Egypt holidays news: 'Surprising' discovery in Valley of the Kings

Those who go to the Valley of the Kings on their Egypt holidays will be standing above a maze of underground tunnels which is even bigger than experts first thought.

A team of explorers headed into the tomb of King Seti I last week and were surprised to find a new staircase while excavating one of its tunnels.

It represents a major breakthrough for Dr Zahi Hawass and his team, who have been searching for the stairs for 20 years.

Dr Hawass, who led the mission, said that the feature dates back hundreds of years, adding that he was shocked by its existence.

The secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities revealed that the next stage of the mission is to preserve paintings found in the tomb.

In the meantime, the walls of the building have been braced with supports and a mine car system has been put into place to remove rubble.

Those keen to explore the Valley of the Kings for themselves should book onto The Adventure Company's Nile River Adventure Family Holiday trip.

It also gives travellers the chance to visit Cairo and the Pyramids and enjoy a Nile riverboat cruise.

We offer some exciting choices of Egypt holidays for you to discover