Tour Overview
This private Luxor West Bank tour takes you across the Nile to the Theban Necropolis for its three best-known sites: the Valley of the Kings, the terraced Temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon. A private Egyptologist guide and an air-conditioned car collect you from your Luxor hotel or Nile cruise, lunch is at a restaurant in Luxor, and entrance fees for the listed sites are covered. The East Bank temples are left for another day.
Tour Highlights
- Walk down painted corridors into royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings, the burial ground of pharaohs from the 18th to the 20th Dynasty.
- See the Temple of Hatshepsut rise in three broad terraces joined by long central ramps, set right against the cliffs of Deir el-Bahari.
- Stop at the Colossi of Memnon, two seated statues of Amenhotep III that once stood at the gate of his mortuary temple, now almost entirely gone.
- Have a private Egyptologist explain what the tomb paintings show and why New Kingdom kings chose hidden rock-cut tombs instead of pyramids.
- Travel only with your own group in a private air-conditioned car, with bottled water on board and lunch at a Luxor restaurant included.
Tour Route
Is the Luxor West Bank tour worth it?
Yes, if you want the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut's temple explained rather than just seen. The West Bank was the city of the dead for ancient Thebes, and its tombs make far more sense with a guide who can read the wall scenes with you. The tour covers three stops properly instead of racing through many.
Which tombs can you see in the Valley of the Kings?
More than 60 tombs have been found in the valley, but only a selection is open to visitors at any time, and the authorities rotate them to protect the paintings. The standard entry ticket covers a set number of the open tombs, and your guide helps you pick the best-preserved ones on the day.
A few famous tombs, including Tutankhamun's, need a separate ticket that is not part of the standard entry. If one of them matters to you, tell us when you book and we will explain how it works on your date.
What should you wear and bring for the West Bank?
Dress for heat, sun and uneven ground. The Valley of the Kings sits in a bare limestone valley that holds the heat, you walk up ramps at Hatshepsut's temple, and each tomb is reached down sloping corridors or steps.
- Shoes: closed, comfortable shoes with some grip for gravel paths and tomb steps.
- Sun protection: a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen, since there is little shade at any of the three sites.
- Cash: some Egyptian pounds for tips, drinks and small purchases.
- Camera: photography rules inside the tombs can change, so check with your guide before taking pictures underground.
How is this different from the other Luxor day tours?
This is the classic first West Bank day: the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon. It does not include the Karnak and Luxor temples on the East Bank, and it does not include the quieter West Bank sites such as the Valley of the Queens.
If you have only one day in Luxor and want both sides of the river, the full-day Luxor East and West Bank tour combines this route with Karnak and Luxor Temple. If you are staying longer, pair this day with the Karnak and Luxor Temple East Bank tour, and add the second West Bank day to the Valley of the Queens, Medinet Habu and the Ramesseum.
Tour Itinerary
A focused West Bank day: the two big sites before lunch, one short open-air stop after it, then the drive back to your hotel or boat.
Our representative meets you at your Luxor hotel or cruise boat, introduces your private Egyptologist guide and drives you over to the West Bank. An early start pays off here: the valley floor and the temple terraces have very little shade, and both are far more comfortable before the sun climbs.
Pharaohs of the 18th to the 20th Dynasty, Ramses II and Tutankhamun among them, were buried in tombs cut deep into this dry limestone valley and stocked with everything a king might need in the next world. Many wall paintings are still bright. Your guide helps you choose which open tombs to enter and explains the scenes before you go down.
The mortuary temple of Hatshepsut, one of the few women to rule Egypt as pharaoh, is built in three levels linked by wide central ramps beneath a sheer cliff. It is one of the best preserved temples in Egypt, and your guide shows you the carved scenes of her trading expedition to the land of Punt.
Lunch is at a restaurant in Luxor and is included in the price. It is a proper sit-down break out of the sun, and a good moment to ask your guide everything the morning raised before the last stop of the day.
Two huge seated statues of Amenhotep III, carved from quartzite sandstone, are nearly all that remains of what was once a vast mortuary temple. Greek and Roman travelers already came to see them two thousand years ago. It is a short, easy open-air stop with good light for photographs.
Your driver takes you back to your hotel or boat. The guide, car, lunch, bottled water and the entrance fees for the sites above are already paid, so the only money you need on the day is for tips and any extras you decide to add.
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.
Your representative and private Egyptologist guide meet you at your hotel or Nile cruise boat in Luxor, and the same air-conditioned car brings you back there at the end of the tour. Send us the name of your hotel or boat when you book so we can plan the pickup.
Your private Egyptologist guide, the air-conditioned car and driver, entrance fees to the sites in the program, lunch at a restaurant in Luxor, bottled water in the car and all service charges. Tips and extra tickets, such as Tutankhamun's tomb, are not included. No flights are involved, since the tour starts in Luxor.
Yes. The car and the guide are for your group alone, never shared with strangers. Because the car and guide cost the same whether two or eight people travel, the per-person price falls as your group grows, and it also changes slightly by season. Prices start from {price} per person.
A moderate amount. In the Valley of the Kings you walk between tombs on gravel paths and go down sloping corridors and steps into each one, and Hatshepsut's temple has long ramps between its terraces. Tell us in advance if anyone has limited mobility so your guide can plan the order.
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.
