Full day (about 8–10 hours)Abu Simbel Excursion from Aswan
Four seated colossi of Ramesses II, twenty metres high, cut into a cliff at the far southern edge of Egypt — then sawn into a thousand blocks in the 1960s and rebuilt sixty metres higher to keep Lake Nasser off them. It is the single most impressive thing in the country, and it is a long way to go. Worth every hour.
A 3:00am start and roughly three and a half hours on the road each way, with about two hours of level walking at the temples. The road, not the site, is the hard part.
Where You’ll Go
What You’ll Do
- 1
Pre-dawn departure from Aswan
Out around 3:00–3:30am with the escorted convoy. The desert road south doesn't open before then, so this start time isn't negotiable.
- 2
Across the Western Desert
Around three and a half hours, with the sun coming up somewhere in the middle of it.
- 3
The Great Temple of Ramesses II
The four colossi, the hypostyle hall with its Osiride pillars, the battle reliefs of Kadesh, and the sanctuary at the back where the sun reaches twice a year.
- 4
The Temple of Nefertari
The smaller temple next door, dedicated to Hathor and to Ramesses' queen — the rare Egyptian temple where the queen is carved at the same scale as the king.
- 5
The relocation cut
Behind the temples, the artificial dome and the joins in the stone where UNESCO's 1960s rescue put it all back together. Once you've seen it you can't unsee it.
- 6
Return convoy to Aswan
Back across the desert, arriving Aswan in the afternoon.
Included
- ✓Private air-conditioned vehicle and driver
- ✓Egyptologist guide
- ✓Abu Simbel entrance fees
- ✓Hotel-packed breakfast box for the early start
- ✓Bottled water
Good to Know
The practical truth about this one — timings, conditions, and what we can’t promise.
- Departure is around 3:00–3:30am with the police-escorted convoy. There is a later convoy around 11:00am if that start is impossible.
- Roughly three and a half hours each way, and about two hours at the site. It is a long day and there's no way to shorten the road.
- Flying Aswan–Abu Simbel halves the day. Ask and we'll price both.
- On 22 February and 22 October the sunrise reaches into the sanctuary. Those two dates book out months ahead.
- Photography rules inside the temples change from season to season — your guide will tell you what's current on the day.
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