Luxor Overnight Tour: Balloon Ride, Cairo Light Show & Monuments Exploration
3.0
3 Ratings
Experience the wonders of Luxor on this overnight tour from Cairo. Fly in style, explore ancient monuments with a private guide, sail the Nile on a felucca, ride a camel, and take a hot air balloon ride. All transfers, meals, and accommodations included.
Duration: 2 days
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights

CAIRO TO LUXOR BY PLANE, East BANK OF LUXOR,SOUND AND LIGHT SHOW

Cairo - Flight from Cairo to Luxor

Temple of Karnak - Karnak or the Karnak temple complex is a group of temples, buildings and columns, where expansion and construction continued since the Pharaonic era, specifically the kings of the Middle Kingdom until the Roman era in Luxor in Egypt. The temple was named by this name in relation to the city of Karnak, which is a modern name distorted from the Arabic word Khornaq, which means the fortified village, which was given to many temples in the region during this period. While the temple was initially known as “Bar Amun”, meaning the Temple of Amun or the House of Amun, and during the Middle Kingdom it was called Ibt Sut, which means the most chosen of places (sometimes translated as the chosen spot).This name was found on the walls of the chapel of Senusret I in Pylon III. The temple was also known by many names, including Nisut-Twa, which means the throne of the two states, and Ebit Iset, which means the most wonderful residence

Luxor Temple - Luxor Temple A large complex of ancient Egyptian temples located on the east bank of the Nile in the city of Luxor today known as (Old Thebes). Founded in 1400 BC. Luxor Temple was built to worship Amun-Re and his wife Mut and their son Khonsu; They are the gods who are also called the Theban Trinity (The Thebes Trinity). Luxor Temple was built during the reign of the kings of the Eighteenth Dynasty and the Nineteenth Dynasty. The most important existing buildings in the temple are those built by the two kings Amenhotep III (1397-1360 BC) and Ramses II (1290-1223 BC) (who added to the temple the open courtyard, the edifice, and the two obelisks).

Luxor Sound and Light Show - Sound and light show at Karnak

Hot Air Balloon & West Bank in Luxor

Hot Air Balloons Luxor - Hot Air Balloon Trip

Colossi of Memnon - Colossus of Memnon, known locally as (Al-Kulsat or Salamat), is two huge statues, built around the year 1350 BC, which are all that remains of a temple built in memory of Pharaoh Amenhotep III, who ruled Egypt during the eighteenth dynasty, located in the funeral city of Thebes Located west of the Nile in the present-day city of Luxor, the two identical statues depict Amenhotep III (14th century BC) seated, hands spread on his knees and looking eastward (in fact toward the southeast in modern directions) toward the river. Two short figures are carved on the front of the throne, along with his legs: his wife Tiye and his mother Death M and Ya. The side panels depict the Nile god Habi.
The statues were made from blocks of quartzite sandstone that were quarried from Jabal al-Ahmar (near present-day Cairo) and transported 675 km (420 mi) overland to Thebes (Luxor).

Valley of the Kings - Valley of the Kings, also known as “The Valley of the Kings”, is a valley in Egypt that was used for 500 years during the period between the sixteenth and eleventh centuries BC to construct tombs for the pharaohs and nobles of the modern state extending during the eighteenth dynasties to the twentieth dynasty in ancient Egypt. The valley on the west bank of the Nile River facing Thebes (Luxor now) in the heart of the ancient funerary city of Thebes. The Valley of the Kings is divided into two valleys; The Eastern Valley (where most of the royal tombs are located) and the Western Valley. And with the discovery of the last burial chamber in 2006, known as (Cemetery 63), in addition to the discovery of two other entrances to the same chamber during 2008.

Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahari - Temple of Hatshepsut or the mortuary temple of Hatshepsut is a temple from the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, and the best remaining temples were built about 3500 years ago in Deir el-Bahari, Egypt. It was built by Queen Hatshepsut on the west bank of the Nile opposite to Thebes (the capital of ancient Egypt and the seat of the Amun worship) (Luxor today). The Temple of Hatshepsut is distinguished by its unique architectural design, in comparison to the Egyptian temples that were built on the eastern bank of the Nile at Thebes. The temple consists of three successive floors with open terraces. The temple was built of limestone, and in front of the second floor columns were erected limestone statues of the god Osiris and Queen Hatshepsut in a beautiful distribution. Originally, those statues were colored, and now only some monuments remain of the colors, and some statues are in very good condition, indicating the elegance and beauty of the temple’s design.

