Have a traditional Egyptian night out at a nearby hotel. The El Mouled Festival is celebrated weekly, and it all kicks off with a sunset motorboat cruise along the iconic River Nile. Then, you’ll sit down to a folklore performance featuring belly dancers, snake charmers, and a soundtrack of authentic music. A traditional dinner will be served up after, and you’ll also find a section of ‘pharaoh food’ that lets you sample the same meals eaten by the ancient kings 5,000 years ago. After dinner, the rest of the night is yours. Take to the dancefloor, have your palms read, or share a hubbly-bubbly pipe with a cup of Arabic tea.
Soar through the skies over Luxor and bag yourself one of the most magical sights ever. On this sunrise hot air balloon ride, you’ll glide up from the West Bank in an expertly piloted balloon and float over the some of the areas best sites, giving you a unique angle on the monuments most only see from the ground. Wow at the desert hills and tombs. See the Colossi of Memnon sitting silently below. Soak up the views over Luxor as the morning sun glints over the Nile. They’re all laid out on a plate below and you’ll enjoy them in complete tranquillity far from noisy traffic and tour groups. Just don’t forget your camera or video camera - the views over the land of the Pharaohs are simply stupendous. You’ll need to get up before dawn, but it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience that will stay with you forever.
This trip takes you to two of Egypt’s most impressive ancient sites. You’ll be accompanied by an expert Egyptologist to Karnak Temple first. Karnak, one of the world’s biggest religious sites, is actually a whole complex of temples, sanctuaries, lakes, and chapels. You’ll be led through the 134 pillars that climb for 24 metres above the Great Hypostyle Hall. You’ll stand in the shadows of the pointy obelisks. And, you’ll spot the complex’s intriguing ram-headed sphinxes. In the age of the pharaohs, an avenue lined with hundreds of similar sphinxes connected Karnak to nearby Luxor Temple. Today, it’s just a short drive away and, once you get off the coach, you’ll be met with the temple’s striking façade. One of two original obelisks and a pair of massive statues of Ramesses II flank the entrance to the temple. Inside, your guide will bring the hieroglyphics on the walls to life as you wander through the huge corridors.
Take a trip to Luxor Museum, the little sister of the famous Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo. The building occupies a spot right on the West Bank of the River Nile. If you’ve been to Cairo Museum, you’ll notice this place is much smaller. That’s because only the most well-preserved and significant artefacts are on display – most of them found in Luxor’s ancient sites, like the Valley of the Kings and Karnak Temple. Some of the highlights of the museum include an alabaster double statue featuring the ancient crocodile-headed god, Sobek, and the 18th Dynasty pharaoh, Amenhotep III. There’s also a small selection of relics found in the tomb of the boy king, Tutankhamun. Finally, you can stare into the millennia-old faces of the mummies of Ahmose I and Ramasses I.
Even if you’ve visited Karnak Temple by day, seeing it during its famous Light and Sound Show is a whole new experience. As dusk falls, we’ll take you to this vast ancient temple. The show begins as you step along the Avenue of Sphinxes, passing through the towering façade into the stunning Great Court. As you walk through the colonnades, you’ll hear the thundering voice of a Pharaoh telling the story of Upper Egypt, and wow as atmospheric coloured illuminations light up its columns, murals and statues against the night sky. It’s an incredible experience that brings the scale and grandeur of the place to stunning life. Then it’s time for the second part of show. Take a seat overlooking the Temple’s sacred lake and you’re treated to a dramatic light-and-music extravaganza, with sweeping floodlights, commentary and booming music all combining to continue the story of the Pharaohs and their achievements. Simply spine-tingling.
