Valley of the Kings TourLuxor Private Driver and Guide: Full-Day East and West Banks
A Luxor private driver and guide can be booked in pieces, and this listing is the clearest example. Emo Tours Egypt runs a private full-day tour across both banks of the Nile, covering Luxor Temple, Karnak, the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut's Temple. The base price is $15 per person for a car with a driver, and you add what you want from there: a guide, entry fees, or both plus lunch. This page breaks down the options, what each one covers, and who should book something else instead. If you want a full comparison first, the Valley of the Kings tours overview shows every listing side by side.
About This Tour
Emo Tours Egypt sells this as a private full-day circuit of the Luxor East and West Banks in an air-conditioned latest-model car. The structure is modular: the headline $15 buys the car and driver, and a guide, entry fees and lunch are separate options at checkout. Four combinations exist, from Only Car With Driver up to Car + Guide + Entry fees + Lunch.
The day runs about 8 hours and covers four sites: the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's Temple at Deir el-Bahari, Luxor Temple and Karnak. The itinerary also lists the Colossi of Memnon. Pickup is from Luxor Airport or from your hotel in Luxor City. The listing carries a 4.8 rating from 1,726 reviews on Viator.
$15 per person base, shown as $25 from price once $10 in extra charges is added. The listing does not say what that charge covers.
8 hours total. Transfer durations are approximate and depend on traffic.
Luxor Airport, or pickup from Luxor City. No pickup time is stated.
Private tour. A tour guide is included only if you select an option with one.
Luxor Temple, Karnak Temple, the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut's Temple, plus a stop at the Colossi of Memnon.
An option at checkout. Included only in Car + Guide + Entry fees and Car + Guide + Entry fees + Lunch.
Only in the Car + Guide + Entry fees + Lunch option, local Egyptian food at local restaurants. A bottle of water is included in every option.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
Check Dates and Availability
Check live pricing for each option tier before you book.
You'll confirm the exact date and time on the secure booking page.
Quick answer The short answer
The $15 base price buys a private car and driver for 8 hours across both Luxor banks, and the from price of $25 reflects $10 in extra charges the listing does not itemize. A guide, entry fees and lunch are added at checkout. The full Car + Guide + Entry fees + Lunch tier is the only one that covers tickets, a guide and food.
Key takeaways
- The headline price is the car. Read what each option actually includes before booking.
- If you want one fixed price with tickets in it, the private West Bank day with entry fees included is a closer match.
- Travelling solo or as a couple on a budget? A shared full day of both banks splits the cost with others.
- For official ticket prices and which tombs the general ticket covers, see the Valley of the Kings tickets guide.
What the Price Actually Covers
This listing prices the day in layers, so the honest answer depends on which of the options you pick at checkout.
The Options
Every option includes hotel pickup and drop-off, all transfers in a private air-conditioned latest-model vehicle, and a bottle of water. From there the layers stack: Only Car With Driver, Only Car + Guide, Car + Guide + Entry fees, and Car + Guide + Entry fees + Lunch. Entry fees, the guide and lunch are each tagged in the inclusions as "if option selected", so none of them is part of the $15 headline.
The Viator data shows the from price at $25 once $10 in extra charges is added on top of the $15 base. The listing does not say what that charge covers, which is the single most important thing to clarify before you pay.
For reference, the official site tickets the entry-fees option would need to cover are 750 EGP for the Valley of the Kings general ticket, 600 EGP at Karnak, 500 EGP at Luxor Temple, and 440 EGP at Hatshepsut's temple on the temple page or 360 EGP on the Deir el-Bahari site page. Those are official prices, not part of the tour price, and the listing shows no separate add-on amount.
| Line | In the price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Private A/C car and driver | Yes, all options | Latest-model vehicle, hotel pickup and drop-off |
| Bottle of water | Yes, all options | A bottle of water in every option |
| Tour guide | Only with a guide option | Tagged "if option selected" |
| Entry fees | Only with the fees options | Car + Guide + Entry fees, or with Lunch. No add-on amount shown |
| Lunch, local Egyptian food | Only the top option | At local restaurants |
| Extra charges | Shown in the from price | $10 on top of the $15 base, purpose not stated |
| Tipping | No | The listing calls tips an integral part of life in Egypt |
| Sun hat and personal items | No | Bring your own sun protection |
What You May Still Pay on the Day
Tipping sits outside the price in every option. The listing itself explains that baksheesh is an integral part of life in Egypt and suggests carrying small notes at all times, asking the guide if you are unsure who or how much to tip. If you did not buy the entry-fees option, you pay the site tickets yourself at each gate, and the Valley of the Kings takes card payment only.
