Day 1
- Monday 3rd November 2025
We fly London Heathrow to Luxor and on arrival take our private transfer and check in to the Old Winter Palace, Garden Pavilion Wing, for two nights on room and breakfast basis.
Day 2
- Tuesday 4th November - The Grand 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. We return to the hotel at lunchtime and later we visit Luxor Temple. This evening, we will have e meeting to discuss the week ahead. (B)
Day 3
- Wednesday 5th November - The Road South
An early start as we head south making a rare visit to the Temple of Seti I at Kanais in Wadi Abbad in the Eastern Desert. We have a special permit to open the temple itself to view the shrines and colourful inscriptions. Also, time to see some of the ancient rock art on the cliff face and the well dug by Seti I for the use of miners and travellers using this main route from Edfu to Berenike. Our next stop will be at one of the best-preserved shrines in Egypt, the Temple of Edfu where we learn about the conflict between Horus and Seth. We arrive in Aswan late afternoon and check in to The Movenpick Hotel for three nights on room and Breakfast basis. We travel with a lunch box today. (BL)
Day 4
- Thursday 6th November - Island Temples
A wonderful start to the day as we take our launch to the West Bank for the walk to St Simeons Monastery, dating from the seventh century. This vast Monastery is rarely visited and stands behind high walls surrounded by desert sands. We return to the hotel for a break at lunchtime. This afternoon we take a local ferry to Kalabsha, one of the largest temples in the area. Built in the time of the Roman Emperor Augustus and dedicated to the Nubian god Mandulis, the temple was relocated here in the 1960s. Just a short walk away, Beit el Wali and the kiosk of Qertassi await. We will explore both to view some remarkable reliefs and look at some ancient rock-art saved from Lake Nasser. Tonight, Luigi will present another lecture. (B)
Day 5
- Friday 7th November - Aswan
After breakfast we once again take a motorboat to the West Bank to explore the Old and Middle Kingdom Nobles Tombs of Kubbet el Hawa. We visit the tomb of Sarenput II with its fine colourful decoration and that of Harkhuf with its autobiographical inscriptions. Next, we sail to Sehel Island, whose rocks are covered with the inscriptions of Egyptian kings and officials crossing the border into Nubia. We can also view the famously enigmatic ‘Famine Stela’. 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 a launch to visit the picturesque Island of Philae for a guided tour of the Temple of Isis, where we explore the elegant colonnade and well-preserved sanctuary, the Kiosk of Trajan, Hadrian’s Gate, the Temple of Hathor, and much more. We meet again this evening for another talk. (B)
Day 6
- Saturday 8th November - To Luxor
An exciting journey as we head back to Luxor. Our first stop will be at the necropolis of Elkab, ancient Nekheb where Luigi has worked as Assistant 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, Reni, Setau and Ahmose. 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 and Old Kingdom inscriptions 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. Late afternoon we arrive at the Old Winter Palace, Garden Pavilion Wing, in Luxor, and check in for two nights on room and breakfast basis. We travel with lunch boxes today. An evening meeting to discuss some of the sites we visit tomorrow. (BL)
Day 7
- Sunday 9th November - The West Bank
After breakfast we take our launch and cross the river and head to Deir el Medina. He we find the tombs and homes of the workers and artisans who built the grand royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings. We also visit the nearby Temple of Hathor used as a monastery in the Christian era. Next we visit Medinet Habu the Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III. We will also learn about the later Graeco Roman phase and the Coptic Village of Djeme. We have a relaxing lunch at a local restaurant and then we head to the Valley of the Kings. We have standard tickets with entry to three tombs of those open on the day but there will be time for purchase of extra tickets for those wishing to visit Seti I and Tutankhamun. (BL)
Day 8
- Monday 10th November 2025 - Homeward bound
We take our private transfer to Luxor airport for the direct flight to London Heathrow 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
