Tour Overview
This evening tour takes you from where you are staying in Luxor to the sound and light show at Karnak Temple and back again. After dark, the pylons, statues and columns of the largest temple complex in Egypt are lit up one section at a time while a narration and music tell the story of Karnak, its god Amun and the pharaohs who built it. Pickup, drop-off, water and soft drinks are included.
Tour Highlights
- See Karnak after dark, when the giant pylons, obelisks and statues are lit one by one and the crowds and heat of the day are gone.
- Hear the history of the temple told through narration and music, from its beginnings as a small shrine to the vast complex built over some 2,000 years.
- Walk among the 134 columns of the Great Hypostyle Hall under lights that pick out carvings you may have missed in daylight.
- Finish the evening beside the Sacred Lake, where the last part of the show brings the whole temple together in one view.
- Travel there and back by car from your Luxor hotel or Nile cruise, with water and soft drinks provided, so there is no need to find a taxi at night.
Tour Route
Is the Karnak sound and light show worth it?
Yes, if you want to see Karnak in a different way. At night the temple is cooler and quieter, and the lighting shows the size of the pylons and columns as daylight cannot. It is a narrated show rather than a guided tour, so it works best as a second visit after you have seen Karnak by day.
The show tells the story of Thebes in a theatrical style, with music and a recorded voice. Simply being inside Karnak after dark is, for many visitors, the best part.
What happens during the Karnak sound and light show?
The show has two parts. First you walk through the temple with the audience while lights and narration bring each section to life in turn. Then you sit in a stand beside the Sacred Lake for the closing part, which looks across the whole complex at once. Paths are uneven and dimly lit, so watch your step.
What is Karnak Temple?
Karnak was the main temple of Amun, king of the gods, in ancient Thebes, the city we now call Luxor. Pharaohs added to it for around 2,000 years, so it is a collection of temples, halls, obelisks and chapels rather than a single building. It is the largest religious complex of the ancient world.
- The Great Hypostyle Hall: 134 sandstone columns, the tallest over 20 meters, built mainly under Seti I and Ramses III.
- The obelisks: including the standing obelisk of Hatshepsut, one of the tallest surviving ancient obelisks in Egypt.
- The Sacred Lake: a stone-lined pool used by the priests, where the final part of the show takes place.
What should you bring to the evening show?
Evenings in Luxor can be cool from December to February, so bring a light jacket or sweater. In summer, nights stay warm and a bottle of water is enough. Wear comfortable, closed shoes, because you walk over stone and sand in low light for the first part of the show.
- A phone torch or small flashlight for paths between the lit areas.
- Insect repellent, especially in the warmer months near the lake.
- A charged camera or phone; night shots of the lit columns come out well without flash.
What else can you do in Luxor?
To see Karnak properly by day with an Egyptologist, book the Luxor East Bank tour on the same day or the day before the show. For a very different view of the city, the sunrise Luxor hot air balloon flight rises over the West Bank, and our Luxor travel guide helps you plan the rest of your stay.
Tour Itinerary
A short evening outing: a drive to Karnak, the show inside the temple, and the drive back.
Your driver collects you from your hotel, Nile cruise or other accommodation in Luxor and drives you to Karnak on the East Bank, at the northern edge of the city. Water and soft drinks are in the car. Tell us where you are staying, and we will arrange the pickup to fit the show you are booked on.
You arrive at the temple entrance, where the Avenue of Ram-headed Sphinxes leads up to the first pylon. In the dark the scale of the place is hard to judge until the lights come on, and the first sight of the gateway lit against the night sky gives you a good idea of what the builders intended.
The show moves through the temple. As the narration tells the story of Thebes and its rulers, lights pick out the courts, statues and gateways in turn. You walk with the rest of the audience through the great halls, including the forest of columns in the Hypostyle Hall, stopping as each scene is told.
The last part of the show is watched from seats beside the Sacred Lake, where priests once purified themselves before rituals. From here the lights sweep across the whole temple, the obelisks and the pylons, while the narration brings the history of Karnak to its close.
After the show your driver is waiting outside to take you back to where you are staying. Pickup, drop-off, water, soft drinks and service charges are all covered; you only need money for tips and anything extra you decide to buy at the temple.
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.
It starts wherever you are staying in Luxor: your hotel, your Nile cruise ship or other accommodation in the city. Your driver picks you up there, takes you to Karnak Temple for the show and brings you back to the same place afterward. Tell us your address when you book so we can plan the pickup.
The price includes pickup and drop-off from where you stay in Luxor, mineral water and soft drinks during the trip, and all service charges and taxes. Tips and any extras that are not mentioned in the program are not included. If you have any questions about what your booking covers, ask us before you pay.
Your transfer is private for you and your group, while the show itself is a public performance watched with other visitors. The cost of the car is shared by everyone in your group, so the price per person falls as the group grows. Prices also change by season, from {price} per person.
Yes, if you can. In daylight an Egyptologist can show you the carvings, the obelisks and the inner sanctuaries up close, while the evening show is about atmosphere and story. Seeing Karnak by day first means you recognize each part of the temple when it lights up, which makes the show much easier to follow.
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.
