Tour Overview
This private two-day tour takes you from Cairo to El Minya, in Middle Egypt, at a pace a single day cannot match. On day one you see the plain Akhenaten chose for his capital and the tombs of Tuna el-Gebel, then spend the night in a hotel in El Minya. On day two you visit the rock tombs of Beni Hassan and Tell el-Amarna before driving back. Your Egyptologist guide, private car, two lunches and breakfast are included.
Tour Highlights
- Travel at an easier pace than the day trip, with a night in El Minya so the long drive from Cairo is split across two days.
- Visit Tuna el-Gebel, the burial ground of ancient Hermopolis, the city of Thoth, god of wisdom and writing, which the day trip does not include.
- See the tomb of Petosiris, a high priest of Thoth, built like a small temple, with reliefs that mix Egyptian and Greek styles.
- Climb to the Beni Hassan tombs of the Middle Kingdom governors, cut into the cliffs on the east bank and painted with scenes of daily life.
- End at Tell el-Amarna, where Akhenaten built his capital for the sun god Aten and Egyptian art briefly took a new, more natural direction.
Tour Route
Is the 2-day El Minya tour worth it?
Yes, for travelers who have seen Cairo and Luxor and want to go deeper. Splitting the trip over two days takes the strain out of the long drive and lets you add Tuna el-Gebel, which the day trip leaves out. You see Middle Egypt with time to look, not just to arrive and leave.
What is Tuna el-Gebel?
Tuna el-Gebel was the necropolis of Hermopolis, the ancient city of Thoth, the god of wisdom, often shown as an ibis or a baboon. It was used for many centuries, into Greek and Roman times, so you find very different kinds of burials in one place.
The tomb of Petosiris is the highlight. Petosiris served as high priest of Thoth around the time Alexander the Great took Egypt, and his family tomb looks like a small temple. The site is also known for its long underground galleries, where thousands of mummified ibises and baboons were buried.
Why did Akhenaten build Tell el-Amarna?
Akhenaten wanted a capital for one god only, the Aten, far from Thebes and its great temples to Amun. He chose an empty plain in Middle Egypt, marked its borders with large carved boundary stelae, and moved his court here with Queen Nefertiti and their daughters.
The city did not outlive him by long. Under Tutankhamun, the court returned to the old gods, and Amarna was abandoned. That short life is exactly why it matters: archaeologists have been able to study a whole royal city, its palaces, workshops and houses, from a single reign.
How is this different from the Amarna and Beni Hassan day trip?
The Tell el-Amarna and Beni Hassan day trip covers the two main sites in one long day from Cairo. This 2-day tour adds Tuna el-Gebel and a night in El Minya, so the driving is split and each visit gets more time.
If you have less time to spare, our Cairo day tours page lists shorter trips from the capital, and the private 4-day Cairo tour package is a good way to see the main sights of the capital in more depth before or after El Minya.
Tour Itinerary
Two full days: the drive south and Tuna el-Gebel on day one, a night in El Minya, then Beni Hassan and Tell el-Amarna before the drive home.
Your Egyptologist guide meets you at your hotel in Cairo or Giza in a private air-conditioned car. The drive south to El Minya takes around four hours, through the farmland of the Nile Valley. With two days ahead there is no rush, and your guide uses the time to set the scene for Akhenaten and his era.
Your first stop is the wide desert plain where, according to his own inscriptions, Akhenaten was guided by the Aten to found his city. Standing here helps you understand the scale of his plan and why he chose an empty site that belonged to no older god, before you see the ruins of the city on day two.
Lunch is at a good local restaurant in El Minya and is included in the price. It is a break between the long morning drive and the afternoon visit, and a chance to rest and talk over what you have just seen before you continue to Tuna el-Gebel.
Tuna el-Gebel was the cemetery of Hermopolis, the city of Thoth. Its best-known monument is the tomb of Petosiris, a high priest of Thoth, built like a small temple around 300 BC. Its reliefs show farming and crafts in Egyptian scenes, with Greek touches in the clothes and poses of the figures.
At the end of the day you check in to your hotel in El Minya on a bed-and-breakfast basis. The evening is free. If you still have energy, the riverside Corniche is a pleasant place for a short walk before an early night.
After breakfast at the hotel, your guide picks you up for Beni Hassan. The tombs of the governors of the 11th and 12th dynasties are cut into the cliffs on the east bank of the Nile, an unusual choice in Egypt. A path leads up to them, and inside, painted walls show work, hunting and the famous wrestlers.
Your second lunch is at a local restaurant and is also included in the price. After the climb up to the Beni Hassan tombs, it gives you a proper rest in the shade and a chance to cool down before the last and best-known site of the trip.
Akhenaten built his capital, Akhetaten, here in the mid-14th century BC and moved the court from Thebes. Abandoned soon after his death, it is one of the few Egyptian cities whose plan survives. Your guide explains the temples, palaces and homes of the people who followed the king to his new city.
From Amarna your driver takes you back north to your hotel in Cairo or Giza. The hotel night, guide, car, the meals listed, bottled water and entrance fees are all covered, so you only need cash for tips, dinner and personal expenses.
What's Included
What the tour price covers, and what to plan for separately.
Paid
★
Your
Own
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers about this tour. For anything else, message us on WhatsApp — we reply fast.
The tour starts in the morning at your hotel in downtown Cairo or the Giza area, where your guide picks you up in a private air-conditioned car. On day two, it ends back at the same hotel. Pickup from other areas is possible for an extra charge, so tell us your address when you book.
The price includes hotel pickup and return, one night in an El Minya hotel with breakfast, an Egyptologist guide, a private air-conditioned car, entrance fees for the listed sites, two lunches, bottled water in the car, and all charges and taxes. Dinner, tips and optional tours are not included.
It is a private tour: the car and the guide are only for you and the people you book with. Because the cost of the vehicle, guide and hotel is shared within your group, the price per person goes down as the group gets bigger. Prices also change by season, from {price} per person.
You stay one night in a hotel in El Minya on a bed-and-breakfast basis, and we confirm the hotel with you when you book. If you have a preference, or need a particular room type, tell us in advance and we will arrange the best option available.
Yes. Avicon Travel is a Class "A" travel agency licensed by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism under License No. 1962 and registered since 2010. Our office and team are in Karnak, Luxor, so the guides, drivers and cars on this tour are our own local team, not a booking desk abroad.
