Luxor hot air balloon, Valley of the Kings & Karnak: Full day

The balloon flight happens at dawn, before the heat and the crowds reach the ground.

A full-day private tour of Luxor's West and East Bank sites, starting with a hot air balloon ride at sunrise over the Nile Valley. You visit the Valley of the Kings, Temple of Hatshepsut, Colossi of Memnon, Valley of the Queens, Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple with an Egyptologist guide and hotel pickup. The tour includes the balloon ride, all transport by air-conditioned vehicle, breakfast on the motorboat crossing, and a guide in your choice of language.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each5 stops

1. Valley of the Kings2h
2. Temple of Hatshepsut2h
3. Colossi of Memnon15m
4. Karnak Temple2h
5. Luxor Temple1h

Explore Luxor's iconic sites and balloon ride

• Hotel pickup before sunrise
• Cross Nile by motorboat with breakfast
• Watch balloon inflation and take photos
• Hot air balloon flight over Luxor
• Visit Valley of the Kings tombs
• Explore Temple of Hatshepsut
• See Colossi of Memnon statues
• Tour Valley of the Queens
• Explore Karnak Temple complex
• Visit Luxor Temple

The experience

Nine hours starting before sunrise means you're airborne over the West Bank while the light is still soft. Hotel pickup comes early, then a motorboat crosses the Nile with cake, tea and coffee on board. Once the balloon is inflated and weather permits, you rise for 45 minutes to an hour watching the Valley of the Kings and the surrounding desert unfold below. The flight ends on the ground where your guide meets you to begin the walking portion of the day.

The Valley of the Kings comes first, where you enter the sprawling desert site and move through a selection of pharaonic tombs with your Egyptologist guide explaining the history carved into the walls. From there you walk to the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahari, a 15th-century complex of colonnaded terraces built by Queen Hatshepsut, then stand before the Colossi of Memnon: two massive quartzite statues that once guarded the entrance to Amenhotep III's mortuary temple. The Valley of the Queens follows, where you spend an hour at the tomb of Queen Nefertari.

The East Bank sites close the day. Karnak Temple is a vast maze of columns, chapels and sphinxes connected to Luxor Temple by a 1.5-mile avenue of sphinxes. Luxor Temple, your final stop, has undergone recent restoration that has brought back brightly colored paintings on the walls. Throughout the day, your guide provides the context that ties these separate monuments into a single narrative of ancient Egypt's power and belief.

What’s included

• Hot air balloon ride at sunrise.
• private air-conditioned vehicle with driver.
• Egyptologist guide in your choice of language.
• hotel pickup and return.
• breakfast on the Nile motorboat crossing.
• mineral water.
• all service charges and taxes.

Options for this experience

2 options

Car with driver onlyGuide in 51 languages · 03:30, 04:00, 04:30 and 05:00Car with driver only, includes pickup

Guide and car with driverGuide in 51 languages · 03:30, 04:00, 04:30 and 05:00Guide and car with driver, pickup is included

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Lasts 9h, runs every day, 4 start times, from US$ 127.28 per person, with live guides in 50 languages, as a private tour and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 03:30, 04:00, 04:30 and 05:00

AgesAdult (12 and older) · Child (6 to 11 years) · Infant (under 6): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Arabic, Bangla, Burmese, Cantonese, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Filipino, Finnish, Greek, Gujarati, Hakka Chinese, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Japanese, Javanese, Korean, Kurdish, MNP, Malay, Malayalam, Marathi, Norwegian, Pashto, Persian, Polish, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Swedish, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese, Wu Chinese and Xiang Chinese

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 3 days ago

Operated by Egypt VIP Tours

Is this one for you?Choose the guide-and-driver option if you want the history and context that ties the monuments together. Book the driver-only option if you prefer to move through the sites at your own pace and bring your own research or audio guide. Either way, the early balloon flight means you see the Valley of the Kings before the midday heat and crowds arrive on the ground.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Hindi, Bangla, Chinese, Wu Chinese, Slovak, Serbian, Swedish, Korean, Kurdish, Cantonese, Tamil, MNP, Gujarati, Czech, Telugu, Punjabi, Thai, Polish, Hebrew, Danish, Javanese, Xiang Chinese, Chinese, Malay, Pashto, Filipino, Croatian, Hungarian, Hakka Chinese, Ukrainian, Urdu, Malayalam, Marathi, Greek, Finnish, Burmese, Arabic, Vietnamese, Japanese, Persian, Romanian, Dutch, Norwegian, Russian and Turkish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (6 to 11 years); Infant (under 6): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What time does the hot air balloon flight take off from Luxor?

The balloon departs just before sunrise from the West Bank after hotel pickup and a motorboat crossing of the Nile with breakfast. The exact time depends on the sunrise that day and weather conditions, but the tour begins early enough that you're airborne while the light is still low.

Do I visit the inside of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings?

Yes. You explore the Valley of the Kings with your guide and visit a selection of tombs, each with its own historical significance. Your Egyptologist guide explains the inscriptions and reliefs inside.

Is the Temple of Hatshepsut included in this tour?

Yes. The Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahari is your second stop after the Valley of the Kings. You walk through the colonnaded terraces and see the statues and reliefs that honor Queen Hatshepsut's reign in the 15th century BC.

How much time do you spend at the Valley of the Queens?

You spend one hour at the Valley of the Queens, where you visit the tomb of Queen Nefertari and explore the beauty and historical significance of this royal burial site.

What's included in the price of this tour?

The hot air balloon ride, all transport by private air-conditioned vehicle, hotel pickup and return, the Egyptologist guide, breakfast on the motorboat, a bottle of mineral water, and all service charges and taxes are included. Entrance fees to the sites are not included and are paid separately.