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Luxor Private Tour: Explore West and East Banks' Ancient Temples and Tombs

5.0

9 Ratings

Luxor

Embark on a private tour of Luxor's ancient temples and tombs, exploring the West and East Banks. Discover the Valley of the Kings, Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Colossi of Memnon, Karnak Temple, and Luxor Temple.

Duration: 8 hours

Cancellation: 1 day learn more

Highlights

Valley of the Kings - You will visit the old necropolis of ancient Thebes on the West Bank of Luxor. We will take you to the spectacular Valley of the Kings, where up to now, 63 tombs have been found varying from a one chamber crypt (KV54) to a tomb with 120 chambers (KV5). You will be able to visit 3 tombs with the entrance ticket. The tombs of Tutankhamen and Seti I require separate tickets (not included).
Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahari - We visit the rock hewn mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut. After the death of her husband, Thutmose II, Hatshepsut took the reign as either co-regent with or self-proclaimed Pharaoh instead of Thutmose III. Either way, she was a skillful warrior and strong ruler re-establishing trade routes with foreign countries. Prove of her successes and accomplishments are written on the walls of her memorial Temple at Deir El-Bahari.
Colossi of Memnon - We stop at the base of the magnificent Colossi of Memnon, two immense statues guarding the ongoing excavation of the palace of Amenophis III. The statues are actually likenesses of Pharaoh Amenophis III. Memnon was a hero of the Trojan wars, said to be the son of Eos, Goddess of Dawn. Because of an earthquake in 27BC, one of the statues was damaged and due to forces of nature, was said to “whistle” or “sing” at dawn.
Temple of Karnak - You will visit the Karnak Temple, the second largest religious temple in the world after Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Construction of the first temple complex started about 3,500 years ago and stopped in the Ptolemaic era. The Karnak Temple is a collection of precincts for Amun Re, Mut and Monsu and contains holy lakes, hypostyle halls, obelisks, pylons and shrines. Within the walls is a separate open air museum that requires an additional entrance ticket, as does the Mut precinct. Your guide will lead you through the temple, sharing the historical highlights and giving you plenty of time to wander around between the ancient walls.
Luxor Temple - You will visit the Luxor Temple, dedicated, not to a deity or pharaoh but to the Rejuvenation of Kingship and center of the Opet Festival. In ancient times, the Karnak and Luxor Temples were connected by the sphinx alley which is still being excavated. Many pharaohs were crowned here, either in reality or theoretically (like Alexander the Great who claimed he was crowned in Thebes but probably never visited the ancient capital). You will be able to gaze at the religious significance of the place, as the Theban Triad has shrines, a Roman chapel exists within the walls which was later transformed into a church and on top of the temple rests the Abu Haggag mosque.

What's Included

Private transportation
Professional English-speaking guide
Lunch
In-vehicle air conditioning
All fees and/or taxes

What's Not Included

Tips
Personal Spending
Fees for extra charged tombs and Karnak Open Air Museum

Additional Information

You will have a private tour to the old necropolis in the Theban Mountains on the West Bank of Luxor. We start at the spectacular Valley of the Kings where you will descend into 3 Royal Tombs. Next is a visit to the rock hewn mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut in Deir El Bahari where you are pointed out the most beautiful murals and have time to wander around yourself. We continue for a quick photo-stop at the Colossi of Memnon, two immense statues guarding the ongoing excavation of the palace of Amenophis III. After lunch at a good local restaurant we drive back to the East Bank to visit the Karnak Temple to show you where Pharaohs like Tutankhamun, Hatchepsut and Ramses II performed their sacred rituals. The Karnak Temple complex contains holy lakes, hypostyle halls, obelisks, pylons and shrines. The Luxor Temple, gracefully decorates the banks of the river Nile, dedicated, not to a deity or pharaoh but to the Rejuvenation of Kingship and center of the Opet Festival.

Tombs at the Valley of the Kings are not wheelchair or stroller accessible

Location

Valley of the Kings

Luxor City,

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

5.0

(9 Ratings)

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1 star

518ghitam

May 2, 2024

Hot air ballon - The experience was so amazing with the company and the capitan was so gentel and smiling. We took many photos of the Luxor’s city and we’re so happy the make the experience. The pickup was at 6:30 am and we have had a hot tea in the sailing boat before tranporting us in the ouest side of the Nil. The company is not expensive comparing to the others. thank you to all the team.