International package tour companies

It is possible to buy trips before you leave for Luxor, and after you arrive, from the representatives of international travel companies. Their prices will invariably be much higher than the prices charged by local agents for apparently identical trips.

Casual operators

It is also possible to buy trips from touts who work from the Corniche or similar vantage points. Each tout seems to have his own patch. He will follow you to the edge of his territory, beyond which someone else will try to sell you the same tour. Some seasoned travellers are happy with trips organised by these casual operators. Some are probably better than others and many trips probably work out fine, but there is nowhere to turn if something goes wrong with a trip offered by someone who is unlicensed.

Local licensed agents

There are many officially licensed local agents selling the same trips. The best known are Karnak Travel and Jolley's. The reason they are best known because they are recommended in travel blogs and they have a prime position in front of the Winter Palace on the Corniche. In practice there are many more agents selling the same tours for about the same prices and there is rarely much to choose between them, but if you want to save the last penny it is worth comparing price lists.

It is also worth visiting a few agents to see how responsive they are to price negotiation and how eager they are to redesign a trip to the way you want it. For example, will they do a private tour for the same price rather than including you as part of a larger group? If you do a Nile cruise, will they check out your cabin to make sure you are not too near to the engine? Bear in mind that there is a lot of engine noise even on the top deck if you are at the back of the boat.

Some Local Licensed Tour agencies (in alphabetical order)

American Express Travel Services
Winter Palace Building
tel: (002) (095) 2378333
email: luxor@amexfranchise.com

Jolley's Travel and Tours
El Nile St (in front of the Old Winter Palace)
tel: (002) (095) 2372262 (shop)
tel mobile: (002) 0101838894 (Manager Ahmed)
web: www.jolleys.com
email: balaljolley@yahoo.com

Karnak Travel (Part of Egyptair)
El Nile St (In front of the Old Winter Palace)
tel: (002) (095) 2372360

Misre Africa Travel
(previously Mona Liza Tours)
In the Mahaba Centre (near the New Winter Palace) and
El Roda El Sharefa St - opposite the Lotus hotel
tel: (002) (095) 2271129
web: www.monalizatours.com *
email: info@monalizatours.com *
(*still valid despite the company change of name)

Moon River Travel
Khaled El Walid St (opposite the Sonesta)
mobile tel: (002) 0106639079

Nobles Tours
El Nile Street (On the Corniche, near the Iberotel)
tel: (002) (095) 2373155
web: www.noblestours.com
email: egypt@noblestours.com

Sunrise Tours
El Roda El Sharefa St - opposite the Lotus hotel
tel: (002) (095) 2356461
web: www.sunrisetours-eg.com
email: sunrise_lxr@yahoo.com

Thomas Cook
Old Winter Palace hotel, El Nile Street
tel: (002) (095) 2372402
email: tcluxor@thomascook.com.eg
web: www.thomascookegypt.com

General notes

El Nile street is also spelt El-Nil Street. It is the Corniche - the road that runs along the edge of the Nile in central Luxor.

0020 is the international access code for Egypt. When dialling Luxor from outside Egypt you drop one of the zeros, so the dialling code is shown as (002). This does not have to be dialled if you are already in Egypt. The (095) is the Luxor code and does not have to be dialled if you are phoning from a landline in Luxor.

For information about making calls from the UK to Luxor see the 'Phoning' page in the 'Essentials' section.