Shared Day Tour to Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut ,Memnon &lunch

The best part of this Luxor tour is its tight focus on the West Bank’s major sights. In about five hours, you visit the Valley of the Kings, the striking terraces of Hatshepsut Temple, and the Colossi of Memnon, then sit down for lunch before returning to your hotel.

I like the low $16 price and the fact that hotel pickup, drop-off, a guide, lunch, taxes, and service charges are included. I also like the simple route: you spend your limited time around Luxor’s most important ancient sites instead of adding a long list of minor stops.

The main caution is group transport. Pickup is advertised for 8:00 am, but one poor experience involved a changed pickup time, a late vehicle, and a long round of collecting other passengers. If your morning schedule is tight, confirm the pickup time directly and allow extra patience.

Key points to know before booking

• Three major West Bank sights in one short outing: You visit the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple, and the Colossi of Memnon.
• The $16 price covers more than transport: Hotel pickup and return, lunch, an English-speaking Egyptologist guide, taxes, and service charges are included.
• Entrance tickets cost extra: The listed price does not include admission to the Valley of the Kings or Hatshepsut Temple.
• A shared group keeps the price low: The group can reach 25 people, so this is not the choice for a private, flexible visit.
• The planned start is 8:00 am: Early timing can help with the heat, but pickup may take longer than expected.
• Free cancellation has a firm cutoff: Cancel at least 24 hours before the local start time for a full refund.

Why this five-hour Luxor route works

Luxor can feel like two separate cities divided by the Nile. The East Bank holds modern Luxor, Karnak, and Luxor Temple. Across the river, the West Bank is where ancient Egyptians built royal tombs and grand memorial temples.

This tour keeps its attention on that West Bank. The total duration is about five hours, and that includes driving between stops and the hotel pickup and return. I see this as a useful half-day plan, not a full day despite the tour title.

You get the core sights without paying for a long private vehicle hire. The tradeoff is a fixed schedule. You will not have much freedom to linger, change the order, or add another archaeological site.

The 4.8 rating from 275 reviews and 96 percent recommendation rate suggest that the basic formula works well for most people. Still, the low price should set your expectations correctly. You are buying an efficient shared visit, not a custom archaeological tour.

Leaving Luxor for the Valley of the Kings

The morning begins with hotel pickup at about 8:00 am. You join a group, meet the English-speaking Egyptologist guide, and travel toward the West Bank.

The first major stop is the Valley of the Kings, also called the Valley of the Gates of the Kings. This is the part of the tour with the greatest sense of discovery. Instead of one large monument, you find a desert valley filled with entrances to royal tombs cut into the rock.

You have about one hour here. That is enough for a focused visit, but not enough to inspect every corner of the site at a leisurely pace. Entrance is not included, so you pay the admission fee separately.

The tour information does not specify which tombs are included or how many you enter. That matters because the Valley of the Kings has several ticket arrangements and individual tombs can have separate charges. Ask your guide what the basic ticket covers before you begin, especially if you have a particular tomb in mind.

The guide should help turn bare corridors and painted walls into a readable story. An Egyptologist guide can explain why the tombs were built, how they relate to royal burial customs, and what you are seeing in the wall scenes. The quality of that explanation will shape much of your visit, since one hour goes quickly.

You should also expect heat, hard ground, and some walking. The early start is useful here. If the vehicle arrives late, you may lose part of the cooler morning and reach the site when the sun is stronger.

Hatshepsut Temple and its three rising terraces

Next comes the Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari. The temple sits opposite Luxor beneath the cliffs, with broad terraces climbing from the desert floor toward the rock face.

This is a very different experience from the Valley of the Kings. The tombs are enclosed and underground. Hatshepsut’s temple is open, wide, and architectural. Its three large terraces give the site a strong horizontal shape, while the cliffs behind it provide the dramatic backdrop.

You have about one hour at the temple, and admission is again not included. That extra ticket cost is important when you compare this $16 tour with other options. The headline price looks extremely low, but you still need to budget for the site entrances.

I like this pairing because the two sites complement each other. The valley shows you where rulers were buried. Hatshepsut’s temple shows how a powerful ruler presented her authority in public. You get both a royal burial setting and a ceremonial monument in the same morning.

The one-hour stop should let you see the main terraces and hear the major points from the guide. It may feel brief if you want to study every relief or photograph the temple from several angles. In a shared group, the guide also has to keep everyone moving together.

The itinerary does not give a guide’s name, so you cannot choose a particular Egyptologist. It does specify an English-speaking professional guide. If detailed historical explanation is important to you, confirm the guide language and ask how much time will be spent inside the temple before the tour begins.

A short stop at the Colossi of Memnon

The Colossi of Memnon takes about 30 minutes and has no admission charge. These two giant seated statues mark the remains of the mortuary temple of Amenhotep III.

This is the quickest stop, but it gives the morning a useful change of pace. After the enclosed tombs and stepped temple, you stop in an open area to see two enormous royal figures. The visit is easy to fit into the schedule because there is no ticket line listed and the stop is free.

Do not expect the same amount of time here as at the Valley of the Kings or Hatshepsut Temple. Thirty minutes is enough to view the statues, take photographs, and listen to an explanation of the mortuary temple. It is not a long archaeological visit.

The name Colossi of Memnon can confuse first-time visitors because the statues are linked to Amenhotep III’s mortuary temple. The tour description makes the connection clear: you see the colossi and the remains of that temple complex.

