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Hewn into the rocks now hours away from the nearest city

A fabulous site for so many reasons. Geographically, the Temples are incredible simply because they lie so far from the rest of the world, imposing in the middle of nowhere, overlooking Lake Nasser. From the perspective of craftsmanship they are interesting twice over for the audacity of hewing the temples directly into the rock so many years ago taking 20 years to complete.

For the extraordinary salvage works which saw them dismantled piece by piece and reconstructed on higher ground in the 1960s to prevent them being lost to the creation of Lake Nasser. And, of course, in their own right they are beautiful – a Temple built by Ramses II out of the love he felt for his wife Nefertari in the 13th century BC.

Over time as the temples fell into disuse and with the constant shift and movement of sand the great temples eventually became covered and by the 06th century BC, the statues of the main temple had sand up to their knees.  It wasn’t until 1813 when Jean-Louis Burckhardt (a Swiss orientalist) found the top frieze of the main temple but even with the help of his companion Giovanni Belzoni was unable to dig an entry into the temple.  Four years later in 1817 Belzoni returned and this time succeeded in gaining entry into this huge complex.

Towering at 66ft (20 meters) the four colossal seated figures of Ramesses II gaze upon all who approach them, beckoning you to enter through the great doors into the spectacular maze of cavernous chambers. Twice a year on February 21 and October 21, reportedly the kings birthday and the day of his coronation, the rays of the sun shine all the way through the temple to the back wall and illuminate the statues except for the statue of Ptah, said to be a god connected with the underworld and therefore always remaining in the dark.

Around the Great Temple of Ramses II there are other temples and although smaller in structure, they are no less impressive and still command breath-taking photographic opportunities.

A wonderful way to see the temples in a different light are to stay around for the nightly sound and light show that illuminate these impressive structures under a dazzling array of lights.

The Explorations Company, where no two journeys have ever been the same

Flying Safaris in Africa - By Private Helicopter

Epic helicopter journeys exploring corners of Africa that few have been to or even ever heard of. We specialise in Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, the Congo and Namibia. Our tailor-made safaris cover wild and spectacular mountains, valleys, forests and deserts, with a focus on ‘remote and unknown, unexplored and unforgettable’.

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Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour and catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore – Dream – Discover - Mark Twain - You can view clips of some of our own favourite discoveries here.


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- Utterly designed and tailored around you and your requirements

- Totally unique every time you travel with us

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- Established over 30 years ago we have been around longer than most

- Our specialists come from, have lived in or travelled extensively in the regions we cover

- Unparalleled knowledge provides you with the best possible experience

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Making a difference

- Philanthropy is our philosophy

- Our founding principle is to always ‘put something back’

- An amount from each holiday is donated to our selected conservation and humanitarian charities


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As a guide, the cost of our extraordinary and utterly bespoke journeys tends to start from $1200 per person per day excluding international flights.

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Explore with The Explorations Company

By Marcela Kunova - 20th April 2017

Nicola Shepherd, founder and CEO of The Exploration Company, organises unusual trips for HNW and UHNW clients ranging from birthday parties at an Indian Maharajah's palace to reliving Sir Vivian Fuchs's 1950s expedition to the South Pole. Citywealth caught ...

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