LUXOR VISITS
Luxor has frequently been characterized as the ”world’s greatest open-air museum”, as the ruins of the Egyptian temple complexes at Karnak and Luxor stand within the modern city. Immediately opposite, across the River Nile, lie the monuments, temples and tombs of the West Bank Theban Necropolis, which includes the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens. Thousands of tourists from all around the world arrive annually to visit Luxor’s monuments, contributing greatly to the economy of the modern city. Yusuf Abu al-Haggag is the patron saint of Luxor.
Complete Guided Tour of Luxor
Embark on a fascinating journey through Ancient Egypt with our comprehensive Luxor tour. Discover the rich history of Luxor as we explore renowned sites like the Luxor and Karnak Temples, the Valley of the Kings and Queens, the Colossi of Memnon, and the Temple of Hatshepsut.
Explore Ancient Egypt: Complete Luxor Tour
At the designated time, we’ll pick you up from your hotel or boat in Luxor, setting the stage for a day of exploration along the banks of the Nile River.
Our first destination is the Temple of Luxor, a significant site in ancient Thebes. This UNESCO World Heritage Site boasts captivating features such as the Avenue of the Sphinxes, a mesmerizing forest of colonnades, and imposing sculptures of Egyptian pharaohs, including Ramses II.
Next, we’ll venture to Karnak, the largest temple in Ancient Egypt. Within this monumental complex, home to the impressive sanctuary of Amun, we’ll marvel at the details adorning the obelisks of Thutmose I and Hatshepsut. Our journey continues into the sacred space of the hypostyle hall.
Having explored Karnak, we’ll cross the Nile to reach the Valley of the Kings. Here, the tombs of pharaohs like Tutankhamun and Ramses II reveal ancient funeral rites. We’ll also visit the Valley of the Queens, exploring the burial sites of princesses and pharaohs’ wives from the New Empire.
Our tour proceeds to the Temple of Hatshepsut, which is hailed as “the sublime of the sublime.” This grand monument pays homage to the only woman to rule Egypt during the 18th Dynasty, a pinnacle period in Pharaonic civilization. Our journey concludes at the Colossi of Memnon, where we’ll admire the colossal statues representing Amenhotep III.
After 7.5 hours of captivating exploration, we’ll return to your hotel or boat in Luxor.
Luxor Hot Air Balloon
This hot air balloon over Luxor means you’ll float over the thousand-year-old Luxor temples as the sun rises, allowing you to get a bird’s eye view of these majestic remains of the time of the pharaohs.
Luxor Hot Air Balloon
We’ll pick you up from your hotel in Luxor first thing in the morning, under cover of darkness and before the day has truly begun. During the transfer to the launch site, you’ll warm up with tea, coffee, and a little bit of breakfast.
With the balloon ready, you’ll get comfortable inside the basket and enjoy an unforgettable ride over the temples of Luxor in time with the rising sun. During the 50-minute flight, you’ll appreciate how the sun bathes the ancient remains in both orange and crimson light and its reflection on the River Nile.
You’ll see both the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Nobles from above and even see the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, perhaps the most impressive of all for its massive size and seeming unity with the surrounding landscape. No wonder the temple complex, carved into the rock, has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
With the flight over, you’ll receive a flight certificate, which will accredit you as having experienced this unforgettable morning. And finally, from the landing zone, we’ll take you back to your hotel in Luxor.
Guided Tour of Luxor and Karnak Temples
On this tour, we’ll visit two of the most spectacular temples in Egypt, the Luxor Temple and Karnak, separated by the Avenue of the Sphinxes, three kilometres long.
Itinerary
Having picked you up from your hotel or the boat where you’re staying at 7 pm, we’ll make our way to the east bank of Luxor, known to the ancient Egyptians as Thebes, the capital of Egypt during the pharaonic period.
Our first stop will be the Temple of Karnak, the largest in all of Egypt. Its perimeter stretches for 2,400 metres, dominating the landscape of Luxor. Borne out of the splendour of the New Kingdom, it was constructed at the behest of 67 pharaohs over more than 2,000 years, finally being dedicated to the sun god Ra.
Our second stop will be the Luxor temple, the most important monument in the city and the second largest temple after Thebes. Here too, various Pharaohs had a hand in its construction, including Ramses II, Ramses III and Amenhotep II, finally being finished in the 20th century B.C., being dedicated to the god Amun.
The tour then will finish again at the hotel or boat where you are staying.
Abydos and Dendera Temple Excursion
On this excursion we’ll leave Luxor behind, making our way to Abydos and Dendera, two cities on the banks of the Nile where fascinating temples can be found.
