Luxor & Valley of the Kings

Straddling the banks of the Nile River in Upper Egypt, Luxor occupies the site of ancient Thebes, the glorious imperial capital of the New Kingdom pharaohs for over five centuries. Universally celebrated as the world's greatest open-air museum, Luxor contains an unparalleled concentration of monumental temples, colossal statues, and subterranean royal burial chambers that showcase the absolute pinnacle of ancient Egyptian power, art, and architecture.

The East Bank: Karnak & Luxor Temples

On the East Bank—symbolizing the realm of the living and the rising sun—stand two of the most awe-inspiring temple complexes in human history:

• Karnak Temple Complex: The largest religious sanctuary ever built by human hands, covering over 200 acres. Walk in humble awe through the Great Hypostyle Hall, a forest of 134 towering sandstone columns rising up to 21 meters high, carved with hieroglyphic reliefs and royal cartouches.
• Luxor Temple: Situated in the heart of modern Luxor, connected to Karnak by the magnificent three-kilometer-long Avenue of Sphinxes, beautifully illuminated for night visits.

The West Bank: The Valley of the Kings & Hatshepsut

Cross the Nile to the West Bank—the realm of the dead where the sun sets into the rugged Theban limestone mountains:

• The Valley of the Kings: Descend into subterranean rock-hewn tombs adorned with vividly painted astronomical ceilings and scenes from the Book of the Dead, including the famous tomb of young pharaoh Tutankhamun (KV62), Ramses IV, and Seti I.
• Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari: A masterpiece of classical antiquity, rising in dramatic colonnaded terraces against sheer limestone cliffs, built for Egypt’s greatest female pharaoh.
• The Colossi of Memnon: Two towering 18-meter-high quartzite sandstone statues of Amenhotep III standing solitary in the floodplain.

Sunrise Hot Air Ballooning Over Ancient Thebes

At dawn, take flight aboard a hot air balloon as the morning sun illuminates the green ribbon of the Nile flanked by the golden Theban hills and ancient temple ruins below—one of Egypt's most unforgettable experiences.