A visit to Egypt is not complete without visiting the historical city of Luxor and the nearby temples and ruins. This is an overnight sleeper train ride or about a 1 hour flight from Cairo. The history here is mind boggling – choose from two main temples, the one within Luxor and Karnak (right next to the city and is the largest religious building of its kind in the world). In addition the Valley of the Kings is only about 25 minutes away from town and contains hundreds of tombs of which 10-12 are open at any given time. Restoration work here as been intensive in some of the tombs and the colorful and detailed hieroglyphics are stunning. King Tut’s tomb is also here.
The Nile River gives this part of Egypt its life (without it the encroaching sands of the great Sahara Desert would quickly engulf this area. Sailboats called Feluccas line the banks in Luxor and one can take a short sail on the river – or for those looking for longer river experiences there are a number of river cruise ships here. To see it all from above consider taking a hot air balloon ride high above the desert sands. Allow at least 3 days here minimum.
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