Luxor Sunrise Hot Air Balloon + Half-Day West Bank Guided Tour: Valley of the Kings & Hatshepsut Temple

Rise over Luxor at sunrise in a hot air balloon, then explore key West Bank tombs and temples on a guided half-day tour.

Getting started

Get picked up from your hotel in Luxor and travel by private air-conditioned vehicle or shared transfer, depending on the option selected, to the hot air balloon launch site. On arrival, you move straight to the launch area and board the balloon. As the crew prepares for takeoff, you settle in and get ready for your sunrise flight over Luxor and the Nile Valley.

What to expect

Sunrise hot air balloon flight over Luxor and the Nile Valley

This early-morning flight takes you above Luxor and the surrounding Nile Valley as the city and fields below transition from darkness to daylight.

Features

• During the flight, you view the Nile Valley, Luxor, and the West Bank from above, watching the landscape gradually light up around you as the sun rises.

• A light breakfast during the balloon ride is included, so you can snack and drink as you fly without cutting into your viewing time.

• Hotel pickup and transfer to the hot air balloon launch site, along with the return transfer to the hotel after the experience, are included for all options.

West Bank: Valley of the Kings

After landing and leaving the launch site, you head by vehicle to the West Bank to visit the Valley of the Kings with your expert guide.

Features

• At the Valley of the Kings, you walk into the desert necropolis where pharaohs of the New Kingdom were buried, visiting several tombs selected by your guide.

• A professional guide leads the visit, explaining what you see inside the tombs and how the site fits into Luxor's broader history.

• If you select an option with entry tickets, your entrance fees to the mentioned sites and your entrance ticket to Tutankhamun's Tomb are included; if you choose a variant without entry tickets, you pay for site entry on the spot.

Temple of Hatshepsut

Your route continues on the West Bank to the Temple of Hatshepsut, built against the cliffs at Deir el-Bahari.

Features

• At the Temple of Hatshepsut, you explore the terraces and colonnades that honor Egypt's female pharaoh, with time to take in the setting beneath the surrounding cliffs.

• Your expert guide accompanies you through the temple, pointing out key sections and explaining their significance during your guided exploration of the West Bank.

• For variants that include entrance fees to the mentioned sites, access to this temple is already covered within your ticket bundle.

Colossi of Memnon

You then stop at the Colossi of Memnon, two massive seated statues that once guarded the entrance to a grand mortuary temple.

Features

• At the Colossi of Memnon, you step out to view and photograph the twin statues and hear how they relate to the former temple complex and the wider Theban necropolis.

• This stop is part of the guided exploration of the West Bank, with your professional guide on hand to provide context while you walk around the site.

Lunch at a local restaurant

The touring portion of your half-day West Bank visit concludes with a meal.

Features

• You sit down for lunch at a local restaurant, where a meal is included as part of every tour option, giving you a chance to pause between sightseeing and the return journey.

• After lunch, all transfers by private air-conditioned vehicle are included for private tour options, while shared tours use the included group transport back to Luxor hotels.

Wrapping up

At the end of the itinerary, you are driven back to your hotel in Luxor with the included return transfer. You can choose between private tours, with all transfers by private air-conditioned vehicle and the option to include entrance fees and Tutankhamun's Tomb, or shared tours that let you decide whether to add entry tickets separately.