In the Footsteps of Ramesses the Great

Feb 10 - 28, 2023

There are few spots in Egypt where Ramesses’ name and works cannot be found. For the rest of Egyptian history, his reign was the standard by which all others were judged.

We’ll visit the pyramids of Giza and the great Temples of Karnak and Luxor, but with an eye for how these places looked and functioned in the Ramesside Era, about thirty-two hundred years ago.

After seeing the great sights of Luxor and the Valleys of the Kings and Queens, we’ll change our modern tour bus for a mode of transportation that Ramesses would have recognized – a luxurious boat on the Nile. From our dahabiyya we’ll see Egypt from the River, and visit, islands, towns and temples between Luxor and Aswan from a different perspective.

One rarely visited site will be the rock-cut temple and quarry at Gebel el Silsila. Here we’ll meet Ramesses ‘other’ great love, his Royal Wife, Isis, the mother of Khaemwase. And naturally, we’ll spend time at Abu Simbel, examining the great war reliefs and many unique images of the gods of Egypt and Nubia.

You’ll spend quiet time in the exquisite temple of Nefertari, where the graceful queen can be seen in the presence of the goddesses of Love and Loyalty, Hathor and Isis. 

An optional extension can take us North to see the rarely-visited site of Tanis