Skip to content
Deluxe Trips Egypt
Plan your trip
The four seated colossi of Ramesses II on the facade of the Great Temple at Abu Simbel.

Plan the journey · South, on Lake Nasser

Abu Simbel

Four colossi cut into the sandstone above Lake Nasser.

Built by Ramesses II in Nubia and moved block by block onto higher ground between 1964 and 1968, the Great Temple and the smaller temple of Nefertari reward an early start from Aswan.

Add to my trip2 tours here
Give it
From an Aswan base
Come for
The temples of Ramses II and Nefertari
Kindest months
November to March
Continue to
Nile & Aswan

The story here

Abu Simbel, before you arrive.

Abu Simbel is a statement of power made at the edge of an empire, and a monument that survived only because it was moved. Ramesses II had two temples cut into the rock above the Nile in Lower Nubia, at a time when Egyptian rule reached much further south: Upper Nubia, from the Second to the Fourth Cataract, was governed as the province of Kush.

The Abu Simbel landmark page follows both stories: the Great Temple, with its four seated colossi of the king above rows of foreign captives, and the Small Temple, where Nefertari's statues stand as tall as her husband's; then the rescue. Between 1964 and 1968, as the lake behind the Aswan High Dam rose, both temples were dismantled and rebuilt on higher ground. The water that made the move necessary is Lake Nasser, which also covered much of ancient Nubia's archaeology.

Highlights

What to see in Abu Simbel.

Each place has its own page: who built it, what happened there, and what you see when you stand in it.
All landmarks

Best months to go

Abu Simbel, month by month.

Kindest for a full day outNovember to March

  1. Jan23.2° average high,10.0° average low.Mild.
  2. Feb25.9° average high,11.7° average low.Mild.
  3. Mar30.3° average high,15.5° average low.Warm.
  4. Apr35.5° average high,20.1° average low.Hot: sightsee early.
  5. May39.5° average high,24.6° average low.Very hot: dawn and late afternoon.
  6. Jun41.6° average high,26.7° average low.Very hot: dawn and late afternoon.
  7. Jul41.9° average high,27.8° average low.Very hot: dawn and late afternoon.
  8. Aug41.9° average high,27.9° average low.Very hot: dawn and late afternoon.
  9. Sep40.0° average high,25.5° average low.Very hot: dawn and late afternoon.
  10. Oct36.4° average high,22.3° average low.Hot: sightsee early.
  11. Nov29.8° average high,16.2° average low.Warm.
  12. Dec24.5° average high,11.4° average low.Mild.
  • Mild (up to 26 °C)
  • Warm (27–32 °C)
  • Hot: sightsee early (33–37 °C)
  • Very hot: dawn and late afternoon (above 37 °C)

Average daily high and low, °C, 1991–2020, at Aswan, the nearest station in the table: WMO climate normals published by NOAA. The shading is our judgement of what that heat means for a day of sightseeing, read from the average high; the best time to visit Egypt compares every place, month by month.

Make the time count

How many nights in Abu Simbel?

Our planning view: base yourself in Aswan the night before, leave early enough to walk both temples in the morning light, and keep the afternoon in Aswan gentle.

  1. The standard rhythm

    A morning from Aswan by road

    Leave Aswan before dawn in a private vehicle for the three-hour desert drive each way, spend roughly two hours at the two temples, and return to Aswan by early afternoon.

  2. To save road hours

    Fly return from Aswan

    Take the short domestic flight between Aswan and Abu Simbel airport to replace six hours on the desert highway with time on the ground.

  3. For the sun alignment or night show

    Spend one night at Abu Simbel

    Stay overnight near Lake Nasser when you want the evening sound-and-light projection on the rock facade or to be at the gate before dawn on 22 February or 22 October.

Before you decide

The questions people ask first.

Answered from the same record as the rest of this page. Routing, timings and everything included are confirmed in your written quote.

Is it better to drive or fly from Aswan to Abu Simbel?
Driving takes about three hours each way across the desert and lets a private party choose its own departure time before dawn; flying takes under an hour in the air each way and reduces road fatigue, though your timing is tied to the airline's schedule.
How long do you actually spend at the Abu Simbel temples?
Most visitors spend around two hours on site: enough to take in the rock-cut facade, walk the pillared hall and sanctuary of the Great Temple of Ramesses II, and visit the neighbouring Temple of Hathor and Nefertari and the relocation exhibition.
What happens on the 22 February and 22 October sun festival days?
On 22 February and 22 October, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the rising sun enters the Great Temple and lights the sanctuary statues. Crowds are larger and the Ministry publishes a separate sun-day admission rate, so early planning is essential.
Can my Egyptologist guide come inside the temples with me?
Inside the rock-cut chambers of Abu Simbel, guides explain the reliefs, layout and history outside on the terrace before you enter so the narrow halls remain quiet and passable; you then walk the interior halls and sanctuaries at your own pace.
What should I combine with an Abu Simbel morning?
Because a pre-dawn start from Aswan gets you back by early afternoon, keep the rest of the day light — a felucca sail at sunset or an unhurried afternoon by the river works far better than another heavy monument schedule.

Tours

Tours in Abu Simbel.

2 tours visit Abu Simbel, those based here first. Each states the time on the road and at the sites before you ask.
All tours

Trip ideas

Trips through Abu Simbel

Routes that include Abu Simbel: who each one suits, and how the days run.
All trip ideas

Good to know

The practical part, in one place.

Getting here and on

Nile & Aswan
Roughly 3½ hours each way by road, or a short flight

Typical door-to-door ranges, checked : advice rather than timetables. Your written quote confirms the actual flights, trains and transfers.

Opening hours, as recorded

Abu Simbel
06:00-17:00Listed on

As listed on the dates shown. We check them again for your dates before anything is booked.

Before you plan Abu Simbel

You might also love

Where the route goes next.

Plan it

Put Abu Simbel into your trip.

The planner gives it the nights it needs and suggests the days; we confirm everything in a written quote.

Add to my tripWhatsApp us
Photography credits (3)

Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0; KennyOMG, CC BY-SA 4.0; Marc Ryckaert (MJJR), CC BY 3.0. Resized and cropped for display.