Valley of the Queens
This is where Queen Nefertari’s sarcophagus once rested. Aren’t my friends Corey & Andrea so cute? 😍
Tomb of Queen Nefertari in Valley of the Queens (QV66)
Nefertari’s tomb is considered to be the most beautiful & best-preserved Egyptian burial site and is decorated with paintings based on Chapter 17 of the Book of the Dead. The base layer of white makes the colors really pop! The tomb itself was discovered by Ernesto Schiaparelli in 1904.
3,200-year-old Fingeprint
They recently did a hi-def scan of the ceilings and found a FINGERPRINT of one of the artists in the paint.
The deep blue starry ceilings are particularly striking. This is the same Queen that was Ramses II’s favorite and had the Small Temple built for her in Abu Simbel.
There is an extra cost for the ticket about $50 USD when we were there in May 2022—very expensive by Egyptian standards—but afterwards we all agreed that it was 100% worth the cost of admission. Technically the $50 only buys you 15 minutes, but if you are polite and tip the 3 or so guards/guides inside a few dollars worth they will happily let you stay a bit longer (or at least they won’t rush you out). The real reason for the cost and the time limit is to PRESERVE this tomb, so I’m all for it and though we did tip, we didn’t overstay our welcome.
This might be my #1 tip for Egypt: Budget for tipping and the guards will be incredibly helpful and friendly. We tipped the equivalent of $1-$2 USD per guard (converted to EGP) we encountered and spent less than $20 USD for the entire day in Valley of the Kings/Queens/Nobles. If you plan on tipping, you won’t find it annoying and everyone is happy!
It’s extremely hard to capture in a photo what it’s like to be in VQ66. Egypt is a place that really gets under your skin. Even though there’s so many places I still want to see, I hope to return to Egypt someday!
It’s hot. I mean like 110 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade, hot, but it’s important for us ladies to be respectful with our attire in a Muslim country. The reasons are twofold: 1) it’s a respect thing & 2) you will be treated better. Bonus: I didn’t have to use as much sunscreen and keeping the sun off my skin really did keep me a little bit cooler when we were above ground.
My leggings by Wool& keep me cool or warm in all seasons and the shirt is a dupe of a Free People button-down (read: cheaper!) that you can get on Amazon. I have both of these items in multiple colors and they are staples of my travel wardrobe. I promise they look more stylish when they’re not covered in sand at the end of a very long and hot day!
Ahmed, tour guide for Luxor
Ahmed is the best tour guide I have ever had. Perfect English, amazing knowledge, and so personable… we had other good tour guides, but nothing compares to the best! We even ran into him the next day at Luxor Temple (he had another client previously booked) and we all gave each other a hearty hello and said goodbye again. Text his WhatsApp number at +20 111 728 6230 Remember to be mindful of the time difference! 😊