Valley Of The Kings: Our 6 Must See Tomb Recommendations UNIQUE PHOTOBLOG

Visiting Valley of the Kings was one of the top locations in Luxor Egypt that is a must-see. Our day trip was included with our Nile Valley cruise during our full 16 day tour through Egypt. The Valley Of The Kings is home to 62 tombs in total that we know of, but not all can be visited of course. We visited 6 tombs in total, with Seti 1 KV17 and Tutankhamun KV62 as two of them. 

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All photos were taken during our October 2018 vacation and prices are based on what it we paid for then.

Valley Of The Kings

The Valley of the Kings is a burial ground for Ancient Egyptian royalty between the 11^th and 16^th century BC. The Valley Of The Kings has its name from the pharaonic times, built for those who were promised continuing life with the gods. The tombs found were not only burial tombs for the mummified pharaohs, but for their treasure, food and wine, clothes, pets and sacred objects to help the deceased achieve eternal life.

In total as of 2018 there are 62 tombs at the Valley Of The Kings, all discovered before 1922. You cannot visit them all, but worth visiting as many as you can when you go. The reason the tombs are open at different times is because Egypt has them on a rotating basis in order to keep humidity and carbon dioxide levels to a minimum.

You may expect when visiting that the tombs are cold, however don’t be surprised when you enter one and you end up sweating more than outside in the sun!

The Six Must See Tombs In Valley Of The Kings

Our day trip was included on our Nile Cruise itinerary. There were three tombs included in total, with another three we had to pay extra for. We thought this was okay and we were willing to pay the extra to see as much as possible during our day trip. We were not planning to visit Egypt any time again soon so we found it well worth it.

The 3 tombs that were included were:

• Ramesses IV KV2 (4)
• Ramesses IX KV6 (9)
• Ramesses III KV 11 (3)

(All three for the price of 160 EGP/€7.70 on a general ticket)

The 3 tombs that we paid extra for were:

• Tutankhamun KV62 (200 EGP/€9.70)
• Seti 1 KV17 (1000 EGP/€49)
• Ramesses KV9 (5 & 6) (90 EGP/€4.40)

Ramesses IV KV2 (4)

Tomb Ramesses the 4th is the first tomb we entered at the Valley of the Kings. You first join the line of other tourists to enter with your tickets. Followed by slowly walking down the wooden steps and ramps into the base of the tomb. Even with the amount of tourists inside you are instantly blown away by the Egyptian carvings and paintings on the walls and ceiling.

The blue ceiling within this tomb was faded in many places, but it really gave you a strong impression of how it would of looked when at its best.

Check out our hotel recommendation on where to stay during a visit to Luxor Egypt! 

Ramesses IX KV6 (9)

Tomb Ramesses the 9th was the 2nd tomb we visited. I really enjoyed this tomb as there are many animals to be spotted inside. Such as monkeys and a three headed snake photographed below.

Many of the paintings were faded near the entrance and carvings had been damaged by other Pharaohs and tomb raiders over time. But we worth your time to enter.

This tomb was also one that many tour groups entered, so it was at some points queueing inside to see some of the deeper sections and rooms.

For your trip to Egypt btw, we can highly recommend the Lonely Planet Egypt Travel Guide! We used it before the trip for research to the end of our trip daily. It was highly valuable to have along the way of our full vacation. A must buy for all who are wanting to travel to Egypt!

Ramesses III KV11 (3)

Tomb Ramesses the 3rd was just as interesting as the the 4th and 9th. We have no photos from this one but it was similar and comparable to Rameses 9. There were many extra rooms within this tomb that had stories told through the paintings, with many animals and hieroglyphics too. I loved seeing these hieroglyphics, looking back to another life and language.

Tutankhamen KV62

Tomb Tutankhamen is one of the most visited tombs of the Valley Of The Kings. Discovered by Howard Carter in 1922, it was the smallest tomb we visited during out vacation. By small we really mean one set of wonky wooden stairs to one room. We were expecting a bit more after seeing the others, but that wasn’t the case. All treasure found within this Tomb can be seen at the Egyptian Cairo Museum. You can read more about the museum here!

This was only 200 Egyptian Pound (€9.70) extra to visit. Please be aware that photography is strictly forbidden within the Tutankhamen tomb. However, just like the other tombs we did see some tourists giving a tip to the men at the entrances or those who were walking around so they could take a photo. We didn’t feel the need to do this within the tomb of Tutankhamen.

Check out our hotel recommendation on where to stay during a visit to Luxor Egypt! 

