King Tutankhamun – The Boy King Meet King Tutankhamun, the most famous pharaoh in the world. This young ruler from the New Kingdom ascended the throne at just 10 years old and died mysteriously at the age of 19. His story has captivated the world since the discovery of his nearly intact tomb in 1922. On this tour, you’ll have the rare opportunity to stand face to face with his royal mummy, still resting in his original tomb in the Valley of the Kings — a moment you’ll never forget.
Tomb of Ramesses III (KV11) – The Tomb of the Harpers Step into the richly decorated Tomb of Ramesses III, also known as KV11, one of the most fascinating and complex tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Known since antiquity, this tomb is a masterpiece of New Kingdom art and symbolism. Its walls are adorned with vibrant, painted sunken reliefs depicting sacred texts such as the Litany of Ra and the Book of Gates, alongside powerful scenes of Ramesses III standing before the gods. What makes KV11 truly unique are the secular scenes found in the side chambers near the entrance. Here, you’ll discover vivid images of foreign tributes, including finely detailed Aegean pottery, royal weaponry, boats, and the famous depiction of blind harpists — a scene so iconic that the tomb is sometimes referred to as the "Tomb of the Harpers." This extraordinary blend of ritual and daily life offers rare insight into the culture, diplomacy, and artistic mastery of Ramesses III’s time.
emple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari – Egypt’s Legendary Female Pharaoh After exploring the royal tombs, you’ll be transported to the magnificent Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, located at Deir el-Bahari, beneath the towering cliffs of the Theban Mountain. Hatshepsut was the only woman to rule Egypt as Pharaoh, and she did so with remarkable success. An ancestor of King Tutankhamun and a member of the same dynasty, her reign marked a period of peace, prosperity, and monumental building. Her mortuary temple is a masterpiece of ancient architecture, with sweeping terraces, elegant colonnades, and intricate reliefs that tell the story of her divine birth and achievements. It stands today as a powerful symbol of her extraordinary legacy and vision.
Tomb of Merneptah (KV8) – Innovation in the Afterlife In Egyptian mythology, Ptah was the creator god of Memphis and the divine patron of craftsmen and architects. Often depicted in his traditional mummified form—or sometimes with falcon features—Ptah was closely associated with the journey to the afterlife, and statues or images of him were often placed in tombs to guide and protect the deceased on their journey to the West of Luxor. One remarkable example of this is Tomb KV8, the burial place of Pharaoh Merneptah, son of Ramesses II and Queen Isis-Nofret. Discovered by Howard Carter in 1903, this tomb stands out as a model of New Kingdom royal architecture. While it features fewer side chambers than earlier tombs, it introduces major innovations: a dramatic increase in the height of corridors and rooms, and for the first time, a wider entrance that signals a new phase in tomb design. Merneptah also broke with earlier tradition by abandoning the jogged-axis layout—used .
The Colossi of Memnon – Guardians of Thebes After visiting the tombs and temples, you will be taken to see the Colossi of Memnon — two colossal stone statues standing over 18 meters tall, the largest ancient statues in Egypt. These majestic figures date back to the reign of King Amenhotep III, the father of King Akhenaten and grandfather of King Tutankhamun. They once guarded the entrance to Amenhotep’s vast mortuary temple, now mostly lost to time. Following your visit to these iconic statues, you will be comfortably transferred back to your hotel in an air-conditioned vehicle.
A Spectacular Masterpiece (KV2) stands out from many others in the Valley of the Kings for its exceptional artistry and grandeur. This tomb is arguably the most spectacular you will visit, adorned with vibrant hieroglyphics depicting scenes from some of Egypt’s most important funerary texts: the Litany of Ra, Book of the Dead, Book of Caverns, Book of the Heavens, Book of Amduat, and the Book of the Night. Inside the burial chamber, striking blue and white colors illuminate the walls, creating a breathtaking backdrop for the king’s rose-colored granite sarcophagus, one of the largest in the valley. Above, the ceiling features a stunning depiction of the goddess Nut swallowing the sun as it journeys through her body, only to be reborn — a powerful symbol of renewal and eternal life. Despite some wear over time, the tomb’s intricate paintings and vivid colors remain a highlight, making KV2 one of the most richly decorated and impressive tombs in all of the Valley of the Kings.
