Luxor Day Trip with Sunrise Hot Air Balloon from Hurghada

The overnight drive to Luxor

The tour leaves Hurghada at about eleven at night so you arrive in Luxor before sunrise, in time for the balloon. The road crosses the Eastern Desert and takes about four to five hours, and the vehicle is air-conditioned, so you can sleep on the way. A small group of no more than eight guests keeps the vehicle comfortable.

Because you drive overnight and return in the evening, the day is long, about eighteen hours in total. In exchange you get the balloon at its best time and see Luxor's main sights in a single day, without paying for a hotel. Bring a neck pillow and a light jacket, because the early morning is cool.

The sunrise hot air balloon over Luxor

A balloon flight at dawn shows Luxor in a way that nothing else can. As the balloon lifts, the Nile appears as a silver ribbon, the green farmland lies on both banks and the pale desert hills of the West Bank turn gold in the first light. The flight lasts about forty-five minutes, and you float over villages, fields and the temples below.

Balloons depend on the wind, and the pilot decides if flights go ahead; a strong wind can delay or cancel them, and our team will contact you if that happens. Wear layers for the cool air, keep your camera strap secure and listen to the pilot's landing instructions. The best months for ballooning in Luxor are October to April, when the air is calm and clear.

The Valley of the Kings

After the balloon you visit the Valley of the Kings, the royal burial ground of the New Kingdom, in the hills of the West Bank. Pharaohs were buried here in rock-cut tombs from about 1500 BC, and the walls are painted with funerary texts and scenes of the afterlife. Your Egyptologist explains the symbols and chooses the tombs that best show the art.

The default option includes the entry fee to the valley, which covers several tombs chosen on the day; the tomb of Tutankhamun needs a separate ticket. The tombs are narrow and warm, and photography is limited inside, so bring water and wear light clothes. Going early in the morning means cooler air and fewer people, which is why the balloon and the valley work so well together.

Karnak Temple

Karnak is the largest temple complex in Egypt, built and extended by pharaohs over more than a thousand years in honour of Amun-Ra, with his wife Mut and son Khonsu. The Great Hypostyle Hall, a forest of giant papyrus-shaped columns covered with carvings, is the most striking place, and the obelisks, the sacred lake and the pylons show the scale of the site.

Your guide explains the layout and the story, which makes the vast courtyards easier to understand. Allow about two hours. Karnak is open from the morning, and the best light for photographs is in the morning and late afternoon. If you ask whether Karnak is worth visiting on a short trip to Luxor, the answer is yes: with the Valley of the Kings, it is the essential pair.

The felucca, lunch and café

After the temples, you take a felucca ride on the Nile, a traditional sailing boat with a white sail, which gives a calm view of the river and the palm-lined banks. The motion is gentle and the afternoon breeze is welcome after a long morning. Lunch follows at a local restaurant with Egyptian dishes, and refreshments are served at a local café.

Drinks, including water, are not included, so bring a little cash. The guide can offer a guide in another language as an add-on if you ask when booking. Tips are not included. The drive back to Hurghada leaves in the afternoon and reaches your hotel in the evening.