2 Days Luxor Trips from El Gouna

“Excellent Value for a real Historic Experience.”
No trip to Upper Egypt would be complete without at least trying to see some of the truly great and historic monuments and temples. With that in mind I managed to find recommendations via Tripadvisor for “Egypt Tours Portal” who offered a personal 2 day trip to Luxor in our own private car and with our own experience Egyptologist as a guide for a mere £150pp.

Our driver, Hassan Ali, collected 5:30am and was so cheerful from the start we just knew the 4hr+ journey to Luxor was going to be enjoyable. For those that might worry about their safety in Egypt, let me assure you that this is something the Egyptian authorities take very seriously and we felt very assured as Hassan explained that throughout the journey we would be tracked along the route to make sure we were safe.
Like many non-European countries, driving standards leave much to be desired, but Hassan was the composite professional throughout. As speed crazy coaches overtook us (sometimes on blind bends) he simply pulled back to make sure there was no chance of being involved in any mishap. Likewise when two local minibus taxi’s sandwiched us whilst going over a couple of the many speed humps, while most drivers would have gunned the engine to leave these slow workhorses standing, Hassan once again showed utmost professionalism by dropping back to let them fight it out for the single lane road ahead.

Arriving at Karnak Temple we were met by the equally pleasant Ayman Abdou who we later discovered had spent 4 years at university to gain his qualification as an Egyptologist. Greeting us warmly, he once again outlined the itinerary for the two day tour and allowed us to make any alterations which might better suit us. We were to see some fantastic sites which included Karnak Temple, a Papyrus Gallery, Luxor Temple by night, The Valley of the Kings, a Stone Carving Workshop & Shop at Abou El Hagege, Qurna, Hatshepsut Temple and Colossi of Memnon.

As our journey back in time began at the great Temple of Karnak we were amused to see little parties of tourist trailing behind tour guides with their little flags in hand, some poor devils hardly able to hear what they were saying above the clatter and chatter from the throng around them. Ayman was not like many other tour guides, although he had his historic spiel we rehearsed with the injection of good humour, he was able to field our questions at will and even discuss some of the more philosophical points raised throughout our many site visits. It was no wonder more than once we found our lessons in Egyptian history being ear wigged by other tourists fed up of not being able to keep up with their own tour guides 🙂 It was sad to see so many just there to tick their “been there” list and take “selfies”, clearly missing out on the ornateness and sheer size of this ancient temple complex.
After over 3hrs at Karnak, mentally exhausted from the influx of the fascinating & spiritual history of the many Pharaohs, Gods and Shrines, we visited a Papyrus Gallery to see (and buy) some highly decorative a Papyrus pictures. No doubt we could have got Papyrus pictures elsewhere but your first trip will always be memorable and we wanted something special. Next we retired early to room 2057 of the Mercure Hotel which overlooked the Nile for some much needed recuperation.

Keen to see some of the REAL Luxor, we had asked Ayman to arrange an extra horse cartridge ride around Luxor. We were not to be disappointed by our carriage driver ‘Ali’ who’s cheeky chappie was so reminicient of a cockney cab driver. Over the moon that we wanted to see the “Real Luxor” he happily included the back roads and alleys, explaining all the way some of the real history of Luxor and it’s people. The trip included an amazing trip straight through the main Souk, a path you’d find it hard to navigate 2 tesco trolleys let alone a horse & carriage but what a sight and so many people just happy to see westerners happy to visit their country and spend much needed western cash to boost the Egyptian economy. The ride lasted well over the schedules hour and ended with us meeting Ayman in a local coffee shop for a break before our night view of the great Luxor Temple. The nights can be cold here so we were wise to have taken fleeces.

Well but delicacy lit, Luxor Temple looks stunning at night and once again Ayman was the font of all knowledge. The link between Karnak & Luxor is not appreciated by many and the historic if slight differences need to be seen to be really appreaciated. This was followed by some much needed sustenance and Ayman treated us to a fantastic meal ‘El Hussein’ Restaurant, very popular amongst even local Egyptians for it’s fantastic food. Returning to the Mercure Hotel well after 9pm we were exhausted if still somewhat exhilarated.

