- Duration
- 9 hours
- Starts from
- Luxor
- Group size
- Up to 12 guests
- Difficulty
- Easy
Overview
A full day north of Luxor with a guide, visiting the Temple of Seti I at Abydos and the Temple of Hathor at Dendera, both famous for their carving and colour.
Few visitors to Luxor make it to Abydos and Dendera, and that is much of their charm. We pick you up from your hotel or cruise boat and drive north along the Nile for about three hours to Abydos, through sugarcane fields and villages, with your guide setting the scene on the way.
Abydos was the great cult centre of Osiris, and the Temple of Seti I holds some of the finest relief carving of the New Kingdom, still bright with paint in places. Look for the King List, a wall of royal names that has helped historians piece together the order of the pharaohs, and the half-sunken Osireion just behind the temple.
On the way back you stop at Dendera, where the Temple of Hathor is one of the best preserved in Egypt. Its hypostyle hall has a deep blue ceiling of astronomical scenes, cleaned back to its original colours, and stairs lead up to chapels on the roof. You're back in Luxor about nine hours after pickup.
Highlights
- The Temple of Seti I at Abydos
- The Abydos King List
- The Osireion behind Seti's temple
- The Temple of Hathor at Dendera
- Dendera's painted astronomical ceiling
- The rooftop chapels at Dendera
Itinerary
- 1
Day 1
Luxor → Abydos → Dendera → Luxor
Early pickup and a drive of about three hours north to Abydos for the Temple of Seti I and the Osireion. On the way back south, stop at Dendera to explore the Temple of Hathor and its rooftop chapels. You're back at your hotel or boat about nine hours after pickup.
What's included
- Hotel or cruise boat pickup and drop-off in Luxor
- Air-conditioned car with driver
- Licensed tour guide
- Entry tickets to the temples at Abydos and Dendera
- Shared small-group tour
Not included
- Lunch and drinks (lunch available as an extra)
- Personal expenses
- Tips for guide and driver
What to bring
- Hat, sunglasses and sunscreen
- Comfortable walking shoes
- A refillable water bottle
- A phone torch for dim temple corners
Pickup & meeting point
Pickup from your hotel or cruise boat in Luxor in the early morning, with the exact time confirmed the day before.
Children up to 11 pay the child rate
Photos
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