3-Day Luxor Aswan and Abu Simbel Historical Sites Private Tour

Day 1: Full Day Tour to West and East banks of Luxor

1. Valley of the Kings
   1h 30m · Admission ticket not included
   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.
2. Temple of Hatshepsut
   1h · Admission ticket not included
   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.
3. Colossi of Memnon
   20m
   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.
4. The Karnak Temple
   2m · Admission ticket not included
   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.
5. Luxor Temple
   1h · Admission ticket not included
   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.

Day 2: 05.45 AM Luxor to Aswan by Train - Aswan visits

1. Temple of Philae
   2h · Admission ticket not included
   Private tour to explore Philae Temple. The one was carefully moved to its current location (around 500 meters from the original site) when the construction of the High Dam caused surrounding Nile waters to rise. A short motorboat ride takes you to the island where your guide will take you on a walking tour through the temple before allowing you free time to explore further on your own.
   
   Dedicated to the goddess Isis, Philae Temple has a beautiful setting on an island in the river which has been landscaped to match its original site. It's various shrines and sanctuaries celebrate the deities involved in the myth of Isis and Osiris.
2. Unfinished Obelisk
   1h · Admission ticket not included
   Continue to the Unfinished Obelisk in the granite quarries of Aswan where much of the red granite used for ancient temples and colossi came from. The Unfinished Obelisk still lies where it was carved when a crack was discovered as it was being hewn from the rock. Your qualified Egyptologist guide will explain how the 1 tonne obelisk was carved, and why the crack caused it to be abandoned.
3. Aswan High Dam
   1h · Admission ticket not included
   Then go to the High Dam to see a modern achievement of the Egyptians which took them 10 year to be built, from 1960 to 1970, see the second largest artificial lake in the world, lake Nasir and cross over the friendship emblem.

Day 3: See the magnificent temples of Abu Simbel - Back to Aswan

1. Abu Simbel Temple
   8h · Admission ticket not included
   See the magnificent temples of Abu Simbel on a vehicle tour from Aswan. With a qualified Egyptologist as your guide, you'll enjoy a personalized visit to Abu Simbel on this private tour. With its four rock-hewn pharaohs, you'll agree that the Great Temple is one of the most impressive sites in Egypt, and the highlight of any trip to Egypt. On the short walk to the temple entrances, your guide will explain the history of the site, including details of the UNESCO-led relocation of the entire cliff face to higher ground, and how the temples were discovered by accident in 1813. Due to the large number of visitors to Abu Simbel, guides are not permitted inside either the Great Temple of Ramses II or the smaller Temple of Hathor. However, by using photos and illustrations, your guide will explain to you the structures and their interior artworks. You will then have free time to enter the temples and explore them at your leisure.
   As one of the few ancient Egyptian sites which largely escaped damage by past invaders, the interiors of Abu Simbel's temples are astounding. The scale of the buildings and their detailed decoration leaves most visitors in awe. The temples' attraction is further enhanced by their scenic location on the edge of Lake Nasser in the orange sands of the desert. The drive is approximately three hours each way.
   Then back to Aswan and drop off at Aswan Hotels or Train station. End of service.

Pickup details

We pick up from all centrally-located Luxor hotels.
Extra charge when pick up at west bank hotels and Luxor Airport.

• Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
• Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness