedouin tea, or sit down to a simple barbecue surrounded by nothing but silence and space. To understand just how ancient this landscape really is, you’ll also visit Wadi El Hitan, the remarkable open-air fossil site known as the Valley of the Whales. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, taking in the preserved whale and shark fossils scattered across the desert floor is a powerful reminder that this vast desert was once an ocean. Before heading back to Cairo, there’s time to stop in Tunis Village, a creative hub known for its community of skilled potters. Browse the studios for handcrafted ceramics, or, if you’d like something more hands-on, we can arrange a relaxed pottery workshop that’s great fun for families and adults alike.

The Pyramids & Sphinx of Giza

There are endless clichés and statistics associated with the Pyramids and Sphinx of Giza: the only remaining Wonder of the Ancient World, as old as Stonehenge, and the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years, to name but a few. However, it’s only when you stand between the Great Pyramid of Khufu and the Pyramid of Khafre, craning your neck to see their summits and picturing them dazzling white in their original limestone cladding, that you can really appreciate why these ancient tombs have fascinated and captivated people from the moment they were built. Facing away from the Pyramid of Khafre is the Sphinx with its slightly smug and knowing expression. A stone Mona Lisa, it is immediately apparent why it has inspired all manner of myths, riddles and legends. Today, standing on the edge of the Giza Plateau with the suburbs of Cairo curling around their base on one side and the sands of a vast, echoing desert stretching to the opposite horizon, they remain a place that everyone should try and see once in a lifetime.

Hot Air Balloon Ride over Luxor

A hot air balloon ride is one of the most memorable ways to experience Luxor. Taking off just after sunrise, you’ll drift quietly above the Nile and the patchwork of fields, villages and ancient monuments below, with the early morning light casting a special kind of majesty over the landscapes. From the air, you’ll see famous sites such as the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut’s Temple and the surrounding desert cliffs, all from a completely different perspective. The flight will be smooth and unhurried, offering plenty of time to take in the views before returning to the ground for the rest of your day’s sightseeing. It’s an early start, but a rewarding one and more than worth it, you’d struggle to find a better start to your day in Luxor.

Tour of Luxor's East Bank

Half-day tours incorporating the majestic temple complexes of Karnak and Luxor are barely sufficient to do them justice, but the combination certainly makes for a fascinating and instructive excursion. While your tour may be conducted in the morning, most Nile cruise programmes visit in the afternoon to take in the Temple of Luxor, beautifully floodlit as dusk begins to fall. Karnak usually comes first, its obelisks, kiosks, hypostyles, hieroglyphs and pylons representing ambition and achievement on a grand scale. There are numerous temples incorporated within the site, and from your very first sight, approaching the first pylon past the avenue of ram-headed sphinxes, it’s clear that Karnak is a must-see. The centrepiece is the Amun Temple Enclosure, dominated by the great Temple of Amun-Ra, including the imposing Great Hypostyle Hall. Other highlights include the Temples of Khonsu and Ramesses III, and the Sacred Lake. Located in the modern town centre, the smaller Temple of Luxor is relatively easy to explore and understand, largely because it was mainly the work of one pharaoh, Amenhotep III. Particularly fascinating are the layers of history, vividly represented by Islamic and Roman influences, which over time have become integral parts of the overall complex. Approaching the imposing first pylon¸ the seated and standing statues of Ramesses II beckon visitors inside to a great courtyard of pillars. Here is one of the temple’s most fascinating features, the Mosque of Abu-al-Haggag. By the 14th century the original complex had gradually been buried, and the mosque that was built over the site now appears to blend seamlessly into the excavated court below. In one of the central chambers, colourfully painted stuccoes depict Roman officials, tacked onto the ancient remains in the 3rd century. While these varied attractions can easily keep you busy for a couple of hours, the full expanse of the site is perhaps most impressive when viewed floodlit at night.

