A Luxor and Dendera Private Tour from Safaga is a highly customized, full-day shore excursion or resort trip spanning 12 to 16 hours. It takes you across the Eastern Desert in a private, air-conditioned vehicle to explore the magnificent Temple of Hathor at Dendera alongside the iconic monuments of ancient Thebes (Luxor) with a personal Egyptologist guide.
If you’re looking for a great way to explore the attractions in Dendera and Luxor, we highly recommend the Luxor Dendera Private Tour Safaga. This one-day individual trip is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about Egyptian history and experience the wonders of both cities.
With a private English-speaking Egyptologist-qualified guide, you’ll have the chance to explore the beautiful Temple in Dendera and discover its fascinating history. The tour lasts 2.5 hours and is a safe and enjoyable way to learn the secrets of Ancient Egypt and the Roman Empire.
Book your Dendera day trip from Safaga Port today and experience the joy of discovering Egypt’s rich cultural heritage!
Highlights on Individual trips to Luxor Dendera Private Tour from Safaga
- See the Karnak temple in Eastern Luxor.
- Lunch at a restaurant by the Nile River.
- Colossi of Memnon in the Temple of Amenhotep III.
- And the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut in Western Luxor.
- Besides, the Temple of the goddess Hathor is in Dendera.
Itinerary of the Private Excursion to Dendera
- Landious Travel representative will pick you up from the Safaga hotels around 05:00 am.
- After picking you up, the bus (limousine or minibus) heads to Qena, passing the town of Qena, which lies 174 km away in the Nile Valley. The way from the centre of Safaga to Qena takes about 3 hours.
Program in Qena
- Once you arrive at Qena, you start your trip program. The first stop will be at the Temple of the goddess Hathor in Dendera village. It is a complex of temples and buildings. Further, in the Temple, your guide begins explaining your focus. Moreover, later, he will show the frequently visited places of this large complex. Please note that this complex has different temples and buildings. For this reason, your guide will show all these temples. Also, he will give you free time to take pictures.
Schedule in Eastern Luxor
- Then, you will drive to another city – Luxor. The way from Dendera to Luxor takes approximately half an hour. We will show you the Karnak temple when you arrive in Luxor. This Temple is the largest in Egypt and the whole world. The Temple stands in the city of Living – Eastern Luxor. In this Temple, your guide starts his explanation, and then he shows the frequently visited places of this large complex. The complex has different temples and buildings. Therefore, your guide will be tasked with showing all these temples. Also, our guide will give you free time to take pictures.
- After visiting the Karnak temple, you will enjoy lunch in one of the restaurants in this city.
- Further, you can start a boat picnic through the Nile upon request. It is an additional program! Once the Nile picnic ends, you will find yourself in Western Luxor – the city of the dead.
The program in Western Luxor
- This individual trip continues in Western Luxor. The first stop will be at the Colossi of Memnon, where the two exquisite statues are at the Temple of Amenhotep III entrance. Your guide will show them and give you free time to take a picture.
- Further, the excursion heads to the beautiful Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. It is a wondrous temple that lies in Deir el-Bahary. The ancient Egyptians carved this Temple into rock, which consisted of three floors. Around this Temple, you will see all sorts of tombs and other temples. Amongst these sights are the temples of Thutmose III and Amenhotep I. Once again, your guide will give you information and free time to examine the place.
Departure
- Finally, our bus returns to Safaga after such a program in the beautiful city of Luxor.
- This Individual trip to Dendera & Luxor from Safaga ends at approximately 08:00 pm.
What Does the Price of Dendera & Luxor Individual Trip Safaga Include?
- Required tickets for visiting temples in Dendera and Luxor.
- Lunch.
- Drinks.
- Private guide.
- Also, a private vehicle to Luxor–Dendera and back to the hotel is needed.
What does the Dendera & Luxor Individual Trip Safaga Program not include?
- Additional excursion programs if not included in the above program.
Here’s a list of things you might want to bring for your trip to Dendera-Luxor
- Breakfast box.
- Also, Clothes for the season.
Booking Days of Luxor Dendera Private Tour Safaga
- Daily from 04:00-20:00.
What can I expect to see during my trip to Dendera and Luxor from Safaga?
