Tour Overview
This private day trip takes you south from Luxor to two of the best-preserved temples of Egypt's last pharaohs: the Temple of Horus at Edfu and the double temple of Kom Ombo on the Nile. A private car and an Egyptologist guide collect you from your Luxor hotel or Nile cruise, lunch is at a local restaurant between the two sites, and you are driven back to Luxor at the end of the day. Entrance fees are included.
Tour Highlights
- Walk through the Temple of Horus at Edfu, which still has its roof, its tall entrance pylon and its inner sanctuary, so you see a temple almost whole.
- Stand beside the granite falcon statues of Horus at the Edfu gateway, and read the wall carvings that tell how Horus defeated Seth to avenge his father Osiris.
- See Kom Ombo's rare double plan: two entrances, two halls and two sanctuaries side by side, one for the crocodile god Sobek and one for the falcon god Haroeris.
- Look for the Kom Ombo reliefs that guides love to point out, including a temple calendar and a famous panel of what look like medical instruments.
- Travel in a private air-conditioned car with your own Egyptologist, lunch at a local restaurant and bottled water on board, with no other groups to wait for.
Tour Route
Is the Edfu and Kom Ombo day trip from Luxor worth it?
Yes, if you are based in Luxor and want to see the late temples of the Nile Valley without booking a cruise. Edfu is the most complete ancient temple in Egypt, and Kom Ombo is unlike any other because it was built for two gods at once. Together they show a different period from the New Kingdom monuments of Luxor.
Karnak and the Valley of the Kings date from the height of the pharaohs. Edfu and Kom Ombo were built more than a thousand years later, under the Greek-speaking Ptolemies who ruled after Alexander the Great. They kept building in the old style, so the temples look ancient Egyptian, but the carving and the layout show how religion had changed.
Do you need this tour if you are taking a Nile cruise?
Probably not. Edfu and Kom Ombo are stops on every Nile cruise between Luxor and Aswan, and the visits are part of the cruise program. If you are booked on one, you will see both temples anyway, so spend your Luxor days on the East and West Banks instead.
This day trip is for travelers who are staying in Luxor hotels, who are traveling south by road or train instead of by boat, or who want a private guide and their own pace at both temples. Pickup is from your Luxor hotel or from a Nile cruise ship moored in Luxor.
What is the difference between Edfu and Kom Ombo temples?
Edfu is one large, almost complete temple to a single god, Horus. Kom Ombo is smaller and more ruined, but it is a double temple, shared by Sobek and Haroeris, with everything built in pairs. Seeing both in one day lets you compare a classic temple plan with a very unusual one.
- Edfu: dedicated to Horus, the falcon god. Roof, pylon, courts and sanctuary survive, with long inscriptions about the temple's own festivals.
- Kom Ombo: dedicated to Sobek and Haroeris. Two doorways, two halls and two sanctuaries side by side, plus a Nilometer well above the river.
- Both: built under the Ptolemies, in the same late style of deep reliefs and crowded hieroglyphs.
What else can you do from Luxor?
If you would rather see these temples from the river, the 5-day Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan stops at both. For another day of temples by road, the Dendera and Abydos day trip goes north instead, and the Luxor West Bank tour covers the royal tombs.
Tour Itinerary
A full day on the road south of Luxor, with two major temples, a sit-down lunch between them and the drive back at the end.
Your Egyptologist guide and driver meet you at your hotel or ship in Luxor. The road follows the Nile south through sugar cane fields and farming villages, with the desert cliffs never far away. There is water in the car, and your guide uses the drive to explain the Ptolemaic period you are about to see.
Built by the Ptolemaic kings between 237 and 57 BC, Edfu is the second-largest temple in Egypt after Karnak. Sand and silt buried it for centuries, which is why so much survived. You pass the giant pylon, cross the open court, walk the halls of columns and reach the dark sanctuary where the image of Horus was kept.
A sit-down lunch at a local restaurant, included in the price. It is a real break in the middle of the day, out of the sun, and a good moment to ask your guide anything the morning raised before you continue south to the second temple.
Kom Ombo stands on a rise right above a bend in the river. Its plan is split down the middle: the left side belongs to Haroeris, Horus the Elder, and the right side to Sobek, the crocodile god. Your guide shows you the carvings, the deep well of the Nilometer and the view over the water.
After Kom Ombo you start the drive north to Luxor along the same river road, and your driver drops you at your hotel or Nile cruise. Your guide, the car, lunch, water and the entrance fees are all covered, so the only money you need on the day is for tips and personal extras.
What's Included
What the tour price covers, and what to plan for separately.
Paid
★
Your
Own
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers about this tour. For anything else, message us on WhatsApp — we reply fast.
The tour starts at your hotel or your Nile cruise ship in Luxor. Your guide and driver collect you there in a private air-conditioned car, and at the end of the day they bring you back to the same place. Tell us where you are staying when you book so we can confirm the pickup point.
The price includes pickup and drop-off in Luxor, a private air-conditioned vehicle, a private Egyptologist guide, lunch at a local restaurant, entrance fees for Edfu and Kom Ombo temples, bottled water in the car, and all service charges and taxes. Tips and any extras outside the program are not included.
It is a private tour, so the car and the guide are only for you and your group. The cost of the vehicle and guide is shared between everyone in the group, which is why the price per person falls as the group grows. Prices also change by season, from {price} per person.
Both temples are open-air with little shade, so bring a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen, and wear comfortable shoes for stone floors. Light clothing that covers your shoulders and knees is a good choice. Carry some Egyptian pounds for tips and small purchases.
Yes. Avicon Travel is a Class "A" travel agency licensed by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism under License No. 1962 and registered since 2010. Our office and team are in Karnak, Luxor, so the guides, drivers and cars on this tour are our own local team, not a booking desk abroad.
