GEM Summer Camp 2026: A Tutankhamun Day Programme for Giza Kids
The Grand Egyptian Museum is running its "Discover the World of Tutankhamun" summer camp through the 2026 summer holidays, a one-day programme for children aged 6 to 12 with two parallel age tracks running daily from 10 AM to 4 PM. The camp, bookable through the official GEM ticketing site at tickets.gem.eg, is the museum's first dedicated children's programme tied to its Tutankhamun galleries, and it is the most concrete answer yet to the question every Giza parent asks in July and August: what do you do with kids when the heat peaks.
The structure splits by age. The Little Explorers track covers 6 to 9 year olds, and the Young Adventurers track covers 10 to 12 year olds, with registration valid only for the age group you book. Bookings are non-refundable and non-transferable, parents handle drop-off and pick-up, and the programme is delivered in a mix of English and Arabic. The GEM reserves the right to withdraw participation in cases of unsafe or disruptive behaviour, which is standard museum-programme language.
Little Explorers: tomb mazes, necklaces, and pigments
The 6 to 9 track is built around a tactile introduction to Tutankhamun's tomb. Children start in a storytelling circle and take home a GEM storybook. They work through a tomb-shaped maze to unlock clues, create their own royal necklace inspired by ancient Egyptian design, and mix their own pigments before colouring a model of King Tutankhamun's golden mask in a guided craft workshop. The day closes with time in the Children's Museum and the Tutankhamun Galleries, which is the part most parents are paying for: a structured, supervised walkthrough of the actual galleries without the stress of managing a young child through a crowded adult museum visit.
The gallery access is the differentiator. The GEM's Children's Museum is a separate ticketed space within the complex aimed at ages 6 to 12, and the summer camp builds the rest of the day around it. For a child who has never been inside the GEM, the camp is effectively a guided, age-appropriate first visit bundled with craft activities that anchor the history.
Young Adventurers: chariots, cartouches, and a magazine cover
The 10 to 12 track is more hands-on and leans into archaeology as process. Participants learn about the Valley of the Kings and the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb, receive personalised GEM passports to relive the moment of discovery, and work through the artefact assembly process by putting together a dismantled model of King Tutankhamun's chariot. They craft a royal clay cartouche framed as an early clue in the tomb's discovery, and learn the basics of marketing archaeological excavations using the Canva app to create a magazine cover. As with the younger track, the day closes in the Children's Museum and Tutankhamun Galleries.
The Canva magazine cover task is the unusual element. It is a deliberate bridge from history to digital media literacy, and it gives older children a tangible take-home artefact that is not just a craft object. For parents weighing this camp against generic summer activities in Giza, the combination of supervised gallery time, a real archaeological narrative, and a digital design output is what distinguishes the GEM programme from a standard holiday club.
Booking, pricing, and getting there
Booking is via the official GEM ticketing portal at tickets.gem.eg, with date selection and age-group selection on the first page of the booking flow. The site confirms the camp runs 10 AM to 4 PM daily, with the museum complex itself open from 8:30 AM and galleries from 9:00 AM, so parents can arrive early and grab coffee before the 10 AM drop-off. Specific session dates run through the summer holidays; the GEM Experience social accounts confirmed the 21 June to 11 July window with additional dates continuing through July and August, subject to availability on the booking portal.
The Grand Egyptian Museum sits on the Giza Plateau, about 2 kilometres from the Great Pyramid. Taxi from central Giza via Pyramids Road is the reliable transit option, running around 20 to 30 minutes depending on traffic. The planned Cairo Metro Line 3 extension toward the Fayrouz station area is set to serve the GEM precinct once operational but is not yet running for summer 2026. The museum's general entry is priced at EGP 200 for adults and EGP 100 for students and children, though the summer camp is booked as a separate programme ticket rather than as a museum entry add-on. School group bookings are handled separately through learning@gem.eg, not the public ticketing flow.
Practical Details
- Dates: Running through summer 2026 (GEM Experience confirmed 21 June to 11 July window, with additional July and August dates subject to availability)
- Time: 10 AM to 4 PM daily; parents responsible for drop-off and pick-up
- Venue: Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), Giza Plateau, 2 km from the Great Pyramid
- Transit: Taxi from central Giza via Pyramids Road (20-30 min); future Cairo Metro Line 3 extension / Fayrouz station area not yet operational
- Age groups: Little Explorers (6-9 years); Young Adventurers (10-12 years). Registration valid only for the selected age group.
- Programme format: One-day programme per booking, two parallel age tracks, mix of English and Arabic
- Activities: Storytelling, tomb maze, royal necklace craft, pigment-making and golden mask colouring (ages 6-9); chariot model assembly, clay cartouche, Canva magazine cover design, GEM passport (ages 10-12); Children's Museum and Tutankhamun Galleries access for both tracks
- Booking: Official GEM ticketing portal at tickets.gem.eg (individual bookings); school groups via learning@gem.eg
- Price: TBA per session on the booking portal (booked as a separate programme ticket, not a museum entry add-on); museum general entry EGP 200 adult / EGP 100 student and child
- Terms: Non-refundable, non-transferable; GEM reserves right to withdraw participation for unsafe or disruptive behaviour; photos may be used by GEM for promotional purposes
- Category: Events / Family & Education
- Website: GEM Summer Camp official booking page