The Temples of Luxor and Karnak

Together, the Temples of Karnak and Luxor form one of the greatest concentrations of ancient monuments anywhere in Egypt, offering a fascinating insight into the scale, ambition and layered history of Ancient Thebes. Karnak, to the north of modern Luxor, is vast. Covering more than two square kilometres, it’s not a single temple but a sprawling complex built up over centuries by successive pharaohs, each leaving their mark. Obelisks, pylons, sanctuaries and courtyards stretch out in every direction, all centred around the great Temple of Amun-Ra. Approaching the site past the avenue of ram-headed sphinxes, the sheer scale quickly becomes apparent. One of the standout features is the Great Hypostyle Hall – a forest of 137 colossal columns, richly carved and once brightly painted, designed to evoke a papyrus marsh. Even with a couple of hours here, you’ll only begin to take in the highlights, which also include the Sacred Lake and smaller temples dedicated to Khonsu and Ramesses III. Exploring Karnak with a knowledgeable guide really helps bring order and meaning to its immense scale. Closer to the river and right in the heart of the modern town lies the Temple of Luxor, smaller and more compact, but no less compelling. Originally linked to Karnak by a three-kilometre Avenue of the Sphinxes, parts of which are still visible today, Luxor Temple is easier to navigate and understand, largely because much of it was built during the reign of Amenhotep III. What makes it especially intriguing are the visible layers of history woven into the site. Roman chapels, reliefs and painted stucco sit alongside ancient carvings, while the Mosque of Abu al-Haggag rises directly from the central courtyard, built when the temple lay buried beneath centuries of sand. Statues of Ramesses II guard the entrance, leading through colonnades, courts and sanctuaries decorated with well-preserved reliefs and hieroglyphs. While it’s fascinating by day, Luxor Temple takes on a very different atmosphere after dark, when it’s floodlit against the backdrop of the town. Visited together, the Temples of Luxor and Karnak provide such a powerful introduction to ancient Egypt on a monumental scale, they're both must-sees during your time in Luxor.

Valley of the Kings

Very few places on the planet carry the same mystique and grandeur as the Valley of the Kings. One of Egypt’s undisputed must-see sights, a visit here inspires childlike excitement in even the most hardened of travellers. Immortalised in literature and film since the accidental discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamen by Howard Carter in 1922, the very name conjures unmistakable images of adventure and derring-do. Evocatively located in a secluded wadi on Luxor’s West Bank, this is the site where pharaohs of the New Kingdom (roughly 1,500BC) were transported after death for burial in rock-cut tombs and a supposed journey into the afterlife. New tombs are still being uncovered to this day, and there are currently 63 in total, not all of which are possible to visit. With an eye on preservation and restoration, a limited number of tombs are open at one time and photography inside is not permitted. They are regularly rotated so that none become overused, and repeat visitors will usually get to see something new. The most famous of all is the Tomb of Tutankhamen, which is subject to an additional entrance fee. Features contained in the tombs on their discovery might have included sarcophaguses, bejewelled everyday objects and the mummified remains of the pharaoh himself, but most of these objects have now been moved to museums or plundered by opportunists. Inside, the carvings, reliefs and chambers can vary significantly, but an exploration of the Valley of the Kings is always an incredibly atmospheric, visceral experience. Perhaps most fascinating are the colourful reliefs, usually depicting the pharaoh's journey to the afterlife, fraught with potential pitfalls and illustrated by some truly vivid, recognisable iconography.

Tour of Luxor's West Bank

An incredible array of temples and tombs line Luxor’s West Bank, easily combinable with the Valley of the Kings, we highly recommend heading off on a guided tour with a knowledgeable local guide to really uncover the majesty of this part of Ancient Egypt. While the fabled Valley of the Kings has hogged the West Bank limelight since the discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamen, there is a vast treasure trove of attractions to discover elsewhere. Arguably, many of these sites are better preserved, more extensive and certainly more accessible than the Valley of the Kings, with at least three of Egypt’s most impressive Pharaonic temples and some legendary iconography. Programmes and exact sites can vary significantly, based on which cruise you take or whether you’re using a Luxor hotel and a private guide to explore. There are more than enough exceptional sites to see to spend at least one full day exploring the area. Among the highlights is the Temple of Hatshepsut, its collonaded terraces set in a natural bowl and spectacularly located against a rugged, timeless backdrop. Two extensive, extravagant mortuary temples are also often included on sightseeing itineraries: the Ramesseum and the Medinat Habu. Dedicated to consecutive Ramesses’ (II & III), these are amongst Egypt’s largest, best preserved and most instructive temple complexes. Then there is the Colossi of Memnon, presiding serenely over sugar cane fields and visited at least for a brief photo stop by virtually all West Bank visitors. With all of these attractions, you can explore some of them independently, but there is much to be gained by the presence of an experienced guide at the major sights.

