Luxor Day Trip: Valley of the Kings & Hatshepsut Review

Luxor, very often described as an open-air museum, is home to some of the most wonderfully fascinating ancient Egyptian monuments. And I am here to give you my thoughts on a day trip that explores two super remarkable sites: the Valley of the Kings, where pharaohs were once buried, and the memorial temple of Hatshepsut, that very famed female pharaoh. If you’re thinking, “Should I really sign up for this?”, I’m hoping I can give you, potentially, a few helpful insights to inform that choice.

Booking the Tour and What to Expect

Okay, so let’s chat about actually setting everything up. Usually, these tours can be booked either through your hotel or with a tour operator that is local. There is a ton of companies ready and willing to whisk you away to these old sites, yet what is super important is reading those reviews, just so, too, you have some kind of a general idea of the type of the experiences that others had. That being said, many tours basically, and maybe more or less always, will include pickup and return straight from your hotel. What you can expect is an early rise, to more or less beat that heavy heat and huge crowds. A typical day really, very roughly includes a guide who should show you how great each site is and also manage transportation to all of those different sites.

The itinerary that I had often started, actually anyway, first with the Valley of the Kings. This area holds over 60 tombs, one time designed for pharaohs like Tutankhamun, Ramses VI, and also others. From there, you move onto the Hatshepsut Temple, pretty wonderfully famed for its pretty visually stunning architecture and its dramatic cliff-side location. A great deal of tours potentially also might often have stops at the Colossi of Memnon, two very big statues that is all that’s seemingly remaining of an old memorial temple, and also a few craft shops to seemingly help those very skilled local artisans, you know?

Valley of the Kings: Stepping Back in Time

Walking into the Valley of the Kings actually feels like taking a very big step back thousands of years. The very arid air hits you right as you step out, very sharply making the landscape feel almost otherworldly, it’s almost as if it came straight out of a film, you know? Many of the tombs could be available, yet the very access could often just be rotated just to help with the preservation work that goes on to keep them in tip-top shape, very much something to apparently consider, right? Now, that being said, entry usually allows you to go to like three tombs, so very clearly picking which ones you really wish to go to before heading into them really does matter.

Tutankhamun’s Tomb (KV62): That is basically one of the main highlights, however it really very does involve buying a completely separate ticket. Though very smaller, I am almost tempted to say rather smaller, than the very larger, the more famous tombs, the appeal really does come from the way it wasn’t plundered, is that something? Being face-to-face with the tomb, even though I’m only able to see the mummy in there, made that additional charge kinda okay. Photography really isn’t generally ever allowed inside, and that does go for just about all the tombs, too, with those wardens ready to confiscate any sort of tech in just a hot second, is that a rule?

Ramses VI (KV9): A really, really wonderfully great option and often, and this is also, too, part of the normal ticket, really, very visually stunning, colorful decorations covering just about pretty much every square inch. Just that very craftsmanship is truly like beyond any expectations and honestly pretty stunning to stand near, in a way. When, yet, at the end, it might look kind of “busy”, all that actually tends to often happen in reality is that it helps bring out like the detail with something, that’s quite something isn’t it?

Seti I (KV17): Usually viewed as one of those very prettiest tombs within the valley, but, too, the tomb is at this moment kinda blocked. As it might become available by the time you might take that trip it, very often, generally is totally worth asking the guide, yet? They could know much more, very currently that I do, really.

Having a guide can potentially add a lot: very clearly they often give those details on the very people from a long time ago who were resting in there, decoding, slightly too, all of what it pretty visually represents. Now, though that knowledge might really be available at those display points that is around most, they potentially can’t seemingly fully convey all that’s, might I say, really very important.

Hatshepsut Temple: A Memorial Temple of a Female Pharaoh

Leaving the rather hidden location of all those tombs and heading to the memorial temple of Hatshepsut shows all the stuff people were capable of in terms of monumental works of buildings, is that so? Called Djeser-Djeseru, which translates directly into “Holy of Holies”, that temple isn’t too dissimilar from a current-time piece art that mixes itself with that mountainscape in a quite special and just really, really neat manner.

History and Significance: Queen Hatshepsut ruled Egypt in a long time ago, an very exceptional act that cemented that very position of the woman at the peak with the leadership line for like about two solid decades, is that kind of cool? Usually built for those celebration times but also remembering all that happened when alive, that architecture shows that power while, too, showing an understanding of how those ancient Egyptians saw it all back then. It does it very clearly by telling those historical events and really spiritual ties so very well.

