Luxor for Egypt Nuts! = Mindblown!
The slang in the title only partially describes our day in Luxor. We have arranged a fully escorted day, a car and driver and a guide. Not a taxi driver type tour, one from a legit tour office (or so I think, it was a recommendation from a friend of a friend). It was extremely affordable, less than USD100 for the day with a driver and guide in a large van. I know it would have been cheaper to find something on the street, but at least this I knew I was getting what I paid for.
We would visit the West Bank of Luxor, often referred to as the Valley of the Kings, but it is so much more than that! The Tombs of the pharaohs are just one part of the larger mortuary temples, and also Tombs of Nobles and even workers who spent their lives working on the elaborate structures to see the pharaohs into the afterlife!
Today our itinerary includes the Valley of the Kings and the burial temple of Hapshepsut before exploring Karnak temple on the East side of the river.
If you are interested in doing a fully escorted tour in Luxor, which I highly recommend, check out this link… for Valley of the Kings Tours!
I wondered how we would get so much done in a day, but our tour guide Bassem told us that we are only given about 10 minutes per tomb in order to allow others to enter and to prevent damage to the tombs. We would spend about an hour in the Valley of the Kings.
If you missed our arrival, here is our post on arriving in Luxor.
The Valley of the Kings entrance fee is LE120 and you can buy access to extra tombs on top of that. For LE200 you can enter pharaoh tutankhamun tomb (the ticket for king tut top is seperate. Make sure you buy it at the entrance if you are interested) . You can also pay for pharaoh Nefertiti.
FOR PHOTOGS: For LE300 you can buy the photo pass to take photos in the tombs. But it is limited. You cannot take photos inside tutankhamun”™s tomb and a few other places.
Photographing the Valley of the Kings Tombs
The men outside the tombs were very strict about the photo pass. I showed it each time we entered a tomb and watched one of the men taking a cell phone from a tourist as she was throwing money at him for access. You need to buy your ticket before you take the small tram to the tomb locations. It is next to the ticket window for your ticket to the Valley of the Kings. Your ticket gives you access to three of the five available tombs. Your ticket will be punched at each entrance.
What is the Valley of the Kings Really Like?
I was not sure what to expect, We were in the middle of nowhere with at least a few hundred other people. It was dry and hot, considering it was late November, I could not imagine being here in the summer.
It only took one tomb to absolutely blow our minds!
Our first tomb, was enough. It does not look real. I must have seen too many hollywood movies! How can this be thousands of years old?
Pictures cannot possibly show you how cool this place is, but here are my favourite 10 photos from the Valley of the Kings.
What do you think? Is the Valley of the Kings on your bucket list?
Further Reading:
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Lindsay Nieminen hails from Vancouver, Canada and shares her love of travel on this website. She is passionate about showing others that they should not put off traveling the world just because they have children or are single parents. She aims to encourage them to seek out adventure, whether it is at home or abroad by providing information on how just about everywhere can be a destination to explore as a family.