Luxor Museum

Centrally located on the Corniche, Luxor Museum is highly recommended for those looking to contextualise all they’ve seen during time exploring Luxor. Smaller, more modern and far less chaotic than its Cairo equivalent, the museum is a pleasant space in itself, particularly as much of the sightseeing in Luxor is conducted outdoors in searing heat. Many of the treasures that were removed in excavations, both of the West Bank tombs and the great East Bank temples, are on display here, including some artefacts from the Tomb of Tutankhamen. Although deliberately limited in volume to make exploration of the museum a manageable, hassle free experience, there is great variety on show. Over the two floors of exhibits, visitors can see colourful wall reliefs, enigmatic statues, ancient sandstone blocks and rather grizzly royal mummies. Sympathetically lit, labelled and spaced out, the museum is an essential stop during free time on Luxor’s East Bank.

Temple of Dendera

Situated on the West Bank of the Nile, roughly 60km north of Luxor, Dendera receives far fewer visitors than the fabled pharaonic highlights further south. It is included on some of the longer Nile cruise itineraries or can be visited by land from Luxor; those who make the effort are usually glad they did. The temple complex here is beautifully preserved, its sprawling layout surrounded by a huge mud-brick wall and an attractive ribbon of verdant green countryside, spilling out from the Nile towards the Western Desert.The dominant structure within the walls is the impressive Temple of Hathor, containing an array of treasures including a hypostyle hall, numerous shrines and staircases and some vivid reliefs, including some that portray Cleopatra. Her depictions highlight that this complex was influenced by Rome, and some of the temples and reliefs display clear Roman iconography rather than Ancient Egyptian. With a user-friendly visitors’ centre and a café for much-needed refreshments, this is an extremely pleasant place to spend a few hours, often in conjunction with a trip to Abydos, further north.

Felucca on the Nile

A felucca is a traditional Egyptian sailing boat, and any visitor to this corridor of the Nile will see numerous feluccas along the way, their unfurled white sails providing a pleasant, historic feel to travel on the river. Some offer overnight expeditions on board, with little more than a blanket and some simple hot meals in the way of creature comforts, but this is very much a basic way to see the sights, mainly taken up by backpackers. Our preferred way to enjoy this timeless, tranquil method of travel is to take a short cruise and get an intimate feel for the Nile while seeing some of the major sights from the water. Sampling the experience in Luxor is a delight, as you sail past the Temple of Luxor, watch life go by on the West Bank and perhaps drift out to a Nile island. We tend to find that the late afternoon is a beautiful time to enjoy a sunset cruise with a drink in hand, and this is included in many Nile cruise itineraries, but it’s also easy for us to book for anybody staying at a hotel in Luxor. However, our favourite spot to head out on a felucca from is Aswan, with its evocative, picturesque scenery as you drift out from the First Cataract, past the Botanical Gardens, the Tombs of the Nobles and St Simeon’s Monastery. We tend to find that the late afternoon is a beautiful time to enjoy a sunset cruise with a drink in hand, and this is included in many Nile cruise itineraries, but it’s also easy for us to book a cruise for anybody staying at a hotel on land, just chat to your expert.

St Catherine's Monastery

St Catherine's is an ancient monastery located at the alleged site of the biblical burning bush, and a visit here promises evocative scenery and tangible history, perfect for a day-trip from your beach base on the Senai Peninsula. Strikingly located in a gorge at the foot of Mount Sinai, the boundless history is captured in the rugged, cinematic scenery that evokes biblical tales and silver-screen epics. Construction commenced in roughly the 6th century AD, on the site of what was believed to be the burning bush from which God spoke to Moses. Visitors can still view what is claimed to be a descendant of the original bush, although the historical veracity of this claim is at best questionable. The nearby Well of Moses is a natural spring that is supposed to confer good luck and marital happiness, while the Monastery Museum has some highly impressive artefacts on display. The most exciting aspect of a visit to the monastery though tends to be the overwhelming ambience, embodied in the imposing presence of Mount Sinai itself. Most tourists arrive on a fairly long day trip from Sharm El Sheikh and the neighbouring resorts, although for the active it’s also possible to arrange a sunrise climb of Mount Sinai, enabling participants to gaze down on a resplendent scene that has been relatively unchanged for centuries. St Catherine’s is still a working monastery, so there are many areas off-limits to visitors, but we would highly recommend it to anybody spending enough time in Sinai who has more than a passing interest in the religious history of the area.

