Exclusive two-day Luxor tour departing from Marsa Alam

Early in the morning, we pick you up from your hotel in Marsa Alam in a private A.C. car for the transfer to Luxor and your overnight stay in Luxor from Marsa Alam . On arrival you'll meet your private guide, who joins you for visits to: Madinat Habu temple: Known in ancient times as Djanet, this site was believed to be where Amun first appeared. Both Hatshepsut and Tuthmosis III built a temple dedicated to Amun here, and Rameses III later constructed his larger memorial temple on the same ground. First Pylon - the temple of Rameses III. In his era Djanet became the administrative hub of Western Thebes. The entire complex was ringed by a massive fortified wall, with an unusual gateway on the eastern side known as the pavilion gate — a structure modeled on Syrian migdol fortresses, an unexpected sight in Egypt. Rameses III, being a military figure, likely appreciated the defensive value of such a design. He may well have resided here at times, since a royal palace stood at the south of the temple's open forecourt, flanked by priests' quarters and administrative buildings. A canal with a harbor once linked the temple to the Nile at the entrance, though the desert long ago swallowed any trace of it. Madinat Habu temple seen from above. Ramesseum: The Ramesseum, mortuary temple of Ramses II (1279-13 BC), stands on the west bank of the Nile at Thebes in Upper Egypt. Famous for its 57-foot (17-meter) seated statue of Ramses II — of which only fragments survive — the temple honored the god Amon and the deceased king. Its walls, roughly half preserved, carry reliefs depicting the Battle of Kadesh, the Syrian campaigns, and the Festival of Min. Deir El Madina West of the village, on the slope of the Theban hills, lies the main cemetery of the royal workmen at Deir el-Medina. Most tombs date to the 19th dynasty, some strikingly decorated and sizeable. By the 20th dynasty, the tombs had become family burial sites for the descendants of the original owners, with few changes made beyond an added subterranean chamber. The lower slopes of the eastern hill at Qurnet Murai held the burials of infants and children — over a hundred were laid to rest in ordinary domestic pottery jars, amphorae, baskets (even fish baskets), chests, boxes, or proper coffins. The humblest burials belonged to stillborn babies, with no jewelry or amulets, just small vessels of food for the afterlife. Adult graves sat higher up the slope, many dating from the 18th dynasty. Lunch during the tour. The Valley of the Queens Also known as Biban el-Harim, Biban el-Sultanate, and Wadi el-Melikat, this is the site in Egypt where royal wives were laid to rest in antiquity. It was once called Ta-Set-Neferu, meaning 'the place of the Children of the Pharaoh', since alongside the Queens of the 18th, 19th, and 20th dynasties (1550-1070 BCE), numerous princes, princesses, and nobles were also buried here. Mortuary priests tended these tombs, carrying out daily rituals and offering prayers for the deceased nobility. The valley sits near the more famous Valley of the Kings, on the west bank of the Nile opposite Thebes (modern Luxor ). This barren stretch of the western hills was chosen for its relative isolation and closeness to the capital. Kings of the 18th dynasty moved away from the traditional pyramid burial chamber — perhaps wary of tomb robbers — favoring rock-cut tombs instead. The necropolis is said to hold over seventy tombs, many elegantly decorated. One striking example is the rock-cut resting place of Queen Nefertari (1290-1224 BCE) of the 19th Dynasty, whose polychrome reliefs remain intact. The ancient Egyptians called it Set Neferu, meaning "seat of beauty". Between 1903 and 1906, an Italian expedition uncovered around eighty tombs, some belonging to royal children; many had been badly damaged, burned, or repurposed as stables for donkeys and camels. Among the best-known tombs is that of Nefertari, the most cherished of Ramesses II's many wives — in her honor, he built a magnificent temple at Abu Simbel. In the evening you may opt to join the Sound and Light Show at Karnak : the show opens with a historical introduction covering the founding of Thebes and the building of the Karnak Temple.
It goes on to narrate the glorious feats of several great Pharaohs, set to a rich and poetic description of the artistic treasures and grand legacy held within the Karnak temple. Overnight at a 3-star hotel.

After breakfast at your hotel, your private guide and air-conditioned vehicle take you to visit: Luxor Museum . This excellent museum houses a carefully chosen, beautifully displayed and well-explained collection of antiquities spanning from the end of the Old Kingdom right up to the Mamluk period, mostly gathered from the Theban temples and necropolis. The entrance fee puts some visitors off, but don't let that hold you back — it's among the most rewarding attractions in Luxor and one of Egypt's finest museums.
Enjoy lunch at a Nile-view restaurant before we drive you back to your hotel in Marsa Alam .