This stop also helps keep the total cost down. Since there is no admission fee, you are not paying extra for every part of the route. It is a practical photo and history stop rather than the main reason to book the tour.

Lunch in Luxor after the monuments

After the West Bank visits, you go to a local restaurant for lunch. Lunch is included, as are taxes and service charges.

The information does not name the restaurant or specify the menu. I would treat this as a convenient meal built into the route, not a food-focused outing. It saves you the trouble of finding a place after several hours in the sun, and it means you do not need to carry the full cost of a separate lunch into your planning.

The lunch stop is listed as about one hour, although the schedule also includes transport time. That gives the group a chance to sit down before the return to the hotel.

Because the tour is shared, the restaurant stop will follow the group schedule. You should not expect to choose the neighborhood, linger for a long meal, or replace lunch with another option through the tour provider.

What the $16 price really includes

At $16 per person, this is one of those tours where the included items matter more than the headline itinerary. Your price includes:

• Hotel pickup and drop-off
• An English-speaking Egyptologist guide
• Lunch
• Taxes and service charges

The price does not include entrance fees to the temples. The Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut Temple both require separate admission payments. The Colossi of Memnon is listed as free.

That makes the tour good value for someone who wants transport and basic guiding arranged in advance. You avoid negotiating a vehicle for the West Bank, finding a restaurant, and working out the route yourself.

The value is less clear if you already have a car, guide, or hotel transport. In that case, the shared schedule may not add much. The maximum group size is 25, so you are paying for an affordable group outing rather than individual attention.

The tour includes a professional Egyptologist guide, which is important at sites where the physical remains can be hard to read without context. Still, the available details do not promise a private guide, a particular guide by name, or a custom pace.

Pickup timing and the shared-group tradeoff

Pickup is scheduled for 8:00 am, and the early start makes sense. Luxor can be hot, and the Valley of the Kings is more comfortable when you are not visiting at the hottest point of the day.

Shared pickup is also the biggest practical weakness. One documented poor experience involved an 8:00 am booking being shifted to 9:00 am the night before. The vehicle then arrived close to 10:00 am and spent another 40 minutes collecting other people who had also been waiting.

That does not prove every departure will run this way, but it is enough reason to take the timing seriously. Confirm the pickup time before the morning of the tour, keep your phone available, and avoid booking a tight connection or another activity immediately afterward.

The tour can include up to 25 people. A large group may mean slower boarding, repeated hotel stops, and less time for individual questions. On the positive side, the group format explains how the price stays so low.

Most people can participate, and the tour is near public transportation, although hotel pickup is offered. The information does not give detailed accessibility specifications, so you should ask the provider directly if you need a firm answer about walking surfaces, vehicle access, or mobility support.

Cancellation and booking details worth noting

Confirmation is provided at booking. The listed start time is 8:00 am, and the tour is usually booked about five days in advance.

You can cancel for a full refund if you do so at least 24 hours before the local start time. Within 24 hours, the amount paid is not refunded, and changes made inside that window are not accepted.

That policy is fairly simple, but the pickup issue makes early confirmation wise. If your hotel changes or your arrival time is uncertain, do not wait until the last day to adjust the booking.

Who should choose this West Bank tour

I would choose this tour if you want the main West Bank sights at a very low starting price and you are comfortable with a shared vehicle. It suits first-time visitors who need transport, lunch, and a guide arranged in one booking.

It is also a sensible choice for a short stay in Luxor. The route covers the three most important stops listed here and returns you to your hotel after lunch. You get a clear introduction without spending a full day on the West Bank.

You may prefer another option if you want a private car, a flexible start, or long visits inside the tombs. A group of up to 25 people and a possible wait for other pickups can be frustrating if you value quiet time and control over the schedule.

The tour is less suitable for anyone who sees the $16 price as the final cost. Add the separate entrance fees before comparing it with other West Bank tours. The included lunch and hotel transport still make it a strong budget option, but the ticket costs are part of the real total.

Should you book this Luxor tour?

Book it if your priorities are low cost, simple transport, and the three headline West Bank sights. The combination of Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple, Colossi of Memnon, lunch, and an English-speaking guide gives you a useful introduction to Luxor’s ancient monuments.

Skip it if a late pickup would ruin your day or if you want a private, unhurried visit. Confirm the 8:00 am pickup, budget separately for the entrance fees, and leave room after the tour in case the shared vehicle runs behind. With those limits understood, this is a practical way to see Luxor’s West Bank without arranging every detail yourself.

FAQ

What time does the tour start?

The listed start time is 8:00 am.

How long does the tour last?

The tour lasts approximately five hours, including transport time.

Is hotel pickup included?

Yes. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included.

Is lunch included?

Yes. Lunch at a local restaurant is included.

Are entrance fees included?

No. Entrance fees to the temples are not included. The Colossi of Memnon is listed with free admission.

Which places does the tour visit?

The tour visits the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, and the Colossi of Memnon. It also includes lunch in Luxor.

Is the tour private?

No. This is a shared group tour. The maximum group size is 25 people.

Is an English-speaking guide included?

Yes. An English-speaking Egyptologist guide is included.

Can I cancel for a full refund?

Yes, if you cancel at least 24 hours before the experience start time. Cancellations within 24 hours are not refunded, and changes during that period are not accepted.