Setting the scene
The Valley of the Kings needs to be on any History nerds bucket list. Prior to visiting I did suffer with a certain moral quandary around whether tourists really should be inside someone’s tomb. However, most of the mummies are actually in the Egyptian Museum of Civilisation & not the Valley of the Kings. At the time of writing this there was still a couple of tombs unaccounted for, although the only currently accessible tomb with human remains is Tutankhamun’s. When you buy your ticket, you can pick & choose which tombs you would like to go into, so there is no obligation if you want to skip over Tutankhamun. All of the Gold, possessions & trinkets have been moved out of the tombs too.
Perched on the West Bank of Luxor, the tombs are carved into the side of Limestone & Sedimentary rocks. Regardless of the tombs, the geology of the site is stunning & worth a visit alone. There are various tombs for royalty & important nobles. Inside, you will find the most incredible artwork & inscriptions on the walls, each tomb is different as the leaders all lived at different times, which would have influenced their thinking.
top tips!
There is a large number of tombs that you can go inside, but some of them cost more than others to enter. It is recommended to decide which ones you wish to visit before entering. There is a visitor centre when you land that has all of the information on which tombs there are.
If you are claustrophobic, some of the entrances to tombs are very narrow & they can get quite busy, so I would recommend getting there as early as possible to avoid the crowds.
There are golf style buggies that drive you from the visitor centre up the hill into the valley. The workers here will try to get you to sit up front with them & let you play with the steering wheel etc. Just be aware if you do this, they are expecting a tip.
Important Information
| Opening times | This seems to vary & change a lot, so I would check before visiting, I went as part of a tour so everything was organised for me. |
| Entry fee | Your ticket includes 3 tombs of your choice & then you can pay for more, some are not included in the 3 entry tombs & cost extra. |
| Time to complete visit | This completely depends on how may tombs you are visiting, I visited 5 & was there around 2 hours. |
| Getting there | If you are not on a guided tour, your best option is to take a Taxi here. |
| Tours | I took a tour here which was handy in understanding which tombs were the best to visit. However, it is important to call out that the tour guides aren’t allowed into the tombs with you. |
I am completely new to blogging & only set this up to help people out on their journeys. If you have any questions about the article or feedback, please do leave a comment & I will get back to you. You can also subscribe for free to get a notification when my next post goes live. Thanks for taking the time to read through ❤️
Tyler's Travel Tales 