Egypt for History Lovers: 16 Days from Saqqara to Amarna, Abydos and Abu Simbel

Most Egypt itineraries fly from Cairo to Luxor and skip some 600 km of Nile valley in between. This one drives it. From Cairo you head south past the collapsed pyramid of Meidum to Minya, the base for the painted Middle Kingdom tombs of Beni Hasan and for Tell el-Amarna, the city Akhenaten built for the sun disc and abandoned within a generation. From there the road continues to Abydos, cult centre of Osiris, before Luxor.

The pace is set by the sites, not the clock. Saqqara gets a full day for the Step Pyramid, the Pyramid Texts of Unas, the Serapeum and the Old Kingdom mastabas; the Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square gets its own morning for its Amarna objects; Luxor gets four nights so you can add the tomb of Seti I, Nefertari's tomb, Medinet Habu and a day for Dendera. Your Egyptologist is chosen for this kind of trip and can go as deep as you like.

Middle Egypt needs more planning than the classic route. Police escorts may accompany you there and checkpoints add time, and travel advice for the region can differ from Cairo and Luxor, so check Smartraveller (or SafeTravel for New Zealanders) before booking and again before you travel. Our team handles registrations and escort arrangements, and we will reroute by air if advice changes.

Journey highlights

• A full day at Saqqara: the Step Pyramid, the Pyramid of Unas, the Serapeum and Old Kingdom tombs
• The Grand Egyptian Museum and the Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square, each with its own day or morning
• Meidum's collapsed pyramid on the road south
• The painted Middle Kingdom tombs of Beni Hasan, with their wrestlers and foreign traders
• Tell el-Amarna, Akhenaten's capital, with the tombs of his officials and the Royal Tomb
• Tuna el-Gebel and Hermopolis, sacred to Thoth
• The reliefs of Seti I at Abydos and the painted ceilings of Dendera
• The tombs of Seti I and Nefertari, Medinet Habu, Philae and Abu Simbel

Day-by-day itinerary

1. Day1

   Arrive in Cairo

   You are met inside the terminal, helped with your visa and driven to your Giza hotel, about 45–60 minutes away. Your Egyptologist joins you for a short briefing on the route ahead.

2. Day2

   The Giza Plateau in depth

   Spend the morning on the plateau: inside the Great Pyramid (separate ticket), the Western and Eastern cemeteries of officials' mastabas, Khafre's Valley Temple and the Sphinx. The afternoon is free to rest, or for the evening sound and light show.

3. Day3

   Grand Egyptian Museum

   A full day at the Grand Egyptian Museum, which opened in full in November 2025. Take the Grand Staircase gallery of royal statues chronologically with your guide, then spend as long as you like in the Tutankhamun galleries and with the Solar Boat of Khufu.

4. Day4

   Saqqara, Memphis and Dahshur

   Arrive at Saqqara at opening time for Djoser's Step Pyramid complex, the Pyramid of Unas with the earliest Pyramid Texts, the Serapeum's giant bull sarcophagi and whichever of the Old Kingdom mastabas, such as those of Ti and Mereruka, are open. Stop at Memphis, then finish at Dahshur's Red and Bent Pyramids.

5. Day5

   Egyptian Museum, Tahrir and Islamic Cairo

   Spend the morning in the Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square, opened in 1902, including its Amarna objects, a good preparation for Middle Egypt. In the afternoon walk Al-Muizz Street and Bab Zuweila in medieval Cairo, ending in Khan el-Khalili.

6. Day6

   Drive to Minya via Meidum

   Drive south about 100 km to Meidum, the tower-like pyramid probably finished for Sneferu, and climb inside to its corbelled burial chamber. Continue to Minya, about 3.5–4 hours' driving in total from Cairo plus checkpoints, and check in for three nights.

7. Day7

   Beni Hasan, Hermopolis and Tuna el-Gebel

   Cross to the east bank and climb to the rock-cut tombs of Beni Hasan, painted around 1900 BC for the governors of the Oryx province; usually the tombs of Amenemhat, Khnumhotep II, Baqet III and Khety are open. In the afternoon drive south to Hermopolis for its colossal baboons of Thoth, then Tuna el-Gebel for the tomb of Petosiris and the ibis catacombs.

8. Day8

   Tell el-Amarna

   A full day at Akhetaten, about 60 km south of Minya and reached by Nile ferry. See the Northern Tombs of Meryre and Huya with their reliefs of Akhenaten and Nefertiti worshipping the Aten, the Southern Tomb of Ay, the remote Royal Tomb where open, a boundary stela and the foundations of the Small Aten Temple. Bring a torch for the tombs.

9. Day9

   Abydos, then on to Luxor

   A long road day. Drive south to Abydos to see the Temple of Seti I, whose painted reliefs are among the finest in Egypt, its King List and the Osireion behind it. Continue about 2.5–3 hours to Luxor, arriving in the early evening. In total this is roughly 6–7 hours of driving.

10. Day10

    Karnak, the Open Air Museum and Luxor Museum

    Take Karnak slowly at opening time, including the Open Air Museum with the reconstructed White Chapel of Senusret I and Red Chapel of Hatshepsut. Later visit Luxor Museum, then Luxor Temple at dusk.

11. Day11

    Valley of the Kings, Seti I and Deir el-Medina

    Start at opening time in the Valley of the Kings with three tombs on the standard ticket plus the tomb of Seti I (KV17), about 137 metres of painted relief, on its premium ticket. In the afternoon visit Deir el-Medina, the village and tombs of the craftsmen who cut the royal tombs.

12. Day12

    Dendera, Medinet Habu and the Valley of the Queens

    Drive about 1–1.5 hours north to Dendera's Temple of Hathor for its cleaned, deep-blue ceilings and rooftop chapels. Back in Luxor, visit Medinet Habu, the mortuary temple of Ramesses III, and the tomb of Nefertari in the Valley of the Queens (premium ticket, subject to availability).

13. Day13

    Esna, Edfu and Kom Ombo to Aswan

    Drive south via Esna's restored Temple of Khnum, the Temple of Horus at Edfu and the double temple at Kom Ombo, arriving in Aswan in the late afternoon. About 4 hours of driving.

14. Day14

    Aswan: Philae, Elephantine and Qubbet el-Hawa

    Visit Philae Temple by boat and the Unfinished Obelisk in the morning. In the afternoon cross to Elephantine Island for its ancient town site, then climb to the Old and Middle Kingdom tombs of the nobles at Qubbet el-Hawa as the sun sets.

15. Day15

    Abu Simbel, fly to Cairo

    Leave before dawn for the roughly three-hour road journey to Abu Simbel (or the 45-minute flight) and see both temples with your guide. Return to Aswan for an evening flight to Cairo, about 1 hour 20 minutes, and a final night near the airport.

16. Day16

    Depart Cairo

    A short transfer takes you to Cairo International Airport for your flight home.

Where you’ll stay

Destinations on this journey

Cairo & Giza · Middle Egypt (Minya and Assiut) · Luxor · Aswan · Abu Simbel