Luxor, Dendera and Abydos Overnight Tour

Pickup

Your WOW Egypt Tours representative and driver will pick you up from your hotel, Nile Cruise, Luxor Airport, Luxor Train Station, or your location in Luxor. You will be transferred by private modern air-conditioned vehicle with your private Egyptologist guide to begin your Luxor, Dendera and Abydos Overnight Tour.

Temple of Queen Hatshepsut

Start your Luxor sightseeing with the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari on the West Bank of Luxor. The temple was built in the 15th century BC during the 18th Dynasty of the New Kingdom for Queen Hatshepsut, one of the most important female rulers in ancient Egyptian history.

Queen Hatshepsut ruled Egypt for about 20 years and became known for major building projects, trade activity, and temple construction. During your visit, your private Egyptologist guide will explain the history of Queen Hatshepsut, her reign, her building program, and the religious role of the temple.

The temple is known for its terraced structure, colonnaded halls, ramps, wall reliefs, and its location against the limestone cliffs of Deir el-Bahari. The temple has 3 main terraces and includes chapels and temple areas connected with Amun, Hathor, and Anubis.

Valley of the Kings

After visiting the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, continue to the Valley of the Kings, one of the most important burial sites in ancient Egypt. The valley was used for the tombs of many New Kingdom pharaohs from the 18th, 19th, and 20th Dynasties, mainly between the 16th and 11th centuries BC.

The Valley of the Kings includes more than 60 discovered tombs, including the tomb of Tutankhamun, discovered by Howard Carter in 1922. The tombs were decorated with religious scenes, hieroglyphic texts, and images connected with the afterlife and the journey of the king after death.

Your entrance ticket includes visits to 3 tombs in the Valley of the Kings, according to the tombs open on the day of your visit. Your private Egyptologist guide will explain the history of the valley, the purpose of the royal tombs, the decoration of the burial chambers, and the beliefs connected with the afterlife.

Colossi of Memnon

Continue to the Colossi of Memnon, two massive seated statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III. The statues were built in the 14th century BC during the 18th Dynasty and once stood at the entrance of the mortuary temple of Amenhotep III.

Amenhotep III ruled Egypt for about 38 years, and his mortuary temple was one of the largest temple complexes on the West Bank of Luxor. Although most of the temple has disappeared, the two seated statues remain among the most recognized monuments in Luxor.

Each statue is about 18 meters / 60 feet high. During your stop, your guide will explain the history of the statues, their connection with Amenhotep III, and the ancient temple that once stood behind them.

Lunch Time

Lunch is served at local restaurant.

Motorboat Crossing to the East Bank

After lunch, cross the Nile by motorboat from the West Bank to the East Bank of Luxor. The Nile crossing usually takes about 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the docking point and river conditions.

The Nile River is about 6,650 km / 4,130 miles long and was central to ancient Egyptian agriculture, transport, trade, and daily life. This short crossing connects the West Bank sightseeing area with the East Bank temples and gives a direct route before hotel check-in and the evening temple visits.

Check-in Your Nile-View Hotel

After the motorboat crossing, transfer to your Nile-view hotel in Luxor for check-in. The hotel is selected with a Nile view when available according to the confirmed booking category and room availability.

Karnak Temple

Continue to Karnak Temple on the East Bank of Luxor. Karnak Temple is one of the largest religious complexes in ancient Egypt, covering about 100 hectares / 247 acres. It was the main religious center of ancient Thebes and the principal place of worship for the Theban triad: Amun, Mut, and Khonsu.

The history of Karnak Temple developed over more than 2,000 years, with major construction and expansion during the Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom periods. Important additions were made by rulers such as Senusret I, Hatshepsut, Thutmose III, Amenhotep III, Seti I, and Ramses II.

During your visit, your private Egyptologist guide will explain the history of Karnak Temple, its religious role, and the main sections of the temple complex. You will see the Great Hypostyle Hall, pylons, obelisks, statues, chapels, the sacred lake, and carved temple walls connected with ancient Egyptian kings and gods.

The Great Hypostyle Hall is one of the most famous sections of Karnak Temple. It includes 134 massive columns, with the central columns reaching about 21 meters / 69 feet high. Your guide will explain the columns, inscriptions, royal scenes, and religious meaning of this important part of the temple.

Luxor Temple

After visiting Karnak Temple, continue to Luxor Temple, located in the center of modern Luxor city. Luxor Temple was built mainly by Pharaoh Amenhotep III around 1400 BC, with later additions by Ramses II in the 13th century BC and other rulers in later periods.

The temple is about 260 meters / 853 feet long and was connected with the Opet Festival and the renewal of kingship in ancient Egypt. During the Opet Festival, the statues of Amun, Mut, and Khonsu were carried from Karnak Temple to Luxor Temple along the ancient ceremonial route known today as the Avenue of Sphinxes.

