Luxor Things to Do Tips by Q-Man

This temple is very very big. The scale of all the structures, buildings and columns are immense. You will need about 3-4 hours to wander through everything so start early in day when the heat has yet to start. Be ready to wander through an avenue of ram-headed sphinxes into the temple of Seti II, the largest of the temple complex. Lose yourself in the great Hypostyle Hall among the towering columns. Enter the Inner Temple to see the 2 toweing obelisks of Hatshepsut. The list simply goes on.
When you are done, grab a lunch and head off to Luxor.

You can return later in the evening for a laser and sound show. It's garish, unimpressive and overdone. The only reason to do it is to walk the temple complex in the dark and imagine what it would be like thousands of years ago. As you gaze at the stars through the open roof temple, let your imagination run wild.

Beware of locals that ask you to follow them or try to act as a historian or tour guide. All that can offer is the obvious. Case in point: One of them may point to a carving of a hippo and tell you that it is a carving of a hippo. Then after a lengthy explanation behind the history of the carving, they ask for a donation. Save yourself the time and money, ignore them and find all these delightful things on your own.
The only time you may be tempted to follow one of these people is when they are supposed to be guarding off limit sites. They ask you to follow them quickly across a wooden barrier marked "off limits" to see some colored ancient paintings of past pharoahs and ancient gods. These are actually worth seeing.

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Although Luxor is not as massive as Karnak, it is still quite impressive in structure and scale. It'll take about 1-1/2 to 2 hours of leisurely walking to finish sightseeing. I could give you a history lesson but you're better off getting a travel guide.
See my pictures for an idea of the place.

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You have two ways to get to the West Bank:
1) There will be locals asking if you want to catch a ferry across the Nile and also willing to offer you a taxi ride. Barter with them on the taxi ride only. The cheap ferry crosses the Nile for 1 Egyptian Pound.
2) Hire yourself a taxi for the day from the East Bank and it will cross the river using the bridge 7km south of town.

In both cases agree on the total hours he'll spend with you and how much for the payment. Do not pay until he drops you back at the ferry or at your hotel. You are looking at 100-150 Egyptian Pounds for about 8 hours. This is cheaper than catching a tour and being limited to the schedule.

Go to Hapshepsut first before the noon day sun. This self guided tour should last about 2 hours. The temple of Hapshepsut emerges out of the sheer limestone cliffs that surround it. It is the temple of the only female pharoah in the history of Egypt. But it's still a man's world so all her statues bears a false beard. This temple is impressive to look at from afar. Because of its isolation and surroundings, it has an ominous look about it.
Once you're finish, head for the Colossi of Memnon.

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These 2 statues are huge. Although impressive, the statues really are the only thing here to see. Have your taxi park across the street. There is a decent restaurant right across the road from the statues. I don't remember the name but it should be the only one there. Grab lunch there and when you're finished, walk across the road for 15 min worth of pictures. When you're done, jump into the taxi and head for the temple of Medinat Habu.

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Second only in size to Karnak this temple is underrated and under utilized, which is why it is my favorite temple. If you've been to Karnak already, imagine the same but with no other tourists. It's just you and the pigeons. When we were here there were hardly anyone else here. You are free to roam in peace and quiet with wonder and awe. The structure and columns are more artistic here and look older than either Karnak or Luxor. If there is only one thing to visit on the West Bank, this is it.

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This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. If you can ride in a hot air balloon once in your life, this is the place to do it. It happens early in the morning before the sun rises. The operator picks you up from your hotel and transports you to the West Bank. Then you climb into a 20 person basket and the balloon ascends just as the sun peeks over the horizon. The air is clear, the breeze cool and soft. As the first rays of crimson peeks across the land, it bathes everything in a brilliant color that is breathtaking to behold. You're held ransom by the wind as you ascend and descend over valleys, temples, burial grounds, and farmlands. The ride lasts for an hour but it seems like a lifetime.
The company I used was Magic Horizons. (236-5060) www.magic-horizon.com

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The tombs I saved for last. After all, how interesting can they be, right? I did enjoy them, but they were bottom of my list of things to do. Most of the tombs were small amd required you to hike through the valleys. Once you've seen 2 or 3, you've pretty much have an idea what they all look like.
I started with the Nobles. I wanted a comparison scale of least to greatest. The Nobles are located in a village owned by the locals. The story I got from a local was that the government tried to relocate the villagers in order to capitalize on the tombs for tourism purposes. They built cheap homes elsewhere, relocated them, and cashed in on the tourists. When their homes fell down after a year, the locals moved back onto the tombs and have been here ever since. Since they receive no royalties from the government they offer their services as guides to the various tombs. The tombs can be difficult to find in the midst of all the decrepit buildings so it's not a bad idea to hire a guide. Of course you'll have to bargain.
Also you're not allowed to photograph in the tombs. It's not because you're liable to damage the paintings. You can always turn off the flash. I think it's to have exclusive rights over the pictures. A hint: if you want pictures use a digital camera. Turn off the flash, use the widest aperture possible to allow in the most amount of light. Turn off the sound too.

This trip should take about 1-2 hours to visit 3 tombs. Visit Tomb of Inherka (No 359), Tomb of Sennedjem (No 1), and Tomb of Peshedu (No 3).
When finished go to the Valley of the Queens.

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Here it's best to go to the Tomb of Amunherkhepshef (No 55). It's considered the best tomb before the Tomb of Nefertari was discovered. However, that tomb was closed to the public for restoration and I have no idea when it'll be opened. Here, you'll discover that the styles of the wall paintings and colors are quite different from the Tombs of the Nobles.
There are 2 other tombs available for viewing: Khaemwaset (No 44) and Titi (No 52).

I actually liked the the Tombs of the Nobles better than the Queens. I found the paintings depicting everyday life to be more interesting from a peasant perspective. At this point if you haven't gotten tired of tomb exploring, go to the Valley of the Kings. We opted not to go since we had an idea that it was going to be more of the same. We also knew that we would encounter more interesting sites on our upcoming cruise.

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