TOUR ITINERARY

Crossing the Nile River to the West Bank, you’ll visit the necropolis of the ancient city of Thebes. Arriving at the Valley of the Kings, burial place of the kings of Thebes (ancient Luxor), you will have a brief stop at the visitors center. Guides are not permitted inside the tombs, but your guide will tell you what to look for inside the elaborately decorated rooms. If you wish to visit the tomb of King Tutankhamun, an additional cost is payable direct.

Leaving the hot sands of the Valley of the Kings, you will visit the Temple of Hatshepsut, one of the most striking monuments in Egypt. Your guide will introduce you to the history of the temple and the story of Queen Hatshepsut, the famous female ruler of Egypt who posed as a male to gain the throne. There is free time to explore at your leisure as you wander the large courtyards and admire the intricate hieroglyphic decorations.

Returning to Luxor there will be time for a brief photo stop at the Colossi of Memnon, which mark the site of the funerary temple of Amenhotep III. These two giant statues standing tall and proud on the West Bank are all that remain of the ancient complex.

Stop for Lunch Start to visit to the Temples of Karnak. Walk along the Avenue of Sphinx to enter the complex as your guide explains how the massive facade was constructed. On entering the Temples of Karnak you will see each legacy left by the various pharaohs as the complex grew even larger. The deeper you go into the complex, the further back in time you will travel, with the oldest ruins dating back over 3,000 years.

Walking through the Great Court into the Great Hypostyle Hall, it’s hard not to be overwhelmed by the 134 columns towering above you like an ancient forest. At the rear of the complex you will find the sacred lake where centuries ago pharaohs and their offerings to the gods were purified. After a tour of the complex, you will have additional free time to explore at leisure.

Continue to Luxor Temple which was once joined to the Temples of Karnak by a two-kilometer long Avenue of Sphinx, a portion of which marks the entrance to the temple. Dominated by statues of the great warrior pharaoh Ramses II, Luxor Temple has survived Nile floods, foreign invasion and thousands of years exposed to the elements.

A pure Egyptian temple, the inner walls and columns are decorated with intricate hieroglyphics which your guide will help you decipher. Find out how Alexander the Great wrote himself into Luxor Temple’s history, and see one of the original pair of obelisk, the second of which now stands on the Place de la Concorde in Paris.