Luxor Valley of the Kings and Karnak Day Trip from Sahl Hasheesh

From Sahl Hasheesh across the desert to Luxor

The road from the Red Sea coast to Luxor crosses the Eastern Desert and the Qena region before reaching the Nile valley. It is a drive of around four hours each way from Sahl Hasheesh, which explains the very early start at about four in the morning. The air-conditioned vehicle has bottled water, and local snacks are offered on the way.

Pickup from Sahl Hasheesh hotels is arranged as an add-on when you book, so our team handles the details. If you are comparing a Luxor day trip from Sahl Hasheesh with other ways to see the city, this one gives the most for one day: it covers the East and West Banks and includes the entry tickets.

Valley of the Kings

The Valley of the Kings is a dry wadi on the West Bank where pharaohs of the New Kingdom were buried in rock-cut tombs for about five centuries. The walls are decorated with painted scenes from funerary texts, showing the king's passage through the underworld. The valley is hot and almost without shade, so water and a hat are essential.

Entry covers a choice of tombs, and the default option includes the separate ticket for the Tomb of Tutankhamun, small but famous for its treasures. Another option replaces it with the Tomb of Ramses. Photography is not allowed inside the tombs. Many visitors ask whether the Valley of the Kings is worth the long day, and the answer is yes.

Temple of Hatshepsut

The Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari rises in three broad terraces against a limestone cliff, a design that looks surprisingly modern. Hatshepsut ruled as pharaoh in the fifteenth century BC and recorded a trading expedition to Punt and her divine birth in carved reliefs along the colonnades.

The temple stands in open sun, so bring sunscreen and keep your visit to about forty-five minutes. Your guide explains the architecture and the history, including how some images were later removed by later rulers. The setting among the pale cliffs is among the finest in Egypt, and it makes an outstanding photograph. Wear a hat and sunscreen, because there is no shade on the terraces.

Colossi of Memnon

The Colossi of Memnon are two seated statues of Amenhotep III, each about eighteen metres high, carved from quartzite and standing alone on the West Bank plain. They once guarded the entrance to his vast mortuary temple, which has almost entirely disappeared. The statues are weathered and cracked, but their size still impresses.

Greek and Roman visitors came to hear the statue sing at dawn, a sound probably caused by the cracked stone warming in the sun. The stop is brief, about fifteen minutes, and is usually combined with the Hatshepsut visit. It is a quick photo and history stop before heading to the East Bank. Wear sturdy shoes on the uneven ground.

Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple

Karnak is the largest ancient temple complex in Egypt, built over some two thousand years and dedicated mainly to Amun-Ra. The great Hypostyle Hall, with its forest of enormous carved columns, is the highlight, and your guide explains its reliefs, obelisks and sacred lake. Visitors often search for Karnak Temple opening hours, which are early morning to late afternoon and vary by season.

After Karnak, the tour makes a photo stop outside Luxor Temple, built by Amenhotep III and Ramses II and lit beautifully in the evening, although you see it from outside. Lunch is at a local restaurant, and the guide lets you rest before the return drive across the desert to Sahl Hasheesh.