Ancient Monuments and Landscapes

Reserve your place on Ancient Monuments and Landscapes

Colin will explore the quarrying and construction techniques of ancient Egypt’s famous monuments, and the natural landscape that fostered some of the greatest achievements of the pharaonic era.

We have a special AWT permit to enter the Step Pyramid from the original Third Dynasty entrance on the north side of the pyramid, allowing us to stand by the vast sarcophagus of Djoser himself.

DEPARTING 15th February 2025

On this tour based in Cairo and the Faiyum we combine some of the finest monuments of Old Kingdom and Middle Kingdom Egypt with highlights of the landscape that provided the pharaonic era with such a magnificent backdrop.

We explore Wadi el Hitan, the ‘Valley of the Whales’. This geological wonderland is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site due to the remarkable fossils of whales and other marine animals.

Giza Plateau, Ancient World Tours — The Faiyum

Colin Reader is a chartered geologist who is fascinated by the geology of Egypt and the way Egypt’s landscape nurtured the pharaonic civilisation. His studies in Egypt have focused on issues as diverse as the age of the Great Sphinx, the geology of the Egyptian landmass and ancient construction and quarrying techniques. Colin stresses however, that Giza – the starting point for this tour – is the site where his interest in Ancient Egypt began. In this tour, we will explore a number of the key archaeological and geological sites that are featured in his book “A gift of Geology: Ancient Egyptian Landscapes and Monuments”.

Day 1 - Saturday 15th February 2025

We take our direct flight from Heathrow to Cairo, where we check in to the Crowne Plaza Hotel at West Giza. We are based at this hotel for three nights on room and breakfast basis.

Day 2 - Sunday 16th February Giza

Colin’s interest in Egypt started with the Giza necropolis, so it is fitting that we start our week in Egypt at this wonderful site. After reflecting on the size and splendour of the incredible Giza pyramids and the challenges faced when building them, we will explore a number of the other important monuments within this largely Old Kingdom necropolis, including the great temples, causeways and mastaba tombs. We will take plenty of time to investigate some of the little explored areas of this ancient site. There will also be opportunities to purchase tickets to visit other highlights of the site, for those who wish. After a break for lunch at a local restaurant with fine panoramic views of the pyramids, we visit the Sphinx where Colin will give us his theories on the weathering and erosion and what these tell us about the age of the Sphinx. We return to our hotel late afternoon. (BL)

Day 3 - Monday 17th February –The Grand Egyptian Museum

A full day at the Grand Egyptian Museum. Time to explore this vast new Museum with plenty of time for lunch or refreshments on site. (B)

Day 4 - Tuesday 18th February – Petrified forests and stranded ruins

Today we board our four-wheel drive vehicles and head to the Faiyum. As we leave the fertile Nile Valley behind us, we travel into the fringes of the Sahara desert to explore this surprisingly varied landscape. We will drive through the remains of ancient forests, where the trees have been turned to stone – as we head to Qasr el-Sagha on the northern side of Lake Qarun. This unfinished temple said to date from the Middle Kingdom, was built from huge blocks of sandstone at the edge of the ancient lake. Next, we visit the remote and striking ruins of the Ptolemaic city of Dimeh. Known as ‘Dimeh of the Lions’, the temple there was dedicated to Soknopaios a late synthesis of the ancient gods, Sobek and Isis. Our drivers will prepare a picnic lunch for us on our travels today. We continue to the Helnan Auberge Hotel on the Lakeside where we have rooms on half board basis for two nights (BLD)

Day 5 - Wednesday 19th February – Valley of the Whales

Once again we board our four-wheel drive vehicles and head deeper into the desert fringes to Wadi el Hitan, the Valley of the Whales. This geological wonderland is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site due to the remarkable fossils of whales and other marine animals, that thrived in the shallow seas that covered this part of Egypt, about forty million years ago. Another protected area awaits, Wadi el-Rayan, where we will see two artificial irrigation lakes and the waterfalls that separate them. Again, our driving team will prepare a picnic lunch in a quiet area. (BLD)

Day 6 - Thursday 20th February – Lahun and Hawara

After breakfast we board our coach and head to Lahun. Here we can enter the mud-brick pyramid of Senusret II recently restored and open to the public. Next, to the pyramid of Amenemhet III at Hawara. It was here that Flinders Petrie unearthed the famous Roman Period portrait mummies and excavated the ‘Labyrinth’ as described by Herodotus. We travel with lunch boxes today. Returning to Cairo we check in to the Crowne Plaza for our final two nights. BL

Day 7 - Friday 21st February – The Step Pyramid Special

Our regular entrance tickets for Saqqara allow us to enter the Step Pyramid via a 26^th Dynasty tunnel and to gaze down at the burial chamber from ground level, high above. However, we also have a special AWT permit to enter the pyramid from the original Third Dynasty entrance on the north side of the pyramid. We can explore the cuttings and passages that led down to the burial chamber and consider the techniques that the ancient builders developed for this, Egypt’s first pyramid. We will also have the rare chance to stand by Djoser’s sarcophagus! We will visit some of the beautiful Old Kingdom mastaba tombs and Colin will point out lesser-known features of this vast site such as the dry moat and early dynastic royal tombs that have never been fully explored. We will also make time to enter the Pyramids of Unas and Teti, with their impressive Pyramid Texts and the Serapeum, the intriguing galleries of the tombs of the Apis Bulls. We can only marvel at the huge sarcophagi in which the Apis bulls were interred, installed so improbably in the confines of these underground galleries. During the day we will have lunch at the Sakkara Palm Club. (BL)

Day 8 - Saturday 22th February – 2025 Homeward Bound

After breakfast we take our private transfer to Cairo Airport for our direct flight to London Heathrow arriving early afternoon. (B)

Bio: Colin Reader is a chartered geologist who is fascinated by the geology of Egypt and the way Egypt’s landscape nurtured the pharaonic civilisation. His studies in Egypt have focused on issues as diverse as the age of the Great Sphinx, the geology of the Egyptian landmass and ancient construction and quarrying techniques. Colin stresses however, that Giza – the starting point for this tour – is the site where his interest in Ancient Egypt began. In this tour, we will explore a number of the key archaeological and geological sites that are featured in his book “A gift of Geology: Ancient Egyptian Landscapes and Monuments”.

B = Breakfast BL = Breakfast and Lunch BD = Breakfast and Dinner BLD = Breakfast Lunch and Dinner