A Ship Guided Tour From Safaga: 9 Hours in Luxor
Ancient Egyptian culture transformed the world, and people have been enamored with the mystery, science, and innovations of the Pharaonic period for thousands of years. Cruisers sailing around the area might be lucky to get a glimpse at the incredible tombs and temples via Safaga, a gateway port to Luxor.
The Zaandam pulled into Safaga on November 1st, and I joined an all day tour that was a crash course to Luxor.
Let’s Dive in!
Getting Off the Ship:
Disembarking the Zaandam in Safaga, Egypt was just like getting off a plane. We had to get our passports checked by immigration. Then our buses shuttled us to a building for a security screening. There was a line for men and a line for women, and the process was quick and efficient.
TIP!: There’s a bathroom in the terminal building. Be sure to use it… there’s a LONG bus ride ahead! Yes, the buses do have bathrooms. But I don’t know about you, but I prefer proper facilities much more.
The Journey There:
The journey from Safaga to Luxor is a trek. It involves 100 miles through dessert, then 50 miles through more developed towns and farmland. Total time: just under 4 hours.
PSA: The ride gets a little bumpy!
Nearly 4 hours on a bus is about as fun as it sounds. But luckily our guide, Hapem, gave a fascinating narration along the way. He told us all about ancient pharaonic culture along with interesting facts about Egyptian culture and life today.
I’ll save you from a history lesson, and pass on the facts about present day Egypt that I found particularly interesting.
· The population is growing by 1 million people a year
· The current government is on a mission to build up cities between the Nile and Red Sea as well as along the coastline. We passed through one of said cities that was built just 5 years ago. All the buildings looked homogeneous and empty. It felt quite eerie.
· To connect all these new cities, the government has embarked on a national roadway project.
· Nearly every single home we passed was unfinished. Hapem told us that there are 3 reasons for it. 1. It provides a tax break. 2. Parents have the hope that their children will build up their home in the future. 3. Having a finished home signals wealth.
· Pumpkin and sugar cane are major exports. (I spied pumpkins everywhere!)
· Egyptian law requires all land to be divided evenly among children. Which is why there isn’t expansive farm land, but rather, hundreds of rectangles of farmland instead.
I enjoyed the drive through the more developed areas, witnessing interesting vignettes of every day life. There were people on donkeys. Men lounging around smoking. Kids playing. Farmers tending to the fields. Many people excitedly waved at the bus. I saw very few women compared to men.
What’s Up With All the Check Points?!
During the drive, we passed through checkpoint after checkpoint. Hapem gave us the scoop as to why: terrorist attacks. Some radial Islam groups believe that tourists bring western culture and “sinful” ideals into Egypt. Bombs and attacks send a signal that says, “Hey! Egypt isn’t safe! Don’t come!” All the checkpoint and security are designed to protect tourists.
Stop One: Valley of the Kings
After crossing the Nile and getting to the west bank, the scenery changed back into dry mountains. Holes and buildings speckled the rock face- I’m guessing tombs? We arrived to Valley of the Kings, which was an ancient burial ground for pharaohs during the New Kingdom (1539-1075 BC). There are over 60 tombs in the area, and 11 are open to the public.
We were ushered through a tourist bizarre before arriving to the entrance of the historical sight. The facility was not equipped to handle the influx of all the tourist buses at once. 15 minutes of mayhem ensued as the tour guides tried to wrangle their groups of 38 people together. And you can imagine what the line for the bathroom looked like after a long bus ride with no stops….
Tip: Suck it up and use the bathroom on the bus before arrival!
Slowly but surely all the groups were recreated and we were shuttled a few hundred feet to the main entrance. Finally it was time to do some tomb exploring!
The Valley of the Kings is a big stretch of mountain with tombs built into the rock. We got to see the tombs of Ramses 4 and Ramses 3, and both were jaw dropping. Detailed hieroglyphics covered the walls. Vibrant scenes were painted on the ceiling. It looked just like my history text books… but better!
Note: King Tut’s Tomb lies in the Valley of the Kings. However, it has a long line and extra cost. Our tour guide offered the option, but kindly informed us that the other tombs were more impressive.
After around 90 minutes of exploring, we all headed back to the bus and headed off towards the next site.
TIP: The venders at the bizarre are ruthless. A man tried to sell me a set of “alabaster” figures for $100usd. I kept saying no and the price dropped all the way down to $5 and he told me, “Please! I need to feed my family!” I handed him $1usd and said, “I’ll take one.” He obliged.
The Temple of Hatshepsut is a spectacular architectural feat that the queen commissioned to be built in 1479 BC. Hatshepsut’s reign was one of the most prosperous times in Egypt defined by trade, peace, and many public works projects.
We pulled into the parking lot for a quick photo stop because that’s all time would allow.
To learn more about Queen Hatshepsut and her temple, click HERE and HERE.
Photo Stop: Colossi of Memnon
The Colossi of Memnon are two towering statues depicting Pharaoh Amenhotep III. They have guarded the Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III since 1350 BC, and are made from blocks of quartzite sandstone. While they are both damaged from earthquakes and the hands of time, they are impressive, and a great site to see returning from the Valley of the Kings.
Stop Two: Luxor Temple
We headed back to the east bank for the next big site: Luxor Temple.
Luxor Temple was built over hundreds of years starting in 1392 BC, and many pharaohs played a role in its creation. The temple was used as a place of worship through the centuries, a special place to honor the god Amon, and home to numerous important festivals.
The structure itself is quite impressive: huge statues of pharaohs, a detailed obelisk, and towering pillars that had me scratching my head thinking, “How in the heck did they even make those!”
Hapem guided us through the entire temple, giving interesting narratives along the way. He showed us the details of slave etchings below the statues. Pointed out the remaining frescos that were added during the Roman rule. And brought our attention to a Mosque, which was build prior to discovering the ruins of the temple below.
To learn more about Luxor Temple click HERE and HERE.
Stop Three: Lunch/Dinner
Right near Luxor Temple was a hotel where we would be eating. There was a mezze table with different dips and vegetables (my favorite station!) as well as a big hot line with mostly western food including chicken, steak, potatoes, and pasta. A dessert table was set up in the corner. The best part was the sunset view of the Nile. It was truly striking to see the sun burn over the west bank with little boats silhouetted all about.
Stop Four: Sound and Light Show at Karnak Temple
It was 6pm and everyone was totally zapped. But there was still one more big component of the tour: a sound and light show at the Karnak Temple.
Karnak Temple was developed across 1,000 years with more than a dozen pharaohs building onto the structure. It is one of the largest temple complexes in the world, and the different architectural, artistic, and linguistic details make it a historical gold mine of invaluable information for historians.
Our specific tour visited the temple after sunset, and we were ushered through the complex to follow a sound and light show giving information about the temple and the stories within.
I’ll hit you with my full honesty. Avoiding the sun was great, but the lights weren’t particularly impressive and the narration wasn’t particularly interesting. Not to mention, it is a LONG walk on uneven ground in the dark after a tiring day, and many passengers really struggled to keep up.
To learn more about Karnak Temple, click HERE and HERE.
The Journey Home
Everyone loaded back into the bus for the journey home. With heavy eyes, everyone diligently went through security at the port once more and we were on the gangway by 11:30pm.
This tour from Safaga to Luxor was truly a bucket list experience.
Getting to see tombs, temples, and Ancient Egyptian culture in real life felt surreal. It was an exhausting, albeit amazing, day and a fantastic taste of Ancient Egyptian culture. I can’t wait to return one day to really explore all the amazing sites Luxor holds.