Itinerary
Having picked you up at your hotel or boat, we’ll leave Luxor behind, making our way to Abydos, a city found 260 km northeast of the city.
In Abydos we’ll see its famous temple, constructed by Set I in honour of Osiris. In this temple, you can’t only find important scenes from the life of Set I and Ramses II, but also the famous Royal Lists, with the names of the 77 kings of Egypt from Menes to Set I himself.
Abydos was the most important religious centre and site of pilgrimage in Egypt. Here can be found representations of the “Mysteries of Osiris” a ceremony which reproduced the death and resurrection of the God Osiris.
We’ll then have a picnic lunch, after which we’ll make our way to Dendera.
The Dendera Temple is dedicated to the goddess Hathor and its construction, beginning in the reign of Nectanebo I, continued into the Roman period. The temple has two decorated crypts, two halls with ceilings supported by columns and two funeral chapels, from where the famous “zodiac” from the Louvre comes.
Having made one last stop at the Temple of Isis, we’ll leave Dendera behind to bead back to Luxor, leaving you back at your lodgings between 5 and 6 pm.
Karnak Temple Light Show
Prepare to be mesmerized by a journey into the past with our enchanting sound and light show at the Karnak Temple in Luxor, a captivating experience from start to finish!
Luxor: Karnak Temple Sound and Light Show
At the designated time, we’ll pick you up from your hotel or boat in Luxor, setting the stage for an unforgettable visit to the renowned Karnak Temple.
Constructed over 2000 years ago, Karnak is the largest preserved Egyptian temple to this day. While exploring it by day is awe-inspiring, delving into the history of Upper Egypt in the twilight, with the temple illuminated, is truly priceless.
The sound and light show at the Temple of Karnak lasts two hours. During this time, we’ll embark on a guided tour to appreciate this remarkable architectural masterpiece from a unique perspective, concluding our journey at the Great Sacred Lake. Here, we’ll take a seat and marvel at the temple as it comes to life with radiant illumination.
Throughout the show, a pharaoh will narrate the history of the New Empire’s capital, accompanied by insights from eminent historical figures such as Tutankhamun, Ramses II, and Queen Hatshepsut.
As the show concludes, we’ll return to the vehicle and transport you back to your ship or hotel, with an estimated arrival 3.5 hours after pickup.
Karnak Temple Guided Tour
On this guided tour of the Temple of Karnak, we’ll discover the secrets of this sanctuary dedicated to Amun, which was the main center of worship in Ancient Egypt. A must if you’re in Luxor!
Karnak Temple Guided Tour
At the scheduled time we’ll meet at the entrance of the Temple of Karnak and start a guided tour to discover all the secrets of one of the most spectacular places in Egypt. You’ll love it!
During the tour, we’ll visit the largest temple in the country. Built by pharaohs such as Hatshepsut, Seti I, Ramses II, and Ramses III between 2200 and 360 BC, the Karnak complex has different temples inside, several chapels, and a massive sacred lake, which is one of its greatest attractions.
The most striking attraction of the Temple of Karnak is undoubtedly its famous Hypostyle Hall, with 134 columns that surprise us with their size and state of preservation. You won’t be able to stop gazing up!
Plus, we’ll also walk along the Avenue of the Sphinxes, which leads to the Temple of Luxor, and we’ll reveal the meaning of the ram-headed sphinxes that guard the sanctuary.
After a two-hour guided tour of the Temple of Karnak, we’ll say goodbye at the starting point.
Valley of the Nobles, Medinet Habu and Deir el-Medina
Discover some of the best-conserved funeral monuments of the New Kingdom on this tour, visiting the burial site of Ramses III and the necropolis of the nobles and artisans.
Itinerary
We’ll pick you up from your hotel first thing in the morning, making our way to the west bank of Luxor, where you can find the necropolis of ancient Thebes.
Our first stop will be Medinet Habu, where the burial temple of Ramses III can be found, one of the city’s most important religious monuments. Its entrance is 63 meters wide and 22 meters tall and bears a representation of the pharaoh himself punishing some prisoners.
The tour will continue to the Valley of the Nobles, where you can find more than 500 tombs belonging to the members of the Egyptian aristocracy. We’ll take a look inside a number of the tombs to admire their decoration: having been less attractive to grave robbers, they tend to be much better preserved than the royal tombs.
Our final stop will be Deir el-Medina, an Egyptian town founded by Thutmose I as a home for the workers and artisans of Ancient Egypt. For over 450 years, this town was populated by the builders and decorators of the royal tombs, and you can still see archaeological evidence of this, making it one of the most studied towns from the period.
