Private Tour to the West Bank of Luxor

We were meeting our friends, who were on the cruise from Aswan to Luxor, in Luxor and Michael arranged for us to be party of the West Bank tour on their last day. Michael is funny, knowledgeable, punctual and entertaining. He knew the answers to all our questions and was very professional about it. Speaks English and throws a couple Portuguese here and there, lol. I super recommend his services as a tour guide

This review is for 5-tours (identified below) I joined with Luxor and Aswan Travel in Luxor, Egypt; therefore, it has a word count of 1,000, somewhat longer than other reviews. In April 2024, I joined a two week group tour of Egypt (not from Luxor and Aswan Travel) that included the classic sites of Cairo, Abu Simbel, Aswan, and Luxor, it was my first time in Egypt, and I kept a wish list of ten things to do on my next trip that developed into a ten-day solo exploration in mid-March of 2026. I researched the month before my flights and hotel accommodations and came up short on travel agencies until I came across Luxor and Aswan Travel headquartered in Luxor to host my solo journey. The decision was one of the finest I have made for travel. I completed three of the ten things on the list based on my research by employing transportation from various Cairo taxis. I ordered an advance museum tour ticket one month before departing for Egypt to begin my first full day in Cairo on March 17th at The Grand Egyptian Museum. On day two I purchased walkup tickets to both The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization and the Coptic Museum. These are three splendid museums containing historical treasures. I ordered 5 one person tours from Luxor and Aswan Travel that suited my interests and supported my ongoing research of ancient Egypt that commenced on day-three in Luxor. Luxor: The Karnak Light Show that journeys all the way through the temple at night. Tour selected: “Sound and Light Show at Karnak Temples.” Seeing Karnak under the stars balanced and complemented my experience there during a day tour of the Temple in 2024 and at the light show’s culmination I sensed a conclusive sense of connection with ancient Luxor on the River Nile. The Luxor and Aswan Travel guide named Mahmoud clarified the procedure for the post-light show meeting place and the brief drive to and from Karnak was pleasurable. A gratifying tour! Luxor: Full-day tour to Abydos and the Temple of Seti I, then to Dendera and the Temple of Hathor. Tour selected: “Private tour to Danderah and Abydos from Luxor.” Incredible experience with an accomplished, hard-working, guide named Ahmed and precision navigation by the driver named Eslam. There was no lack of tour groups visiting both sites and I was satisfied that I had a private tour with a superb guide and a delicious complimentary boxed lunch for the drive back to Luxor. Excellent tour! Luxor: The Ramesseum, the Tombs of the Nobles, and Medinet Habu Temple dedicated to Ramses III built as his mortuary temple with scenes of the king in front of the falcon-headed god Ra-Horakhty. Tour selected: “Day Tour to Ramesseum Temple, Habu Temple, and Nobles Valley.” Requested and received a tour of both the Tomb of Sennefer (TT96) with its magnificent grapevine and grape clusters painted ceilings and the Tomb of Rekhmire (TT100) with its depictions of the life of this fascinating 18th Dynasty vizier serving Thutmose III and Amenhotep II. Same superb guide (Ahmed) and precision navigation by the driver (Eslam) as the Abydos and Dendera tour. This tour is exhilarating as well as a full workout climbing up to the Nobles Tombs from the parking area! This concluded my time in Luxor. Cairo: Tailor-made tour co-designed by myself and Luxor and Aswan Travel – who made it happen – to The Red Pyramid in Dahshur, Serapeum in Saqqara, and to Memphis with its colossal statue of Ramesses II alongside the dazzling Alabaster Sphinx. Engaging, articulate, diligent, and accomplished guide named Amani with a seasoned driver named Mustafa. I experienced my goal to go inside the Red Pyramid – with a bonus when the two ticket-guards informed me I was the first person to enter that morning to scale the 3 feet high by 4 feet wide passage that drops for 200 feet at a 27° slope. This is a vigorous endeavor much like the King’s Chamber in the Great Pyramid. As a bonus, when exiting the Red Pyramid one of the guards volunteered and carefully managed my phone and photographed me emerging from the passage. Following this, was the mysterious Serapeum and its gigantic sarcophagi made mostly of granite and diorite is a must-see ancient site and the Ramesses II statue and Alabaster Sphinx in Memphis are worthwhile and educational experiences. I was treated to a delicious complementary lunch at a wonderful restaurant. This is a superbly crafted tour! Cairo: Day trip to Alexandria with a custom add-on to visit to the Matareya Obelisk of Senusret I (Heliopolis). Tour selected: “Day Tour to Alexandria from Cairo by car.” Same splendid guide as the Red Pyramid tour named Amani, and with her was another seasoned driver named Abdu, and this full-day city-to-city tour included a guard required by the Ministry of Tourism. The estimated 3-hour drive only took one hour and 45 minutes. The sites of Alexandria, including the Catacombs, Roman Amphitheater, Citadel, and the new library—the Bibliotheca Alexandrina—are a popular draw and was treated to an additional superb complementary lunch in a restaurant on the waterfront of the Mediterranean! FYI: Initially, scheduling prevented a visit to the Matareya Obelisk but on this day trip to Alexandria the intuitive guide Amani resolved the circumstances with Hany, the Travel & Operation Manager, and this became the tenth item on my wish list to be fulfilled. Outstanding management! More than this, upon arriving, the ticket office at the Matareya Obelisk just closed and the two management ladies agreed to reopen and sell one ticket and permit me five minutes to see the obelisk! I ordered a custom end-of-day airport transfer to the Cairo Airport departures Gate 2 as my flight left at 2 AM that was invaluable since this had been my last day in Egypt. Before the airport transfer occurred, it was arranged to be entrusted to the Le Méridien Hotel where I spent several hours relaxing in the lobby enjoying hibiscus tea; ate dinner in the Chinese restaurant before the five minute drive with the hotel limousine service to the airport departure gate. All 5-tours with Luxor and Aswan Travel had the same attention to detail; excellent tour guides; never-fail security check points clearance with law enforcement on road trips; drivers with modern vehicles equipped with charging cables that my aging iPhone 11 needed between sites. My iPhone also required a new holder and screen protector and the resourceful Amani and Abdu secured a phone store that was located on the drive back to the hotel and the technician installed them for me. This is a tour company that is top shape and a class all its own. Luxor and Aswan Travel helped me achieve my wish list goals and their hard work, reliability, superb attention to detail, punctuality, safety; and engaging, professional, and personable tour guides and drivers will not be forgotten or undervalued. The tour guides are also generous in taking photographs at sites that outrank clumsy selfies anytime. The tour company graciously hosted several complementary lunches that were relaxing and delicious. I look forward to the completion of the high-speed electric train network and new tours from Luxor and Aswan Travel for my next Egypt trip (estimated completion: late 2027).

They made everything smooth and easy. I was able to customize my trip and see everything we had planned. Even with current turmoil in the Middle East we felt safe and secure throughout our stay in Egypt.