Luxor  Private Tombs of Sheikh abd el-Qurna and Dra Abu el-Naga, Western Valley of the Kings, Deir el Medina, Medinet Habu, Karnak at dawn, Luxor Temple, Abu el-Hagag mosque. Middle Egypt  Abydos, Beit Khallaf, Wanina, Akhmim, Red and White Monasteries. Kharga  Ain Labekha, Bagawat, Hibis Temple, Qasr Dush & Qasr el-Thueita. Dakhla  Balat, Ain Asiil, Deir el Hagar, el-Qasr & the Desert Yardang Fields. From Luxor to Aswan & Aswan  el Tod, el Kab, Edfu, Kalabsha & Beit el Wali, Philae, Sehel, Qubbet el Hawa, Elephantine, Nubia museum, Kom Ombo, and Gebel Silsila (East).

Day 1- Monday 2nd January - London/Luxor

Fly London to Luxor with EgyptAir and on arrival we take our private transfer and check-in to the first-class Old Winter Palace Garden Pavilion Wing for two nights on a room and breakfast basis.

Day 2 – Tuesday 3rd January – West Bank I

Our tour begins as we take our private launch across the Nile for a visit to a selection of nobles’ tombs on the West Bank. We begin on the hill of Sheikh Abd el-Qurna, including the tomb-chapels of Userhat and Khaemhat and the Viziers Rekhmire and Ramose and the ‘Tomb of Vines’, the burial chamber of Sennefer, Mayor of Thebes. We have a relaxing lunch at the Africa Restaurant before visiting the tomb-chapels of Roy and Shuroy at Dra Abu el-Naga, with, adjacent to the latter, the scanty ruins of the pyramid of King Inyotef VI of the 17th Dynasty. Next, to the tombs of Menna and Nakht, before our final stop at the Colossi of Memnon. (BL)

Day 3 – Wednesday 4th January - Abydos

This morning we board our four-wheel drive vehicles and head north to Abydos, the cult centre of Osiris, where we enter the temples of Seti I, and Ramesses II and view the Osireion. After a picnic lunch, we continue to the vast mud brick mastaba of Beit Khallaf, from the 3rd Dynasty. On arrival in Sohag we check-in to the M/S Hotep, a permanently moored cruise-boat, for two nights. (BLD)

Day 4 – Thursday 5th January – From Athribis to Akhmim Today we take the short journey to Wanina, known as Athribis to the Greeks, located under the towering cliffs of El-Hagarsa, riddled with tombs of local worthies dating back to the Old Kingdom. Wanina includes a main temple dedicated in Ptolemaic times to the lion goddess Repyt. Then on to the Red and White Monasteries: in the Red Monastery we have been invited to view the work of the American Research Centre in Egypt where they have been revealing the original colours of remarkable murals from the tenth century, while in the White we will see numerous Pharaonic blocks reused in the monastery’s construction. We rest and take lunch at the Sohag Canoeing Club before heading across the Nile to Akhmim and the magnificent statue of a late 18th Dynasty queen, usurped for Meritamun, daughter of Ramesses II. (BLD)

Day 5 – Friday 6th January – to Kharga Oasis

We leave the Nile Valley and head for the desert and Kharga Oasis on the historic Darb al-Arbain (‘Forty Days Road’). Our first stop will be at Ain Labekha, a wonderful Roman complex including a fortress, temples, tombs, aqueducts and houses. After lunch we will visit Bagawat, one of the earliest and best preserved Christian cemeteries in the world. We will then check-in to the comfortable Pioneer Hotel in the centre of Kharga for one night. (BLD)

Day 6 – Saturday 7th January - Journey to Dakhla

Before leaving Kharga, we visit the Temple of Hibis, decorated in Egyptian style by the Persian king Darius I. Heading south we stop at Dush to visit the Roman Fortress of Qasr Dush and the Temple of Osiris. We have a picnic lunch today at Balat in Dakhla Oasis, with its huge Old Kingdom mastabas of local governors, and also view the contemporary settlement of Ain Asiil. We check-in to the Desert Lodge ‘eco hotel’ for two nights. It has stunning views across the old town of El-Qasr and the desert – and has its own large hot spring! (BLD)

Day 7 – Sunday 8th January – The Oasis

After breakfast we set out on a day spent fairly close to our base. First we head for the Roman temple at Deir el-Hagar, and then take a stroll through the twisting streets of the medieval town of El-Qasr. It is now protected and many original features dating back hundreds of years survive. A short walk will take us back to the Lodge for lunch, which will be followed by an exploration of the spectacular Yardang fields in the desert not far from the hotel where we will enjoy a sunset to remember. (BLD)