Extra tomb tickets there are separate: 700 EGP for Tutankhamun's KV62, 2,000 EGP for Seti I's KV17 and 220 EGP for KV9, the joint tomb of Ramesses V and VI. The listing names Tutankhamun among the best-known burials but does not say his tomb is included, and the general ticket covers 3 tombs from those open that day.
Sources: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Valley of the Kings, Wikipedia
The sacred lake at Karnak at night, with the lit temple walls reflected in the water. Photo: David Broad, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What the Day Is Really Like
The listing gives no clock times and no stated pickup hour, so the shape of the day comes from the itinerary blocks and their durations.
Pickup and the Drive Over
The driver collects you at Luxor Airport or from your Luxor City hotel. No pickup time or window is stated, so confirm it in your voucher. The crossing to the West Bank sites depends on traffic, and the listing warns that transfer durations are approximate.
The Valley of the Kings, About 2 Hours
The first long block, 120 minutes, is the Valley of the Kings, where the listing names Thutmose I, Thutmose III, Tutankhamun, Ramesses VI, Merenptah and Amenhotep II among the kings buried there. More than sixty tombs are recorded at the site in an East and a West Valley. The general ticket covers 3 tombs of your choice from those open, the tombs rotate, and guides explain outside the entrances because they are not permitted inside.
Hatshepsut's Temple, About 1 Hour
The next 60 minutes go to the terraced temple the listing calls El Dir El Bahari, built for Queen Hatshepsut, who took the pharaoh's role around 1472 BC. The temple is 273.5 metres long with three terraces.
The Colossi of Memnon
A 60-minute block at the two 18-metre statues of Amenhotep III, which stand at the site of his mortuary temple. They stand by the road with no entrance fee.
Luxor Temple, About 2 Hours
Back on the East Bank, 120 minutes at Luxor Temple, begun by Amenhotep III in the New Kingdom and completed by Ramesses II. The Abu Haggag mosque still stands inside the temple, in use for religious purposes on the site for over 3,400 years.
Karnak, About 2 Hours, and the End of the Day
The final 120 minutes go to Karnak, dedicated to Amun, his wife Mut and their son Khonsu, with a Great Hypostyle Hall of 134 columns. The tour ends with drop-off at your pickup point. If you chose the top option, lunch at a local restaurant serving local Egyptian food fits into the day.
The itinerary does not state where exactly, and Karnak stays open to 5:00 pm if you want to return later.
Who This Tour Rules Out
This page is not a sales pitch, and several traveller types should book something else. Here is who, and where.
Anyone Who Wants One Price with Everything in It
The layered pricing means the real cost only appears at checkout, with $10 of unexplained extra charges on top of the $15 base. If that structure puts you off, the private West Bank day with entry fees to five sites included is a private tour at a fixed $89.24, or the balloon and full-day sights package includes entry fees, parking and the flight for $160.
Travellers Who Want Company and the Lowest All-in Cost
This is a private car, and the $15 base grows with every option you add. A shared full day across both banks covers the same five sites for $30 with lunch included.
People with Mobility or Health Limits
The listing is not recommended for travellers with spinal injuries, pregnant travellers or those with poor cardiovascular health. The tombs run underground, and Luxor's mean daily maximum runs 39.1 C in May and 41.2 C in June. Wheelchair access is not stated.
Travellers Who Cannot Tolerate Heat or a Full-day Pace
This is an 8-hour day with long blocks at each site, and Luxor's mean daily maximum passes 41 C in summer. Winter months from October to April are the comfortable window, and Hatshepsut's temple is best at opening or just before closing. If 8 hours sounds long for the same sights, the private West Bank half day compresses the valley, Hatshepsut and the Colossi into 4 to 5 hours.
Tickets, Heat and the Rest of Your Day
If you skip the entry-fees option, you buy the tickets yourself. Here is what that costs and what the site rules are.
The Official Tickets, Paid by Card
The Valley of the Kings general ticket is 750 EGP for foreign adults and 375 EGP for students, and it covers entry to 3 tombs of your choice from those open that day. Extra tickets sit on top: 700 EGP for Tutankhamun's KV62, 2,000 EGP for Seti I's KV17, 220 EGP for KV9 and 200 EGP for the tomb of Ay. Cash is no longer accepted at the valley, all payments are by card.
Karnak costs 600 EGP including the Open Museum, Luxor Temple 500 EGP, and Hatshepsut's temple 440 EGP on one Ministry page and 360 EGP on another. The full tickets guide lists every figure, and the Tutankhamun's tomb guide covers the famous extra ticket.
