A stunning new tour, designed to uncover the power that the mysterious world of dreams and divination held in the minds and lives of the ancient Egyptians, while exploring some of the country’s most extraordinary archaeological sites and museums. From dream interpretation to astrology, and many other arts of soothsaying, ancient Egypt was already famous across the ancient Mediterranean world as the cradle of divination, as a land whose gods often spoke through the riddle of dreams and other natural phenomena.
Day 1
- Wednesday 1st December 2027
Fly London Heathrow to Cairo and on arrival we make the short journey to The Meridien Hotel at the airport where we check in for one night on room and breakfast basis.
Day 2
- Thursday 2nd December – To Alexandria
After breakfast we set off by road to Alexandria travelling with lunch boxes from the hotel. On arrival we head straight to the recently re-opened Graeco-Roman Museum, where we find galleries displaying some of the most extraordinary artefacts from Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt, including a life-size statue of a sacred bull from Alexandria’s Serapeum and colossal statues and stelae resurfaced from the depths of the Mediterranean during the excavations of the sunken city of Thonis-Heracleion. Later we explore Qayt Bey Fort, site of the world-famous Lighthouse. We check in to the Cecil Hotel on the corniche for one night on room and breakfast basis. (BL)
Day 3
- Friday 3rd December – Catacombs and theatres
After breakfast we visit the catacombs of Kom el Shuqafa where there is a fusion of Roman, Greek and Egyptian art and style. Next to the Serapeum, the cult center of Serapis and the famous Pompeii’s Pillar. We stop for lunch at a local restaurant on the corniche (own arrangements) and finally view to the famous theatre and lecture halls of Kom el Dikka. Then we head to back to Cairo and on arrival check in to the Crowne Plaza Hotel for three nights on room and breakfast basis. (B)
Day 4
- Saturday 4th December – The Sphinx Enclosure
Our exciting day begins with a private special permit visit allowing us to stand between the paws of the Sphinx and study the ‘Dream Stela’ up close, a monumental inscription set up by Thutmose IV more than a millennium after the Sphinx’s original construction, to commemorate his restoration of it and a divine dream in which the Sphinx itself had foretold him his royal accession. Plenty of time to view the Great Pyramid of Khufu and those of Khafre and Menkaure. We have lunch at a restaurant with spectacular views of the plateau. We return to the hotel mid-afternoon. (BL)
Day 5
- Sunday 5th December - Saqqara
We spend the day exploring Saqqara, where we will learn about this vast complex and the important role it played not only as a royal and elite necropolis, but also as a centre of popular worship, where diviners and dream interpreters practiced their arts for the benefit of the many ancient visitors. We visit the Imhotep Museum, the Step Pyramid Enclosure, the Unas Pyramid, the Serapeum and the Old Kingdom Mastabas. Time for those who wish to enter the pyramid of Unas and the Step Pyramid via the 26th Dynasty entrance. During the day we have a break for a refreshing lunch at the Sakkara Palm Club. (BL)
Day 6
- Monday 6th December – The Grand Egyptian Museum
A day at the Grand Egyptian Museum. Now fully open we have plenty of time to wander through the amazing Tutankhamun Galleries and explore the new Khufu Boat Museum. Lunch will be own arrangements at one of the many food outlets on the ground floor of this vast building. Late afternoon we head to the airport for our internal flight to Aswan. On arrival we transfer to the Basma Hotel for two nights on room and breakfast basis (B)
Day 7
- Tuesday 7th December – The Cult of Isis
We board our local launch and sail south to Sehel Island, whose rocks are covered with the inscriptions of Egyptian kings and officials crossing the border into Nubia. Climb the hill to view the famously enigmatic ‘Famine Stela’. Then we make the short journey to the Nubia Museum to view objects discovered in the area including the Dream Stela of Tantamani.After a rest and free time for lunch at the hotel we set off for the granite quarry where we can see the massive ‘Unfinished Obelisk’. Later we board another launch to visit the picturesque Island of Philae for a guided tour of the Temple of Isis, site of the last inscription in Egyptian hieroglyphs. (B)
