When I visited Egypt in 2008, one of my favorite experiences was visiting the Tombs of Nobles in Aswan, Egypt. Located on the far side of the Nile from the rest of the city, they were mentioned in my guidebook, but the tour manager leading my tour wasn’t even familiar with them. I convinced my roommate, Chantelle, to join me in taking the local ferry across the river and then climbing up a steep set of stone stairs to explore the tombs – we were the only tourists there.
An Egyptian guide and his friend soon joined us, explaining the tombs to us entirely by pointing and gesturing – they spoke no English, but somehow we managed to understand and had an amazing time. And the tombs – like to Tomb of Sirenput II show above – were pretty cool as well.