Valley of the Nobles, Deir el-Medina and Medinet Habu
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 MoreYour Egyptologist meets you at your Luxor hotel or docked Nile cruise ship, and you set off in a private air-conditioned vehicle. As you cross to the West Bank, green fields give way to the desert hills the pharaohs chose for eternity, and your guide sets the scene for the day ahead.
The Valley of the Kings is the centrepiece of your tour. Your standard ticket opens three tombs from those open that day, which rotate for conservation, so your guide recommends the best choices on arrival. Inside, painted corridors and funerary texts such as the Book of the Dead lead deep into the rock, and your Egyptologist decodes the gods, symbols and journeys to the afterlife on the walls.
Special tombs: Tutankhamun (KV62), Seti I (KV17) and Ramesses V and VI (KV9) need separate tickets, bought at the gate if you choose to add one.
Next, the mood shifts from underground to open sky. The mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut, one of Egypt's few female pharaohs, rises in three terraces against the cliffs of Deir el-Bahari. Walk its colonnades to see reliefs of her famous expedition to the Land of Punt and the chapels of Hathor and Anubis. The terraces are exposed to the sun, so a hat and water help here.
On the way back, stop at the Colossi of Memnon, two seated statues of Amenhotep III nearly 18 metres high that once guarded his vast mortuary temple. A short stop for photographs and a final story from your guide.
Your private vehicle returns you to your Luxor hotel or docked cruise ship, around six hours after pickup, with time left to rest or plan your afternoon on the East Bank.
Your guide and vehicle are yours alone, so you decide where to linger, especially inside the tombs, the heart of the day.
The same expert guides you from the royal tombs to Hatshepsut's terraces, so the story builds from one site to the next.
Your guide explains which tombs are open that day and whether a special ticket like Tutankhamun's is worth adding, with no hidden extras.
Pickup and return from your hotel or docked Nile cruise ship, timed to beat the midday heat.
About six hours door to door, including the West Bank transfer, three tombs in the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple, the Colossi of Memnon and your return.
The standard ticket covers three tombs from those open on the day. Tombs rotate for conservation, so your guide confirms the best options when you arrive.
No. Tutankhamun's tomb needs a separate ticket, which you can buy at the gate on the day if you want to add it.
Yes. You have a private vehicle and your own Egyptologist, so you control the pace and how long you spend at each site.
Yes. We collect you from any Luxor hotel or from a Nile cruise ship docked in Luxor, and return you to the same point.
Early morning. The West Bank is cooler and quieter before late morning, especially from April to October.
Photography rules at Egyptian sites change from time to time. Your guide will confirm the current rules on the day. Flash is never allowed inside the tombs.
Comfortable walking shoes, light clothing, a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. Bottled water is provided.
The tombs involve steps, ramps and sloping corridors, and Hatshepsut Temple has open terraces. As the tour is private, the pace can be adjusted. Let us know your needs before booking so we can plan the right tombs.
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.
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