Abu Simbel: A Visitor’s Guide

Table of Contents

Abu Simbel: A Visitor’s Guide

Brief Overview

Abu Simbel, the largest and most impressive of Ramses II’s monuments, serves as a paragon of the results that may be achieved through contemporary engineering and international cooperation.

An worldwide UNESCO team raced against the time in the 1960s to save the temple complex from being submerged by the Aswan High Dam by moving it from its original location and lifting it piece by piece to its current place.

Pharaoh Ramses II tried to cement his place in history forever by commissioning these massive stone monuments to stand in his place. What we did was effective. Tourists here today are no different from the pharaoh’s people who, when the temples were first built, would have craned their necks in wonder at their size.

Aswan is 280 kilometres south of Abu Simbel. Although it is possible to spend the night in Abu Simbel village, most visitors come for the day on a day trip from Aswan.

Read through our Abu Simbel travel guide to learn more about the best ways to spend your time at the world-famous temple complex built during the reign of the Pharaoh Ramses II.

How to get to Abu Simbel

By Tour Bus: If you’re short on time, a day excursion from Aswan to Abu Simbel is one of the simplest solutions. Usually, you have to get up at an ungodly hour in the morning to get started (a lay-over from the days when buses all had to travel by convoy between Aswan and Abu Simbel). The average time of departure is between 4 and 5 in the morning. It’s a great opportunity to see a lot of attractions in a short amount of time, as many trips also make stops at Philae Temple and the Aswan High Dam.

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By Taxi: Private taxi rides to Abu Simbel can be obtained with little effort from Aswan. Only taxi drivers who have obtained a permission to drive to Abu Simbel are legally allowed to transport passengers there, so it’s best to arrange for one through your hotel or a local travel company. In this way, you can avoid the throng and start your temple tour whenever you like.

By Plane: The quickest way to get here is by taking an EgyptAir flight between Aswan and Abu Simbel. However, because of the influx of tourists, services are not always reliable and are often suspended for months at a time. Assuming a normal running pace, the flight will only take 20 minutes. Flights depart directly from Cairo as well.

By Public Transport: There is a public bus to Abu Simbel, despite what practically every tourist agency and hotel in Aswan would tell you. The four-hour trip begins at the Aswan bus terminal and departs once daily. If you want to spend the night in Abu Simbel but are on a tight budget, this is a good choice.

By Lake Nasser Cruise Boat: A few specialised tour operators offer cruises on Lake Nasser that take guests to not only Abu Simbel, but also the numerous other temples that dot the lake’s shores.

What to expect at Abu Simbel

Getting your tickets

A film about the relocation of the temples can be seen in the Visitor Center. Please do not do this till the very end of your visit if you want get inside quickly. The ticket office is conveniently located close to the information desk. Head through security and follow the path round.

Prices for Abu Simbel in 2023 are:

260 EGP per person
130 EGP per student
300 EGP per camera ticket
Photos with Mobile camera are FREE

The Great Temple

Visitors are greeted by four towering statues of Ramesses II. Members of the royal family, including Ramesses’s cherished wife Nefertari, sons, daughters, and mother, are seated next to and between the king’s legs. Part of the statue, which was knocked over during an earthquake, now rests on the ground in front of the building’s facade.

There are eight statues of Osiris, all of which have the likeness of Ramesses II, in the first principal hall of the temple. Many smaller rooms and vestibules await discovery.

The sanctuary is a must-see. Towards the temple’s rear is a tiny chamber with statues of Ramesses II, Ptah, Amon-Ra, and Ra-Harakhti, all of whom have been deified. Despite the meticulous relocation of the temple complex in the 1960s, the first rays of sunlight still enter this room twice a year, on February 22 and October 22.

Temple of Hathor

The Small Temple is dedicated to Nefertari. Among the statues adorning the temple’s entrance is one of Nefertari, who appears as Hathor with a sun disc between her horns and two plumes.

As soon as you step inside, you’ll notice that this temple is much more modest in size than the one honouring Ramesses II. Hathor-headed pillars can be found in the hypostyle hall. The history of the monarch and queen is recorded in hieroglyphs.

Tips and Tours: How to Make the Most of Your Visit to Abu Simbel

Private Tours:

A Private Day Tour to Abu Simbel Temples from Aswan includes round-trip transportation in air-conditioned comfort, a knowledgeable Egyptologist as your guide for the day, admission to the temples, and a thorough tour lasting around three hours. As an added bonus, the tour departs from Aswan hotels at 8 a.m., so you’ll get at the attraction long after the most of the day-trippers have already left. Recommended tour: click here

Abu Simbel Tour Inclusions on a Nile Cruise: A visit to Abu Simbel is either included in or offered as an optional extra on several Luxor–Aswan Nile cruise itineraries. A half-day excursion to Abu Simbel is included in this cost-effective 4-day Nile cruise package that begins and ends in Aswan. Recommended tour: click here

Tips for Visiting:

Best Time to Visit: From about 7 in the morning until 11 in the morning, the location is completely occupied with bus trips from Aswan. Visit Abu Simbel in the late afternoon when the sun is setting to enjoy crowd-free exploration of the site while basking in golden light cast by the masonry.

Staying the Night: If you really want to make the most of your time at this landmark, spending the night there is your best bet. It is possible to spend the night in Abu Simbel village (just next to the temples) at one of a few modest, moderately priced hotels or a resort if you don’t want to hasten your visit to the temples.

Sound & Light Show: At night, visitors to Abu Simbel can take in a sound and light spectacle that illuminates the temples in a magnificent display.

Abu Simbel Sun Festival: Twice a year, on February 21 and October 21, the rising sun shines into the Sanctuary of the Great Temple, bathing the holy images in light. There was no doubt that Ramses II’s birthday and coronation day were occasions for ceremonial ceremony in the ancient Egyptian civilization, and that this phenomena, which had previously occurred one day earlier, marked these events. It was determined that the occurrence happens one day later after the temples were relocated to their current location because of a little movement of the major axis. Even now, people from all over the world travel to Abu Simbel to witness this remarkable event.