Day 8 – Monday 9th January – To the Nile On leaving Dakhla we drive back via Kharga, pausing to marvel at the huge crescent sandunes that litter this part of the desert. Nothing stops their slow but inexorable march from north to south.  On arrival in Kharga, we pause for a while at the beautiful hilltop fortress ruin of Qasr el-Ghueita with its charming temple. During our journey, we will enjoy a picnic lunch, after which we head back to the Nile Valley and Luxor where we return to the Old Winter Palace, Garden Pavilion Wing for three nights on a room and breakfast basis. It is hard to imagine a greater contrast from Western Desert to the oppulance of this, the address in Luxor. (BL)

Day 9 – Tuesday 10th January – West Bank II

We return to the West Bank, this time concentrating on royal tombs and those who built them. We begin in the rarely visited West Valley where we will enter the tomb of Ay and then enter the main valley where we have tickets for three tombs. Next, to the workers' village at Deir el-Medina were we view the tombs and homes of the workmen and artisans who created the tombs in the Royal Valley. After lunch at the Africa Restaurant we drive to Medinet Habu, with the vast memorial temple of Ramesses III. (BL)

DEPARTURE DATE Monday 2nd January 2012 TOUR CODE AWNO020112 Basic Holiday Price: £2,790 Single Supplement: £340 Club Class Upgrade: £789 Luxor Balloon: £85 Land Only Discount - £450 The Land Only Discount applies if you arrange your own flights - however, you need to be sure that the tour has sufficient numbers to run before you do that as discount airlines are unlikely to refund you.  Book tour

Day 10 – Wednesday 11th January – Temple of Amun

An early start for Karnak Temple to witness the sunrise. Usually we have the temple to ourselves for the first hour of the day so it's perfect timing for those special photos, especially of the northern walls, normally enveloped in shadow. We have a guided tour of the Precinct of Amun, concentrating on many of the less-visited sanctuaries, together with free time to explore. The coach will return to the hotel in time for lunch, but you make your own way back later if you wish. In the late afternoon we will visit the Abu el-Hagag Mosque atop Luxor Temple and then enter the temple itself as the sun sets and the floodlights go on. (B)

Day 11 – Thursday 12th January - To Aswan

We leave Luxor and travel south towards Aswan, equipped with a packed lunch. Our first stop will be at Tod, with its fascinating Temple of Montu. We then carry on to El-Kab where we will enter a number of New Kingdom tomb-chapels. We will also see ‘Vulture Rock’ with its drawings and inscriptions and the small chapel of Amenhotep III. We continue to Edfu and the well preserved Ptolemaic temple of Horus. On arrival in Aswan. we check-in to the Mövenpick Hotel for three nights on room and breakfast basis. (BL)

Day 12 – Friday 13th January - Lake Nasser

Our day begins with a visit to Lake Nasser to view a number of temples moved to their current locations to save them from the rising waters after the building of the High Dam in the 1960s. These include the Roman temple from Kalabsha and two works of Ramesses II, the small temple of from Beit el-Wali and the outer parts of the lost temple of Gerf Hussein. We then head for the Island of Aglika, on which were re-erected the temples from the island of Philae. Later we take a motor boat to explore Sehel Island with its famous rock inscriptions including the ‘Famine Stelae’. Our day ends with a leisurely sail while bird spotting in the reed beds. (B)

Day 13 – Saturday 14th January – Aswan

This morning we head to Qubbet el-Hawa where we enter the tombs of Old and Middle Kingdom Nobles including those of Sirenput II and Harkhuf. In the afternoon we visit the southernmost part of Elephantine Island and walk through the ruins of ancient Yebu. This huge site, still being excavated, allows us to see settlement remains dating from the Old Kingdom through to the Greco-Roman period. This evening we take a trip to the Nubia Museum. (B)

Day 14 – Sunday 15th January – Return to Thebes

We head back to Luxor, with packed lunches from our hotel. En-route, we make some exciting stops: first, the temple of Kom Ombo, where we will have some quality time to look at its fascinating reliefs; second, the rarely-visited sandstone quarries at Silsila-East, with fine views across to the quarries and monuments of Silsila-West. On arrival in Luxor we check-in to the Old Winter Palace, Garden Pavilion Wing for a final night on room and breakfast basis. Later, we plan a visit to Luxor Museum to see some of Egypt’s finest works of art. (BL)

Day 15 – Monday 16th January – Homeward Bound

After breakfast we board our EgyptAir flight bound for London arriving early afternoon.(B)

Expert: Aidan Dodson of Bristol University has been accompanying tours to Egypt for many years. He makes regular appearances on TV documentaries on Ancient Egypt and has written many books. His latest book, ‘Poisoned Legacy’: the Fall of the Nineteenth Egyptian Dynasty is out now.

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