Hours and the Heat
The Ministry lists the Valley of the Kings as open daily from 6:00 am to 5:00 pm, though some sources give a 4:00 pm winter close. Karnak and Hatshepsut's temple run 6:00 am to 5:00 pm and Luxor Temple to 8:00 pm, so the East Bank temple is the one that fits an evening visit. Crowds peak between 10 am and 2 pm, and guides explain outside the tombs because they are not allowed inside.
The heat is the real constraint: Luxor's mean daily maximum tops 41 C in July and August, the record is 50.0 C, and US News advises avoiding the valley in summer or carrying plenty of water and sunscreen.
What Fits Around This Tour
This listing leaves out the Valley of the Queens, Medinet Habu and Deir el-Medina. If you have a spare morning, a Luxor hot air balloon flight at dawn over the West Bank pairs well with the day. The Temple of Hatshepsut guide and the Karnak Temple guide help you get more from the two temples this tour does include.
Itinerary
The listing gives block durations but no clock times, so the steps below run in phases from pickup.
-
Pickup
Hotel or airport collection
Your driver meets you at Luxor Airport or at your Luxor City hotel in a private air-conditioned latest-model vehicle. No pickup hour is stated, so confirm the time on your voucher.
-
First block
Valley of the Kings, about 2 hours
Cross to the West Bank and enter the royal burial ground where more than sixty tombs are recorded. The general ticket covers 3 tombs from those open, and the guide, if you booked one, explains outside the entrances.
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Next block
Hatshepsut's Temple, about 1 hour
The terraced temple at Deir el-Bahari, built for the female pharaoh Hatshepsut, 273.5 metres long across three terraces.
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Third block
Colossi of Memnon
Two statues of Amenhotep III, about 18 metres tall, at the site of his mortuary temple. No ticket needed.
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East Bank block
Luxor Temple, about 2 hours
Begun by Amenhotep III and completed by Ramesses II, with the Abu Haggag mosque still standing inside the walls. Open daily to 8:00 pm if you return later.
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Final block
Karnak Temple, about 2 hours
Dedicated to Amun, Mut and Khonsu, with the Great Hypostyle Hall of 134 columns. The largest of Karnak's precincts spans about 25 hectares.
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End of the day
Lunch if chosen, then drop-off
On the Car + Guide + Entry fees + Lunch option, a meal of local Egyptian food at a local restaurant. The day ends with drop-off back at your pickup point.
Pros and Cons
Weighed honestly, from the listing's own terms.
What we genuinely like
- Private car and driver for the full day at a $15 base price, the lowest base price among the Valley of the Kings tours compared
- Several options let you add a guide, entry fees and lunch only if you want them
- Pickup from Luxor Airport as well as city hotels
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure
- Strong record: 4.8 from 1,726 reviews, with infant seats available
The honest downsides
- $10 in extra charges lifts the from price to $25 and the listing does not say what they cover
- Entry fees, the guide and lunch are all optional, so the real all-in cost only appears at checkout
- Tipping is not included in any option, and the listing calls it an integral part of life in Egypt
- Not recommended for pregnant travellers or people with spinal or cardiovascular conditions
- No stated pickup time, return time or time on site at any stop
Who it's NOT for: Not for travellers who want a fixed all-in price with tickets, the guide and lunch settled before they go.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the $15 price the full cost of this Luxor private driver and guide day?
No. The $15 is the car-only base, and Viator shows a from price of $25 once $10 in extra charges is added, with the guide, entry fees and lunch as further options. The tickets guide shows what site entry costs on top if you skip the fees option.
Are entry tickets to the Valley of the Kings included?
Only in the Car + Guide + Entry fees and Car + Guide + Entry fees + Lunch options. If you pay yourself, the general ticket is 750 EGP by card and covers 3 tombs, as explained in the what the price covers section.
Does this tour include the tomb of Tutankhamun?
The listing names Tutankhamun among the best-known burials but does not say his tomb is included, and the general ticket never covers KV62, which needs its own 700 EGP ticket. Read the Tutankhamun's tomb guide before deciding, or look at the private both-banks day that names Tut's tomb.
Is lunch included?
Only in the Car + Guide + Entry fees + Lunch option, which adds local Egyptian food at local restaurants. Every option gets a bottle of water. If food matters to your booking, the shared full day of both banks includes lunch at $30.
Where does the tour start?
Pickup is from Luxor Airport or from Luxor City, and the day ends with drop-off. No pickup time or window is stated, so confirm it after booking. Compare starting points across all Valley of the Kings tours.
Can I cancel this tour?
Yes. Cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time for a full refund, and the listing states no bad-weather cancellation policy. Terms for every listing sit in the comparison table.
How much should I tip?
The listing says tips are an integral part of life in Egypt, suggests carrying small notes, and advises asking your guide if unsure who or how much to tip. Small Egyptian pound notes are the practical answer, per the practical advice above.
Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
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