Explore the Necropolis of Thebes – The Valley of the Kings Your journey begins with transportation to the legendary Necropolis of Thebes, located on the West Bank of Luxor. This ancient burial ground is a must-see for any traveler visiting Luxor, filled with awe-inspiring royal tombs that tell the stories of Egypt’s greatest pharaohs. During the tour, you will visit four remarkable royal tombs: The Tomb of Ramses The Tomb of Horemheb The Tomb of Merneptah And of course, the Tomb of King Tutankhamun King Tut’s tomb is the only one in the Valley of the Kings that was found nearly intact when it was discovered in 1922 by the renowned archaeologist Howard Carter. While Tutankhamun’s famous golden mask is housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, this visit gives you the extraordinary chance to see the royal mummy of this young king up close, an experience that never fails to captivate.
Tomb of Queen Titi – A Royal Mystery in the Valley of the Queens The Tomb of Queen Titi is one of the smaller royal tombs in the Valley of the Queens, but what makes it truly fascinating is the mystery surrounding the identity of Queen Titi herself. Despite its modest size, the tomb holds an air of intrigue that invites visitors to ponder the secrets of this lesser-known queen.
Valley of the Queens – The Royal Burial Grounds of Luxor The Valley of the Queens (Arabic: Wādī al-Malekāt) is a significant archaeological site in Egypt where queens, princes, princesses, and other high-ranking officials were laid to rest. While the pharaohs themselves were buried in the nearby Valley of the Kings, this valley was specially dedicated to the royal family members and nobility. Known in ancient times as Ta-Set-Neferu, a name meaning “The Place of Beauty” and/or “The Place of the Royal Children,” the site was first extensively studied and excavated by archaeologists Ernesto Schiaparelli and Francesco Ballerini in the early 1900s. The Valley of the Queens comprises the main wadi, which houses most of the tombs, as well as several subsidiary valleys: The main wadi contains 91 tombs, while the subsidiary valleys add another 19 tombs, primarily dating to the 18th Dynasty. This rich concentration of royal burials offers a unique glimpse into the lives and afterlives
Tomb of Ramesses IX – A Colorful Legacy in the Valley of the Kings Ramesses IX, the third pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty in the New Kingdom, was originally named Amonhirkhopshef before ascending the throne. As the fifth son of Ramesses III, he became crown prince in the 22nd year of his father’s reign after the unfortunate passing of his four elder brothers. His tomb in the Valley of the Kings is notable for its rich colors and intricate details. The burial chamber features a spectacular ceiling depicting the goddess Nut stretching across the sky, swallowing and birthing the sun — a powerful symbol of rebirth. The sarcophagus, one of the largest in the valley, remains an impressive sight despite some deterioration of the original paintings. It is regarded as one of the most beautifully decorated tombs, offering a vivid glimpse into the art and beliefs of Ramesses IX’s time.
Everything about this Valley of the Kings tour was perfect. Our guide Hassan was extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and organized. He gave us clear explanations before we entered the tombs and made the history of ancient Egypt come alive. Excellent, modern, very clean, and comfortable air conditioning car . Seamless experience from start to finish. Highly recommended
Fantastic visit to the Valley of the Kings and King Tut with Abdul our guide. He was very informative and full of knowledge. He even bought us ice cream and drinks from his own money. Fantastic!!!
Abdul our guide was fantastic and very informative. He was great with the children and bought us all a ice cream before we returned to the hotel
What an incredible experience. I was lucky enough to have Mahmoud as my guide for the day and his knowledge and enthusiasm was inspiring. We took our time at the valley of the kings and weren’t rushed which I appreciated. Mahmoud explained the history of the area, a deep knowledge from his family heritage in the valley and it was great to be able to hear from a local and see the tourist dollar go to the village. Other highlights include Hatshepsut temple, visiting an alabaster workshop and a perfume oils house. The tour was a truly memorable experience. Thankyou also to Ramadan the driver. I felt safe at all times. I highly recommend this tour with Mahmoud and Ramadan.
