Biban el-Gurud
On the west-bank of Luxor one can make a beautiful walk from the ticket-office near the temple of Medinat Habu, to the Valley of the Queens, over the mountains to the Valley of the Kings and back over the mountains and via Queen Hatshepsuts temple at Deir el Bahari, the area of the tombs of the nobles and the road. It's an exhausting walk, especially during summer months. You can make the walk even harder to include a walk to the tomb of Ay in the Western Valley, Biban el-Gurud. I've done this now for the third time. Because you cannot buy tickets anymore for the Valley of the Kings at the ticket office at the start of this walk, you must make an extra walk from the valley to its entrance to buy tickets there, and back. I refuse to take the stupid diesel trains that run between the entrance and the valley, also because the landscape over there is really beautiful and you do not enjoy that in these childish trains.
The walk to the tomb of Ay starts at the parking area and souvenir shops for the valley. Everyone will tell you you need a car to reach the tomb, but you don't. The walk is long, but really scenic. I think it's about two hours to and from the tomb, including the visit to the tomb, some rest and exploring a little more of the area. There are some more (closed) tombs over there, including the tomb of Amenhotep III (WV22). Be sure to bring a torch for the tomb of Ay. Sometimes there's no electricity. Furthermore you need a lot of water and something to eat, especially if you want to explore the area. During summer months the heat over there can be almost unbearable. Be carefull if you wander off the path when you're alone. Noone will find you if something happens to you.