Fancy creating your own itinerary for a DIY tour of Luxor’s landmarks? That’s exactly what the VIP Selections lets you do. You pick a date and three out of five sites, and we’ll sort out private transport and a personal guide. Will you choose to tour the pillars, pylons, and obelisks at the massive Karnak Temple? Or its smaller, but just as impressive, sister complex, Luxor Temple, where a pair of giant statues of Ramesses II welcome you in? How about Queen Hatshepsut’s magnificent temple, which is carved into the cliff-face high above Luxor? Speaking of queens, the Valley of the Queens is also an option. This is where the wives and children of pharaohs, as well as highly-ranked nobles, were entombed. Your final option is the most famous graveyard in the world, the Valley of the Kings. The 60-odd tombs here were the final resting places of famous kings including Tutankhamun. You can pay extra to duck inside the boy king’s burial chamber and you’ll g
Today, you’ll learn more about Egypt’s most famous pharaoh, before coming face-to-face with some spectacular relics from the ancient era. The morning begins with a drive to a newly-opened tomb that’s an exact replica of Tutankhamun’s burial chamber. The boy king is the country’s most famous, and his real tomb has suffered damage over the years because of the huge numbers of visitors it has drawn in. This lookalike version is made to exact standards, and has an adjoining museum showcasing preservation efforts on the real thing. Later, you’ll stop by the house of the man who found King Tut’s tomb, Howard Carter, before arriving at Luxor Museum. It’s smaller than Cairo’s famous collection of ancient artefacts, but Luxor Museum prides itself on its neat arrangement of high-quality, well-preserved pieces.
Ancient Egypt’s most famous pharaoh, the boy king Tutankhamun, is the focus of this day out. It starts with a trip to a replica of his final resting place. The lookalike tomb, made using high-tech laser scanning, only opened at the start of summer 2014, and occupies an authentic underground spot not far from the real McCoy in the Valley of the Kings. It comes with an accompanying exhibition explaining why it’s necessary to preserve the real thing, which has been damaged because of the number of tourists it attracts. Afterwards, you’ll visit the house once occupied by Howard Carter, the English archaeologist who uncovered King Tut’s tomb. Today, it’s filled with memorabilia from the time of Carter’s work in Luxor, and you’ll even spot some original furnishings from the Twenties.
This trip takes you into lesser-explored territory along the West Bank at Luxor. You’ll start by visiting the Valley of the Queens, where the wives and family members of the famous pharaohs and highly-ranked nobles were entombed thousands of years ago. Around 80 lavishly-decorated tombs are hidden in the Y-shaped valley, including the resting place of the famous Queen Nefertiti. Its brightly-coloured reliefs have earned this tomb the nickname of the ‘Sistine Chapel of Ancient Egypt’. You’ll have some time to navigate the narrow tunnels of some of the tombs. Later, you’ll move on to Deir el-Medina – once a village that housed the tombs’ builders. Some of the workers built their own mausoleums, and also decorated them in a spectacular fashion.
Today, you’ll visit the most famous graveyard in the world, with stops at a few more of Luxor’s landmarks. You’ll drive to the Valley of the Kings, where you’ll have some time to enter some of the 60-odd subterranean tombs of well-known ancient pharaohs like Ramesses II, Thutmose I, and the boy king, Tutankhamun. As you descend into the tunnels, you’ll marvel at the perfectly-carved hieroglyphics and friezes that have survived the test of time. You can pay a bit extra to get into King Tut’s tomb, where his mummy now lays in the exact spot it was for thousands of years. Later, you’ll go on to the Valley of the Queens, where you’ll find the tombs of queens, princes and princesses, and noblemen. The magnificent Temple of Queen Hatshepsut is up next. This huge, three-tiered temple is carved right into the cliffside, and features masculine-looking statues of the queen, who actually portrayed herself as a king.