Early breakfast the following day was followed by the journey to The Valley of the Kings. Another very spiritual place well worth the visit. Although not allowed to escort us into the tombs Ayman pointed out before entering each of our three tombs just what to look for. Photos are not allowed so it was quite disappointing to see some still intent of taking “selfies” with their camera phones and wasting the opportunity to soak up some history by merely “window shopping” through the still highly decorated tomb passages and anterooms to the burial chambers. The Tombs are truly astonishing.

After a short stop to see a Stone Carving Workshop at Abou El Hagege, Qurna we travelled on to another of Egypt’s great monuments Hatshepsut Temple or to give it it’s proper name the “Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut” We were surprised to discover that the Polish Academy of Sciences was responsible for the study and restoration of the three levels of the temple and they have done a remarkable job. Again it’s vastness and spirituality was breathtaking and spoiled only slightly by the “been there” list tickers and “selfie” brigade. Another quick stop at the Colossi of Memnon followed and although not as impressive as the previous sites they were still worth the visit.

Lunch overlooking the Nile at the “African” restaurant was a very pleasant affair, again with local Egyptian dishes to build our sustenance ready for the 4hr+ drive. However no trip to Luxor is complete without at least a little boat ride on the Nile itself and our sail across the Nile was short but memorable.

Exhausted, Hassan’s once again ferried us back to our hotel in Hurghada, safely, professionally and with such good humour and totally understanding our knackerness at such an exhausting and exhilarating two day trip back into some of Egypt’s history.

Thank you Egypt Tours Portal for arranging such a incredible tour and our special thanks to two very special guys, driver Hassan Ali and tour guide Ayman Abdou for the way they looked after us and for their friendship. Can not recommend these guys highly enough to other who will hopefully follow in our footsteps.
To Read This Review on TripAdvisor kindly click Here:-
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g297549-d2109137-r460598207-Egypt_Tours_Portal_Day_Trips-Hurghada_Red_Sea_and_Sinai.html

“Luxor trip”
Semy was a great guide. He provided us with an enormous amount of information about both modern and ancient Egypt. We booked a private tour from hurghada for a great price. One last thing, the included lunch was very good. We had a seat with a view of the Nile, and the food itself was very good as well, not like one of the tourist traps that are so often included in these types of organized tours.

Visited February 2017
To Read This Review on TripAdvisor kindly click Here:-
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g297549-d2109137-r459995791-Egypt_Tours_Portal_Day_Trips-Hurghada_Red_Sea_and_Sinai.html#REVIEWS

“Tour Luxor”
it was lovely and fabulous day .we liked everything from the guide to the food . The guide took us to the best temples to see. was on the spot. for sure I ll come back.the river both to reach the restaurant was wonderful experience. love Egypt

Visited February 2017
To Read This Review on TripAdvisor kindly click Here:-
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g297549-d2109137-r458288650-Egypt_Tours_Portal_Day_Trips-Hurghada_Red_Sea_and_Sinai.html

“Great tour company. ”
Booked a 2 day trip to Luxor online via the website. Quick response to my emails and questions. The driver picked us at our hotel bang on time. Nice comfy car, polite and helpful driver. 3 and a half hours later we were in Luxor and met our guide Sam.
He was very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. Answered all our questions we had on both days. After seeing the temples on the east side we were taken to our hotel which was lovely as well. Day 2 we did the West Bank of Luxor which included the valley of the kings. Both days we had lunch included (except drinks) in 2 different restaurants but both were nice. We ended this with a boat trip on the Nile.
Sam was lovely and we couldn’t of asked for a better tour guide. We would highly recommend this company.
Tracy & Stewart.

Visited February 2017
To Read This Review on TripAdvisor kindly click Here:-
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g297549-d2109137-r463421621-Egypt_Tours_Portal_Day_Trips-Hurghada_Red_Sea_and_Sinai.html#REVIEWS