Diving the Sinai Peninsula

With striking coral sheltering abundant, colourful marine life, Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula is arguably the Red Sea’s best diving area. Avid divers have descended upon Sharm El Sheikh and the surrounding resorts of the Sinai Peninsula for decades. While this means the sites are busier and perhaps less pristine than in their emergent heyday, this area of the Red Sea is still deservedly renowned for some exceptional scuba spots. All levels of ability and experience are catered for, with an ever-increasing number of operators in Sharm El Sheikh in particular. Most of the major hotels have dive schools with their own preferred sites, often relatively close by for beginner’s dives, while areas such as the Straits of Tiran and Ras Mohammed offer world-class dives for advanced aficionados. There are plenty of wreck dives to enjoy, including the submerged British vessel the Thistlegorm, which has been voted one of the Top 10 Dives in the World. There is a truly staggering array of marine life thriving in the Red Sea, from the smaller fish such as angelfish, butterflyfish and clownfish, up to larger species such as groupers, wrasses, rays, lionfish, pufferfish, barracudas and turtles.

Journey into the Dunes

Any amount of time spent in Siwa is incomplete without at least one drive to the top of the mountainous dunes that encircle the oasis. Here, you can take in the starkly beautiful view of the Sahara desert as the frozen crests of sand roll into the horizon. Whether you choose to do so in time for the sunrise or the sunset, you are guaranteed a breathtaking and mesmerising sight, which will make the long journey out to Siwa from the Nile seem more than worthwhile! If you make a day of it, your 4x4 tour can take you much farther into the desert, passing immense dunes, towering wind-carved rock statues and absurd collections of fossil seashells, proof that this was once an ancient seabed. You may even reach a freshwater lake complete with verdant reed beds, which offers a most welcome and soothing dip for the dusty traveller.

Cleopatra’s Spring

Evocatively named but just one of the many freshwater springs that dot the area, the spring provides a chance for a cool dip in rather incongruous surroundings. There are dozens of hot and cold freshwater springs to visit in the immediate environs of the town, however Cleopatra’s Spring is the largest and best known (though you may want to visit some of the smaller ones in your own time). You will likely see locals swimming here too, so with respect for local tradition in mind you may well find yourself going for a dip in your t-shirt and shorts. Other smaller springs can be more relaxing since they usually offer greater peace and privacy, but this is the most accessible.

Temple of Amun

Drawing devotees, mystics and malevolent military expeditions since 600BC, the Temple of Amun is a sublime and mysterious site that has to be seen. While its most famous visitor was Alexander the Great, the Temple of Amun was one of the most prominent oracles on the Mediterranean for many centuries, so doubtless the great and the good over the ages have come to hear what Fate had in store for them. It is probable that a temple already existed on the site even further back in history, with an unknown dedicatee and numerous myths surrounding its origin. Located just outside the present town of Siwa, in the original settlement at Aghurmi (from where the village moved in the 13th century), the temple perches atop a rocky outcrop and offers outstanding views over the oasis and into the Great Sand Sea. Although a visit here is unquestionably atmospheric and evocative, time has not treated the building particularly well, so you will be required to let your imagination run free at times. History was even crueller to the Persian army sent from ancient Thebes to conquer Siwa in the 6th century BC, an army which according to Herodotus entered the desert never to be seen again.

Exploring Siwa

Siwa is not a particularly large town, but this archetypal oasis deep in Berber country is utterly delightful and has a few surprises in store: not many visitors expect to see an ancient Oracle temple that was visited by the legendary Alexander the Great! It’s an easy town to get around – some people choose to hire a bike locally and explore in their own time and at their own pace, however taking a chauffeur-driven tour will allow you to see more, and at a quicker pace, than travelling on bike. It can’t be denied though that the real pleasure in visiting Siwa is in putting some time aside to do nothing more than climb up the deserted mud-brick ruins of Shali, or relax and stroll through the verdant date plantations (which are claimed to produce the best dates in Egypt) and small farms that surround the centre of town.

