- Duration
- 8 hours
- Starts from
- Luxor
- Group size
- Up to 12 guests
- Difficulty
- Easy
Overview
A full day on Luxor's West Bank with an Egyptologist: painted tombs in the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's terraced temple, the Colossi of Memnon and an alabaster workshop.
The West Bank is where the pharaohs of the New Kingdom chose to be buried, and it is still the quieter side of Luxor: sugarcane fields, mud-brick villages and the bare Theban hills behind. We collect you from your hotel or cruise boat in the morning and cross the Nile to start while the day is still cool.
First comes the Valley of the Kings, where corridors cut deep into the rock are covered in painted scenes of the sun's night journey through the underworld; the standard ticket covers three tombs, and your Egyptologist guide helps you choose. Next is the Temple of Hatshepsut, rising in three broad terraces against the cliffs of Deir el-Bahari, built for one of the few women to rule Egypt as pharaoh.
On the way back you stop at an alabaster workshop to see the stone shaped and polished by hand, and at the Colossi of Memnon, two huge seated statues of Amenhotep III that have watched over the plain for some 3,400 years. This is a shared small-group tour, and you're back at your hotel or boat in the afternoon.
Highlights
- Painted royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings
- The terraced Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari
- The Colossi of Memnon
- A visit to a local alabaster workshop
- Explanations from an Egyptologist guide
Itinerary
- 1
Day 1
Hotel → Valley of the Kings → Hatshepsut → Colossi of Memnon → Hotel
Morning pickup and the drive across the Nile to the West Bank. You visit three tombs in the Valley of the Kings, then the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari. On the way back there are stops at an alabaster workshop and the Colossi of Memnon. The whole day takes about eight hours.
What's included
- Pickup and drop-off at Luxor hotels or cruise boats
- Shared small-group tour
- Air-conditioned vehicle with driver
- Egyptologist guide
- Entry fees for the Valley of the Kings (standard three-tomb ticket) and the Temple of Hatshepsut
- Bottled water
Not included
- Lunch
- Tickets for special tombs such as Tutankhamun's (optional)
- Photography permits inside the tombs
- Tips for guide and driver
What to bring
- Comfortable shoes for slopes and steps
- Sun hat, sunglasses and sunscreen
- Extra water — the Valley of the Kings gets very hot
- Small Egyptian pound notes for tips
Pickup & meeting point
Pickup from your hotel or cruise boat in Luxor in the morning; the exact time is confirmed the day before.
Children up to 11 pay the child rate
Photos
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