Luxor's East & West Bank Highlights Tour
Overview
Inclusions
- All taxes and handling charges
- Professional Egyptologist guide
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Transport by private vehicle
- Bottled water
- Lunch
- Entry/Admission - Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahari
- Entry/Admission - Temple of Karnak
- Entry/Admission - Valley of the Kings
What to expect
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Valley of the Kings, Luxor City, Luxor 85511 Egypt
Luxor Highlights........
Enjoy a full day tour to discover the Ancient capital of Egypt : Luxor, formerly called Thebes. All the temples and ancient monuments scattered on both banks of the Nile river make this city a real open-air museum. Temple of Hatcheptsut, Valley of the Kings, Colossi of Memnon, Karnak temple... these are so many wonders that will not fail to impress you.
Your egyptologist guide will wait for you at Luxor in order to reach the West bank of Luxor : the first step of your day.
Discover first the valley of the Kings, a symbol of pharaohs' glory. This valley was chosen by the pharaohs to be their royal necropolis after the Pyramids of the lower Egypt were stripped of their treasure. The site contains 63 tombs excavated in the rock of the mountain, the most famous one is that of the young king Tutankhamun.
Adventure yourself inside a royal tomb and examine the colored scenes on the walls, these give you insights on the beliefs and funerary rites of Ancient Egyptian. Here you understand that to get prepared for death is the first goal of a pharaoh, therefore, the tomb was for each king the great achievement of his life. The royal tombs are until now a great witness of the prestige and greatness of the pharaohs.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahari, Kings Valley Rd Deir el-Bahari, Luxor 23512 Egypt
Continue your excursion with the Memorial Temple of Hatchepsut. Arriving to the site, the impressive cliff will not miss to captivate your eyes. But it’s at the foot of this masterpiece of nature that remains the real wonder : Hatshepsut temple. The external architecture match perfectly with the refined cliff, the building seems to have been sculpted into the rock. Once inside the temple, you are able to examine on the walls, scenes that tell the story of the female pharaohs that has made Egypt strong and wealthy under her reign. You can notice that many figures have their face damaged, these are representations of Hatshepsut that Tutmosis III wanted to get rid of. Indeed after her death Tutmosis III became king and finally took revenge on his stepmother that had stolen the power from him. Actually, he did everything to erase the name of Hatshepsut from history : he ruined the face of some of her statues, destroyed her cartouches or removed them.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Colossi of Memnon, Thebes, Luxor Egypt
Last site in the West bank : the colossi of Memnon. Massive, proudly standing, and the gaze fixed toward the Nile, the two colossi of Memnon were the guardians of Amenhotep’s memorial temple. This complex was the vastest and the most sumptuous in Egypt, here Amenhotep was venerated as a god. After an earthquake of 27 BC, the remaining part of one of the colossi was believed to sing at the time of sunrise. But this sound disappeared after the renovations. The several earthquakes and floods took away this prodigious temple. Today the area is a vast archaeological research site, still guarded by the two great colossi.
Have lunch in a nice local restaurant.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Temple of Karnak, Karnak, Luxor Egypt
Continue your day with the visit of the two glorious temples of the East bank of the ancient Thebes. Get into Karnak temple : the vastest Ancient temple dedicated to the Theban triad Amun, Mut and their son Khonsu. Karnak temple was connected to Luxor temple by an alley of sphinx which was used during the Opet Festival : the statues of the Theban triad were carried in procession from Karnak Temple to Luxor Temple so that Amun-Ra (the solar shape of god Amun) meets Amun-Min (the shape of Amun in Luxor Temple). The ancient complex is composed of three precincts, only the one of Amun-Ra is accessible to the public. Make your way through the papyrus field of the hypo style hall. The 134 columns shaped like papyrus will not miss to impress you. The walls will captivate you with their colored engravings and hieroglyphs. At the back of Amun-Ra precinct : a charming sacred lake of natural spring water that was used by the priests to purify themselves before entering the temple. The whole complex was built and developed during more than 2000 years. Hence, about thirty Pharaohs have contributed to the construction of the building, making it unique by its size, its degree of elaboration and the diversity of styles.
After finishing this amazing day, You will be escorted back to your hotel
Duration: 2 hours
Additional information
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- The duration of transfers are approximate, the exact duration will depend on the time of day and traffic conditions
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Ticket delivery
Cancellation
We booked a 2 day trip to Luxor with Magic Carpet Travel from the UK before we set off for Egypt for our family holiday. We had been impressed by the reviews the company received on TripAdvisor. Shaimaa was very helpful and responsive and put together a tour package for us, including the main Lu...
We booked a 2 day trip to Luxor with Magic Carpet Travel from the UK before we set off for Egypt for our family holiday. We had been impressed by the reviews the company received on TripAdvisor. Shaimaa was very helpful and responsive and put together a tour package for us, including the main Luxor sights and a sunrise balloon ride. We were collected from our hotel in Soma Bay for the 3.5 hour trip to Luxor by Ahmed (who was our driver for the entire first day of our trip). He was in a branded, clean, modern mini van and he had brought lots of cool water for us. He drove excellently. We all felt very safe (which is not assured by any means in Egypt!). Our Egyptologist for the 2 days was Hesham. He was brilliant. He had a lovely gentle and calm manner and he was hugely knowledgeable. He went out of his way to ensure our two young children were engaged, interested and stayed out of the direct sun as much as possible while he showed us things. We booked the Pavilion Winter Garden separately for the night, which was a great choice. It is a very short walk to Luxor Temple and has a lovely garden in the middle of the complex and a super pool (which our girls really enjoyed!} On Day 2 our sunrise balloon trip was cancelled, which was a huge shame. However, Magic Carpet Travel were excellent and immediately confirmed they would provide a refund (which they did). Our driver on Day 2 was also called Ahmed. He was also excellent! He went out of his way to ensure we had a good trip. For example, we observed that the hotels we had stayed in did not serve bananas (even though they are one of Egypt’s major crops) and he went and got us a bag before we left Luxor! He drove very safely as well. I would highly recommend both the Ahmeds as excellent drivers! Hesham was invaluable on Day 2 of our trip. In particular, he helped us to select the best tombs to visit in the Valley of the Kings (we saw 5, 2 of which we paid extra to see - Tutankhamun’s tomb ( - our children were ghoulishly fascinated by the mummy!) and Raamses V & VI (which contains two sarcophagi and is beautifully decorated). Hatsepsut’s Temple was also beautiful (and the stories Hesham told our children about her were very empowering for two young girls). He was also incredibly kind and quietly let us know what was a fair price when we were haggling with local traders outside the Valley of the Kings. Another great aspect of Magic Carpet Travel is the fact that every person who works there appreciates that tourists don’t want to be hassled all the time. We didn’t once get any attempt to sell us extra things or anything like that (which had otherwise been a constant irritant). In fact, quite the reverse, Hesham stopped us getting hassled by street vendors. We finished our trip with a lunch in the restaurant at the top of the Nefertiti Hotel (which is the hotel from which Magic Carpet operates). It was brilliant - the best food we have had in Egypt. The roof terrace was also lovely - it had a super view of Sphinx Avenue. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Magic Carpet Travel - they were all brilliant!The tour was a full day tour in heart of summer. We first did the Eastbank tour early in the morning and midafternoon the Westbank. We enjoyed our tourguide Tayeb who had indepth knowlege of the history and we even got learn to read hieroglyphic numbers and some words. We did both side in a well ...
The tour was a full day tour in heart of summer. We first did the Eastbank tour early in the morning and midafternoon the Westbank. We enjoyed our tourguide Tayeb who had indepth knowlege of the history and we even got learn to read hieroglyphic numbers and some words. We did both side in a well airconditioned spacious van. Note there was also lots of walking take a sun hat and cold bottles of water.Khalde is a great guide. He had lots of time for us and made the trip very personal to us. He gave a good insight into the history without making it overbearing. A great photographer as well!
Khalde is a great guide. He had lots of time for us and made the trip very personal to us. He gave a good insight into the history without making it overbearing. A great photographer as well!Had a lovely tour with Khaled. He is a very knowledgeable guide and told interesting stories about the temples we visited. He also took lovely photos of us and gave recommendations for different restaurants and other sights.
Had a lovely tour with Khaled. He is a very knowledgeable guide and told interesting stories about the temples we visited. He also took lovely photos of us and gave recommendations for different restaurants and other sights.Khaled was an excellent guide! His stories made everything in the east and west bank come alive for us. We started our day in the West Bank, at the valley of the kings, on to Hatshepsut’s temple, back to the east bank where we were staying, for an evening at the Karnak Temple followed by Luxor ...
Khaled was an excellent guide! His stories made everything in the east and west bank come alive for us. We started our day in the West Bank, at the valley of the kings, on to Hatshepsut’s temple, back to the east bank where we were staying, for an evening at the Karnak Temple followed by Luxor Temple. Stories galore! He patiently answered all of our questions about exploring Luxor by ourselves the next morning, which we felt very equipped to do as a result! Khaled also shared helpful tips about culture through the day so we were better prepared for some of the interactions we had with local businesses and people. If you land Khaled as your guide, you’re lucky!Did the tour with Khalid. Great tour. We wanted to have a very fast pace since we do not have much time in Egypt and Khalid accommodate to our needs.
Did the tour with Khalid. Great tour. We wanted to have a very fast pace since we do not have much time in Egypt and Khalid accommodate to our needs.