Cairo - Back to Cairo by Flight From Luxor

What's Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Private qualified Egyptology guide
  • Domestic flights (Cairo - Luxor - Cairo)
  • 1 night at a 4-star hotel in Luxor, including breakfast
  • West and East bank tours as per itinerary
  • Hot Air Balloon Trip with entrance included
  • Private air-conditioned transport
  • Sailing on the Nile in a traditional felucca with qualified sailors
  • Meals: 2 lunches, 1 dinner, and breakfasts
  • Door to door transfers from and to your hotel in Cairo or Giza
What's Not Included
  • entrance fees
  • tipping
  • Any extras not mentioned in the itinerary
Additional Information

Fancy seeing Luxor while in Cairo, but want to do it in comfort and convenience? This private overnight excursion via private aircraft is perfect for you, promising a relaxed and refreshing arrival to Luxor.
Enjoy personalized guided tours in Luxor with an expert in Egyptology: you will explore the Valley of Kings’ tombs, Hatsheput temple, Karnak Temple, Luxor temple and other important sites while uncovering their historical significance and hidden tales.
Experience the majestic Nile river on a traditional sailing felucca, ride a camel and immerse yourself in the authentic culture of Luxor.
Revel in the journey of a lifetime on a hot air balloon and enjoy a sound and light show.
The package includes return flight tickets, door-to-door hotel transfers, airport transfers, meals for 2 days, a tour guided by an Egyptologist, a camel ride, a trip to Banana Island, a sailing felucca ride, a one-night stay at a 4-star hotel with breakfast, tours of the west and east banks, a sound and light show, and hot air balloon ride.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
3.0
(3 Ratings)
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1 star
Annette_k
Dec 10, 2022
Alot - It is hard to leave review as many guides and many parts. Main guide Sa l ma was extremely knowledgeable and protective. Hot air balloons was fabulous and kept us all safe Banana island was great!! Boat captain was incredible wealth of information
Review provided by Viator
Ryan_l
Nov 27, 2022
Luxor is amazing; unfortunately a rushed tour - I specifically booked this trip as it had many elements that I wanted to see - two days exploring Luxor, not just one, where the proper amount of time is given to the west and the east banks. Also a camel ride, a sailing boat on the nile, banana island, and the hot air balloon ride - these were all checking the list, so I booked it. The day before, the company reached out and told me they couldn't get me a flight for the evening of the 2nd day, so it needed to be the morning. That basically meant that I would lose about 6 hours of touring. We talked thru a few other options, and I wanted to actually stay 1 day more so things were not rushed, but the operator assured me we would not miss anything, so I agreed to squeeze it down, with the reassurance nothing would be lost from the agenda, Let me point out, this is not a private flight like it says in the description. this is commercial from the domestic terminal, with Nile Air. it is not a huge deal but kind of. Upon arrival I was greeted by a friendly guy who showed me to the car. the driver was fine but not necessarily friendly. We finally made our way to the west bank, where we met the guide. For a 2-day tour squeezed into 1 day, there was a surprising lack of a rush at this point. Then, we made our way to the Valley of the Kings. Spectacular place, really, you must see it. The guide advised me on which tombs to go into, and I took her advice - I probably would have gone into Tut's tomb if I could do it over again, as it is so famous, but I went into 5 others so I don't mind. The guide told me about things on the drive up, and while going into the area with the tombs, but then went and had a soda as the guides can't go into the tombs anyway. Now suddenly it was a rush, I had like 1 hour to do all the tombs. This was not optimal and I did my best. Nonetheless, super cool to see this, and really memorable. Then we hurried up and went to the Tomb of Hatshetsup, which the guide was very passionate about, and I learned a lot. This is a really cool place, and I loved it. We then had to hurry over to the other side of the river, but first a stop at an alabaster workshop/store (no rush anymore?). I was not thrilled to go here since I hate these shops and we had a bit of a rushed tour, but it was fine and I bought some stuff anyway. Then, to the east bank and Karnak. wow this place is amazing. Also a place my guide was passionate about, and again I learned a lot. She tried to get me to skip this since I was going to the sound and light show later, but I am glad I did not. We did not have time then