The Best Indiana Jones Locations You Can...

Indy is back! Hollywood’s most handsome archeologist has returned for one last adventure in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023), so we wanted to take a look at some of the coolest locations explored by Dr Jones over the years, all of which you can visit with Culture Trip.

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View of the gates to the ancient city of Petra, Jordan, from high on the rocky canyon above

Petra, from The Last Crusade

The rich array of archeological wonders and mystical cities of the Arab world have long been a fertile ground for George Lucas and Steven Spielberg to dream up historical escapades for their whip-equipped protagonist. The coolest location used in this part of the world is surely the ancient city of Petra in Jordan. You’d be hard pressed to find a place more tailor-made for an Indy film, from the winding dusty canyon trails surrounding it to the hidden-tomb-like Al Khazneh temple, built into red canyon rocks. Al Khazneh itself stands as the entrance to the climactic temple in The Last Crusade (1989), where Harrison Ford, Sean Connery and co. go in search of the Holy Grail. You can visit this truly otherworldly site on our eight-day Jordan itinerary, which also visits Wadi Rum – one of Hollywood’s favourite playgrounds.

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Next available from 6th Jan 2024

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STARTS AT

Amman, Jordan

ENDS AT

Amman, Jordan

DURATION

8

GROUP SIZE

16

PHYSICAL RATING

Moderate

STYLE

Discovery

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Aerial shot of The Mosque of Rifai and Sultan Hassan in Cairo, Egypt

Cairo, from Raiders of the Lost Ark

Let’s go back to where it all started, and you can understand why Lucas and Spielberg chose Egypt as the focal point of their first archeological adventure epic. A lot of the filming was actually done in Tunisia, but much of the most iconic scenes in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) take place in Cairo, as well as the archeological site of Tanis. You can follow in the footsteps of Indy, Marion and Sallah on our eight-day Egypt trip by experiencing the chaos of Khan Al-Khalili bazaar first hand – luckily you won’t be chased by sword-wielding henchmen in the process. You’ll also channel your inner-Indy by exploring the Pyramids, the Sphinx and the ancient temples of Luxor, Karnak and Kom Ombo. Other destinations featured in Raiders include Nepal and an unnamed Greek island where the film’s horrifying climax takes place.

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STARTS AT

Cairo, Egypt

ENDS AT

Aswan, Egypt

DURATION

9

GROUP SIZE

16

PHYSICAL RATING

Light

STYLE

Discovery

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Heerassagala Road and sunset in Kandy, Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, from Temple of Doom

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) starts in Shanghai, but the rest of the film is set in Himalayan India. These scenes were almost entirely shot in Sri Lanka, however, as the Indian government were (quite understandably) unhappy with the script and denied filming access to Rajasthan. You’ll visit Kandy, the city around which most of the exterior filming was done, on our adventurous 12-day Sri Lankan trip, which features Indy-worthy escapades like white-water rafting and visits to ancient temples and fortresses. The village of Mayapore – the central setting of the whole plot – was built on what is now the Hantana Tea Plantation and tea museum, which you can visit during your free time in Kandy.

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STARTS AT

Colombo, Sri Lanka

ENDS AT

Kosgoda, Sri Lanka

DURATION

12

GROUP SIZE

14

PHYSICAL RATING

Moderate

STYLE

Discovery

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Flash Sale

Machu Picchu, Peru. One of the new Seven Wonders of the World.

Peru, from Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Arguably the most lasting image many have from Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) is the eery atomic bomb test site in Nevada where the film’s dramatic opening action sequence takes place. The adventures really get going in the jungles of Peru, however, where the titular crystal skull is supposedly hidden. Our hero’s quest leads them in search of Akator, an ancient underground city thought to be somewhere around Peru, Brazil and Bolivia. Much of the filming was done in Hawaii, while Iguazú Waterfalls on the Brazil-Argentina border provided the reference point for a thrilling water sequence. The city of Akator itself is largely CGI, but is clearly influenced massively by the ancient Inca ruins of Machu Picchu, which you can visit on our nine-day Peru trip. The site is a truly mystical place, so wondrously ancient that the film’s alien plot becomes far more believable when you’ve seen it for yourself. It’s also worth mentioning that Peru is the very first place we encounter Indiana Jones, since that iconic stone-rolling opening sequence of Raiders is set in the Peruvian jungle.

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Next available from 1st Dec 2023

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STARTS AT

Cusco, Peru

ENDS AT

Arequipa, Peru

DURATION

9

GROUP SIZE

16

PHYSICAL RATING

Light

STYLE

Discovery

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View of people on the beach through an old stone arch in Cefalu, Sicily, Italy

Syracuse, from the Dial of Destiny

The latest, and supposedly final, entry into the Indiana Jones series is suitably globetrotting, featuring extended sequences in Germany, New York City, Greece and Morocco. The bulk of its third act takes place on the Italian island of Sicily, however, centring around Syracuse, home to the ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes, creator of the dial of destiny itself. We won’t delve further into the plot for now, but we see plenty of Sicily throughout most of the second half of the movie – in fact even the Greece scenes were shot here. Syracuse is the central plot location but Cefalu is where a lot of the film itself was filmed, particularly scenes around the piazza and harbour. You can visit both Syracuse and Cefalu – as well as Taormina, season two setting for The White Lotus – on our comprehensive eight day tour of Sicily. You can find out more about the filming locations of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) here.

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Trip highlights and details

STARTS AT

Palermo, Italy

ENDS AT

Siracusa, Sicily

DURATION

8

GROUP SIZE

14

PHYSICAL RATING

Light

STYLE

Discovery

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Volcanic Iceland Epic Trip

meet our Local Insider

Hanna

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2 years.

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It's the personal contact, the personal experiences. I love meeting people from all over the world... I really like getting to know everyone and feeling like I'm traveling with a group of friends.

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I have so many places on my list, but I would really lobe to go to Africa. I consider myself an “adventure girl” and Africa feels like the ULTIMATE adventure!

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