The tour then finishes back at your hotel or the boat where you’re staying.
Luxor Tour by Horse-Drawn Carriage
On this tour of Luxor, we’ll explore the old capital of ancient Egypt aboard a horse-drawn carriage, one of the typical means of transportation in the country!
Luxor Tour by Horse-Drawn Carriage
At the indicated time, we’ll pick you up at your hotel or cruise ship and start a very special tour of ancient Thebes!
We’ll climb aboard a horse-drawn carriage and enjoy a 1.5-hour tour of what was the capital of ancient Egypt for more than 1,500 years. Aboard the carriage, we’ll admire some of the most emblematic points of the city, such as the Temple of Luxor, the Abu Haggag Mosque, and the Luxor market.
Throughout the tour, we’ll tell you all sorts of interesting facts and secrets of the Temple of Luxor, including the traces left by the pharaohs in the city. You’ll be amazed!
After exploring Luxor by horse-drawn carriage, we’ll take you back to your hotel or boat.
Luxor Museum and Museum of Mummification Guided Tour
On this visit, we’ll see the Luxor Museum and the Museum of Mummification, the two most important and most visited museums in Egypt after the Cairo Egyptian Museum.
Itinerary
Having picked you up at your hotel, or the boat where you’re staying, we’ll make our way to the Luxor Museum, the second most visited museum in the country, only beaten by the Cairo Egyptian Museum.
This museum contains pieces which were excavated in the many historically relevant places in the region, such as the Luxor and Karnak temples. Jewels, ceramics, statues and stone tablets form part of the extensive collection. Some of the masterworks in the museum are objects belonging to Tutankhamun, the statue of Thutmose III and the Karnak temple mural.
Our next stop will be the Mummification Museum, protected by the god Anubis and her Jackal shaped head. Inaugurated in 1997, this museum explains the 70-day mummification process and will explain to you the strange rite, such as the origin of the instruments, or the social exclusion suffered by those who worked on the bodies.
After this interesting history lesson, we’ll take you back to your hotel.
Sunset Felucca Trip to Banana Island
On this excursion from Luxor, we’ll enjoy a felucca ride down the Nile River towards Banana Island, where we’ll explore the island’s many fruit plantations!
Sunset Felucca Trip to Banana Island
At the agreed time, we’ll pick you up at your hotel or cruise ship in Luxor and drive to the port of Luxor. There, we’ll board a felucca, a traditional Egyptian boat, and set sail for Banana Island.
During the ride on the Nile River, we’ll enjoy the beautiful views of Luxor from the water. Upon arrival at our destination, we’ll disembark and start exploring Banana Island and visit, as the name suggests, the numerous banana, mango, and guava plantations!
After this tour, we’ll get back on board the felucca and enjoy a traditional Egyptian meal on board. With our appetite satiated, we’ll sail back to Luxor during the golden hour and watch the sunset color the ancient city of Thebes with beautiful warm orange hues!
Finally, we’ll return to your accommodation after a 3-hour excursion.
Valley of the Kings and Queens, Colossus and Hatshepsut Tour
On this excursion, we’ll visit the most famous necropolis of the ancient Thebes, where you can find the tombs of pharaohs such as Tutankhamun, Ramses II, Ramses III, Set I and queens such as Nefertari.
Itinerary
Having picked you up at your hotel or boat where you’re staying, or train station first thing in the morning we’ll leave the centre of the city behind, making our way to the east bank, where you can find the famous necropolis.
Our first stop will be the Valley of the Kings, the giant necropolis containing more than 60 tombs excavated in the rocks. The first king to be buried here was Thutmose I, making it the place of rest for important kings such as Tutankhamun, Ramses II, Ramses III and Set I. During the visit, we’ll see the most spectacular of their tombs.
Leaving the Valley of the Kings behind we’ll head to the Valley of the Queens, where you can find the tombs of princesses and wives of the Pharaohs of the New Kingdom. Among the tombs, you can visit is that of Nefertari, the favourite wife of Ramses II (although the entry fee to this tomb is not included).
Our next stop will be the Temple of Hatshepsut, dedicated to the only woman who ruled over Egypt for an extended period of time. One of the architect Sennenmut’s creations, the Hatshepsut Temple is unique, partly carved from rock, and partly made up of terraces.
Back in Luxor, we’ll make one last stop at the Colossi of Memnon, two giant stone statues which represent the Pharoah Amenhotep III relaxed, looking out over the Nile and the rising sun.
The tour then finishes, back at the pickup point.
