Luxor, Egypt

After floating down the Red Sea overnight, our first port of call was Safaga port, which is the cruise gateway to the city of Luxor. We had booked a private tour of the Valley if the Kings and Karnak temple, so we disembarked the ship and met our driver.

The drive into Luxor was almost three hours and our driver was going at almost 150km/h along the highways! When we reached the city, we met our guide and headed to the Valley of the Kings.

The Valley of the Kings is an impressive area, which holds the tombs of Kings and Pharaohs of the New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. The tombs were huge underground structures, decorated with hieroglyphics, carvings and paintings. Then, we visited Abu Simbel, which is a historic site which comprises of rock-cut temples and sculptures.

Next, we headed for lunch at restaurant along the river Nile. It was lovely to see the traditional feluccas sailing along the river. We then boarded a river taxi to cross the Nile and head to Karnak temple. This complex comprises of temples, pylons and chapels also from the New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. Karnak is significant due to the time it took to construct. Approximately thirty Pharaohs contributed to the building of the middle and New Kingdoms. The size and complexity of the buildings is truly impressive - we could have spent all day exploring the area.

After our visit to Karnak is was time to hit the road and race back to our boat in time for dinner and departure!Read more