Definitely worth doing a tour to these areas. While the setting is majestic and awe-inspiring, the history adds a variety of layers which add to the experience. Our guide was very knowledgeable and patient, and provided an overall great experience.
The guide was passionate, knowledgeable, and attentive ! He also proposed different itineraries if we wanted which is good. We made a stop at an (expensive) alabaster cups and sculptures store, which was probably not necessary or would have been ok placed at the end of the tour because it impacted the tour.
We had a wonderful day visiting the Valley of the Kings and Temple of Hatshepsut. Our guide, Abdul, was a very engaging guide who clearly loves his job while also being great at it. Our group thoroughly enjoyed Abdul's explanations behind the vivid history of the sites, Luxor and ancient Egypt. We were also given little scarab souvenirs by Abdul, as prizes for a fun mini quiz at the end. This was our last tour of our Egypt trip and we were pleased to end on such a positive experience. Highly recommended!
Abdul from Luxor tours met us promptly in our hotel lobby and then we were whisked away in an air conditioned van heading for The Valley of the Kings. It was a hot day and the sights were very very busy but Abdul took care of the arrangements very efficiently, showing us where to go and getting our tickets. His enthusiasm and knowledge were apparent right from the start and the tour was both interesting and informative. I felt that he was always on hand to provide information and answer questions whilst giving us time and space to explore on our own too! We visited three tombs and then also that of Tutankhaman whose Tomb although smaller than others could not be missed due to its amazing history and atmosphere. The trip to the alabaster factory was also enjoyable and the Temple of Hatshepsut was impressive and had a great story behind it. Abdul even did a short "quiz" at the end of the trip when we realised just how much we had learnt in our morning with him. Would definitely recommend this tour and at just under 5 hours it was just the right length of trip in the heat.
Hassan was a great guide. He was very informative, entertaining and funny. Despite my partner being into Egyptology we both learnt loads about the history of the locations we were visiting, and Egyptian history in general. Hassan helped sort out tickets, entry and transport when there, removing some of the hassle and made the whole trip one amazing day. We bumped into Hassan later in the holiday and he greeted us like old friends. Highly recommended.
My wife and I loved the whole experience. Hamdy our guide was great and went out of his way to accommodate us and really added to the whole trip. I would recommend it to anyone.
We had a wonderful day learning about Egyptian history with Hassan. He was a very out going kind person who really adds some extra fun to the whole experience. I would definitely recommend!
Moments after our introduction, Hassan captivated us by providing detailed Egyptian history as a lively story. He speaks with his hands and eyes and fully held our attention. We've used several guides, and Hassan was by far the most delightful. Highly recommend for a wonderfully enriching experience.
I cant explain how lucky I feel to have been given the opportunity to be guided by Hassan. He is funny, extremely smart and most of all he is very charismatic. It seems that everyone in Egypt knows him and loves him, which is good when you are a tourist. I cannot recommend him enough and I guarantee you will not be disappointed by him.
Roshdy was a great guide! He was very knowledgeable and gave us a lot of new & interesting information. He was very patient with us. Provided us with tips on what to kook for as well as its significance. Great and classy buffet lunch. We had a beautiful tour. Thanks, Roshdy!
Excellent tour with a fantastic and incredibly nice local tour guide. Ragab has a specialised education in egyptology, so he truly does know what he's talking about, and he was great for answering questions!! Ragab also personalised our tour for us, given our particular interests (we are also archaeologists), and gave us an incredible tour round; the valley of the kings, Hatshepsut's temple, a fun alabaster shop run by family members of one of the actual people who discovered Tutankhamon's tomb (Ragab will fill you in on this story himself), the colossi of Memnon, as well as a tour of the amazing Ramses III's temple. Definitely recommended by the both of us. Lloyd and Laura
This was one of the most incredible experience we had in Egypt. We had a Private Tour with Driver and Guide. Hassan our guide was exceptional. Very Knowledgeable speaking in impeccable English. He was thoughtful and provided limitless insight. In one of the tombs he told us to look out for Roman "graffiti" at the entrance ; we were the only one to stop and absorb everyone else walked right by. We highly recommend this tour ! Especially with Hassan the Guide and their driver. We booked another tour with them the next day to see Luxor and Karnak Temple.
