Machu Picchu Highlights

Don't miss these mind-boggling ruins within Machu Picchu:

• Intihuatana - hitching post of the sun
• Sacred Plaza
• Main Gate (original entrance) & Quarries
• Dry Moat & Long Staircase
• Temple of the Sun & Royal Tomb
• Mortars & Temple of the Condor

Tikal Ruins Facts

300 BCE: Settlement began
300-850 CE: High points of Tikal
900 CE: The city is abandoned and the jungle reclaims it.

Tikal was a prominent Mayan metropolis, a hub of politics, science, religion, and society.

Tikal's abandonment: The Maya empire ruled for almost a thousand years, and while Tikal remained the capital for much of that time, other cities vied for control. Although Tikal recovered from multiple disasters when warring Maya royals took governmental power to another city, it was abandoned in the late 9th century.

Angkor Wat's Highlights

Cambodia's sprawling Angkor Wat temples make up the world's biggest religious complex, covering 400 acres and going back to the 12th century. They're one of the most popular places to visit in Southeast Asia.

As soon as you arrive in Siem Reap, you have a few days to explore the area around Angkor Wat to learn about the temple's history, the unique and identifiable Khmer architecture, and the temple's sacred significance in Hinduism.

Angkor Wat translates as "Temple City" in Khmer, and this fittingly titled complex allows tourists to learn about local cultures, traditions, and cuisines.

• Take in traditional Cambodian music and dance.
• Pay a visit to a workshop where children are being taught Khmer arts.
• Take a tuk-tuk ride (motorized rickshaw).
• Take a stroll through Angkor's night market.

Egyptian Ancient Sites

In each city in Egypt, you will see enormous pyramids, temples, and monuments ascending to the heavens in homage to the ancient gods. Your journey will transport you back in time as you explore magnificent locations such as:

Cairo & Giza: As the modern capital of this ancient country, Cairo is home to the vast Egyptian Museum and serves as an excellent base for tours of Giza, which is home to the pyramids and the world-famous Sphinx.
Aswan: Known mostly for the Aswan Dam, this city also has the archaic temples of Philae.
Luxor: Known in ancient times as "Thebes," this was one of the pharaohs' principal capitals, and it is here that you will visit the haunting Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens on the Nile River's West Bank.
Sail through the Suez Canal, a waterway that connects the Mediterranean and Red Seas.
Kom Ombu & Edfu: You will see two temples here: the Temple of Horus and the Temple of Kom Ombu, which is dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek.