Our ancient civilisations holidays & tours
Our ancient civilisations holidays 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 holidays are endlessly fascinating.
Our top Ancient civilisation holidays
Jordan holiday, a week in Jordan
From
£1149 to £1695
9 days
ex flights
A week to explore the spectacular sites and scenery of Jordan
Small group2026: 29 Aug, 12 Sep, 23 Sep, 26 Sep, 3 Oct, 7 Oct, 10 Oct, 17 Oct, 21 Oct, 24 Oct, 31 Oct, 4 Nov, 7 Nov, 11 Nov, 14 Nov, 21 Nov, 28 Nov, 5 Dec, 26 Dec, 2027: 9 Jan, 23 Jan, 30 Jan, 6 Feb, 10 Feb, 13 Feb, 27 Feb, 6 Mar, 13 Mar, 17 Mar, 20 Mar, 27 Mar, 3 Apr, 10 Apr, 17 Apr, 24 Apr, 1 May, 8 May, 15 May, 29 May, 12 Jun, 3 Jul, 28 Aug, 4 Sep, 11 Sep, 18 Sep, 25 Sep, 2 Oct, 6 Oct, 9 Oct, 16 Oct, 20 Oct, 23 Oct, 30 Oct, 3 Nov ...
Archaeology tour of Eastern Turkey
From
£3695
14 days
ex flights
Discover the cradle of civilisation in eastern Turkey
Small group2026: 29 Aug, 2027: 24 Apr, 29 May, 28 Aug, 2 Oct
Mexico small group holiday, culture & beach
From
£1573 to £2655
15 days
ex flights
2 week discovery Mexico's Aztec, Zapotec & Mayan cultures .
Small group2026: 29 Aug, 5 Sep, 19 Sep, 26 Sep, 3 Oct, 7 Oct, 14 Oct, 20 Oct, 24 Oct, 31 Oct, 11 Nov, 14 Nov, 17 Nov, 21 Nov, 24 Nov, 25 Nov, 28 Nov, 1 Dec, 2 Dec, 8 Dec, 12 Dec, 15 Dec, 19 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 ...
Small group2026: 15 Aug, 22 Aug, 29 Aug, 5 Sep, 12 Sep, 19 Sep, 26 Sep, 3 Oct, 10 Oct, 17 Oct, 24 Oct, 31 Oct
Nile felucca cruise in Egypt
From
€550 to €700
4 days
ex flights
Private carbon free traditional felucca cruise on the Nile
Tailor made
Mexico, Belize & Guatemala tour, Mayan encounter
From
£1163 to £1825
13 days
ex flights
Travel through paradise between the Yucatan & Guatemalan.
Small group2026: 22 Aug, 5 Sep, 12 Sep, 19 Sep, 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 ...
Peru tour, small group
From
£1568 to £2295
9 days
ex flights
Peru on an adventure from mountains & Altiplano to jungle,
Small group2026: 28 Aug, 4 Sep, 18 Sep, 26 Sep, 2 Oct, 11 Oct, 16 Oct, 20 Nov, 27 Nov, 4 Dec, 25 Dec, 2027: 1 Jan, 15 Jan, 5 Feb, 26 Feb, 5 Mar, 12 Mar, 26 Mar, 2 Apr, 9 Apr, 16 Apr, 23 Apr, 30 Apr, 7 May, 21 May, 28 May, 4 Jun, 11 Jun, 18 Jun, 25 Jun, 2 Jul, 16 Jul, 30 Jul, 6 Aug, 13 Aug, 27 Aug, 3 Sep, 10 Sep, 13 Sep, 17 Sep, 24 Sep, 1 Oct, 8 Oct, 15 Oct, 22 Oct, 29 Oct, 5 Nov, 12 Nov, 19 Nov, 3 Dec, 17 Dec, 31 Dec, 2028: 14 Jan ...
Small group2026: 13 Sep, 18 Oct, 22 Nov, 2027: 14 Mar, 11 Apr, 9 May, 13 Jun, 29 Aug, 26 Sep, 10 Oct, 21 Nov
Hiking the Inca Trail holiday
From
£1457 to £1715
8 days
ex flights
An unrivalled combination of history and spectacular scenery
Small group2026: 20 Dec, 2027: 10 Jan, 11 Apr, 25 Apr, 2 May, 16 May, 6 Jun, 20 Jun, 4 Jul, 11 Jul, 18 Jul, 1 Aug, 15 Aug, 12 Sep, 19 Sep, 26 Sep, 3 Oct, 24 Oct, 14 Nov, 19 Dec
See all our Ancient civilisation holidaysContact Us
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Highlights of our ancient civilisations holidays
Egypt and the Middle East
In Jordan, our holidays 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 holidays 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 holidays 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 holidays 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 holidays 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 civilisation holidays reviews
4.6
282Ancient civilisation holidays reviews
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 holiday 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 holiday 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
