A private members-only tour with Ancient World Tours
Escorted throughout by Dr Carl Graves, Director of the Egypt Exploration Society
Known as Al-Qahirah, “the Conqueror”, and the Mother of the World, Cairo has long been central to Egypt’s story. To understand the country, we must first understand its capital. Positioned at the head of the Nile Delta, the city sits at a natural crossroads between Africa, Europe and Western Asia, giving it a strategic role in movement, trade and influence. Over thousands of years, Cairo has absorbed cultures and ideas from every direction and still draws visitors from around the world.
This exclusive EES members-only tour explores Cairo’s remarkable story, from some of its earliest monuments to its medieval and Ottoman heritage. We visit Dahshur, home to the first ‘true’ pyramid, built around 4,500 years ago, and discover the splendours of ancient Egypt at the newly opened Grand Egyptian Museum. The journey then moves through medieval souks, mausolea, and the streets of modern Cairo, offering an ideal introduction for first-time visitors and a fresh perspective for those who want to experience the city in greater depth.
Please contact Ancient World Tours to register your interest before January 2027 to secure your place. Places are issued on a first-some-first-served basis and prices may increase if flights are not reserved at an early date.
Dr Carl Graves
NOTE: You will need to use the following password to access the AWT website:MEMPHIS
If you have any questions then please do not hesitate to contact AWT directly. Please note that you must be a current Member of the Egypt Exploration Society in order to join this tour. If you're not yet a Member, then please consider joining/renewing online here.
Itinerary
Note: There is an option to arrive early and add Giza and Saaqara to the itinerary below. Please visit the itinerary on the AWT website to find out more.
Day 1 - Saturday 9th October 2027
We fly London Heathrow to Cairo and on arrival take our private transfer and check in to the 5-star Sheraton Cairo Hotel for eight nights on room and breakfast basis.
Day 2 - Sunday 10th October – The Grand Egyptian Museum
The perfect way to start our tour with a full day at GEM. Plenty of time to view all the galleries at your own pace. As well as the monumental Tutankhamun galleries, be sure to look out for scenes of daily life in early Egypt as you explore the chronological galleries. Lunch is own arrangements in one of the many food outlets and cafes on the main ground floor reception and shopping area. (B)
Day 3 - Monday 11th October – The Black Pyramid
Today we explore Dahshur, where a special Ministry of Antiquities permit allows us to enter Amenemhat III’s 12th-Dynasty Black Pyramid. We also visit the Bent and Red Pyramids, two of the earliest ‘true’ pyramids of the 4th Dynasty. After a late lunch at the Saqqara Palm Club, we make our final stop at the Mit Rahina Open-Air Museum. Although little survives of Memphis, Egypt’s oldest and longest-serving capital, the museum’s monumental remains evoke the city’s former grandeur. The palaces of Ramesses the Great, ceremonial avenues and great temple of Ptah have vanished, but the site still reveals the origins of Egypt’s ‘capital zone’. (BL)
Day 4 - Tuesday 12th October – Pharaohs and Barons
This morning, we head to the open-air museum at Heliopolis, City of the Sun. You will have plenty of time to study the Obelisk of Senusret I and the many fragments saved from this ancient site which once formed an important part of Egypt’s capital zone. This is followed by a visit to the Baron Empain Palace a startling image of Indian style architecture built in Heliopolis in the early 1900’s offering a glimpse into Cairo’s 19th and 20th century expansion. We have a relaxing lunch at a Riad with views across the city before taking a walk along Al Moez Street. (More info) (BL)
Day 5 - Wednesday 13th October – Old and Coptic Cairo
A chance today to view the largest collection of Coptic artifacts in the world at the lovely Coptic Museum. Then we head to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation where we have included a special ticket on this tour. We will visit the restoration laboratories to learn about conservation work at the museum and view some of the challenges facing the restoration team. Lunch will be own arrangements at one of the outlets within the museum. Next, we continue to the Mosque of Ibn Tulun, one of the few standing monuments in Cairo dated to the 9th century before walking the historic area known as el Khalifa nearby. (B)
Day 6 - Thursday 14th October – City of the Dead
A rare treat today as we take a walking tour of the northern City of the Dead to see some of the lesser visited mosques and mausolea of Mamluk Cairo. Here, rather than a sterile cemetery, we will see that the area was designed for life and the maintenance of funerary estates – much as the ancient Egyptians did thousands of years earlier. We have a relaxing lunch at Al Azhar Park and then this afternoon we will take Buggies from the park to Darb el Ahmar where we will take a scenic view of the Medieval villas and mosques on our way toward Bab Zuweila, the southern gateway of the Fatimid city of al-Qahirah – Cairo. (BL)
Day 7 - Friday 15th October – Tahrir and Roda Island
Our morning begins with the short journey to the historic Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Tahrir. This lovely building still houses a great collection of fabulous treasures. Time for a light lunch under own arrangements at the museum before we move on to Roda Island. Here we will wander the Persian gardens and admire the fabulous Ottoman-style architecture of Manial Palace, home of Prince Mohamed Ali (1875-1955). Later we investigate the Nilometer on the southern tip of Roda Island. (B)
Day 8 - Saturday 16th October – Islamic Cairo
After breakfast we head off to the Museum of Islamic Art that takes us on a journey looking at artifacts from all over the world. We have lunch at our favourite roof top restaurant. Next, we visit the world-famous Citadel of Sultan Salah al-Din. We can enter the mosque of Mohammed Ali and admire the view hoping we can catch site of the Giza Pyramids. Finally, we spend some time in the Khan el Khalili Bazaar. (BL)
Day 9 - Sunday 17th October – Homeward bound
After breakfast we take our private transfer to Cairo Airport for our flight home.
