When I first visited the Valley of the Kings in 1997, this road had just been built, and I had to walk to the actual tombs from the car park, and then past the souvenir stalls. With the temperature over 100, it was exhausting. Now, the souvenir stalls have been moved to this area, you take these funny looking trains for the princely sum of LE 1. A much more pleasant way of getting there!

The Valley of the Kings now has its own ticket office, near the car park and bazaar where you can buy tickets to visit 3 tombs for LE55, but you'll pay an extra LE70 for Tutankhamen. Unfortunately, it is not a very impressive tomb, and to my mind is a waste of money. The tombs are hot and humid, but now as guides are not allowed inside them, visits are a little more pleasant than they used to be.

99.9% of the tourists only visit the East Valley. The West Valley is usually only visited by those who know it is there! At the moment the only tomb open to the public is the tomb of Ay, Tutankhamen's successor, but it is well worth a visit.

The entrance to Tutankhamen's tomb lies beneath the tomb of Rameses VI - the larger entrance, which certainly preserved it until it was discovered by Howard Carter in 1922. The tomb entrance is where the guide is sitting.

Opposite Tutankhamen's tomb is a rest house, which is a welcome retreat from the heat - especially if you can sit under one of the fans.

No real apologies for a lack of tomb photos, as the guardians are quite strict here, and the tombs usually have too many visitors to offer them baksheesh in order to take a few pictures.