Karnak Temple - Photo by one of Steven's customers - Annettee.
WHY GO ?
It's a breathtakingly beautiful place where you feel you can touch history. It will leave its' impression on you for a lifetime. Now is a great time to go before the crowds return.
TYPES OF EXCURSION OFFERED
Steven offers either one day Luxor excursions, two day excursions to Luxor and Aswan by cruise ship or overland, one day or two day trips to either Aswan or Aswan and the temples at Abu Simbel (see further down), a luxury two day excursion combining Cairo and Luxor or longer duration excursions which can be up to a week or more. For anything you want to know which might not be answered here or bookings please email steven@marsaalam.com.
ONE DAY LUXOR EXCURSIONS
All the excursions offered here, whether one day or longer, are for those who are looking for a VIP chauffeur driven excursions by air-conditioned private car from Marsa Alam with their own personal guide.
They are more comfortable and yet still usually cheaper than those organized by tour companies during which all the tourists are shepherded on coaches with very little freedom and little opportunity to stop when you want to take a closer look at anything that interests you and ask questions of your guide.
Going by private car with your own guide is also more relaxing, more personal, and it allows you to see the real Luxor, ask as many questions as you want of your Egyptology guide and gives you considerable ability to tailor the schedule to your own ideas.
OPTION 1: From just 120 euros pp ! You can choose from Steven's popular set programme which runs every day and includes your own private car or minivan with driver (not the hassle of crowded coaches), your own personal Egyptology guide, entrance fees for all the sites and lunch. All this for just -
290 euro (£259) for one person,
160 euro (£144) per person for two people,
140 euro (£124) per person for 3-4 people and
120 euro (£109) per person for groups of 5 +.
For further information please see the itinerary listed further down.
OPTION 2: You create your own semi-tailor made package but using the list on the right hand side of this page to help you decide. The price is 100 euro (£89) per person but there needs to be at least three people or there would be a surcharge. For further information please see the suggested choice of itineraries outlined below.
OPTION 3: You have a car with one of Steven's drivers to take you there and back and you decide entirely what you wish to do. This would cost 219 euro (£202) for the car and up to three passengers with a eight hours stay allowed free of charge and a nominal extra fee per hour for any extra time required.
OPTION 1: SET PROGRAMME ITINERARY
Leave your hotel on a Monday or Thursday at 5am by private air conditioned taxi and arrive Luxor at around 8.30am. You will cross the Nile to visit some of the most spectacular highlights of Luxor's fabled West Bank during which you will explore with your own private tour guide -
The Valley of the Kings
The Temple of Hatshepsut and
The Colossi of Memnon.
For more information of any of these please see the list on the right hand side.
At around noon you will travel back across the Nile by private boat. Then in the afternoon you will see
The Temple of Karnak - the largest ancient religious site known anywhere in the world - followed by
An hour in a traditional faluka during the late afternoon - the perfect way to relax while watching the traditional rural life on the river bank.
After that you will then be taken to what is probably the best patisserie in Egypt where each person will get a surprise gift from Steven.
If you finish early there might be some time for some shopping for souvenirs in Luxor's vast souq or, if you prefer, take a little time to wander by yourself around central Luxor. Finally, at 5.30pm, you will be picked up by your private car which will take you back to Marsa Alam where you will return to your hotel by 9pm. Should you wish to make any changes to the itinerary - such as visiting Luxor Temple instead of Karnak or spending more time in the souq - Steven will be happy to make suitable arrangements where possible.
OPTION 2: A SEMI-TAILOR MADE PACKAGE
This is the most popular one day excursion by Steven's Marsa Alam limousine and excursion company but Steven also does fully tailor made excursions - just enquire via email at steven@marsaalam.com
Leave Marsa Alam by car at 5am. Arrive Luxor around 8.30am. Cross to the West Bank and select your preferred two West Bank visits from the list of the top ten attractions listed on the right hand side of this page. ( No need to include number 10 - shopping - on your list as your guide will allow you time for this. )
Then return to the East Side for lunch followed in the afternoon by a visit to Luxor or Karnak Temples - the latter the largest ancient religious site anywhere in the world and the second most popular historical site in Egypt, second only to the Giza pyramids near Cairo.
Some thirty Pharaohs contributed to the temple's construction and its' impressively architraved huge columns have formed the background to numerous Hollywood films including The Mummy Returns and Death on the Nile.
Then, after all the history a more relaxing wander down Luxor's souk to discover some bargains before leaving after sunet to return to Marsa Alam.
Price from just 80 euro per person (based on three people sharing a car) including limousine charges, all transport, Egyptologist guide, meal and museum entrance charges. To book email steven@marsaalam.com
TWO DAY EXCURSIONS WHICH INCLUDE LUXOR
Four options - first in brief -
Option 1 - A luxury two exploration of Luxor package including an overnight stay in the Royal Suite of a five star cruise ship or in a Nile view room of a five star hotel. 250 euro (£221) per person based on a minimum of two. Travel from and return to your Marsa Alam hotel in a private air-conditioned taxi. See further down for more detail.