Excellent tour with a fantastic and incredibly nice local tour guide. Ragab has a specialised education in egyptology, so he truly does know what he's talking about, and he was great for answering questions!! Ragab also personalised our tour for us, given our particular interests (we are also archaeologists), and gave us an incredible tour round; the valley of the kings, Hatshepsut's temple, a fun alabaster shop run by family members of one of the actual people who discovered Tutankhamon's tomb (Ragab will fill you in on this story himself), the colossi of Memnon, as well as a tour of the amazing Ramses III's temple. Definitely recommended by the both of us. Lloyd and Laura
We had such a great time on our tour! We learned so many things and saw so many beautiful sites. We felt completely safe the entire time and had so much fun. Highly recommend!
An argument with the guide unfortunately and ended our tour early. Guide attempted to bring us to unscheduled stops and also yelled at me when I said something. Very disrespectful , guide wouldn’t even go into the tombs to discuss the history stayed outside sitting on his but the entire time during valley of the kings
Excellent trip. Our guide was brilliant. Very knowledgeable and helpful throughout. Definitely recommend this tour.
A fantastic and informative tour by Abdul. Abdul met us in the reception of our hotel and had a large comfortable van waiting for us. He was very knowledgeable and provided us with excellent information and history of all the sites we visited.
We had an excellent guide with Abdul! We were picked up in a comfortable air-conditioned van and transported directly to the Valley of the Kings. Abdul was an excellent guide, very informative and captivating. We saw everything we wanted to see. I would recommend Abdul if you are in Luxor and want an informative private tour!
This was absolutely one of the highlights of our whole trip to Egypt. Our guide was a rockstar! He taught us so much, pointed out things we would have never noticed, made recommendations that were perfect for the rest of our trip, and was generally the perfect host. Do yourself a favor and book this tour for yourself. Seriously... this was a perfect tour for us.
What an amazing tour with so much history. Blown away by the amazing sights and preservation of ancient times . You Have to do this !
We went on this tour with Ragab. He was extremely knowledgeable about the history behind the tour stops, local communities, and was a clear English language speaker. We felt extremely comfortable with him as our guide and enjoyed many laughs. He even made a recommendation at the end of the tour which we were so glad he did.
Abdul was knowledgeable and gave us a great tour of the main attractions on the West Bank in Luxor. The weather was hot, so we started early at 7am, which was a good idea. Abdul was ready for us when we arrived in the lobby. The transportation was comfortable and air conditioned. We only had two days in Luxor and were delighted to see the sights that we wanted to see in an efficient trip.
Amazing trip! Tour guide punctual and very informative. A 5 hour tour in the May heat works perfectly. Highly recommended!
We spent the day with Abdul Ali touring the westbank Nefertari and King Tutt’s tombs Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple etc. Abdul is extremely knowledgeable and educated us on so many things (and pronunciations). Abdul has been doing this a long time and clearly loves what he does! He took great care of us and the driver too! If you find yourself in Luxor you should plan a tour with Luxor Travels and request Abdul! Thank you Abdul for a once in a lifetime experience!!
We had a very knowledgeable and enjoyable experience.Abdul’s knowledge during our tour was very impressive. Also he explained to us what was a good price to pay, when we got approached by person asking us to buy souvenirs and that we are under no obligation to buy . The tour was well planned out and ran smooth and it was delivered with passion and enthusiasm. Only con I have about the tour was, that we thought the tour guide would have been with us while we viewed attractions and explained whilst we walked around. But otherwise it was a lovely tour. We would recommend!! The Bakers
Our guide RagbA was very nice and knowledgeable. Very interesting story telling. The sites visited were extremely nice. The king valley was definitely the highlight of the day. We visited a total of 5 tombs by adding seti 1 as a special request. Definitely recommend RagbA and this tour. A private tour is the best as you can go to your pace. The car and driver were perfect. Thanks to visitor for this memorable journey
Luxor Travels is first rate. From the moment I booked the tour in August, Mr. Ragab was extremely helpful and easy to communicate with. Appreciated his responsiveness before, during and after the tour. He conducted the tour himself and I was able to customize it based on our Nile cruise schedule. I received reminders as we approached our scheduled date, and he was quick to respond to my queries. He also made suggestions and was sure to bring us back to the boat promptly. It was wonderful to leave Queen Nefertari's tomb for the finale and wrap up our visit to Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens. It was so colorful and spectacular indeed! The highlight of our day! Our driver picked us up early at the location where we were docked in Luxor. Both drivers spoke English and it was easy to communicate. I highly recommend Luxor Travels and have nothing but high praises for the staff and their team specially Mr. Ragab. Would definitely return to Egypt to experience more of the country. Thank You very much. We enjoyed and had so much fun.
