We are delighted to announce that registration is now open for the special 2026 ISAC tour of Egypt, which will be led by ISAC Associate and Egyptologist Dr. Emily Teeter!
This tour will take place November 14–29, 2026, with visits around Cairo, Aswan, Abu Simbel, and Luxor. For the first time, we will be sailing the Nile and staying onboard luxurious and traditional dahabiya sailboats. Highlights of the tour include:
- Private access inside the Sphinx enclosure for an up-close view of this magnificent monument with ISAC Associate Mark Lehner, Director of the Giza Plateau Mapping Project
- Direct access to the Great Pyramid of Khufu at the Giza plateau, the Saqqara necropolis, and other sites
- Exploration of the maze-like medieval streets and stunning Islamic architecture of Khan al-Khalili, the historic bazaar in the heart of Old Cairo
- Five nights on the luxurious dahabiyas, Veda 1 and Veda 4
- In-depth, behind-the-scenes tours of the storied Medinet Habu and Luxor Temple complexes with the Epigraphic Survey team
- Entry to the spectacular Grand Egyptian Museum, the Nubian Museum, and others
- A visit to Egypt's New Administrative Capital - a massive, futuristic megacity being built 45km east of Cairo
- A Thanksgiving feast with the Epigraphic Survey team and a private tour of Chicago House at Luxor
For more information or to register for the tour, please send an email including your full name and phone number to carterrote@uchicago.edu
Email isac-travel@uchicago.edu to be added to our travel email list and get first notice about upcoming tours.
Tours with the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures are more than vacations, they’re journeys of a lifetime – adventurous, intellectually stimulating and richly memorable. ISAC's Travel Programs provide exclusive visits and on-site learning privileges not enjoyed by other institutions and travel groups. Participants learn directly from some of the most eminent archaeologists and scholars in the world, including at sites ISAC has been excavating and researching for over a century.
