A private members-only tour with Ancient World Tours
Escorted throughout by Dr Carl Graves, Director of the Egypt Exploration Society
In this special tour, exclusively for members of the Egypt Exploration Society, we will explore tales of lost places in Egypt. Some lost in myth, others known and since lost, many lost and then found, and others simply forgotten.
This tour follows on from a similar adventure searching for the lost cities of Lower Egypt in spring 2025. On this journey, we will visit the lost places of Middle and Upper Egypt between Cairo and the traditional southern border of Egypt at Aswan.
Following a successful online course delivered in 2023, Dr Carl Graves will accompany intrepid travellers providing insights into the hidden stories of the sites on the trip, the origins of the locations, and how they were discovered.
Dr Carl Graves
NOTE: You will need to use the following password to access the AWT website: NEKHEB
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
Day 1 - Wednesday 7th October 2026
We take our direct flight from Heathrow to Cairo and on arrival we transfer to the Crowne Plaza Hotel at West Giza for two nights on room and breakfast basis.
Day 2 - Thursday 8th October – The Grand Egyptian Museum
We will spend a whole day exploring the Grand Egyptian Museum at your leisure. As well as discovering your own tales of lost places and artefacts, you will also spot some highlights discovered during excavations of the EES. Lunch is at your own arrangement at any one of the many retail and food outlets within the Museum. (B)
Day 3 - Friday 9th October - Herakleopolis Magna
Our journey begins as we head south to Asyut. We make a fascinating stop en-route at Herakleopolis Magna, excavated by the Egypt Exploration Fund in the early 20th century. We have a special permit to explore this remote and rarely visited site. We travel with lunch boxes today as it is a long drive. We then continue to Asyut and on arrival check in to our comfortable corporate hotel for two nights on full board basis. (BLD)
Day 4 - Saturday 10th October - Amarna
A full day at Amarna with time to visit the Royal Tomb, the Sothern and Northern Tombs, the Northern Palace, the Central City, the Great Aten Temple and much more. The EES excavated here from 1921 to 1936 and we will have opportunity to consider the extent of the urban site using archival documents and images. We will have a break in the local rest house where we can eat from our lunch boxes and buy hot and cold drinks. We return to our hotel late afternoon. (BLD)
Day 5 - Sunday 11th October - Ashmunein
This morning to Tuna el Gebel to view one of Akhenaten’s Boundary Stelae and visit the Ibis Catacombs and the lovely tomb chapel of Petosiris. The highlight of the morning though will surely be our special permit to explore the site of Ashmunein, ancient Hermopolis. Changing landscapes in this region have influenced the development of cities in Middle Egypt, as we will see from this rarely visited tell-site. Armed with lunch boxes once again we continue to Abydos where we check in to the House of Life for one night on half board basis. (BLD)
Day 6 - Monday 12th October - Abydos
We begin the day with a ride across the desert sands to Kom el-Sultan, the remains of the temple of Osiris where Petrie discovered a tiny ivory statue – the only representation we have of Khufu, builder of the Great Pyramid. Close by we find Shunet el-Zebib – mortuary temple of king Khasekhemwy. Finally, time to wonder at the beauty of the relief work in the temple of Seti I. But where was the city of Abydos? How did it relate to the early Egyptian capital Thinis? Questions to ponder during our explorations. Back to the hotel for lunch before we drive to Luxor. On arrival we check in to the lovely Old Winter Palace, Garden Pavilion Wing, for four nights on room and breakfast basis. (BL)
Day 7 - Tuesday 13th October – The West Bank I
Today to the West Bank and first stop will be Deir el Medina where we see the village homes of the workmen who built the grand tombs in the Valley of the Kings. We can enter the well preserved, small but colourful, private tombs of the craftsmen and artisans. Time to walk to the nearby Ptolemaic temple and the ‘Great Pit’. Next, Medinet Habu the vast Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III. To end our first morning on the West Bank we will board a traditional felucca and enjoy a first-class lunch while sailing on the Nile. We return to our hotel and enjoy some free time. (BL)
Day 8 - Wednesday 14th October – The West Bank II
Again, we cross the Nile by private launch 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 visit the Temple of Hatshepsut with plenty of time to search out the Punt reliefs, the Chapel of Hathor and enjoy the view of the cultural landscape of Thebes from the upper terraces. (BL)
Day 9 - Thursday 15th October – 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. We return to the hotel for free time over the lunch break and later we will meet up for the short journey to Luxor Temple. (B)
Day 10 - Friday 16th October - Ancient Nekhen
This morning we make the short journey to the southern end of Elephantine Island for a guided tour of the vast ruins of ancient Yebu. We return to the hotel for free time over the lunch period and later we visit the Open-Air Museum where we can see the Unfinished Obelisk. This is followed by a boat ride to Philae Temple dating from the Ptolemaic Period. Here we will explore the elegant colonnade and sanctuary, the Kiosk of Trajan, Hadrian’s Gate, the Temple of Hathor, and much more. Saved from the rising waters of the new High Dam in the 1970’s the temples are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (B)
Day 11 - Saturday 17th October – The Island of Isis
This morning we make the short journey to the southern end of Elephantine Island for a guided tour of the vast ruins of ancient Yebu. We return to the hotel for free time over the lunch period and later we visit the Open-Air Museum where we can see the Unfinished Obelisk. This is followed by a boat ride to Philae Temple dating from the Ptolemaic Period. Here we will explore the elegant colonnade and sanctuary, the Kiosk of Trajan, Hadrian’s Gate, the Temple of Hathor, and much more. Saved from the rising waters of the new High Dam in the 1970’s the temples are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (B)
Day 12 - Sunday 18th October – El Kab and Esna
An exciting journey as we head back to Luxor. Our first stop will be at the necropolis of El Kab, ancient Nekheb where we enter the chapels from the early New Kingdom of Paheri, Reni, Setau and Ahmose. We also explore the more remote wadi temples, including the shrine of Amenhotep III. Time to make a stop at Vulture Rock to view the prehistoric petroglyphs and Old Kingdom inscriptions carved on to the rock face. Our next site will be the Temple of Khnum at Esna to view the recently cleaned and restored hypostyle hall with its floral capitals. Late afternoon we arrive at the Old Winter Palace, Garden Pavilion Wing, in Luxor, and check in for one night on room and breakfast basis. We travel with lunch boxes today. (BL)
Day 13 - Monday 19th October – Homeward bound
We take our private transfer to Luxor airport for the direct flight to London Heathrow arriving early afternoon. (B)
For every booking on this tour a donation to the EES is included.