Amazing to marvel the well kept/preserved hieroglyphics. The colours were beautiful and riveting. The action along the walls - scores a wow factor.
Definitely a bucket list experience! To have a professor who is motivated and personable made it even better. He allowed us to really stress where we thought we’d wanna spend the most time then he made several suggestions which is made a bit better. We left their feeling like one most rewarding days of our life.
I have just came back from my tour and I want to thank our guide Ahmed Eziz for making it so nice. If I can share my honest feedback, I would advise everyone to take this experience with him. He picked up us on time, answered all our questions (and my boyfriend had a lot to ask), he is so kind,so atentive and o top of everything, so honest. The amount of details he shared with us would not be found online. Our trip would definitely be the same without him. Below you can see a pic of Ahmed and my boyfriend.
The tombs and the temples were unreal and beautifully decorated the guide was very friendly and kind the only downside is that the entry tickets are quite expensive for some places,overall a memorable experience
Very friendly and accommodating guide. This was a big experience for us and the guide gave us all the information that we needed and advised us on what was best for us to do and see.
Khaled made us feel very welcome and set a really positive and informed tone for the whole visit. We had some good laughs but above all his knowledge of Egypt was exceptional. Khaled was responsive to our needs and answered all of our questions brilliantly. A great tour and a privilege to visit these incredible historic sites Thank you Khaled
We had a wonderful day out exploring the Valley of the Kings & Queens - Nefatari's tomb is expensive but a must visit. It was jaw dropping to see how well preserved the colours were. For me, it is the most impressive tomb in the Valleys. Abdul was our guide and the star attraction of the tour. He's an egyptolist, goes on digs, and has been doing the tours for 23 years. It was so clear how much he loves his country, it's rich history and the beauties Luxor has. He taught us so much, was patient and took the time to explain everything. With Abdul, the tombs came alive with amazing story telling and history. I cannot recommend the tour enough, it is a must if you're coming to Luxor and try to ask for Abdul. You couldn't have a better guide and lover of ancient Egyptian history than him. He made it a 10/10 experience that we will never forget. Maiko & Alex
The tour was amazing. Khalid the guide had all the informations we needed and more. The valley of Kings is one of the most impressive site with visited in Egypt. I recommand this tour 100%. Thanks again Khalid !
Our guide Abdo has extreme good knowledge of Egyptian history. We were very lucky to have him join our private group. If you prefer to plan ahead this tour is a good option.
We arrived at the Valley of the Kings first at around 8.45am, it was already quite busy with a lot of coaches already parked up. The earlier you can get there the better as the day gets hotter with every hour! Your entrance ticket includes the visit of 3 tombs for free but you have the option of paying extra to visit the renown tomb of King Tut! Our guide provided us with a good history of how the valley of the kings & queens came about and kept us informed throughout! However, our guide told us that they are not allowed to take us inside the tombs which would have been nice to understand what was written on the walls. There is also a time limited visiting the paid tombs such as King Tuts. We also went to see Hapshepsut Temple which was quite impressive. The highlight was the visit to queen Nefertari tomb in the valley of the queens! The artwork inside the tomb in places was almost as though it had just been painted. There’s considerably less people visiting this area too! Overall it was a good half a day out but do bring your sun lotion and hat as your exposed to the sun the majority of the time on this tour!!
