Luxor Photography Itinerary: Three Days Around the Light

• Personal photography is allowed. Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced that personal photography with phones and cameras is permitted free of charge at public places and sites; commercial shoots still need a permit.
• Tombs are different. We could not confirm current photography rules for the tombs from an official source. Ask for permission at the ticket office before you photograph inside any tomb, including whether flash or a separate ticket is involved. Rules are set per site: at the Mummification Museum, for example, the Ministry's page (egymonuments.gov.eg, checked 22 October 2026) allows personal photography once you have paid the entry ticket, asks visitors not to use flash or tripods and monopods, and allows commercial photography or filming only with permission from the authority and payment of a daily fee. Do not assume that museum's rules apply to the tombs or to other sites.
• Tripods: whether a personal tripod needs a permit at a given site is not clearly published. Ask at the ticket office before you set one up.
• Drones: bringing or flying a drone in Egypt needs prior permission from the Egyptian authorities. We found no official page that explains the process for visitors, so confirm with the Egyptian embassy or consulate in your country before you travel, and leave the drone at home unless you have that permission in writing.
• Never pay anyone to open a closed area or move a barrier. Restricted areas are closed for conservation or safety.

Opening hours change with the season. Check them for your dates, and check sunrise and sunset times for your exact dates rather than relying on a fixed clock time.

• First light: Karnak. Be at the visitor entrance at opening time. The Great Hypostyle Hall is at its best in the low early light, before the busiest hours.
• Late morning to mid-afternoon: Luxor Museum. Indoor, so the harsh outdoor light does not matter. About 1.2 km on foot from Luxor Temple, or a short taxi ride.
• Rest through the hottest hours.
• Late afternoon into dusk: Luxor Temple. Arrive before sunset for the warm light on the colonnades, then stay for the floodlit temple after dark.

Getting around: Karnak is a short taxi ride from the city centre (about 3.6 km by road from the station area); everything else is walkable.

• First light: Temple of Hatshepsut. The terraces against the cliffs photograph well in the early light. The approach is long and exposed.
• Mid-morning: Valley of the Kings. Tomb interiors do not depend on the outside light, so this is the place for the harder hours. Follow the photography rules for each tomb.
• Rest through midday.
• Late afternoon: Medinet Habu. The deep-cut reliefs on the outer walls show their detail best in low, raking light.
• Last light: the Colossi of Memnon, about 1.3 km from Medinet Habu, beside the road.

Getting around: hire a car and driver for the day, agreed in advance. By road, the Valley of the Kings is about 6 km from the Temple of Hatshepsut and about 8 km from Medinet Habu.

• Sunrise: hot air balloon over the West Bank, booked in advance through your hotel or a licensed operator, weather permitting. The view takes in the temples, the fields and the river.
• Morning: the Ramesseum, quieter than the other West Bank temples.
• Rest through midday.
• Sunset: a felucca on the Nile, for the East Bank and the West Bank hills from the water. Agree the route and duration before boarding.

• A standard zoom covers temple halls, reliefs and people; a wide lens helps at Karnak.
• Spare batteries and cards: charging opportunities are limited during the day.
• A cloth and blower for dust, especially in spring winds.
• See What to actually pack for heat and sun protection.

• Personal photography rules: Lonely Planet, "Egypt relaxes street photography rules" (lonelyplanet.com), reporting the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announcement; accessed 22 October 2026.
• Route distances: OpenStreetMap / OSRM, calculated 22 October 2026.

When is the best light in Luxor?+

Shortly after sunrise and in the hour before sunset. The middle of the day is harsh; use it for museums and tombs.

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Can I photograph inside the tombs?+

We could not confirm the current rules for tombs from an official source. Ask for permission at the ticket office before photographing inside a tomb, including about flash.

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Can I fly a drone in Luxor?+

Only with prior permission from the Egyptian authorities. Confirm with the Egyptian embassy or consulate in your country before you travel.

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