Ancient Treasures of Luxor | February 2026

This brand new short tour to Egypt has been specially designed to introduce travellers to the captivating ‘open-air museum’ of Luxor, where many of Egypt’s most magnificent treasures await. Luxor encompasses the ancient city of Thebes, one of the world's longest continuously inhabited cities. Capital of Upper Egypt during the New Kingdom, Thebes served as a significant religious, military and political hub in ancient Egyptian history. Its importance grew from the 11th Dynasty, leading to its development as a flourishing cultural centre.

At the impressive Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens, we will focus on the concept of the afterlife and its significance for the ancient Egyptians. Although many tombs were looted long ago, their remains still reflect the rulers' wealth and influence, decorated with Egyptian mythology and funerary motifs. We will also visit the nearby house of Howard Carter, which gained recognition after the discovery of the tomb of Tutakhamun in 1922.

Hatshepsut's mortuary temple, dating to the 18th Dynasty, features three large terraces built into the cliff face, while the mortuary temple of Ramses III is renowned for its carvings of the 'sea people,' as well as its scale and architectural excellence. Two massive statues, the Colossi of Memnon, stand before the remains of Amenhotep III's mortuary temple, which was the largest in the necropolis. While these monuments are remarkable in size, they are more famous for bearing numerous inscriptions from the Roman and Greek periods.

On the ‘East Bank’, we will discover the awe-inspiring Temple of Luxor, the Temple of Karnak, and the connecting Avenue of Sphinxes. Uniquely, Luxor is not dedicated to a single god but to the renewal of kingship, and is believed to be the site where many Pharaohs were crowned. As the two main temples, the Temple of Luxor was constructed around 1400 BCE during the 18th Dynasty, while construction for the Temple of Karnak began during the 12th Dynasty. Dedicated to Amun-Ra, Karnak comprises various temples, pylons, and other structures built over numerous centuries, and reflects the history and evolving significance of Thebes (ancient Luxor) in early history.

We will also be captivated by the Dendera Temple Complex. One of the best-preserved of its kind in Egypt, the site features numerous structures built across different periods, including crypts, processional entries and stone reliefs, with the Temple of Hathor being the most prominent. Continuously modified from the Middle Kingdom to the Roman period, this monument exhibits remarkable examples of religious and political motifs.

In addition to our onsite visits, we shall also delve into the collections of Luxor Museum, which houses high quality pieces including the mummies of Ahmose I and Ramesses I, a reconstruction of Akhenaten’s temple at Karnak and a selection of artefacts from Amenhotep III.

Expert Egyptologist and Tour Director Ellen Jones will provide three dedicated lectures throughout our tour. These lectures will offer travellers a more profound understanding of the city's rich history and help us to prepare for our site visits, including learning how to ‘read’ the monuments by deciphering hieroglyphics and identifying religious and political figures.

Throughout our tour, we will stay at the five-star Sonesta St George. A beautiful Nile side establishment, it is centrally located in the heart of Luxor well-positioned for our visits and independent exploration.

Ellen Jones

Ellen is an archaeologist, Classicist and Egyptologist who is a frequent traveller to Egypt, Italy and Greece.

This tour will be led by Ellen Jones, PhD. Ellen studied Egyptology at the University of Oxford as an undergraduate through to the award of her DPhil, which explored the relationship between gender, self-presentation and religious decorum in ancient Egyptian elite tombs from the New Kingdom. For the past four years, Ellen worked as a Classics teacher, focusing on classical languages, Roman daily life, and ancient Greek religion. A trained archaeologist, specialising in digital epigraphy and photography, she is also a member of two archaeological missions to Egypt, working on graffiti at Karnak Temple and funerary iconography at the necropolis at El-Kab.