Cross to the west bank of the Nile to explore the legendary Valley of the Kings, the royal burial ground of Egypt’s most powerful pharaohs. Hidden within the desert hills, this valley contains more than sixty tombs carved deep into the limestone cliffs. For nearly five hundred years during the New Kingdom, kings such as Tutankhamun, Ramses II, and Seti I were buried here in elaborately decorated tombs designed to guide their souls into the afterlife. Visitors will enter several of these ancient tombs and walk down long corridors covered with vibrant hieroglyphs, religious texts, and scenes from the Egyptian underworld. Your guide will explain how these inscriptions describe the pharaoh’s journey through the night sky and his rebirth with the rising sun.

Set dramatically against towering limestone cliffs, the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari is one of the most striking monuments in all of Egypt. Hatshepsut was one of the few female pharaohs in ancient Egyptian history, ruling during a time of great prosperity in the 15th century BCE. Her temple was designed as a grand statement of power and divine legitimacy. The structure rises in three elegant terraces connected by ramps, with rows of columns that blend harmoniously with the surrounding cliffs. Inside the temple, guests will see beautifully carved reliefs that depict important events from Hatshepsut’s reign, including the famous expedition to the land of Punt, a trading mission that brought exotic goods such as incense, ebony, and gold back to Egypt. From the upper terrace, visitors also enjoy sweeping views across the fertile Nile valley and the surrounding desert mountains.

The final stop on the West Bank tour is the Colossi of Memnon, two massive seated statues that have stood guard over the Theban plain for more than 3,400 years. These monumental figures represent Pharaoh Amenhotep III & once marked the entrance to his enormous mortuary temple, which was among the largest ever built in Egypt. Each statue rises approximately 18 meters (60 feet) high and was carved from single blocks of quartzite stone transported hundreds of kilometers from quarries near modern-day Cairo. Although much of the original temple has disappeared, the colossi remain one of the most recognizable landmarks of Luxor. In ancient times, one of the statues became famous for producing a mysterious sound at sunrise, which led Greek travelers to associate it with the mythical hero Memnon. Today the statues provide a striking introduction to the monuments of Luxor’s West Bank & an excellent opportunity for photographs against the backdrop of desert mountains & green agricultural fields.