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Operator reviewTour operators · how to choose

Luxor tour operators — who they are and how to check them

Most Luxor operators sell the same sites at similar prices. What separates them is a license you can verify, a written list of what's included, and a payment method that still protects you if the day goes wrong.

License classes
A, B and C (Law 38/1977)
Companies listed
2,236 in the ETAA index
Based in Luxor
91 licensed companies
Operators reviewed
8

Updated October 21, 2026

The Avenue of Sphinxes leading to Luxor Temple
The Avenue of Sphinxes leading to Luxor Temple Photo: Marc Ryckaert (MJJR), CC BY 3.0

The short answer

  1. Best privateWest & East Banks & Tut's Tomb Private Full-Day Tour4.8264 reviewsfrom $80GetYourGuide

    A Luxor-based company's private full day of both banks with Tutankhamun's tomb on the itinerary, paid through GetYourGuide rather than direct.

  2. Most comfortablePrivate Full-Day Luxor Highlights Tour with Pickup4.6416 reviewsfrom $105GetYourGuide

    Emo Tours Egypt's private full day — a Category A licensed company we could match in the official index, bookable through GetYourGuide.

  3. Best valueHurghada: Luxor Valley of the Kings & Tutankhamun Tomb Trip5.01,953 reviewsfrom $68GetYourGuide

    One of the best-reviewed ways to do Luxor in a day from Hurghada, booked on a platform rather than at the hotel desk.

  4. Skip it ifYou only want a driver

    For a car and driver without a guide, a transfer or taxi booking is simpler and cheaper than a tour company.

How to choose a Luxor tour operator

Luxor tour operators all drive to the same places: the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's temple, the Colossi of Memnon, Karnak and Luxor Temple. The itinerary barely changes from one company to the next. Three things do: whether the company is licensed and you can prove it, what the price actually includes, and how you pay.

Below is how to check each of those, then a scorecard of the eight operators and services we reviewed. Each review links to the company's own site and says plainly what we could and couldn't verify.

Is the company licensed? How Egyptian travel licenses work

Egypt's Law 38 of 1977 says no company may organize tourist trips, sell travel tickets or run tourist transport without a Ministry of Tourism license. Licensed companies fall into three categories:

  • Category A — all three activities: trips, ticketing and transport. This is what a tour operator needs.
  • Category B — ticketing and agency work only.
  • Category C — tourist transport only.

The Egyptian Travel Agents Association (ETAA) publishes a searchable company index on its website. On 21 October 2026 it listed 2,236 companies — 2,197 in Category A, none in Category B and 39 in Category C — with 91 registered in Luxor governorate. Each entry gives the license number, category, registration date, address and website.

The index is in Arabic, and brands often trade under a different registered name. The reliable test is to ask for the license number, look it up, and check that the website and phone number in the entry match the company you're talking to. A September 2026 ETAA warning also recommends a written contract and proper receipts.

Guides are licensed separately. Under Law 121 of 1983 a tour guide needs a Ministry of Tourism license and registration with the guides' syndicate, and tourism companies may not employ unregistered guides.

Platform or direct: where to book

Booking on GetYourGuide, Headout or Tiqets Booking direct with the operator
Who takes your money The platform The operator (deposit, then cash or card)
Cancellation Written on the listing; most Luxor day tours allow free cancellation up to 24 hours before The operator's own terms; deposits are often partly kept
Price Fixed, shown upfront Often negotiable, especially for groups
Flexibility Fixed itinerary Easy to change sites and timing
Complaints Platform customer service The operator, then the ETAA
Best for Single day tours, balloon flights, Red Sea day trips Multi-day trips, unusual routes, families

Luxor operators you can book with platform protection

US-dollar prices come from each platform's own feed and were checked on October 21, 2026. Dates and group size change them — the booking page has the final price.

Paying safely

Deposits of 25–30% are common with direct bookings — Memphis Tours asks for 25%, Aladin Tours and Bastet Travel for 30% — with the balance in cash or by card. That's normal. What isn't: paying the full price upfront by wire or a money-transfer service to a company whose license you can't match. A card payment keeps a dispute route open with your bank.

