Karnak

Karnak is simply staggering. Spread across roughly 100 hectares on the east bank of the Nile, this ancient complex is not a single temple but a vast accumulation of sanctuaries, pylons, obelisks, and chapels built over nearly 2,000 years by successive pharaohs, each trying to outdo the last.

Walking through the Great Hypostyle Hall — a forest of 134 massive sandstone columns, some reaching 21 metres high and still bearing traces of painted hieroglyphs — produces a genuine sense of disbelief that human hands built any of this at all.

The site sits just north of central Luxor, and you can reach it by taxi, calèche (horse-drawn carriage), or a pleasant riverside walk along the Corniche. Entry costs around 220 Egyptian pounds for international visitors, and a separate ticket covers the Open Air Museum within the complex. Plan for at least two to three hours — rushing it would be a mistake.

The Avenue of Sphinxes leading to Luxor Temple has also been restored, so a sunset walk between the two sites is well worth timing your day around.

Crowds concentrate heavily at the Hypostyle Hall, particularly when cruise groups arrive mid-morning. If you can get there at opening (typically 6am), the light is golden and the tour buses haven't yet unloaded. The complex offers little shade, so heat between April and October is brutal and genuinely draining. Comfortable, covered clothing is respectful and practical — loose linen works well.

Guides offering unofficial tours at the gate can be persistent; a polite but firm response is all that's needed.

Go early in the cooler months between October and March, bring plenty of water, and wear shoes you can walk kilometres in comfortably.