Tour November 2025!

Who wants to visit Egypt?

• Tour page with all details: History of Egypt Podcast 2025 — Ancient World Tours.
• Reserve your place: Booking — Ancient World Tours.
• Travel enquiries: Contact Ancient World Tours.
• History enquiries: Contact me here.

It’s time to visit Egypt again. In November 2025, we are doing a 9-day visit to Luxor for the “Glories of Thebes!” Starting in Cairo (with the GEM) we head south to visit the Valley of the Kings, Memorial Temples, Deir el-Medina, Abydos, Karnak, and so much more.

Moving forward, tour groups will be smaller than previous years (because I don’t have to travel so far, from NZ, anymore). Places are limited, so get in touch!

If you’re interested and want to add extra days in Cairo for pyramids, Saqqara, etc, let AWT know in your contact email. Things can always be arranged!

Special permits:

• VOK – KV34 and KV5
• Abydos: Osireion

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Howdy folks, Dominic here. It’s that time of year again, for me to announce a tour. In November 2025, I’m partnering with Ancient World Tours to bring you “The Glories of Thebes.” That is, the monuments and treasures of ancient Waset (modern Luxor). The home of Amun-Ra, Mut, Khonsu, and Montu… the sacred burial ground for pharaohs like Hatshepsut, Thutmose III, Tut’ankhamun, Sety I, and Ramesses II. The religious centre of an empire stretching from Sudan in the south, to Syria in the north; with trade networks reaching as far afield as Ethiopia, Crete, and Anatolia. This tour is taking you into the splendours of New Kingdom monuments, in a wonderful excursion.

The tour is nine days total, starting on Sunday the 9th of November and finishing on Monday the 17th. You can find the detailed itinerary on the tour website (link in the description), but here is an overview.

We begin our visit in Cairo, where we have a day to visit the Grand Egyptian Museum. The main galleries are now open to the public, I visited them in February and they were beautiful. If we’re lucky, the rest of the museum might even be fully open, by the time we visit. Either way, it’s a spectacular place to start our travel, and set the scene to come.

We then fly to Luxor, on a domestic flight (arranged by our tour company). We set up shop in the Old Winter Palace, Garden Pavilion Wing. A spectacular hotel, with a rich and storied history. It also has the finest garden you’ll ever see in a desert country, a wonderful old-school bar, and excellent dining options. The Winter Palace will be our home throughout the trip; a wonderful place to rest between adventures.

Once we are in Luxor, the splendours begin. We spend three days visiting the monuments of the West Bank. The temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, the grand memorial temples of Sety I and Ramesses II. The workers’ village of Deir el-Medina, home to the builders and artists who made the spectacular tombs. We also visit the cemeteries of the nobles, with their beautiful art of ancient life, work, and trade. Of course, we also visit the Valley of the Kings. And here, things get special.

On every tour, we include sites that ordinary tourists don’t see. These special permits are arranged by the good folks at AWT and allow us access to places beyond the ordinary. In the Valley of the Kings, we have some wonders. First, we have special access to the tomb of King Thutmose III. This monument is spectacular, with rich (and unusual) art, and intricate decoration of the Egyptian underworld. A real treat, not to be missed. Then, we have a really exciting permit: the tomb of the sons of Ramesses II. This monument, re-discovered in the late 20th Century, is the largest tomb ever found in the Valley of the Kings. Chamber after chamber, descending into the depths. We have access to explore it. This monument is a first for me, so I’m very excited to take you.

Beyond the West Bank, we also spend a day at Karnak. The house of Amun-Ra, Karnak is a staggering site, sprawling over acres, and with a rich variety of sights to see. We arrive at Karnak early (to beat the crowds), and I’ll show you through all kinds of wonderful things.