Scorecard: the Luxor operators we reviewed

Operator What it is License check Where to book Luxor full day, published price Our score
Emo Tours Egypt Giza-based agency, private tours Matched: Category A, no. 2375 GetYourGuide or direct from about $105 (GYG, private) 4.0
Memphis Tours Large Egyptian operator, since 1955 Matched: Category A, no. 30 Direct $169 per person for two, tickets and lunch in 4.2
Nice Tours Luxor-based agency on the Corniche Not found under that name GetYourGuide or direct from about $80 (GYG, private) 3.9
Aladin Tours Family agency at a Luxor hotel Number on site matches a Luxor Category A entry Direct $65 per person for two, tickets extra 3.8
Bastet Travel Giza-based package seller Not verified Direct from $230 per person, all-inclusive 3.5
Luxor Safe Tours & Taxi Luxor driver and tour service Number on site belongs to another company Direct West Bank day from $57, tickets extra 3.4
Ahmed Eldeak Independent West Bank guide Not verifiable online Direct, cash No published prices 3.7
TUI Luxor trips Holiday-company excursions from Hurghada Run by Travco, Category A, no. 244 TUI from £46 (about $61) from Hurghada 4.0

Scores are ours, out of 5. They weigh verifiability, clarity of price and terms, and value for a Luxor day — not the review counts, which every operator advertises. How we pick products and rank them is on How we compare.

We earn a commission only on platform bookings

We earn a commission when you book through the GetYourGuide, Headout or Tiqets links on these pages. Booking direct with any of the companies reviewed here earns us nothing, and no operator paid to be included or to see its review before publication.

In this section

Questions travellers ask

How do I check if a Luxor tour company is licensed?

Ask for the company's Ministry of Tourism license number and its registered name, then search the Egyptian Travel Agents Association's company index (etaa-egypt.org, in Arabic) by license number. The entry shows the category, registration date, address and website. Brand names and registered names often differ, so match the website and phone number rather than the name alone.

What do Category A, B and C mean for Egyptian travel agencies?

Under Law 38 of 1977, Category A companies may organize trips, sell tickets and run tourist transport; Category B companies are limited to ticketing and agency work; Category C companies only operate tourist transport. For a guided Luxor day with a car and hotel pickup you want a Category A company — the index we checked lists no Category B firms at all.

Is it safer to book Luxor tours on GetYourGuide or directly?

Booking on a platform means you pay the platform, the cancellation terms are written on the listing, and complaints go through a company outside Egypt. Booking direct can be cheaper and more flexible, but you rely on the operator's own terms, which often keep part of the deposit. For a single day tour, the platform is the lower-risk choice.

Should I pay a Luxor tour operator in cash?

Paying the balance in cash on the day is normal in Luxor and fine with an established company. Avoid sending the full amount in advance by bank wire or money-transfer service to a company you can't verify. A card payment gives you a dispute route with your bank that cash and wires don't.

Are private guides in Luxor licensed?

They should be. Egypt's Law 121 of 1983 requires anyone working as a tour guide to hold a Ministry of Tourism license and be registered with the tour guides' syndicate, and tourism companies may not hire unregistered guides. Ask to see the guide's card; licensed guides carry one at the sites.

Sources and checks

  1. Law 38 of 1977 on tourism companies (Arabic text, Articles 1–4, 23, 28) — checked 21 Oct 2026
  2. Law 121 of 1983 on tour guides and their syndicate (Arabic text, Articles 2, 17, 28) — checked 21 Oct 2026
  3. Egyptian Travel Agents Association — company index (search by name, license number, governorate) — checked 21 Oct 2026
  4. ETAA — tourism company statistics by category and governorate — checked 21 Oct 2026
  5. Cairo Governorate — Egypt Travel Agents Association warns against unauthorized intermediaries (9 Sep 2026) — checked 21 Oct 2026
  6. GetYourGuide — Luxor activity feed (prices, ratings, review counts) — checked 21 Oct 2026

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