Fascinating trip to the West Bank with highlight of Queen Nefertari’s beautiful tomb saved until last meaning we had an almost private viewing. Khalid was our excellent guide and the amount of information he imparted was almost too much to take in. Khalid organised the order of the stops and tickets to minimise queuing and made sure we saw the included tombs in the Valley of the Kings and the extra tombs we wanted to visit. Ramadan drove us quickly and safely around the different stops for the day. A long day but one we will remember all our lives. Thoroughly recommend Luxor Travels as a very professional company and Khalid who is an expert Egyptologist with a passion for his subject.
Hassan was a wonderful guide, very knowledgeable and a captivating story teller. It was a dream come true to see these tombs, especially king tuts mummy, so cool! Don’t miss Nefertari’s tomb in Valley of the Queens, it looks like it was painted yesterday, so vibrant, plus much less busy than the tombs at Valley of the Kings. Hassan made our day even better with his guidance, humour and passion for this magical place. Highly recommend!
We love history so we booked this private tour of Luxor West Bank with Luxor travels. The itinerary was very comprehensive and included the Nefertari tomb / Valley of Queens which most tours skip. Our guide Hassan was amazing, very knowledgeable about the history and politics of Egypt and also very accommodating to our views. He had great advice for how to make the most of our time in Valley of the Kings and also fit in some bonus tombs in Valley of the Queens. He walked us through Hatshepsut Temple in so much detail, weaving together a story from what we saw and what may have been there before the damage. Our driver Mohammad was also prompt and patient with us throughout the full day tour. Highly recommend!
Abdul our guide was perfect! An expert on the topic, professor actually. He explained everything on the tombs very detailed and the history. And took us to the most incredible ones :) He made a quiz at the end and we passed and gave us presents :D Choose him!
Our guide was Maged Mahgoub. Maged was incredibly well versed in all the history of the sites we visited. He was the best guide that we had in Egypt hands down. Prepare for a long, but enjoyable, day as your are going to visit a large amount of sites. All the entrance fees, including Queen Nefertari's tomb, were covered in the tour price. At the Valley of the Kings, you get access to three Ramses tombs + King Tut's tomb. All the tombs are incredible to see for the hieroglyphs, but Queen Nefertari's tomb surpasses them all. Lunch is included and travel was in a comfortable van with A/C. Luxor is very hot. Lastly, Luxor Travels had great communication through email. They answered all the questions I had prior to arrival and arranged for airport pickup so that we could fly directly from Cairo and start our tour without losing a day of travel.
I booked a private Tour to the Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, and Hatshepsut Temple over TripAdvisor, organised by Luxor Travels. I was very happy with the tour. My guide Abdul was very knowledgeable, gave me a lot of interesting information, answered all my questions about the different sites. I also appreciated that Abdul and our driver were wearing a mask when we were in the car together. The benefit of the private tour was also the ability to flexibly enter tombs, e.g. wait for a few minutes when there was a big group inside until the tomb was less crowded. This allowed for a much nicer time in the tombs and for the capturing of some really lovely pictures. Overall, I recommend this tour.
My favourite part of the experience was our guide Abdul. We knew what we had come here to see, we have been planning this trip for a lifetime, but Abdul made these places come to life for us with his passion and gift for telling the stories. The story of the Colossi of Memnon is beautiful. I won't share it, you need to come and hear for yourself. It's obvious he is very experienced and educated and he finds a way to bring this to you that is engaging and memorable, not just a boring history class. The sites them selves, they absolutely live up to the hype. The way the day is programmed is perfect with the 'wow' getting bigger and bigger at each stop, ending with the biggest wow of all, the Tomb of Queen Nefertari. If you are wondering if it is worth the expensive admission fee....ITS WORTH IT !!!! Mind absolutely BLOWN. Honestly, I've seen some pretty impressive things in my life but this took the cake......it took the whole cake shop and the baker and it took nanna's book of cake recipes. It's not a cheap tour and we thought long and hard about spending this much money on one day. But the level to which we were looked after was worth every penny. The car was spotless and looked quite new, the aircon was deliciously cool for after you climbed out of sweaty tombs. We didn't have to line up for any tickets. Everything we saw was beautifully explained to us before we saw it. It was just all so seamless and an absolutely perfect day. We had a bad experience at our home the day we had originally booked to do the tour and had to ask if the date could be changed. Abdul gave up his day off to take us on the new date after he heard of our bad news. Another example of his caring and kindness that we were very touched by and appreciated so much. We super mega hugely recommend this tour and if you are able to ask for Abdul to be your guide, I 100% guarantee you will have a great experience. Inshalla we will see you again one day Abdul, we hope your passion for history and discovery brings you good luck in the future.