Seti 1 KV17

Tomb Seti 1 was the most impressive and most emptiest of them all. There were no large groups of tourists so we could walk straight in. We believe this was because this costed 1000 Egyptian Pounds (€49) to visit and other tour groups simply didn’t offer this tomb. Being the only ones in the tomb allowed us to enjoy the tomb to the max. Looking at all the small details without having to walk in line at a slow speed. We could walk at our own speed and not stand in the way of anyone.

As well as being the most emptiest, we found it the most colourful with each colour more rich than in the previous tombs. As it if it only completed just a few weeks before. You can see how large the last tomb area was in the first photo, with my 6ft partner standing at the base of the wall.

If out of all of them you had to choose one, we’d highly recommend this tomb to visit!

Ramesses IX KV6 (5 & 6)

Tomb Ramesses the 5th and 6th was very unique to view and felt different to the rest. It felt more open the more you walk down the wooden walkway. With larger rooms on each sides where the treasure would of been found.

Inside you can spot Roman and Greek graffiti on the tomb walls. The yellow and deep blue painted ceiling of the burial chamber shows a scene from the Book of Night with jackals and Nut riding a ship into the afterlife.

This was only 90 Egyptian Pound extra to visit and it was just as empty as the tomb of Seti 1 (no large groups).

Unfinished Tomb Paintings

Within all tombs you can see sections of the carvings and paintings to be incomplete. This can be spotted by either the red or black outlined characters.

If you see red outlined drawings, this was the first stage of the drawing process. If you see black outlined drawings, this was the second stage where they went over the red lines for the final painting.

Check out our hotel recommendation on where to stay during a visit to Luxor Egypt! 

The Enemies of the Pharaohs

In many, if not all of the tombs we visited, you can find drawings of the enemies. Enemies of the Pharaohs that we have spotted in the tombs were either:

• standing upright, beheaded and arms tied behind their backs
• beheaded and drawn upside down
• upside down with their arms tied behind their backs

At some of the temples we visited during our 2 week Egypt vacation included enemies with their hands tied but beheaded and legless too!

Photography at the Tombs

Keep in mind you need to buy a photography ticket to take photos inside, which costs 300 Egyptian Pounds. This photography ticket will be hole punched at the entrances of each tomb, and only allowed to be hole punched 3 times. So when visiting more than 3, some may expect money in return instead. Keep this in mind, else do your research before hand and only take photos in the 3 that you wish without any hassle. We ended up giving some money to the one of the Egyptian guys inside Tomb Seti 1 as it was the most impressive for photos.

P.S this counts for DSLR cameras to your phone camera.

And like I said above, you cannot take photos within the tomb of Tutankhamen.

Read more of our Egypt posts!

The Ultimate Egypt 16 Day Itinerary

Where To Stay In Egypt: Giza, Luxor, Nile Cruise, Aswan and Hurghada

Nile Cruise Views: Life On The Nile River PHOTOBLOG

Egyptian Exhibition At The Rijksmuseum van Oudheden

Valley Of The Kings Must See Tombs

Snorkeling in Hurghada and Dolphin Spotting

Best and Worst Experiences In Egypt

Summary Valley Of The Kings

Apart from it being one of the hottest days we experienced in Egypt, it was also one of the most fascinating. Being able to walk into these tombs felt so unique. Even with the hundreds of other tour groups and tourists.

We feel that our favourite and most impressive was Seti 1 – and were completely surprised that it was also one of the most emptiest tombs during out trip. We believe this was because of the price (1000 Egyptian Pounds) as it was the most expensive. But well worth it!

In total we paid 1750 Egyptian Pounds each (€85 per person) for the tombs:

• General entry ticket (3 tombs Rameses 3, 9 and 4): 160 EGP (€7.70)
• Rameses 5th & Rameses 6th: 90 EGP (€4.40)
• Tutankhamun: 200 EGP (€9.70)
• Seti 1: 1000 EGP (€49)
• Photography Ticket: 300 EGP (€14.60)

Maybe when you are planning to visit the Valley of the Kings, they will discover the undiscovered tomb of pharaoh Ramses VIII. Which is still believed to be hidden within the valley.

Most of the best tombs that are open will be available on the daily or half day tours such as advertised here. We highly recommend you taking a whole tour, allowing you gain knowledge and see as much as possible during your visit.

Tips:

• Take plenty of water with you, it can get very hot in the valley.
• Most tombs have steps inside, so watch your step as you enter and walk around
• You don’t have to do all the tombs that are open, but well worth it!

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Have you been to the Valley of the Kings before? We’d love to hear what you thought in the comments!