Monuments in Dendera
Dendera Temple Complex
Dendera Temple, ComplexThe temple complex at Dendera is quite large, boasting a basilica, two birthhouses, a sacred lake, and numerous other temples and shrines within its walls. Structures at the site hail from various ancient Egyptian eras, with monuments from the Middle Kingdom, the Ptolemaic Era, and the Period of Roman provincial rule.
Evidence shows that the first building on the site went up around 2250 BCE, but the vertical structures mostly date from the Ptolemaic Era forward. In 1995 BCE, construction likely began on the Mentuhotep II monument, the oldest existing structure, when the site was rediscovered.
The Mentuhotep monument has since been moved to Cairo. The oldest form is from Nectanebo II, built ca. 345 BCE. It may be more accurate to say the structure as we know it began in 54 BCE when construction started on the Temple of Hathor, the most prominent structure at the Dendera complex.
The Temple of Hathor is one of Egypt’s best-preserved antiquity sites today and an excellent example of traditional Pharaonic architecture. It was built primarily during the Ptolemaic Dynasty, a period of Greek rule in Egypt.
However, the Temple was completed under the Roman emperor Trajan, who is depicted on the walls of the complex making offerings to Hathor. The temple complex also includes a monumental gateway constructed by Trajan and Domitian, another Roman emperor.
Cult of Hathor
This site was the centre of the cult of Hathor. According to ancient beliefs, Hathor would visit her spouse, Horus, at his Temple in Edfu during a period referred to as the Happy Reunion after spending time at her Temple in Dendera.
This “reunion” was a yearly occurrence, and at the end of the celebration, Hathor’s return to Dendera was thought to signal the official beginning of the Nile’s flood season.
Zodiac of Dendera
The Temple originally housed the famous Zodiac of Dendera. This bas-relief with human and animal figures represented a night skyscape. It was found on the ceiling of a chapel in the Temple of Hathor, where the mysteries of the resurrection of the god Osiris were celebrated. Egyptologists determined it should be interpreted as a map of the sky rather than a giant horoscope or a perpetual astrological tool.
The particular configuration of the planets among the constellations shown in the Zodiac of Dendera occurs only about once every thousand years. Two astrophysicists dated it between June 15 and August 15, 50 BCE. Two eclipses are represented on the Zodiac exactly where they occurred at that time.
The representations of the signs of the Zodiac as we know them today did not appear in Egypt until the Greco-Roman Period. This monument reflects how Egyptian cultural elements merged with Babylonian and Greek astronomical and astrological theories due to the Assyrian and Babylonian deportations of the eighth and sixth centuries BCE and the Persian and Greek invasions of the sixth and fourth centuries BCE.
The Zodiac of Dendera ended up in France. It’s interesting to note that it was transported there in 1821 with the consent of Mohamed Ali Pasha, the Turkish leader of Egypt at that time. It is currently on display at the Louvre in Paris. The Egyptian government has asked for its return.
Monuments on the eastern bank of the Nile River
- Karnak Temple is the largest temple complex in the ancient world. Amazingly, it represents the achievement of many generations of ancient builders and pharaohs. Its old name, Ipet-isut, means “the most sacred of places.” The building of this complex Temple has lasted more than two thousand years. It comprises three main temples, smaller enclosed temples, and several outer temples on 247 acres. The great “Hypostyle Hall” is an incredible forest of giant pillars.
- Luxor Temple: The Temple of Luxor was the centre of the most important festival – the festival of Opet. Amenhotep III and Ramses II built this majestic Luxor temple dedicated to Amun. This festival was to reconcile the human aspect of the ruler with the divine office.
Monuments on the western bank of the Nile River
- Valley of the Kings: The Valley of the Kings is where the magnificent tombs exist. Professionally, the Ancient Egyptians carved those tombs deeply into the mountain rock. Additionally, they richly decorated them with treasures for the afterlife. The Valley of the Kings houses the tombs of ancient Egyptian pharaohs. For example, you can find the burials of the great pharaoh Ramses II and Tutankhamun in this valley.
- Hatshepsut Temple: At El Deir El Bahary, Hatshepsut Temple is an impressive temple dedicated to Queen Hatshepsut, the only female pharaoh. It rises out of the desert with terraces and merges with the sheer limestone cliffs surrounding it. This Temple of Ancient Egypt is well-known for its exceptional beauty and remarkable preservation.
- Also, Colossi of Memnon: Two massive mono-stone statues of King Amenhotep III are the significant remains of a vast mortuary temple.