We had an amazing private tour with Abdul touring the temples and tombs of the east and west bank of Luxor, Egypt. The day started with a great introduction to the city of Luxor and detailed but flexible run down of our itinerary for the day. While exploring the tombs and temples of the west bank Abdul explained everything about the sites that we visited and readily answered all of our questions. From the very first monument to the last temple, you could tell that he was very passionate about what he does, and his enthusiasm and pure joy made the whole day even more exciting. Our enjoyment increased as the day went on; as we explored the more we enjoyed our magnificent guide Abdul. Toward the end of the day our joy didn't decrease because Abdul gave us stimulating and interactive conversations that increased our interest on each and every temple making each site more enjoyable than the last. I recommend that any one wanting to explore Luxor with a knowledgeable and friendly guide should ask for Abdul! You'll love every minute of it!!!!
We hired a private tour with Luxor Tours over the (USA) Thanksgiving weekend for the "Private 2 Days The Best of Luxor" package and added Nefertari. This was in addition to private tours in Aswan and Cairo with different companies. Hands down, Khalid and Luxor Tours was the best of the three. In addition to these three, we took an overnight cruise on the Nile River where we had group tours at Edfu and Kom Ombo. If you have the financial wherewithal, I highly suggest the private tour. With the private tour and a fine tour guide like Khalid, you will learn a great deal more about the relevant portions of Egypt and Egyptian history than with a group tour, you will have better access to the places that you want to go, you will get better pictures, you will be able to spend more time without the pressure of what others do or do not want to do, and you can avoid sales stops that you might not like. For instance, we took a group tour in Beijing and we ended up stopping at various "workshops," which were really opportunities for people to access us to sell us stuff that we did not want. It is kind of like being forced to attend a timeshare presentation. In Egypt, it is perfume, spices, papyrus, articles of cotton cloth, and alabaster. Khalid let us know that such shops were available, but he did not pressure us to partake--no means no and he understood and was fine with our choices. By choice, we skipped all of them except the alabaster shop. As a side note, even if you have no desire to purchase anything made of alabaster, take the time to stop at an alabaster shop. The shops all have this comedy shtick that they put on as part of their sales pitch. It is lighthearted and even educational. We ended up purchasing a alabaster vase that I wanted before I arrived at the shop, and I paid half of what the salesperson asked for at the beginning. Good price, bad price, I do not know. But I was happy with what I paid and with what I bought. Before closing, though the cost is high, we highly suggest buying the sperate tickets to enter the tomb of Nefertari. Wow! But go to it last. As my mother used to say, once you see it, you will want to throw rocks at all others! Work your way up to Nefertari and you will have a "wow" at every turn, In Shaa Allah. And an insider tip, try to enter that tomb when there is no crowd. Even better, when no one is in it. The ticket is only good for ten minutes--yes, only ten minutes!--but if there is no crowd, well, security might let you stay a bit longer. And that is a tomb where we could sit all day. Enough said. Khalid, great job, and thank you. I close with asking those who read this to remember that the while many in the West who are now touring Egypt were able to maintain their jobs and wages during the pandemic, for guides and tour operators, there has been no paycheck, no unemployment, no stimulus checks. Thus, when you have had a great time, dig deeper into your pockets--deeper than some "online tip adviser" might say--and be generous with the tipping. Sure, take advantage of cheaper rooms and cheaper meals at the hotel, but being in a foreign country does not mean one has to be cheap with tipping hard working professional like Khalid and the drivers who safely and comfortably take you from point A to point B all day.
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