2 Days Luxor and Abu Simbel Tour from Cairo

Your private 2-Day Luxor and Abu Simbel Tour from Cairo begins early in the morning with pickup from your hotel and a transfer to Cairo International Airport. Fly to Aswan, where you will meet your private Egyptologist guide and travel by air-conditioned vehicle through the Nubian desert to the magnificent Abu Simbel Temples.

Abu Simbel Temples:

Explore the Abu Simbel Temples, two monumental rock-cut sanctuaries commissioned by Pharaoh Ramses II in the 13th century BC. Located near the shores of Lake Nasser in southern Egypt, the temples were carved into the mountainside to demonstrate royal power and honor the gods of ancient Egypt.

Stand before the Great Temple of Ramses II, whose entrance is guarded by four colossal seated statues of the pharaoh, each approximately 20 meters high. Inside, richly carved halls and chambers depict Ramses II’s military victories, religious ceremonies, and relationship with the gods.

The temple was carefully aligned so that sunlight reaches the inner sanctuary around February 22 and October 22 each year, illuminating several of the seated figures inside in a remarkable astronomical phenomenon.

Temple of Queen Nefertari:

Continue to the smaller temple dedicated to Queen Nefertari and the goddess Hathor. Its impressive façade features six standing statues of Ramses II and Nefertari, an unusual representation that places the queen at nearly the same scale as the pharaoh.

Your guide will also explain how the entire Abu Simbel complex was relocated to higher ground during an international UNESCO rescue project to protect it from the rising waters of Lake Nasser.

After completing your guided visit, return to Aswan and enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. Transfer to your 5-star hotel in Aswan for check-in and spend the remainder of the day at leisure.

Meals: Lunch

After breakfast at your hotel in Aswan, transfer to the railway station and travel by first-class train to Luxor. Upon arrival, meet your private Egyptologist guide and continue your 2-Day Luxor and Abu Simbel Tour from Cairo with visits to the city’s most celebrated East and West Bank monuments.

Karnak Temple:

Begin at Karnak Temple, one of the largest and most impressive religious complexes in ancient Egypt. Developed over many centuries by successive pharaohs, the site contains monumental pylons, obelisks, chapels, sacred lakes, and sanctuaries dedicated primarily to Amun-Ra.

Walk through the Great Hypostyle Hall, where 134 massive columns decorated with hieroglyphs and carved reliefs create one of the most remarkable architectural spaces in Luxor.

After exploring Karnak Temple, enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before continuing to Luxor’s West Bank.

Temple of Queen Hatshepsut:

Visit the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir El-Bahari, dramatically positioned beneath the limestone cliffs. Built during the 15th century BC, the temple is distinguished by its terraces, colonnades, statues, and reliefs celebrating Hatshepsut’s reign, divine birth, and trading expeditions.

Valley of the Kings:

Continue to the Valley of the Kings, the royal burial ground of New Kingdom pharaohs. Enter a selection of the tombs open to visitors and admire their decorated corridors, burial chambers, colorful scenes, and religious texts connected to the ancient Egyptian journey through the afterlife.

Your guide will explain the history of the valley, its most important discoveries, and the funerary beliefs represented in the tombs’ remarkable artwork.

Colossi of Memnon:

Conclude your West Bank sightseeing at the Colossi of Memnon, two monumental statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III standing approximately 18 meters high. They once guarded the entrance to his vast mortuary temple and became famous in antiquity for a mysterious sound reported by early visitors at dawn.

After completing your guided Luxor tour, transfer to Luxor International Airport for your domestic flight to Cairo. Upon arrival, meet your driver and return to your hotel, concluding your journey to Abu Simbel and Luxor from Cairo.

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch