Our ancient civilisations vacations & tours

Our ancient civilisations vacations are an opportunity to walk in the footsteps of the explorers and adventurers of ages past, accompanied as you go by immensely knowledgeable local guides who can illuminate the past. Step back in time among monuments, temples and the ruins of ancient cities to learn about ways of life, culture and belief systems. These trips will also, where relevant, include visits to prestigious museums where you can view priceless artefacts and explore these stories in even greater depth. Whether learning how pyramids were built, wandering underground citadels or following samurai trails, our ancient civilisation vacations are endlessly fascinating.

Our top Ancient civilisations vacations

Jordan vacation, a week in Jordan

From US $1740 to US $2735
9 days ex flights
A week to explore the spectacular sites and scenery of Jordan
Small group2026: 26 Sep, 3 Oct, 7 Oct, 10 Oct, 17 Oct, 21 Oct, 24 Oct, 4 Nov, 7 Nov, 11 Nov, 14 Nov, 21 Nov, 28 Nov, 5 Dec, 26 Dec, 2027: 9 Jan, 23 Jan, 6 Feb, 10 Feb, 27 Feb, 13 Mar, 17 Mar, 20 Mar, 27 Mar, 3 Apr, 10 Apr, 17 Apr, 24 Apr, 1 May, 15 May, 29 May, 12 Jun, 28 Aug, 4 Sep, 11 Sep, 18 Sep, 2 Oct, 6 Oct, 9 Oct, 20 Oct, 23 Oct, 30 Oct, 6 Nov, 13 Nov, 17 Nov, 20 Nov, 27 Nov, 4 Dec, 11 Dec, 25 Dec

Archaeology tour of Eastern Turkey

From US $4990 to US $5175
14 days ex flights
Discover the cradle of civilisation in eastern Turkey
Small group2027: 24 Apr, 29 May, 28 Aug, 2 Oct

Nile felucca cruise in Egypt

From €600 to €700
4 days ex flights
Private carbon free traditional felucca cruise on the Nile

Mexico, Belize & Guatemala tour, Mayan encounter

From US $1512 to US $2550
13 days ex flights
Travel through paradise between the Yucatan & Guatemalan.
Small group2026: 3 Oct, 10 Oct, 17 Oct, 21 Oct, 28 Oct, 3 Nov, 7 Nov, 14 Nov, 17 Nov, 21 Nov, 25 Nov, 28 Nov, 1 Dec, 5 Dec, 8 Dec, 9 Dec, 12 Dec, 15 Dec, 16 Dec, 19 Dec, 22 Dec, 26 Dec, 29 Dec, 2027: 2 Jan, 6 Jan, 9 Jan, 13 Jan, 16 Jan, 20 Jan, 23 Jan, 27 Jan, 30 Jan, 3 Feb, 10 Feb, 13 Feb, 17 Feb, 20 Feb, 23 Feb, 27 Feb, 6 Mar, 10 Mar, 13 Mar, 20 Mar, 24 Mar, 27 Mar, 3 Apr, 7 Apr, 10 Apr, 17 Apr, 20 Apr, 24 Apr, 1 May, 8 May, 15 May ...

Mexico small group vacation, culture & beach

From US $2250 to US $3850
15 days ex flights
2 week discovery Mexico's Aztec, Zapotec & Mayan cultures .
Small group2026: 3 Oct, 7 Oct, 14 Oct, 20 Oct, 24 Oct, 31 Oct, 3 Nov, 11 Nov, 14 Nov, 17 Nov, 21 Nov, 24 Nov, 25 Nov, 28 Nov, 1 Dec, 2 Dec, 8 Dec, 12 Dec, 15 Dec, 23 Dec, 30 Dec, 2027: 2 Jan, 6 Jan, 9 Jan, 13 Jan, 16 Jan, 20 Jan, 27 Jan, 30 Jan, 3 Feb, 6 Feb, 9 Feb, 13 Feb, 20 Feb, 24 Feb, 27 Feb, 6 Mar, 10 Mar, 13 Mar, 20 Mar, 24 Mar, 27 Mar, 3 Apr, 6 Apr, 10 Apr, 17 Apr, 24 Apr, 1 May, 8 May, 12 May, 22 May, 2 Jun, 9 Jun, 16 Jun ...

