Abu Simbel

The White Desert is a protected area of chalk rock eroded into mushroom and tower shapes, standing white against the sand of Egypt's Western Desert. Trips run from Bahariya oasis as overnight camps, which is the point: the formations are at their best at sunset, under stars and at first light. Four-wheel drive and a licensed guide are required.

Three fourth-dynasty royal pyramids and the Sphinx on the plateau at the city's edge, with interior chambers open on separate tickets. The Great Pyramid of Khufu is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the only one still standing. Built around 4,500 years ago, the complex is part of the Memphis and its Necropolis UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The largest religious complex of ancient Egypt, built over 1,500 years, with a hypostyle hall of 134 massive columns. Built and enlarged over roughly 2,000 years, it is one of the largest religious complexes ever constructed. Its Great Hypostyle Hall holds 134 massive columns. It forms part of the Ancient Thebes UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The burial valley of New Kingdom pharaohs, with more than sixty rock-cut tombs, a rotating selection open on the standard ticket. For nearly 500 years in the New Kingdom, pharaohs were buried here in rock-cut tombs on the west bank of the Nile. Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun here in 1922. Tombs open on rotation to protect their painted walls.

A terraced mortuary temple built into the cliff at Deir el-Bahari for Egypt's longest-reigning female pharaoh. The terraced mortuary temple of Hatshepsut, one of Egypt's few female pharaohs, rises against the cliffs of Deir el-Bahari. Its colonnades and reliefs record events of her reign, including an expedition to the land of Punt.

A museum beside the Giza plateau holding the complete Tutankhamun collection and thousands of objects moved from the old Tahrir museum. Located near the Giza pyramids, it was built to house a large share of Egypt's antiquities, including the Tutankhamun collection. A colossal statue of Ramesses II stands in the entrance atrium.