The ancient sites we go to are fragile and special care is needed when visiting them:

The oils on our skin can stain and deteriorate ancient paint, stones and bricks. Touching walls, paintings, statues and carvings will cause damage to them.

Sitting, standing, climbing or leaning on ancient structures or statues, or resting packs or cameras on them will cause damage.

It is illegal to remove any materials from an ancient site. While they may seem unimportant or look like they would make good souvenirs, pottery shards, stones and other materials are integral elements of an overall site.

Flash photography is banned for a reason – the flash damages ancient pigments. All photography is banned in some areas, such as the Egyptian Museum, Luxor Museum and the Valley of the Kings. If you use a flash or try to take photos in prohibited areas your camera (or mobile phone) will be confiscated.

Day packs, camera cases and bum-bags can cause terrible damage in ancient tombs and temples. Often visitors do not realise that the space they occupy is much larger when they are wearing or carrying a bag – turning around or walking through a small space can easily result in plaster and paint being knocked off walls or scratches being made into surfaces. When visiting tombs and other confined places we will arrange for your bags to be guarded outside.

Sometimes sites - or parts of sites - are closed for conservation and restoration purposes. This can be very disappointing but it is not the fault of the local guards or officials – do not blame or be rude to them.

Some sites can be very crowded at times. Pushing and bumping can occur and this can lead to damage of the monuments. Please do not ‘push back’ – get out of the way of such rude people and let them pass.

Littering and graffiti have become common problems at some sites – both are unacceptable.

Graffiti at the tomb of Sarenput I, Aswan

We expect our tour participants to be vigilant in their care of the ancient sites we visit. We will periodically remind you of the issues outlined above and we will take action if you are careless or inconsiderate. We ask that if you see other visitors engaging in unacceptable behaviour you either alert us, our guide or a local guard immediately.

(With thanks to Robin Young, American Research Centre in Egypt, for use of ARCE text.)