Wonders of the ages: Why it's the perfect time to visit Egypt

If you have ever dreamed of visiting Egypt, you can thank Howard Carter. One hundred years ago this month the British archaeologist - who had already spent seven years digging in the Valley of the Kings and was about to lose his funding - discovered the tomb of the boy-king Tutankhamun, the first ancient Egyptian pharaonic tomb to be found with its burial treasures intact.

His diary recorded the opening of the tomb on November 26. "At first I could see nothing... but presently, as my eyes grew accustomed to the light, details of the room within emerged slowly from the mist, strange animals, statues and gold - everywhere the glint of gold. For the moment - an eternity it must have seemed to the others standing by - I was struck dumb with amazement."

Tutankhamun's treasure hoard made global headlines and helped launch a tourism industry that today is a key pillar of the national economy. After a prolonged COVID-19-related slowdown, Egypt is hoping travellers' appetite for all things Egyptian will be whet not just by the anniversary but also by the remarkable discoveries that continue to be made in the many ongoing archaeological excavations.

One person who has their ticket booked is Dr Karin Sowada, director of the Australian Centre for Egyptology at Macquarie University, who has been working on digs in the country for decades. She says the country's monuments - already ancient when Julius Caesar ruled in Rome - are awe-inspiring. "I've never met anyone who didn't enjoy a visit to Egypt," she says. "To comprehend the history that has passed down that river is a source of great wonder."

The hardest thing about a trip to Egypt is knowing where to start. From Cairo all the way down to Aswan in the south where the mighty temple of Abu Simbel sits, there are incredible sites to explore and colourful figures to learn about, whether it's Hatshepsut, the queen who was appointed as regent for her stepson but seized the throne for herself, or the heretic king Akhenaten and his beautiful wife Nefertiti.

"There are many larger-than-life characters," says Sowada, including the mighty pharaoh Rameses II. "He wanted to be known as a man who bestrode the world - he loved having statues of himself made, or carving his name on statues he had appropriated from the others. You just can't escape him."

Sowada recommends allowing a minimum of 10 days to explore, including the key sites in this guide. She also suggests that visitors take the time to savour the country beyond the monuments. "It is a contemporary culture, and the people are very welcoming, just as they were in ancient times."

WHAT'S NEW: The elegant limestone facade of the much-vaunted and much-delayed Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) was finished a while ago but there is no word yet on when we will get to step inside what will be the largest museum on earth dedicated to one civilisation. Whenever it does open, the GEM - built to replace the overcrowded Egyptian Museum in the heart of town - promises to be a memorable experience.

THE ESSENTIALS: If you had just one day in Egypt, you would head to Giza, home to three magnificent pyramids and the Sphinx. Built almost 4000 years ago, and the only one of the Wonders of the Ancient World to survive to modern times, the pyramids still awe with their sheer size. The chance to walk inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu is absolutely awesome, as long as you don't suffer from claustrophobia. Giza is also home to some lesser-known sights including the world's oldest boat. One of five solar barques buried near Khufu's tomb, it was designed to provide transport for the pharaoh in the afterlife, and will be on display in GEM.

IN THE KNOW: Tens of thousands of workers laboured to build each pyramid; even after construction was completed, priests and support staff lived locally to ensure the appropriate rites continued to be carried out. Continuing excavations of their settlements south of the pyramids have revealed everything from bakeries to sewage systems, soldiers' barracks to a palace used by high officials. The oldest paved street in the world was uncovered here, and evidence of agricultural estates that grew food for the workers has also been found. The ancient cemeteries have been particularly revealing about the high standards of ancient Egyptian medical care: one worker had a limb amputated and lived for another 14 years.

WHAT'S NEW: Many visitors leave Egypt without ever setting foot in Saqqara, which is a mistake. Just 30 kilometres from Cairo, the ancient necropolis of Saqqara is not just a UNESCO World Heritage site but also one of the country's largest archaeological locations. Recent discoveries include 50 wooden sarcophagi unveiled in 2021 while earlier this year another five tombs were discovered there.

THE ESSENTIALS: Start by visiting the oldest pyramids in the world, including the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the oldest stone structure found in Egypt and the precursor of the later pyramids. Some of Saqqara's tombs have magnificently detailed decorations, including the tomb of Mereruka and the Mastaba of Ty, an official whose roles included overseer of the Abusir pyramids and whose tomb illustrations include scenes of ordinary people trading, dancing, building boats and avoiding crocodiles. It wasn't just people who were buried at Saqqara. The Serapeum contains the mummified remains of the sacred bulls of the god Ptah. Each of the 20 sarcophagi, made of polished black or red granite, is about four metres long and weighs about 65 tonnes.

IN THE KNOW: No, the onsite Imhotep Museum is not named for the villain of The Mummy movie franchise. The real Imhotep served as chancellor to the Pharaoh Djoser and high priest of the sun god Ra, and was possibly the man who designed Djoser's step pyramid. He later became worshipped as a god - one of the very few non-royals to be deified.

WHAT'S NEW: For decades visitors have marvelled at the Avenue of the Sphinxes, which leads to the entrance of the temple of Karnak. Archaeologists have now unearthed the entire 2.7 kilometre long road that linked Karnak with the nearby Luxor Temple. It was reopened late last year with a reenactment of the Opet Festival, an annual fertility celebration held in the presence of the pharaoh.

THE ESSENTIALS: Luxor's don't-miss highlight remains Karnak, ancient Egypt's most sacred temple. Every pharaoh for 1500 years added to the two-square-km complex: inside you will find awesome statues, ornately decorated chapels, a sacred lake and a massive hypostyle hall where 134 papyrus-topped columns soar 20 metres into the air. If you look in the shadiest corners of the temple you will find scraps of the vivid colours with which these monuments were once decorated. Another local highlight is the excellent Luxor Museum, with a collection that includes a number of royal mummies and some truly magnificent statues, including a 2.45 metre quartzite statue of pharaoh Amenhotep III.

IN THE KNOW: One of the few pharaohs not to have left a lasting legacy at Karnak is Tutankhamun's father Akhenaten. A heretic king who instituted a new religion and a new artistic style, Akhenaten was all but wiped from history after his death by the powerful priests he had gone up against. His contribution to Karnak - a massive wall lined with exquisite tiles depicting vivid scenes of daily life, including bakers and sail-makers at work - was dismantled and used to fill in one of the temple's pylons. Rediscovered in the 1960s, a large section of the wall has now been reassembled and is on display at the Luxor Museum.

WHAT'S NEW: In a find compared with the discovery of Pompeii, archaeologists last year uncovered the so-called "Golden City". More than 3000 years old, the site includes streets where some building walls still stand three metres high, and artefacts including tools, jewellery and pottery. Dating back to the reign of Tutankhamun's grandfather, Amenhotep III - a period when Egypt was at its peak - this is said to be the most important discovery since Tutankhamun's tomb. Archaeologists are still working on the site.

THE ESSENTIALS: So you have heard of the Valley of the Kings, where Tutankhamun is buried - but have you heard of its neighbours, the Valley of the Queens and the Valley of the Nobles? The west bank of the Nile, where the sun set, was Luxor's burial ground and while the kings have the most dazzling decorations, the tombs of the nobles are fascinating for their depictions of daily life. (In the tomb of Ramose, a key official under two pharaohs, the exquisite decorations include scenes of his funeral.) The west bank is also where you will find the mortuary temples of some of the most powerful pharaohs as well as Deir el-Medina, the village that housed the workers who built the tombs.

IN THE KNOW: The don't-miss mortuary temple is the triple-terraced temple of Hatshepsut, the greatest of the handful of female pharaohs. Hatshepsut originally reigned as regent for her stepson before assuming power for herself and her temple commemorates her achievements, including a successful trade expedition to Somaliland. The carvings depict Somaliland as a classic African village with round huts on stilts, shaded by palm trees and accessed by ladders. Incredibly two of the prised incense trees the trade mission brought back can still be seen at the site.

[box-out 1]

HIS REIGN: The son of the pharaoh Akhenaton, Tutankhamun became pharaoh at the age of nine after the death of his father. He ruled for just nine years, dying suddenly in 1324 BCE. It is unclear what caused his death. Tutankhamun was the last pharaoh of his dynasty and was succeeded by Ay, one of his former advisers.

HIS TOMB: The tombs in the Valley of the Kings are open on a rotating basis to prevent damage, and your admission ticket gets you entrance to three of them. A separate ticket is required to visit Tutankhamun's tomb, with a photography permit available for an additional fee. Researchers have recently revealed hidden hieroglyphics in Tutankhamun's tomb that suggest the pharaoh's compact tomb is actually the outer section of a much larger tomb occupied by his stepmother Nefertiti.

HIS TREASURES: Tutankhamun's tomb was the most intact royal burial site found in Egypt, containing more than 5000 objects including chariots, wine jars, board games and a leopard-skin cloak. His death mask alone contained more than 20kg of gold. The entire contents of the tomb will be on display for the first time when the Grand Egyptian Museum finally opens at Giza.

Getting there: Qatar Airways and Emirates both offer one-stop flights to Cairo.

Staying there: In the north, you can base yourself in either Cairo or Giza, or divide your time between both. In Cairo, the riverside Sofitel Nile El Gezirah offers a soft landing while at Giza, Le Meridien Pyramids Hotel & Spa has a pool with a view of the pyramids.

Sightseeing: A Nile cruise is an enjoyable way to travel between some of the key ancient sites, with options including short felucca trips or longer itineraries on small cruise ships.

Explore more: egypt.travel