Halfway through our visit, we also take a day-trip to Abydos. Here, we visit the spectacular temple of Sety I, dedicated to Osiris and other great gods of the realm. And, we have another “special permit.” AWT have arranged access to the Osireion, Sety’s “cenotaph” (or tomb for Osiris?) constructed behind and below his temple. It’s a real treat, we don’t include this monument often, and I’m excited to show you. Finally, we finish Abydos with a visit to the nearby temple complex of Ramesses II; the ancient priests’ town (called Kom el-Sultan), and a special visit to the great Enclosure of King Khasekhemwy. This monument dates the Second Dynasty (more than a fifteen hundred years before Sety and Ramesses), and is an evocative sight, rising out of the desert. At the end of that day, we return to Luxor on our special tour bus.

On the final day of our tour, we fly back to Cairo (again, domestic flights will be arranged by our tour company). And we visit the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, where you’ll come face-to-face with the mummies of the pharaohs. Figures like Sety I, Ramesses II, Thutmose III, those who built the great monuments you saw on your tour. Finally, we take a walk through the streets of Old Cairo (the medieval quarter). We have lunch at a local restaurant, and look back on an exciting and wonder-full trip.

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Our visit comes to an end on the ninth day. From our hotel in Cairo (right next to the airport) it is a simple walk to your check-in counters, and your return home. Our travel agents will be on hand to assist you, every step of the way. And you’ll depart Egypt knowing you’ve had a special experience, beyond the average tourist. 

The tour includes many excellent amenities, along the way, including lunches at some special local restaurants, where you can relax and unwind between visits. We also have a special treat: an old-school “afternoon tea,” aboard sailing boats, journeying on the Nile. This one is new to me, but our travel representative Peter assures me it is the height of relaxation and enjoyment. I’m looking forward to that!

Throughout this journey, I’ll be showing you details about the monuments that ordinary groups might miss. I’ll tell you stories, related to each site, that will add to your mental picture as you visit. And, of course, I’m there to answer any and all questions you may have, about the history and antiquities. We are also accompanied by a local guide, named Salah, who will introduce some of the more “public” areas and facilitate any additional needs you may have. The travel companies we work with are top-notch and provide an excellent service; you’ll be in great hands. 

A quick note on numbers. The tour group size for this one will be much smaller than previous years. Now that I’m living in the UK, I don’t have to travel so damn far to reach Egypt, and I can afford to visit more regularly, with smaller groups, and not lose money on the travel. That’s great. It also means I can give more attention, individually, to you and the other guests. With smaller groups, we can fit more easily into smaller monuments, and everyone will benefit. The downside to this is that places are limited. So, if you’re thinking about joining, do contact us sooner rather than later. The earlier you reach out (even with a simple enquiry or “I’m interested!”) the better we can gauge numbers, and the more likely you are to secure a place. The past three podcast tours have all sold out; so, if you’re thinking about it, get in touch, and let’s visit Egypt together!

Also, one last thing. For some folks, a visit to Egypt may be a “once in a lifetime” kind of thing. Which I 100% get. If that’s you, and you’re worried about missing out on sites like Giza, Saqqara, or anything in the Cairo region, Ancient World Tours can arrange an extra “excursion” for those interested. On the last tour, we had a group who wanted to see Alexandria, and AWT helpfully set them up, with our guide, for a few extra days. So, if you’re thinking about joining in November, and don’t want to miss out on pyramids, let us know in your contact email; things can be arranged.

As I mentioned earlier, you can find full details about the tour (including costs, day-by-day itinerary, and all the miscellaneous details of the excursion) on the website for Ancient World Tours. Follow the link in the episode description to access the private page for this tour (we don’t advertise to the general public), and you can find everything there. If you have any questions about the itinerary, or you have particular needs for a visit, feel free to contact AWT directly through the contact form on their page. If you have any questions about the monuments, or the history, of what we’ll be seeing, feel free to reach out to me. Again, links in the episode description.

Thank you for listening, and I hope to see you in Egypt in November 2025. May you enjoy life, prosperity, and health. And if you’re thinking about joining, reach out sooner rather than later. 

I’ll see you soon.

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Music and interludes by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.net.
Music and interludes by Luke Chaos www.chaosmusick.com.