African Coasts & Middle East

Egypt - Louxor

Discovery Center

The Discovery Centre offers a variety of excursions to discover the country.

The program of the excursions and the prices are given for information only. Prices can change during the season according to the current rate of the country. Excursions have to be paid on the premises with local currency.

The Club Med has drawn up a Responsible Tourismcharter for all the destinations it serves, to guarantee responsible practice towards the environment, both natural and cultural, and ethical participation towards local economic development.

We kindly invite you to download the "Responsible Tourism in Egypt" charter.

Please click here: Responsible Tourism in Egypt"

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2 excursion package

For those who wish to guarantee their place on the excursions, we propose Combined excursions that combine 2 excursions:
●The temples of Karnak and Luxor (1/2 day)
●The Royal Necropolis and the Temple of Hatshepsut (1/2 day)
You will be informed of the days of these excursions (not interchangeable) when you arrive in the resort.

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Cairo (1 day)

A world of diversity where past and present mingle unashamedly, the mother of the world as some have called her offers ancient monuments, bustling city life and the majestic Pyramids. The gold treasure of Tutankhamen, mummies, innumerable statues and sarcophagi fill the Museum of Cairo which displays all the riches of ancient Egypt and much else, too.
So many accumulated marvels will enchant you. The fascinating and majestic Pyramids of Giza dominate the city and astonish all who visit them. You can admire the last of the 7 Wonders of the World after lunch, as well as the stone Sphinx that seems to have been built to guard the temple of the sun. Then the Mohammed Ali mosque will open the doors of its fascinating sanctuary for you, with each narrow stain-glassed window throwing multicoloured light on the stones. The prince buried here wanted it to resemble the mosques of his homeland, so you will feel as if transported to Istanbul. Round off your day by exploring the citadel of Salah al-Din, a fortified city called the Mountain Castle. For your information:
●Cultural excursion
●Transport: bus and plane

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Hot air ballon ride (1/2 day)

Leave the resort between 4.30am and 5.30am. Transfer by mini bus to the Luxor Museum.From there board a boat where you will enjoy tea coffee and cookies. Once back on land, a mini bus will transfer you to the take off strip. Enjoy the magic of this flight during 45 minutes that will leave you with stars in your eyes.

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Luxor museum (1/2 day)

It was a blow from a pick that uncovered the feet of a statue. Many others will be revealed. Preserved from the ravages of time, these works of art three millennia old have maintained an extraordinarily freshness.

Located at the edge of the Nile, the museum at Luxor has assembled a magnificent collection of sculptures and artefacts. The monumental effigy of the giant head of Amenophis III, or the famous wall of the talatat will take you back to the time when Thebes was one of the greatest capitals of the ancient world. Site registered on the UNESCO World Heritage list. For your information:
● Cultural excursion
● Transport: bus
● Travel time: 10 minutes

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Royal Necropolis and temple of Hatshepsout

Just seeing the divine beauty of this painted face is enough to convince you that Egyptian tombs are not an invitation to meditate upon death but are in fact a hymn to life.
From the 18th dynasty, pharaohs were no longer buried in luxurious monuments but in tombs in the ground. On the west bank of the Nile lies the famous valley, overlooked by a mountain peak, in the land of the Afterworld, housing 63 tombs of great Egyptian leaders. On the other side of the mountain, the Valley of the Queens, known as the 'place of the king's sons', is home to the princes and princesses of the Royal Family. In the rock amphitheatre of Deir El Bahri, the two impassive giants who represent Pharaoh Amenophis III open the doors of the funeral temple of Hatshepsut. Named 'the most sublime', its architecture, among the most remarkable in Egypt, merges perfectly with the cliff. Site registered on the UNESCO World Heritage list. For your information
●Cultural excursion
●Transport: bus
●Travel time: 20 min

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Sound and light at Karnak (evening)

Magical and unreal lighting effects continue to reveal the beauty of these ancient stones.

Under the starry vault, stroll through the great courtyard, the forest of 134 hypostyle columns and the courtyard of the buried treasure before reaching the Sacred Lake. This astonishing spectacle will take you back through time. For your information:
●Cultural excursion
●Transport: bus
●Travel time: 15 min

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Sunset in a felucca (evening)

If Egypt exists, it owes it to the Nile. Pushed along by the Nile breeze, the Falouka will carry you along to discover an unforgettable panorama during this timeless sailing trip.

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The temples of Karnak and Luxor (1/2 day)

In these peaceful streets where children play in the dust, there is nothing to make us imagine that we are in the great town of Thebes, the capital of the famous 18th dynasty.

The gates of Karnak open onto an avenue of rams larger than buffalos. Crouched down in two parallel rows, they lead us to the sacred lake where Amon-Re, King of the Gods, came each year to take his golden boat for a solemn ride. The most striking wonder of these ruins is the Hypostyle Hall whose 134 columns create a strangely charming forest of stones. The long processional alley bordered by human-headed sphinxes takes you to the Temple of Luxor. Called the "Harem of the South", this 853 foot long temple was mainly built by two Pharaohs. An impression of calm and eternity exudes from the statues of these two dignified seated pharaohs. Sites registered on the UNESCO World Heritage list. For your information:
●Cultural excursion
●Transport: bus
●Travel time: 15 minutes

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The temples of Abydos and Dendérah (1 day)

The history of the city of Abydos goes back into the mists of time. Its priests claimed to possess a relic of the utmost importance: the head of the god Osiris. About ten temples were built on this site. Abydos, an ancient holy city of Egypt dedicated to the cult of the god Osiris, became during the Middle Kingdom period the principal religious centre of the country. The Mysteries of Osiris attracted pilgrims from all over Egypt. The monumental complex of Denderah was the capital of the 6th nome of Upper Egypt. Its crypts built inside the very thick walls and decorated with intricate low reliefs make it an extraordinary place to visit. For your information ●Cultural excursion ●Means of transport: bus ●Travel time: 2 hours

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Valleys of the nobles and craftsmen and Médinet Habou (1/2 day)

Over 400 burial places are found among the houses of the inhabitants of the village of Gurna. Everyone had to prepare one's tomb to enter the house of death built for life. The valley of the nobles has more than 400 tombs, all with the same layout. A vestibule has painted scenes of daily life of a very rare realism which leads to a niche set into the wall and holding the statue of the deceased. The scenes of country life of top state functionaries, viziers and artisans or sculptors are rich in anecdotes. Nearby, the only inhabited place on the left bank was the village of tradesmen. They worked secluded from the rest of the region on the construction of the royal tombs of Thebes. Further off, Ramses III intended to build his castle of a million years. The guard quarters, formed of two low crenellated towers, frames the imposing gate of the fortress of Medinet Habou. For your information:
●Cultural excursion
●Transport: bus
●Traval time: 20 min

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