In October 2025, the tomb of Amenhotep III reopened after a 20-year renovation project. While not yet opened for general visits, Big Five remains steadfast in our commitment to spotlighting local archaeologists who are a wealth of knowledge yet are not given the proper due credit. Though the televisions cameras don’t see them, we do.
It was in 2024, when we made a commitment to highlight local archeologists in order to create a fair opportunity for them to showcase their work for our guests. You can read about that initiative here: Big Five Tours & Expeditions Adds New Initiative in Egypt
Well, our work with the local community of the brightest minds, and the new tomb of Amenhotep III converged like two worlds into one amazing experience in Luxor when four local archeologists in charge of the restoration project personally led us through. I read about this article in the Associated Press just two months earlier with unabashed excitement and challenged our team to find a way to be among the first to enter this tomb. Traveling with this year’s amazing group of archaeologists, we proceeded with the short walk up the dirt hill.
Unlocking the gate at the entry was an experience you see in Hollywood movies, a padlock preventing access, being removed by a colleague with a ring full of keys so large, it would make a facilities manager proud. Down the stairs we went, so silent you could hear your heartbeat and a pin drop at the same time. No lines here, no tourists thinking they are the next Peter Lik, it was just us.
As I glanced back at the group descending, their eyes were wide with curiosity, yet no one spoke. Even our Egyptologist, deeply experienced in the field of archaeology, was visibly awed and grateful for another rare firsthand encounter. I then looked to our country manager, a second father to me, and he said the words he always does when he knows I’m left speechless: “You’re welcome.”
You can also read about this opening here: Pharoah’s tomb in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings reopens to the public after 2-decade renovation
Enjoy the second video in our two-part dispatch.
Never Just Another Temple
Upper Egypt holds a special place for me, and part II of our Egypt dispatch takes place in Aswan and Luxor, and of course, Abu Simbel. While the pyramids may be the calling card for Egypt, it is Upper Egypt, Luxor in particular, that holds the heartbeat of Egyptian history. Anyone traveling to Egypt already has a list of their must-sees, however, Luxor, and especially Abu Simbel, should be included as these two locations represent what I believe to be the heartbeat of Egypt’s history.
Now, before you say what about Aswan, don’t worry, I am about to talk about that. The British military occupied Egypt in 1882 and retained control until 1956. Winston Churchill first entered Egypt in 1898 when he was traveling to my mother’s native Sudan and his first stay at the famous Old Cataract Hotel was in 1902, shortly after the hotel opened. Agatha Christie, the famous author, first visited Egypt in 1910 and also stayed at the famous hotel in 1933. This was the inspiration for her renowned book, “Death on the Nile,” released in 1937. This is where I love to slow things down, allowing time to process what we’ve already seen.
Yet, I found myself perplexed on this particular visit. On our return from Abu Simbel, during the shuttle ride from the plane in Aswan to the terminal, I overheard an over-eager traveler, who seemed to assume her opinion was everyone’s, share that Abu Simbel was ‘just another temple.’ She then proceeded to tell whoever would listen that she was “templed out,” and we would be too after our visit to Luxor. Clearly this traveler wasn’t a Big Five client and didn’t see Egypt the right way (the value of a great travel advisor proven yet again!). I couldn’t believe what I was hearing and checked out her comments right after because I couldn’t fathom somebody even suggesting Egyptian landmarks were that common and low on the experience totem pole.
So, enjoy the video from Upper Egypt, and you tell me… if any of this looks like “just another temple.”