Architectural Marvel: The way the architecture seems to have been done here doesn’t almost feel, in the beginning, like your run-of-the-mill-styles because it uses terraced sections and also super long straight lines that I seemingly found to be kinda visually delightful to stare at. Now that I’m really looking at it with new peepers here and not actually near it right at this very second, what seemingly does look kind of neat, to me anyways, is how seemingly all the vertical bits often match with all the patterns around them at the side!

Key Areas to Explore: Taking my thoughts there to all those different areas I wonder if you may find a bit inspiring. I want to focus you slightly by getting really super particular, in a way! Okay, here are the very clear areas that should really just bring it home:

• The Courtyards: Entering these spaces provides that grand introduction, and what might, tends to make the buildings not almost seem a whole lot bigger that, might I add, they basically are to begin with? Take a moment, basically, and you’ll actually hear what others are saying, or maybe think all sorts of different thoughts you do on most other moments of the day while out!
• The Colonnades: They all represent different parts, just, might I say, of the queen’s history of her ruling during that timeline! Be ready when you visit this here part because it is almost very generally one of the more viewed and that would usually lead to not only huge amounts of heat due to other visitors, and other stuff as well, but also maybe it potentially might slightly increase waiting if you don’t, clearly and certainly, and maybe slightly as well, hit them right!
• The Sanctuaries: Pretty visually seen with just, roughly, a small crowd around you to potentially actually find time and not just kinda quickly waltz over without giving the actual place its due, what it usually looks like when others talk, and maybe share with friends on all those different social medias out there while traveling to this place too.

The Colossi of Memnon: A Photo Opportunity

The Colossi of Memnon are actually basically, you know, two huge statues and those are what has seemingly remained with that very grand funerary memorial to Amenhotep III. Even though pretty very ruined and a bit cracked, the stone duo do kinda give some neat sense of respect while actually also being one really good picture opportunity to capture and hold on for memory purposes. That really great view to seemingly also experience that background from might be, if you just happen to have it, is if those nearby, which generally happens in just about most situations if you have hired out all the day time activities already. A great deal might often have stops at craft stops but I can really tell you there just isn’t a whole bunch really exciting here with them, right?

What to Bring and Consider for Your Trip

Packing up your bag should maybe include just a few things and I would, very currently in reality, almost and maybe suggest that these here things might maybe work in all scenarios.

• Lots and lots of water and sunscreen: A long hot day calls just for lots and lots, and I can never kinda convey, actually, how very important sunscreen does too, basically, to protect.
• Sunglasses and a wide-verge hat: Shields you just a bit higher from what otherwise are things that you often won’t avoid really too well in situations such as these.
• Comfortable clothes and walking shoes: Be sure those shoes really do just work. This trip has lots to seemingly provide for that active feet vibe we have all maybe seen and known by now, which in other more honest terms basically often just also means just plenty and tons for, might I say, really very long days, right?
• Cash in local currency: Just to seemingly give others that opportunity on the off shoot there really aren’t very commonly accepted payment structures that they can deal with.

It could very easily seemingly reach well over a hundred or above, something that potentially really won’t ever provide all too very awesome for just really basically many people out there, you know? So with what everyone often does when talking what to wear be just so certain everything does, so, fit nicely while not being kinda annoying for all parts you happen visit with some clothes.

Is This Day Trip Worth It? My Final Thoughts

This single-day, is it kind of for that history person who might kinda find interest when staring out back ages? Definitely. I tend be one with them there bunch, by how I actually, anyway, see myself so to also not even go just on pure randomness while I might talk about with this trip review, really? That feeling I might feel after with taking that step that so many did with time might actually make one start thinking, something I very certainly got in all seriousness. Just one slight warning might be how physically difficult all that sun and wandering around is, right?

Essential Tips to Help You Plan

• Pre-book Get it ready to seem like an easier trip overall when thinking those huge timelines and huge groups around that travel to this part every single time they are available.
• Consider off-peak visitations That helps kinda in many different, just to convey, important methods that might not all pop directly from right at first so being a tad cautious might make better things happen, might I say.
• Always engage with your tour guides They often carry information, it could just happen happen when they are actually very neat people also with their work is done properly.