Day 1
- Wednesday 19th November 2025
We fly London Heathrow to Cairo and on arrival and on arrival check in to the Crowne Plaza Hotel at West Giza for five nights on room and breakfast basis.
Day 2
- Thursday 20th November - Up close with the Sphinx
Our tour begins with an exciting and rare opportunity to study the ‘Dream Stela’ between the paws of the Sphinx. Our Special permit allows us time to wander around the enclosure and study ancient and modern restorations. Time to view the pyramids and associated mastabas before a relaxing lunch at a restaurant with spectacular views of the plateau. Later we visit Mit Rahina to see for ourselves Prince Khaemwaset’s work. We return to the hotel late afternoon. Tonight, Campbell will provide an introductory lecture on Prince Khaemwaset’s famous father, Ramesses II. (BL)
Day 3
- Friday 21st November - Saqqara
This morning, we set off to Saqqara for an in depth tour at this vast site where Campbell once worked for several seasons surveying the site using geophysics. We enter the Step Pyramid and the Old Kingdom Mastabas of Mereruka and Kagemni. We can enter the Pyramid of Unas and view the Khaemwaset restoration inscription on the south side of the pyramid. Time also to view the fine pieces in the Museum on site. We make the walk across the desert sands to the Serapeum and learn about the cult of the Apis Bulls. Campbell will explain the legacy of our Princes work as we explore the site. We will have a lunch break at the Sakkara Palm Club. Campbell tonight offers some detailed background to the Prince’s work as Saqqara. (BL)
Day 4
- Saturday 22nd November - South Saqqara
Today we board our four wheel drive vehicles and head to the more rarely visited site of South Saqqara. Here we have arranged a special permit to enter the Pyramid of Pepy I where we find wonderful pyramid texts and more evidence of Khaemwaset. We view the Mastabat Faroun and the Queens’ pyramids. We take a break for lunch at the Sakkara Palm club and then we drive to Abu Ghurob where we have another special permit to look at the sun temple of Niusierre. In the centre of the open court we will stand amazed at the vast alabaster altar. We return to our hotel late afternoon. (BL)
Day 5
- Sunday 23rd November - The Grand Egyptian Museum
A full day to explore the Grand Egyptian Museum. Lunch will be own arrangements at one of the many outlets in the museum. Tonight, a lecture from Campbell on the religious motivations of the Ramesside Period. (B)
Day 6
- Monday 24th November - City of the Sun
After breakfast we check out of our hotel and head to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. We visit the main gallery and the textile hall with plenty of time to view the ‘Royal Mummies’ in the purpose-built gallery of this new Museum. We have lunch at Al Azhar Park and then head to the airport. On our way we make one last stop in Cairo at the open air museum at Heliopolis, City of the Sun. Plenty of time to study the Obelisk of Senusret I and the many fragments saved from this ancient site. We continue to the airport for our late afternoon flight to Luxor. On arrival we take our transfer and check in to the Old Winter Palace, Garden Pavilion Wing, for six nights on room and breakfast basis. (BL)
Day 7
- Tuesday 25th November -
A morning at the great 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. We return to the hotel at lunchtime and later we visit Luxor Temple for a guided tour. Later, a talk about royal expectations for the afterlife before tomorrow’s visit. (B)
Day 8
- Wednesday 26th November - Valley of the Kings
We cross the Nile and then head to 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. After a refreshing local lunch we will visit the Ramesseum, the mortuary temple of Ramesses II and the lovely Temple of Seti I. In tonight’s talk, Campbell will introduce the important figure of the governor Ankhtyfy and non-royal claims to royal privileges.(BL)
Day 9
- Thursday 27th November - The Southern Road
Today we take an excursion south by road to three fascinating sites. First, to Esna to enter the newly cleaned and restored temple of Khnum where we can now see the delightful column capitals free of dust and soot. Next, a rare chance to enter the rock-cut tomb of Ankhtyfy at el Mo’alla. Finally, el-Kab, where we explore several impressive tombs, including that of the famous marine Ahmose. We follow the wadi past a temple of Ptolemy VIII to a shrine for the goddess Nekhbet, built by Amenhotep III. We will also look at ancient petroglyphs at Vulture Rock. We travel with a Lunch box from our hotel today. (BL)
Day 10
- Friday 28th November - A day to relax
A gentle day in traditional style with time to relax before we board our felucca’s for a sail on the river. We will have a superb lunch served on board by staff from the Old Winter Palace. Later we make the short journey to Luxor Museum. (BL)
Day 11
- Saturday 29th November - The Road North
Another exciting day as we drive north for our fourth special private permit of this tour. We head to Wadi Hammamat a major route from Thebes to the Red Sea famous for its greywacke bekhen-stone quarries. The Narmer Palette was carved from the distinctive stone from this area. Here we find many inscriptions dating from Pre-dynastic times to modern era as well as the broken remnants of sarcophagi and the remains of the huts of the ancient workmen. Khaemwaset and many of his architect successors had stone quarried from this area. We travel with a lunch box from our hotel and return to Luxor late afternoon. (BL)
Day 12
- Sunday 30th November - West Bank
We cross the Nile, board our coach and head to Medinet Habu for a guided tour. Then to several tomb chapels of Khaemwaset’s contemporaries, in the west Theban cemetery of the nobles. We have a relaxing lunch at our local restaurant before our final visit of the tour to Hatshepsut’s Temple at deir el Bahri. (BL)
Day 13
- Monday 1st December 2025 - Homeward bound
We board our direct flight to London Heathrow, arriving early afternoon. (B)
Dr. Campbell Price is Curator of Egypt and Sudan at Manchester Museum, one of the UK’s largest Egyptological collections. He studied Egyptology at the University of Liverpool, where he is now an Honorary Research Fellow, and has undertaken fieldwork in Egypt at Saqqara, Zawiyet Umm el-Rakham, and the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Campbell is currently the Chair of Trustees at the Egypt Exploration Society, a UK-based charity that supports Egyptian heritage. He has published widely on ancient Egyptian material culture, including Golden Mummies of Egypt (Manchester Museum & Nomad Exhibitions, 2020) and most recently, Brief Histories of Ancient Egypt. He has lectured internationally and regularly contributes to TV and radio.
B = Breakfast BL = Breakfast and Lunch BD = Breakfast and Dinner BLD = Breakfast Lunch and Dinner