If you’re interested in digging deeper into the mysteries of the West Bank this tour will hit the spot. It takes you beyond the most-visited sites, showing you antiquities that many holidaymakers don’t get to see. Your tour begins at Medinet Habu, a grand temple honouring Ramses III. Surrounded by massive walls, this impressive place is famed for its reliefs depicting battles and actually contained the heads of some of ancient Egypt’s enemies when archaeologists first discovered it. Afterwards, carry on to Ramesseum - a mortuary temple built for Ramses II. Admire its courtyards and statues of Ramses wrapped in shrouds in readiness for the afterlife. Finally, you’ll make your way to Deir El Medina, the Valley of the Workers. Once home to the artisans that built the Pharaohs’ tombs, this crumbled village is wow-factor stuff. See the outlines of its houses and visit a villager’s tomb - they built them to replicate those of their royal masters. Absolute
You’ll tick off the iconic River Nile, and one of Egypt’s best-preserved ancient sites on this overnight trip. You’ll be picked up after sundown and climb onboard a cruise ship, where you’ll be treated to dinner. Afterwards, it’s time to bed down for the night – your captain will set sail in the small hours, so you’ll wake up as you’re mooring in the city of Qena. After breakfast, you’ll disembark and drive to nearby Dendera. The temple here is considered to be one of the finest examples of Ancient Egyptian architecture that stands today – unlike most, its roof is still intact. You’ll have some time to wander through the chambers, admiring the detailed carvings and brightly-coloured hieroglyphics on the walls and ceilings. At the end of the day, you’ll return to the ship for lunch and sail back down to Luxor. You can upgrade this trip to All Inclusive, too, which gives you local beer, wine, hot and cold drinks on
This ticket lets you see more of Luxor and the surrounding area than you thought possible, over three different days out. Pack your bags for the first trip – it takes you on an overnight cruise along the River Nile to the city of Qena. From there, it’s on to the ancient ruins of Dendera, which are some of the best-preserved in the country. You’ll return to your hotel later that day to prepare for day two, which showcases Luxor’s West Bank. That’s where you’ll explore the tombs of the famous pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens, and Hatshepsut’s Temple. Speaking of temples, your third day’s itinerary takes you to the sprawling temple complexes of Karnak and Luxor. Bring your camera for this one – the towering pillars, obelisks and statues are seriously photo-worthy.
This daytrip combines a cruise along the world’s longest river with a sightseeing tour of one of Egypt’s best-preserved ancient sites. From the harbour in Luxor, you’ll board a river cruise ship and waft down the Nile to Dendera. En route, keep a look out for traditional settlements along the river’s banks – you might see women washing in the shallows, or farmers tending to their crops. Once you’ve moored, it’s on to Dendera Temple. The main temple is one of the only ancient temples in Egypt that still has its original ceiling. It was once emblazoned with a sculptured relief of the zodiac, which is now on display in Paris’ Louvre. You’ll be guided around the complex, with the colourful reliefs and hieroglyphics deciphered for you. Lunch will be served onboard the cruise, before you make the return journey as the sun sets.
In the way to Aswan City you stop to visit the temples of Edfu and Kom ombo, then arrive to Aswan City to see the High Dam, Philae temple and unfinished Obelisk. The Aswan Dam is an embankment dam situated across the Nile River in Aswan. Since the 1960s, the name commonly refers to the High Dam. Construction of the High Dam became a key objective of the Egyptian Government following the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, as the ability to control floods, provide water for irrigation, and generate hydroelectricity Philae is an island in Nasser, Aswan. It was formerly an island in the First Cataract of the Nile River and the previous site of an Ancient Egyptian temple complex in southern Egypt. The complex was dismantled and relocated to nearby Agilkia Island during a UNESCO project started because of the construction of the Aswan Dam, after the site was partly flooded by the earlier Aswan Low Dam for half a century.
The complex was dismantled and relocated to nearby Agilkia Island during a UNESCO project started because of the construction of the Aswan Dam, after the site was partly flooded by the earlier Aswan Low Dam for half a century. The unfinished obelisk is the largest known ancient obelisk and is located in the northern region of the stone quarries of ancient Egypt in Aswan, Egypt. Archaeologists claim the pharaoh known as Hatshepsut sanctioned its construction. It is nearly one third larger than any ancient Egyptian obelisk ever erected. If finished it would have measured around 42 m (approximately 137 feet) and would have weighed nearly 1,200 tons.