to go into the Luxor Temple, but we walked along side it (the street/sidewalk goes right next to it), and she pointed out some key elements. this is an interesting place for sure. Then, it was about 4:30pm and we had lunch. Breakfast for me was at 4:30 am, so this was not cool, but I was fueled by soda and excitement for being there. This lunch was fairly good, probably because I was starving. I recommend bringing / buying some snacks along the way. Then after the "lunch" they dropped me off at the hotel, which was a very nice hotel, where I had a view of the sunset on the nile from my balcony. Then it was time for the Sound and Light show at Karnak. This was supposed to be included, but it was not so I had to pay for it, which was extremely annoying as the ticket is like $30-40 USD. The show itself was quite interesting but it feels like it was made by some beatniks in the 1960's. Actually I recently watched a james bond from 1977 and I swear it was the same show. Regardless it was good and I learned a lot and enjoyed it. Then back to the hotel and preparations for an early morning hot air balloon. We started with some felucca's crossing the nile and giving us a coffee/snack. this in itself was fascinating, but it is not sailing and it is not enjoyable, really, as it is really chaotic with all the other balloon companies doing the same. on the west side, we then got into the vans and went to the hot air balloon site. the captain explained how to get into landing position, and this guy was extremely serious about this stuff, which is good. you don't want a captain who doesn't care. Once airborn we had a great ride and it was really beautiful and memorable. Then, for me it was back to the hotel and then off to the airport. back in Cairo there was a driver waiting and it was a smooth trip back to my hotel. I mentioned the guide before, I will say it like this: she is an extremely passionate egyptologist. She is not a passionate guide. There is a difference there. I think she would rather be sitting at home reading/studying these things, rather than explaining and helping others learn. More than once when I asked her a question, she would say "I will start talking soon". that is not the response of a person who is passionate about her job. her subject, egyptology, yes. her job, no. If she would lighten up, smile a little, she could see that she gets to help spread Egypt's history to the world, to people that are interested. if we come all the way to Luxor from other countries, we might want to hear what she has to say, right? The company who I booked with, I do not think they have a good control of what the team in Luxor is doing - and this was felt many times. When I asked my main contact on whatsapp about the sound and light show being included, he said he would ask "them" about that. Notice there was no nile sailing, no banana island, and no camel ride. Also, no Luxor Temple. In the end due to all the stuff that was missed, mainly due to squeezing all the stuff promised into less than 1 day, I was partially refunded with the help of customer service at Viator. I can recommend this tour but not necessarily this company. Definitely do a 2-day tour if you are interested in Egypt's rich history, and do not try to rush Luxor in 1 day. I had intended to do 2 days, which is why I booked a 2 day tour, so of course the tour duration was a disappointment, but I had an amazing time anyway.
Review provided by Viator
Alexjguillen
Nov 27, 2022
Not recommended. Not as advertised. Cheap and low quality - Very bad experience. The tour wasn’t 2 days, it was just one very very long day! The hotel pickup was supposed to be 4am to arrive at Luxor by lunch time and spend half a day touring during the first day, instead the pickup changed to 11 am, travel late and got to Luxor at 4:30… all we could do was check in at a bad hotel, nowhere near 4 stars, eat lunch at 5 pm at a not so good restaurant, and go see a light show… that got cancelled. So, day 1, completely lost. The hotel (Lotus) seems nice, but it is extremely dirty, old, and everything breaks. Day 2, with the hot air balloon is the saving grace for the tour, but since we lost day 1, we had a day that starts at 5 am, with no hot breakfast, rush rush all day, with no lunch until 4 pm. Other than the cars to pick you and drop you at Luxor airport, everything is low quality and seems the cheapest they could find. And to make things worse, the driver picking us up at Cairo was 30 mins late. The guides are good, friendly and the place (Luxor) is amazing, but this seems a budget tour at best. If not for the balloon, I would give it 1 star
Review provided by Viator
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May 2024
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