Day 8
- Wednesday 8th December – Elkab and Esna
An exciting journey as we head back to Luxor armed with lunch boxes from our hotel. Our first stop will be at the necropolis of Elkab, ancient Nekheb, where Luigi has worked as co-director of the Oxford/Uppsala epigraphic team. What better expert to show us the lavishly decorated tomb chapels from the early New Kingdom of Paheri, Reneni, Setau and Ahmose son of Ibana, with his famous account of the siege of Avaris and the victory of the Theban king over the Hyksos. We also explore the more remote wadi temples, the Ramessid-Ptolemaic hemispeos and the shrine of Amenhotep III. We also make a stop at Vulture Rock to view the prehistoric petroglyphs, the Old Kingdom inscriptions, and a curious stela for Imhotep carved on to the rock face. Our next stop will be the Temple of Khnum at Esna. The recently cleaned and restored hypostyle hall with its floral capitals all individually designed are a delight to see, including a mesmerising astronomical ceiling. Late afternoon we arrive in Luxor and check in to the Hilton Hotel for five nights on room and breakfast basis. (BL)
Day 9
- Thursday 9th December – West Bank
Our first visit of the day will be the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahri famous for its colonnaded terraces. We learn about the Punt reliefs, the solar cult, the Hathor Chapel, but also about the temple’s later reuse as a Ptolemaic sanctuary for Imhotep and Amenotep son of Hapu, as well as its final conversion into a Coptic monastery. This is followed by a visit to the small but beautifully decorated Khokha tombs. We have lunch at a local restaurant before visiting the Valley of the Kings. We have tickets for entrance to three tombs of your own choosing of those open on the day. Time to buy extra tickets for Seti I and Tutankhamun for those who wish. (BL)
Day 10
- Friday 10th December – The Temple of Amun
This morning we will head off to the Temple of Amun at Karnak, the world’s largest temple complex. We have an in-depth tour of the site looking at the Pylons, the Great Hypostyle Hall, the Sanctuary and the Sacred Lake. We include all the main elements but also the more out of the way hidden gems. Plenty of time to photograph and explore this amazing site. Returning to the hotel late morning the rest of the day is free time to relax or perhaps head into Luxor for last minute shopping. (B)
Day 11
- Saturday 11th December – To Abydos
After breakfast we take the road north for Abydos. First, we will visit the Ptolemaic Temple of Hathor at Dendera. Here in the fabulous Hypostyle Hall, we can see the astronomical ceiling restored and cleaned to its original colour, testimony to the ancient Egytpians’ interest in the stars for both religious and divination purposes. We also visit the famous Temple of Seti I, with plenty of time to view some of the most stunning reliefs to be found in all of Egypt, whilst also discussing its later reuse as a sanctuary and oracle of Bes and a recorded Coptic exorcism of the temple in Late Antiquity. Today we have a lunch at a local hotel before returning to Luxor. (BL)
Day 12
- Sunday 12th December – Luxor Temple
Today we set off for Luxor Temple for a guided tour discussing all of the temple’s phases, from New Kingdom sanctuary to Roman military garrison, followed by free time in Luxor Museum. Return to the hotel at lunchtime or if you prefer stay on in town for the afternoon. The choice is yours. (B)
Day 13
- Monday 13th December – Home
We take our private transfer to Luxor Airport for our direct flight to London arriving early afternoon. (B)
Luigi Prada is Associate Professor of Egyptology at Uppsala University, Sweden. Previously, he has held academic positions in the Egyptology departments of Heidelberg, Copenhagen, and Oxford University, where he remains a Research Associate in Egyptology. He is active in the field, both in Egypt – as Assistant Director of the Oxford / Uppsala epigraphic team working in partnership with Egyptian colleagues in Elkab – and in the Sudan. He is also President of the Society of Friends and Collaborators of the Museo Egizio in Turin (ACME).
B = Breakfast BL = Breakfast and Lunch BD = Breakfast and Dinner BLD = Breakfast Lunch and Dinner
