I was only in Egypt for a week. And instead of hassle of changing hotels (packing, unpacking & packing again, etc). I did this day trip to Luxor from Cairo. I literally flew in at 9am and flew out at 9:30pm. It was a very long day but completely worth it. My guide Nermeen Melad, picked me up at the airport. She’s an intelligent & educated guide, growing up in Luxor. Her style was to explain the site and then step back, giving me solo time/space to absorb and take pictures.
First we went to Valley of Kings, then Temple of Hapshepsut, break for lunch (not included), Luxor Temple and ending at Karnak. Since this was a private tour, I decided where I wanted to spend time and how much time at each. The tour finished at Karnak temple ~4:30pm. Since I wanted to also see the Light show, we made an agreement to leave me there and the driver picked me at 8pm to take back to airport. There are cafes outside Karnak, where I rested and relaxed, until start of light show at 7pm.
This was a great experience, because I got to see a lot in a day. Nermeen was good and patient, such she explained to me hyroglifics, such as how to tell it’s Alexander the Great. And how they built the Obelisk, etc.
Do this tour, if you’re short on time and wanna see Luxor. But be prepared for a long day. Must have for this tour: sun umbrella, light weight clothing, Gatorade powder sticks, small snacks, external battery pack. I carried a small bag, which I left in car, thus didn’t have to carry with me.
In conclusion, I packed a lot in on this tour and would recommend this tour. Luxor was amazing!!