Birdwatching on the Nile

Aswan is renowned as one of the most picturesque towns in Egypt, where the Nile, met on both sides by the scorched golden sands of the Sahara desert, is dotted by dozens of lush islands that are each corralled by tall reedbeds. Emblematic of life in the town itself, the river here moves at an altogether slower pace than in the rest of Egypt, and taking to the water is the perfect way to view some of the myriad bird species that inhabit the verdant riverbanks. A local birdwatching expert will take you through the maze of islands around the cataracts as herons, kingfishers and falcons soar above and around you in a language of flight and movement that is as old as the river itself.

Unfinished Obelisk

Located in a quarry to the south of the city, the Unfinished Obelisk is the world’s largest known ancient obelisk. Carving these vast monoliths out of the bedrock of the stone quarries of the Nile Valley was all the rage in Ancient Egypt, and impressive obelisks can be seen at some of the most renowned temples in the country, including Karnak and Abu Simbel. This one would have dwarfed them all, had faults not become apparent in the granite during the construction process. Estimates suggest that it would have towered close to a staggering 50 metres in height and weighed over 1,000 tonnes! The scale of this endeavour is apparent today, even when viewing the obelisk lying horizontal in its quarry. Classed as an open air museum with protected status, the obelisk is often combined with visits to the Temple of Philae and the Aswan High Dam.

Temple of Philae

Visitors who have not done their research may not realise that the Temple of Philae is actually only a few decades old, if you take into account that the whole temple was dismantled, moved a few hundred metres, and reassembled following the construction of the Aswan High Dam. Prior to that, the temple had of course been in existence for some 2,400 years but was in grave danger of being lost to the ever-rising waters of the lake south of Aswan. The island is home to various buildings and monuments, the largest and most impressive of which is the Temple of Isis, with its collonaded approach and intricate columns. The Kiosk of Trajan is much smaller but possibly the island’s most recognisable landmark, its columns decorated with carved floral headstones that are almost 2,000 years old. Part of the fun associated with a visit to Philae is the boat ride across to the island, which takes around 10-15 minutes each way and allows for some excellent photo opportunities. While Philae is bound to be visited by almost anyone who stays in Aswan, whether on a Nile cruise or staying on dry land, its popularity shouldn’t detract from its standing as undoubtedly one of the town’s must-see attractions. There is also a daily Son et lumière show here each evening, which is probably one of the better ones in Egypt.

Abu Simbel

Avid amateur Egyptologists will be familiar with the rush to save the original temple of Abu Simbel from the rising waters of Lake Nasser. Requiring the support of UNESCO, superhuman effort and painstaking care, teams of archaeologists, engineers and local labourers dismembered and reassembled the colossal site, effectively completing a massive 3D jigsaw from 1964-68. The temple itself had originally required over 20 years of construction from around 1,260BC. While ostensibly intended by Ramesses II to pay homage to the gods Amun, Ra-Horakhty and Ptah, it would have been hard even 2,200 years ago to reject the idea that self-deification was his true ambition. The mammoth façade is composed of four colossal statues of the pharaoh, dwarfing the altogether more humble reliefs of the gods themselves, a theme that continues throughout. Whatever the politics and personal ambitions that envelop the temple’s creation, a visit here is one of the absolute highlights in a country that isn’t short of jaw-dropping sights. Visitors from Aswan usually set off early in the morning on a daily return flight, allowing for around 90 minutes at the temple site, with groups of other passengers and various guides. This is arguably something of a rushed visit given the extensive array of treasures, but one that allows visitors on a limited timescale to see one of the finest representations of Ancient Egypt without booking a full Lake Nasser cruise.

Nubian Museum

Opened in 1997, the International Museum of Nubia is located a short walk from the Old Cataract and Basma hotels on the east bank of the Nile. Cool, peaceful and intimate, it is definitely worth a few hours of anyone’s time. While its collection may lack the Pharaonic grandeur of the iconic pieces in the larger museums in Cairo and Luxor, it still contains a number of extremely impressive exhibits, such as the huge statue of Ramesses II and a gorgeously detailed collection of Nubian soldier statuettes. There is also plenty of local flavour, and anyone who has previously visited the older – and rather chaotic - museum in Cairo will appreciate the way in which the Nubian Museum has been designed and curated to give a linear narrative through the history of the Nubian people. The museum also benefits from an attractive garden outside, which itself contains some interesting items.

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