You will see the first pylon of Ramses II, seated statues, courtyards, colonnades, chapels, and carved temple walls. Luxor Temple can be visited in the evening when the temple is illuminated, giving a different view of the site.

Avenue of Sphinxes

Between Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple, your guide will explain the Avenue of Sphinxes, the ancient ceremonial road that once connected both temples over a route of about 2.7 km / 1.7 miles.

The avenue was used during religious processions, especially the Opet Festival, when the statues of Amun, Mut, and Khonsu were moved from Karnak Temple to Luxor Temple. Parts of the avenue can be seen today in Luxor, including sections with sphinx statues that show how the ancient processional road connected the two temples.

Dinner

Dinner is served at your Nile-view hotel or local restaurant according to the tour arrangement.

Overnight

Overnight at your Nile-view hotel in Luxor.

Meals: lunch & Dinner Overnight: Nile-view hotel in Luxor

Breakfast

Breakfast is served at your hotel.

Check-out

After breakfast, complete the check-out formalities at your Nile-view hotel in Luxor. Your driver and guide will assist with luggage before starting your Day 2 temple visits north of Luxor.

Transfer from Luxor to Dendera Temple

Start the road journey from Luxor to Dendera Temple by private air-conditioned vehicle. Dendera Temple is located about 60 km / 37 miles north of Luxor, and the driving time is usually around 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, depending on road conditions, hotel location, and traffic.

During the transfer, your private Egyptologist guide will explain the route north of Luxor and the importance of the Nile River Valley as a historical route connecting major temple sites, towns, agricultural areas, and ancient religious centers.

Dendera Temple of Hathor

Visit Dendera Temple of Hathor, one of the best-preserved temple complexes in Egypt. The main temple dates mainly to the Ptolemaic and Roman periods, especially from the 1st century BC to the 1st century AD, although the site itself was important in earlier periods of ancient Egyptian history.

The temple was dedicated mainly to Hathor, goddess of love, music, joy, motherhood, and protection. Dendera was one of the most important cult centers of Hathor, and your guide will explain the religious role of the temple, its connection with festivals, and its importance in ancient Egyptian temple worship.

The Dendera Temple complex covers about 40,000 square meters and includes chapels, crypts, decorated ceilings, relief scenes, roof areas when available, and religious spaces connected with Hathor worship. During your visit, you will see the hypostyle hall, carved columns, temple walls, astronomical scenes, and detailed reliefs.

Dendera is especially known for its preserved ceiling decoration and the famous astronomical ceiling connected with ancient Egyptian religious and calendar traditions. The temple gives clear context about Greco-Roman temple architecture, Hathor worship, religious reliefs, and temple decoration north of Luxor.

Lunch Time

Lunch is served at local restaurant according to the tour arrangement.

Transfer from Dendera to Abydos

After lunch, continue by private air-conditioned vehicle to Abydos Temple of Seti I. The distance between Dendera and Abydos is around 100 km / 62 miles, with an approximate driving time of 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours between both sites, depending on road conditions and operating arrangements.

Abydos is located about 165 km / 103 miles north of Luxor, and the driving time from Luxor is usually around 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours. The site was one of the most sacred places in ancient Egypt and was closely connected with Osiris, kingship, pilgrimage, death, resurrection, and afterlife beliefs.

Abydos Temple of Seti I

Visit Abydos Temple of Seti I, one of the most important temples connected with Osiris and the kings of ancient Egypt. The temple was built mainly during the reign of Seti I in the 13th century BC, with later work by Ramses II during the 19th Dynasty.

During your visit, your private Egyptologist guide will explain the religious importance of Abydos, the role of Osiris, and why the site became one of the most sacred pilgrimage centers in ancient Egypt. Abydos was closely connected with beliefs about death, resurrection, royal legitimacy, and the afterlife.

You will see the temple’s chapels, reliefs, sacred areas, and the Abydos King List, one of the most important historical lists of ancient Egyptian rulers. The temple includes 7 main chapels dedicated to Seti I, Ptah, Re-Horakhty, Amun-Re, Osiris, Isis, and Horus.

The reliefs at Abydos are known for their quality and are useful for understanding New Kingdom temple art, royal ideology, religious scenes, and the connection between kingship and the god Osiris. The temple gives clear context about ancient Egyptian royal history, temple worship, and sacred geography in the Nile River Valley.

Return Transfer to Luxor

After completing your visit to Abydos Temple, return to Luxor by private air-conditioned vehicle. The return journey from Abydos to Luxor usually takes around 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours, depending on road conditions and traffic.

During the return transfer, your guide and driver will assist with the route back to Luxor after completing the Dendera and Abydos temple visits.

Drop-off

After completing your Luxor, Dendera and Abydos Overnight Tour, you will be transferred back by private air-conditioned vehicle to your hotel, Nile Cruise, Luxor Airport, Luxor Train Station, or your location in Luxor.

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch