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Home9-hour Tour Of The East & West Banks Of Luxor
Description
Enjoy a 9-hour tour to discover the attractions scattered on both banks of the Nile River. Start on the West bank of Luxor and visit the Valley of the Kings, Temple of Hatshepsut & Colossi of Memon. Then, head to the East bank and visit the famous Karnak Temple & Luxor Temple.
Highlights
- Visit the beautifully painted royal tombs of the Valley of the Kings
- See Colossi of Memnon, two statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III
- Explore the Temple of Hatshepsut, an architectural masterpiece
- Observe the 134 columns shaped-like papyrus in the Karnak Temple
- Admire a roman chapel & mosque in the Luxor Temple
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- You will be picked up by your Egyptologist guide in the morning from your hotel or directly from Luxor International Airport to reach the West Bank of Luxor.
- Discover the Valley of the Kings, a symbol of pharaohs' glory. The pharaohs chose this valley to be their royal necropolis after the Pyramids of Lower Egypt were stripped of their treasure. The site contains 63 tombs excavated in the mountain's rock; the most famous one is the young king Tutankhamun.
- Venture inside a royal tomb and examine the coloured scenes on the wall, which will give you insights into the beliefs and funerary rites of Ancient Egyptians. Here, you understand that getting prepared for death is the first goal of a pharaoh. Therefore, the tomb was for each king the outstanding achievement of his life. The royal tombs are, until now, a great witness of the prestige and greatness of the pharaohs.
- Continue your excursion at the Memorial Temple of Hatshepsut. Arriving at the site, the impressive cliff will not miss captivating your eyes. The exterior architecture matches perfectly with the refined cliff; the building seems to have been sculpted into rock. But it's at the foot of this masterpiece of nature that remains the real wonder, the Hatshepsut Temple.; the
- Once inside the temple, you can examine on the walls scenes that tell the story of the female pharaohs that have 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. He did everything to erase the name of Hatshepsut from history. He ruined the face of some of her statues and destroyed her cartouches or removed them. Indeed after her death, Tutmosis III became king and finally took revenge on his stepmother that had stolen the power from him.
- Come to the last site on 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 largest and most sumptuous in Egypt; Amenhotep was revered 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. These days, the area is a vast archaeological research site, still guarded by the two great colossi.
Have lunch in a nice local restaurant. Then, continue your day with a visit to 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 sphinxes 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 one of Amun-Ra is accessible to the public.
Make your way through the papyrus field of the hypostyle hall. The 134 columns shaped like papyrus will not miss to impress you. The walls will captivate you with their coloured engravings and hieroglyphs. At the back of the Amun-Ra precinct, a charming sacred lake of natural spring water was used by the priests to purify themselves before entering the temple. The whole complex was built and developed more than 2000 years ago. Hence, about thirty Pharaohs have contributed to the construction of the building, making it unique by its size, degree of elaboration and diversity of styles.
End your day with Luxor Temple, as this is the perfect time to enjoy the splendour of the ancient architecture highlighted by the shimmering rays of the setting sun. Enter the site facing the immense pylon of Ramses II, his monumental colossi and of course, the unique obelisk since the other was given to France by Viceroy Mehmet Ali. The site also hosts a roman chapel and a mosque that you can admire on the top of the ancient columns of the temple.
At the end of your tour, your guide will transfer you back to your hotel or the airport.
What's Included
Private high-class transportation
Licensed Egyptology guide
Entrance fees
Lunch
Taxes
Bottled water
Snacks
What's Excluded
Tipping
Any private expenses
Know before you go
We are a family-run tour operator in Egypt offering group and private tours for all sizes, ages, and budgets. Operating for ten years, we have become widely recommended by many renowned travel resources. With a personal touch, the customized tours suit the desires of every visitor and offer a genuine Egyptian experience.
Once a year, during the flood season of the Nile, the Luxor temple used to welcome the statues of the Theban triads for the beautiful feast of Opet. During 12 days, several rituals and celebrations used to take place in the temple. Here, Mut renewed every year her marriage with Amun and gave birth again to Khonsu. This rebirth ceremony radiated on the Pharaoh, who could thus renew his power above whole Egypt.
Cancellation Policy
For cancellations upto 2 days before the tour -
Refund of 80% of the tour price.Price Details
| Standard | |
| 1 To 1 | USD 150 Per Person |
| 2 To 2 | USD 232 Per Person |
| 3 To 3 | USD 307 Per Person |
This is a private tour | |