Luxor East Bank Tour: Karnak & Luxor Temples

This half-day tour begins with a visit to Karnak Temple, where you'll walk through the ram-headed sphinx avenue into the Great Hypostyle Hall, a forest of 134 towering sandstone columns covered in hieroglyphs. Your guide will point out the obelisks of Hatshepsut and Thutmose I, the sacred lake, and the temple's many chapels, each added by a different pharaoh over nearly 2,000 years of continuous use.

From Karnak, you'll continue to Luxor Temple, a more intimate but equally striking site right in the heart of the modern city. Built primarily by Amenhotep III and Ramses II, the temple was once connected to Karnak by a 2.7 km avenue lined with sphinxes, largely restored today. You'll see the colossal seated statues of Ramses II at the entrance, the elegant colonnade of Amenhotep III, and a mosque built directly atop part of the ancient structure, a reminder of how continuously this ground has been used.

Your private, air-conditioned vehicle and English-speaking guide are with you throughout, with pickup and drop-off at your Luxor hotel or cruise ship.