Feb-March 2025 Egypt-Jordan-Israel Tour: Summary of Day 5

Day 5 – Wednesday, February 19: Luxor: Sunrise Hot-air Balloon Ride, Valley of Kings, Temples of Medinet Habu and Hatshepsut, Felucca Boat Ride on Nile River, Evening Flight to Cairo

Following a better and slightly longer night’s sleep, we departed from our hotel at 5:00 a.m. for a unique and amazing experience. It was another great day here in Egypt as we crossed the Nile River to the western side. The weather was predictably sunny again, with highs in the low 80s.

Hot Air Balloon Ride

An early morning hot-air balloon ride was made available to us for $120/each. Although it required another early-morning rise, the experience was spectacular!  We enjoy seeing the sunrise as we floated about the Nile River, Valley of the Kings, and the mortuary temples located on this western side of the river. We ascended up to about 2,000 feet high above ground below. The bright colors of the balloons along with the contrasting green of the Nile Valley and glowing brown of the desert made the flight scenic. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for sure! We were all glad we did it!

Valley of the Kings

Following the balloon ride, we boarded the bus and drove directly to the Valley of the Kings. 63 pharaohs have been buried here since the start of the New Kingdom. We went into three tombs: the tomb of Ramses III (the one who defeated the Sea Peoples), The dual tome of Tausert (wife of Seti II) and Setnakht (general and father of Ramses III), and the tomb of Ramses IV (a Pharoah of the 20th Dynasty). A few also purchased an extra ticket to see the tomb of the famous King Tut’s (his tomb is included in the photos below). His actually mummy is on display here as well as his sarcophagus. The well-preserved colors in all the tombs of the wall reliefs were stunning to see. The religious focus within the Egyptian belief system upon the after-life is plain to see in all these tombs! It took between six months and three years to build these tombs, some more complex than others. They began  building these tombs once the Pharoah became king.

Alabaster Shop/Store

Close by are many alabaster shops. We went to one whose owner and his workers were quite the comedian. It was interesting to see how some of the vessels are made. The final products made from stone are impressive.

Temple of Hatshepsut

On the opposite side of the cliff of the Valley of the Kings is the Temple of Hatshepsut. The temple was built in 1470 BC (conventional dating). Based on an early dating for the Exodus and Conquest, it is suggested Hatshepsut was the Pharaoh’s daughter who rescued Moses (Exodus 2). She was the daughter of Thutmose I and reigned for over 20 years. She was despised by those who succeeded her, with her image and cartouches eliminated and/or scratched away (perhaps both Thutmose III and Amenhotep II did this?).

Temple of Medinet Habu

The last temple on the western side we saw was the Medinet Habu. This was a dedicatory temple built in honor of Ramses III. Depicted on the pylons is the defeat of his enemies, including the Nubians and the “Sea Peoples” (i.e. the Philistines of the Bible). Ramses defeated the Sea Peoples in 1180 BC. The wall reliefs show Ramses holding the heads of his defeated enemies by the hair. He also cut off their hands and private parts to humiliate them.

Felucca Boat Ride

In the mid afternoon, we enjoyed lunch on the west bank of the Nile before a felucca boat ride on the Nile River. It was a relaxing time of experiencing the river just as the ancients did. We drove directly to the Luxor Airport following the boat ride for our evening flight back to Cairo. We stayed at the Airport Hotel (Meridian) where some of us had a late dinner before retiring. We have one more early morning departure tomorrow for our flight to Amman Jordan to begin the next leg of the trip into Jordan.

Day 6 – Thursday, February 20: Morning Flight to Amman, Bethany beyond the Jordan, Mt. Nebo, Machaerus, Drive to Petra