Archaeology vacation in Greece

From €1540
8 days ex flights
A small-group archaeology tour of Greece
Small group2026: 26 Sep, 3 Oct, 10 Oct, 17 Oct, 24 Oct, 31 Oct

Cairo short tour, Egypt

From £560 to £1350
5 days ex flights
City break vacation for 5 days in Cairo

Jordan and Egypt budget vacation

From US $1488 to US $2176
9 days ex flights
Adventure through historical landscapes of Jordan & Egypt.
Small group2026: 2 Oct, 9 Oct, 16 Oct, 23 Oct, 6 Nov, 13 Nov, 27 Nov, 11 Dec, 18 Dec, 2027: 15 Jan, 29 Jan, 26 Feb, 5 Mar, 19 Mar, 26 Mar, 2 Apr, 9 Apr, 23 Apr, 7 May, 21 May, 18 Jun, 16 Jul, 18 Jul, 13 Aug, 3 Sep, 10 Sep, 17 Sep, 24 Sep, 1 Oct, 8 Oct, 15 Oct, 22 Oct, 5 Nov, 12 Nov, 26 Nov, 10 Dec, 17 Dec, 24 Dec, 2028: 14 Jan, 28 Jan, 25 Feb, 3 Mar, 17 Mar, 24 Mar, 31 Mar, 7 Apr, 21 Apr, 5 May, 19 May, 16 Jun, 14 Jul, 16 Jul ...

Jordan vacation, highlights & hidden gems

From £3120
14 days ex flights
A culturally engaging tailor-made tour of Jordan
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Highlights of our ancient civilisations vacations

Egypt and the Middle East

In Jordan, our vacations visit the magnificent Treasury of Petra, then explore aspects of modern-day Bedouin culture in the nearby village of Umm Sayhoon. In Egypt, they sail the mighty River Nile, explore the Pyramids of Giza, and spend a day taking in the vast collection of antiquities within the spectacular Grand Egyptian Museum. And in Iran and Iraq, they help you admire stunning architectural treasures of the ancient world, deepening understanding of these countries beyond the headlines.

Mexico and the Americas

Maya sites are the focus of many vacations in the Americas, but our trips also explore Aztec and Zapotec civilisations, among others. Key destinations include Chichen Itza, Oaxaca, Tulum and Palenque in Mexico, where you can explore crumbling ruins surrounded by jungle, and stories of sun worship, sacrifice and sacred cenotes. The ruins of Belize are smaller than those of Mexico but have an engrossing wildness to them, while in Guatemala lies Tikal, the great Maya metropolis, a city to rival those of ancient Egypt and Greece.

Asia

The Silk Road spiders across Asia, branching off in many directions, offering immense potential for history-lovers wanting to trace the routes of pilgrims, traders and armies who journeyed along it in centuries past. Overland vacations explore the ‘Stans, with different combinations available, taking in cities like Samarkand, Merv and Khiva. Or you can travel all the way to China, with some truly epic train rides involved, along with chances to learn about how ancient traditions survive in nomadic desert culture.

Africa

While Egypt reigns supreme among our ancient civilisations vacations in Africa, other destinations hold just as much fascination while slipping under the radar. There is Great Zimbabwe, for instance, one of Africa’s largest stone structures. Local communities still use this UNESCO World Heritage Site for ceremonies. And in Libya, while much of the country remains difficult to visit, our vacations take you back to the days of ancient Carthage and Rome in places like Leptis Magna, following old Saharan trade routes to historic desert towns where you can explore troglodyte houses.

Our Ancient civilisations vacations reviews

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Tim Bierley07 Jul 2026
Karim and Hisham were amazing hosts on the boat - friendly, full of knowledge, super attentive and made a really calm and enjoyable time on the boat. The trip itself was gorgeous, the gentle rhythm of a morning sailing, Nile birds skimming the water all day, and always interesting stops at monumentsread more
Nichola Walker06 Jun 2026
It was wonderful. We had our own arrangements in Istanbul at the beginning of our vacation but the host company made the transition to our tour seamless. The organisers in the United Kingdom were easy to communicate with and the team in Turkey were in touch with us the day we arrived and communicated with us with schedules etc as our vacation progressed.read more
Lorna Todd10 May 2026
Really great, full on with a good variety of activities.read more
Sally O01 May 2026
Visiting Olympia and Delphi, but the little, less well-known sites were amazing too. In fact, it was all brilliant! read more
Written by Rob Perkins
Photo credits: [Page banner: jrm353] [Petra: J Basiga] [Samarkand: Artem Bryzgalov]