Option 2 - A day exploring Luxor and then a five star river cruise down the Nile to visit Edfu Temple the next day before returning by ship. Travel from and return to your Marsa Alam hotel in a private airconditioned taxi. See further down for more detail.
Option 3 -A two day exploration of Luxor package including an overnight stay in either the Gaddis Hotel or on a four star Nile cruise ship. 150 euro (£132) per person based on a minimum of three. Travel from and return to your Marsa Alam hotel in a private air conditioned taxi. See further down for more detail. You will be picked up from your hotel reception at approximately 5.30 and driven in a private air conditioned taxi to Luxor where you will arrive at approximately 9am.
OPTION 4: A luxury two day excursion combining Cairo and Luxor including two separate flights, a five star hotel and your own personal Egyptologist guide in Cairo and Luxor. Marvel in wonder at the Pyramids, discover the treasured antiquities of the Egyptian Museum and visit the legendary tomb of Tutunkhamen. Just some of the unforgettable highlights. Only £375 pp. See our Cairo page for full details.
OPTION 1 - TWO DAY LUXURY PACKAGE
For the two day luxury package you get a free upgrade to this Royal suite -
TOP TEN THINGS TO DO
- LUXOR'S WEST BANK
Here's our list of the top ten attractions on Luxor's West Bank.
1. Valley of the kings
- highly recommended
With the discovery of a new chamber in 2006 , and the discovery of two further tombs in 2008, the valley is known to contain 63 tombs and chambers. It was the burial place of the major royal figures of the New Kingdom, together with those of the wealthiest nobles. The royal tombs are decorated with magnificent scenes from Egyptian mythology which give clues to the beliefs and funerary rituals of the period. Almost all of the tombs were robbed in antiquity, but they still give an impression of the opulence and power of Egypt's pharaohs. It was also here that in 1922 Howard Carter discovered the legendary tomb of Tutankhamun.
Video about recent excavations in the Valley of the Kings
September 2009 - 3.37min - over 36,000 views.
2. Deir el Bahri
(includes the Temple of Hatshepsut)
- highly recommended
A large area of mortuary temples and tombs located on the West Bank built in order to aid the resurrection after death of the great Pharaohs of the time. Possibly the most famous is the Temple of Hatshepsut which has a huge ramp rising up almost one hundred feet to the impressive pillared gallaries. One historian called it one of the "incomparable monuments of ancient Egypt."
October 2009 - a tourist films his visit to the temple.
Please note you will have an excellent guide with you
3. Colossi of Memnon
- highly recommended
Two enormous statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III
reaching a height of 18 metres (60 feet) and weighing 720 tons each. Their original duty was to stand guard at the entrance of Amenhotep's memorial temple who was worshipped as a sun god on earth even during his lifetime.
In Roman times one of the statues was believed to emit a singing or whistling sound at dawn and such was its' fame that several Roman Emperor's visited Luxor to see the Colossi with the hope that hearing the legendary whistle would bring them good luck.
Some photos and video of the Colossi of Memnon.
September 2009 - 3.50 minutes.
4. Valley of the Queens
- highly recommended
This is where the wives of the Pharaohs were buried. It was known as Ta-Set-Neferu, meaning - "the place of the children of the Pharaoh", because along with the Queens of the Pharaohs, many princes and princesses were also buried with various members of the nobility.
Photos of Nefetari's tomb set to music - over 9,000 views.
5. Valley of the Nobles.
Within the foothills of the Valley of the Kings lies the Valley of the Nobles containing the tombs of governors, viziers and priests. These tombs are shallower and have not survived so well, but despite this you can see some amazing carvings and paintings.
Video of Ramose's tomb - valley of the Nobles - October 2012
6. Valley of the Workers
Deir el-Medina is an Egyptian village dating back to the second millenium BC which was home to the artisans who worked on the tombs in the Valley of the Kings during the period of the New Kingdom. The excavations led by Bernard Bruyere in the 1920s resulted in one of the most thoroughly documented accounts of community life in the ancient world providing a fascinating insight into daily life including medical knowledge, the legal system, the religious cults, literature and commerce of the period.
7. Camel or horse riding
Take a relaxing one hour trip by camel or horse riding through the villages and agricultral communities along the Nile. See all the various working animals and a very different way of life.
8. A Felucca trip on the Nile.
Feluccas on the Nile. Marc Ryckaert. Creative Commons Copyright.
Take one of the traditional Nile sail boats and relax with magnificent backdrop of Luxor's temples and the surrounding countryside and mountains.
9. Ramasseum
The mortuary temple of the Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II who died in 1212BC. Work on the construction of the temple took 20 years and you can still see the remains of what was once the tallest free standing statue in the world at about 25 metres before an earthquake brought it down. Among the impressive surviving columns of the temple you can see some fascinating carved scenes depicting some of the military victories of one of Egypt's greatest Pharaohs.
10. Habu Temple
The mortuary temple of the Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses III who died around 1155BC. The temple precinct measures approximately 200 metres by 300 metres and contains more than 7000 square metres of ancient wall reliefs, some of them depicting the defeat of the Sea Peoples during Ramesses' reign.
A nineteenth century colour lithograph of Habu Temple