Safaga Port to Luxor is the route for this private 2-day tour, which includes one overnight stay at a 5-star hotel, starting from $300 per person. The tour begins and ends at your ship in Safaga and covers both sides of ancient Thebes in Luxor: the East Bank on Day 1 (Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple, and the evening Sound and Light Show at Karnak) and the West Bank on Day 2 (Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple, and the Colossi of Memnon).
The drive between Safaga and Luxor takes around three hours each way, which is exactly why the overnight format works. A one-day visit compresses six hours of driving and every major site into a single long day; staying the night lets you watch Karnak illuminated after dark and reach the Valley of the Kings close to opening time, before the day-trip crowds arrive from the Red Sea coast. If your ship is only in Safaga for a single day, our Safaga to Luxor day trip is built for that schedule instead.
Everything is private: your own air-conditioned vehicle, your own licensed Egyptologist guide, and a pace set by you, not a bus schedule. Two lunches, entrance fees to the listed sites, and the hotel night are included. Pickup is timed to your ship’s arrival in Safaga, and the itinerary suits couples, families, seniors, and solo travellers — this tour requires your ship to remain in port overnight, which most Safaga cruise calls scheduling Luxor allow. The itinerary can be fully customised. Check the day-by-day plan below, then send us your ship’s schedule on WhatsApp to confirm availability.
Your Egyptologist guide and driver meet you at the Safaga Port exit, holding a sign with your name — the pickup time is aligned to your ship's docking schedule and confirmed with you before arrival. You travel to Luxor by private air-conditioned vehicle; the road crosses the Eastern Desert and reaches the Nile Valley in around three hours (approximately 230 km). Bottled water is provided in the vehicle throughout the tour.
First stop is the Karnak Temple Complex, the largest religious site built in ancient Egypt, developed over roughly 2,000 years by successive pharaohs. Your guide walks you through the Avenue of Sphinxes entrance and the Great Hypostyle Hall, where 134 columns still carry original pigment near their capitals. Lunch follows on a Nile island, reached by a short boat crossing. You then visit Luxor Temple in the city centre, striking in the late-afternoon light when its sandstone turns gold.
Check in at your 5-star hotel in Luxor. After time to rest, your driver takes you back to Karnak for the Sound and Light Show — the temple illuminated section by section as the narration traces its history. Show times vary by season and are confirmed when we book your slot. Return to the hotel for the night. Dinner is at your own arrangement; your guide can recommend restaurants near the hotel or the Corniche.
Breakfast at the hotel, then check out for an early crossing to the West Bank — the overnight stay is what makes this early start possible. At the Valley of the Kings, your standard entrance ticket covers three tombs from the day's open rotation; your guide helps you choose the best combination that morning, since tombs open on a rotating conservation schedule. The tombs of Tutankhamun and Seti I require separate tickets, available on site as an optional extra.
Continue to the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, the terraced memorial temple of Egypt's most successful female pharaoh, set against the limestone cliffs. On the way back to the river, stop at the Colossi of Memnon — two 18-metre seated statues of Amenhotep III. Lunch is served at a Nile-view restaurant before you begin the return drive. You arrive at Safaga Port in the late afternoon or evening, timed to your ship's departure with a safety margin. Board your ship in Safaga. End of tour.
Every departure is fully private — your own vehicle, driver and guide. Pickup is scheduled against your ship's actual docking time in Safaga, and the Day 2 return is planned with a margin before departure.
Your guide is a licensed Egyptologist, available in the language of your choice. Briefings before each tomb and temple mean the reliefs and cartouches make sense when you're standing in front of them.
More time at Karnak, a slower West Bank morning, a balloon flight at dawn — the two-day structure is a framework, and customisation is free.
You have a direct 24/7 WhatsApp line before and during the tour — for booking questions, schedule changes, or anything that comes up mid-trip.
Entrance fees to all listed sites, both lunches, the hotel night and the Sound and Light Show are in the published price. Exclusions are listed on this page, not discovered on the day.
Yes. This is a 2-day itinerary with a night in Luxor, so it fits cruise calls where the ship remains docked in Safaga overnight. Send us your ship's name and port schedule on WhatsApp and we will confirm the timings work before you book. If your ship calls at Safaga for a single day, our Safaga to Luxor day trip is the right option instead.
About 230 km, which takes roughly three hours each way by road across the Eastern Desert. That six-hour round trip is the main argument for the overnight format: you do each leg once per day instead of both in one day, and you gain the evening and early morning in Luxor — the two best times to be there.
Yes, fully private. Your party has its own air-conditioned vehicle, driver, and licensed Egyptologist guide for both days. There is no shared coach and no waiting for other groups, and the pace at each site is set by you.
Yes — entrance to Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings (the standard ticket covering three open tombs), Hatshepsut Temple and the Colossi of Memnon is included, along with the Karnak Sound and Light Show. The special-entry tombs of Tutankhamun and Seti I require separate tickets bought on site.
You stay one night at a 5-star hotel in Luxor on a bed-and-breakfast basis, double occupancy. The specific property is confirmed at booking depending on availability and your preferences — tell us if you would like a Nile-view room or a particular hotel and we will arrange it where possible.
The itinerary is manageable for most fitness levels because the private format lets you set the pace, and the vehicle drops you close to each entrance. Tombs in the Valley of the Kings involve ramped walkways and some steps, and temple grounds are uneven. Tell us about any mobility needs when booking and we will adapt the route.
Lightweight, breathable clothing that covers shoulders, comfortable closed shoes for uneven ground, a hat and sunscreen. Bring a light layer for the evening Sound and Light Show, since desert temperatures drop noticeably after dark, including in summer. Modest dress is respectful at all sites.
Tipping is customary and not included in the tour price. Travellers typically tip the guide and driver at the end of the tour, and small tips are usual at restaurants and washrooms. Amounts are at your discretion; carrying some small Egyptian-pound notes makes this easier.
Yes, at no extra planning cost. Common adjustments include adding the dawn hot-air balloon flight on Day 2, extra time at Karnak, or swapping the Day 1 evening show for a quiet night. Send your requests on WhatsApp or through the enquiry form and we will confirm a revised plan before you book.
A private Valley of the Nobles Luxor tour with an Egyptologist guide: painted noble tombs, Deir el-Medina and Medinet Habu in about four hours.
Read More
A private Valley of the Kings tour: step inside three open tombs, then Hatshepsut's cliffside temple — paced for you, not a group.
Read More
Cross the Nile by motorboat to the rock-cut Tombs of the Nobles and the ruined desert monastery of St Simeon — a quieter, private side of Aswan.
Check Availability