Mount Sinai is where Moses reputedly received the 10 Commandments. An early morning adventure to ascend the mount's summit lets you witness the magnificent sunrise over the Sinai desert before climbing down the 3,000 steps of penitence to St Catherine's Monastery.

St Catherine's Monastery stands on the site where Moses is said to have seen the burning bush. Reputedly the world's oldest working monastery and smallest diocese, St Catherine's is home to many priceless books and manuscripts in many languages, including Coptic, Greek and Arabic.

Tours to these sites include Sinai Insight and Egyptian Experience.

Comprising two temples, Abu Simbel was built by Ramses II around 3,000 years ago. The temple of Ramses II has four statues 20m high on its façade, each reportedly depicting the king at various stages in his life. The temple of Hathor is smaller in size and has a figure of Nefertari on each side of the entrance door standing between two statues of Ramses. In the 1960s, the construction of the High Dam at Aswan threatened to engulf Abu Simbel. An incredible operation was undertaken whereby the temples were dismantled and cut into blocks then rearranged around 60m higher in an artificial mountain.

Visit Abu Simbel on Nile Cruise or Temples of Middle Egypt amongst other holidays in Egypt.

The Temple of Horus at Edfu (also called Idfu) is the best-preserved ancient temple in Egypt as it lay buried in the sand for centuries until the French discovered it in the 1860s. The largest temple after Karnak, it is said to have been built on the site where the god Horus met and vanquished his father Osiris's murderer Seth. The pylon, or gateway, is 79m wide and 35m high and has numerous reliefs to admire.

Tours to here include Egypt in Depth, on which you are accompanied by our guest lecturer Roger Sharp, and Nile & Beyond.

If constant hustle and bustle is not for you, try a little wilderness. The Gilf Kebir and Jebel Uweinat regions are amongst the most isolated on earth. Explore the wadis and canyons to search for examples of prehistoric art, much of which dates back more than 7,000 years. The Gilf Kebir limestone plateau is more than 300m high and the size of Switzerland, while Jebel Uweinat is the highest point in Egypt outside of Sinai and may only get water every 10 years.

The oasis at Siwa is where Alexander the Great consulted the Oracle of Amun to confirm that he was the son of Amun as well as the son of Zeus. After receiving a positive reply he spent the next few years conquering lands between Egypt and India. Travel in his footsteps Into the Great Sand Sea.

Of course we can't talk about holidays in Egypt without mentioning the main draws. The pyramids at Giza are one of the world's most famous icons and the only remaining ancient wonder of the world. There has been much speculation about how they have been built over the years and you cannot help but gaze in awe at their majesty.

The Sphinx is generally thought to have been constructed around 2500BC by Khafre, who also built the second largest of the three great pyramids, and that the erosion is the cause of sand and wind. Of course, some like to think otherwise: geologists have claimed that the erosion is due to water, while the writers Graham Hancock and Robert Bauval say that construction began in 10,500BC. Whatever the truth is, the Sphinx is truly amazing.

A real treasure trove of artefacts can be found at the Egyptian museum in Cairo, including towering granite statues, mummified remains and Tutankahmen's golden death mask amongst many others.

Take a holiday cruise down the Nile by riverboat or by felucca, a traditional wooden sailing boat, giving you the chance to take a dip in the famous river.

Famous for its coral reefs and colourful fish, the Red Sea offers the options of swimming, snorkelling and scuba diving. Alternatively, if you're tired after all that exploring, just laze on the beach watching the boats go by.

Family holidays in Egypt

Take a family holiday in Egypt to show the children an alternative meaning to the word 'mummy'. As well as seeing the great sights/sites there are plenty of adventures to be had: camel and donkey treks in the desert, a traditional meal with a Nubian family and sleeping under the stars on the deck of a felucca to name but a few.