We had spent three weeks in Egypt: Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, the Nile by a Dahabiya, and Aswan. We had stood in the shadow of the Great Pyramid, walked through the Valley of the Kings, and watched the sun set over the Nile from the balcony of the Sofitel Winter Palace. We thought we understood what Egypt was going to give us.
Then we drove south into the Nubian desert and found Abu Simbel.
The Sound and Light Show on our first evening changed everything we thought we already knew. Standing in the chill night air of the Nubian desert, wrapped in jackets we hadn’t needed for most of the journey, watching the temples of Ramses II emerge from the darkness in the show’s light — the four colossal figures, the carved reliefs, the story of three thousand years narrated across a facade that should not exist at all — we walked back to the car in silence.
It was not that we hadn’t expected to be moved. We had expected it. What surprised us was the particular feeling of completion. Everything we had seen and learned and absorbed across three weeks of Egypt — the hieroglyphics that had begun to make sense, the chronology of the pharaohs we’d been building since Cairo, the scale of ambition that the ancient Egyptians brought to everything they built — crystallised here, at the furthest southern reach of our journey, into something coherent and whole.
We went back the next morning at sunrise. That was a different experience entirely — the same temples, different light, different silence. Both visits were necessary. This guide tells you how to do both.
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WHY ABU SIMBEL REQUIRES TWO DAYS
Most visitors to Abu Simbel come on a day trip from Aswan — either by bus in the pre-dawn hours, or on a morning flight. They see the temples in daylight and return to Aswan by afternoon. They see something extraordinary and miss something more extraordinary still.
The Sound and Light Show in the evening and the sunrise visit the following morning are the two experiences that, together, make Abu Simbel complete. The show tells you the story. The sunrise gives you the temples in their most powerful light, before the crowds arrive, in a silence that the midday visit cannot replicate.
Two days. One evening show. One sunrise. That is the right way to visit Abu Simbel.
THE TEMPLES: WHAT THEY ARE AND WHY THEY MATTER
Before the itinerary, the context — because Abu Simbel without context is like reading a sentence with the vowels removed.
The Temple of Ramses II and the Temple of Hathor were built in the 13th century BC, during the reign of Ramses II (1279-1213 BC) — the most powerful and longest-reigning of the New Kingdom pharaohs. They were not built as temples to the gods in the conventional sense — they were built as a political statement. Abu Simbel sits on Egypt’s southern border with Nubia, and the temples were designed to be visible to anyone entering Egypt from the south, to demonstrate to Nubian populations the absolute, unquestionable power of the Egyptian pharaoh.
The four seated colossal statues of Ramses II on the facade of the main temple stand 20 metres tall. The entire structure — the two temples, the colossal statues, the great halls and inner sanctuaries — was carved from a single sandstone cliff. Not built. Carved. From the inside out, over approximately 20 years.
And then, in the 1960s, it was moved.
THE RELOCATION: THE GREATEST ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESCUE IN HISTORY
This is the story that makes Abu Simbel unique among all the ancient monuments of the world. No other site in history has been moved on this scale.
When Egypt built the Aswan High Dam in the early 1960s, the resulting Lake Nasser threatened to submerge dozens of ancient Nubian monuments, including Abu Simbel. UNESCO launched an international campaign — 50 countries contributed funds and expertise — to save the temples. The solution they devised was audacious to the point of improbability.
Between 1964 and 1968, the temples were cut into 807 individually numbered blocks. The largest blocks weighed 30 tonnes. Every block was catalogued, transported, and stored while an artificial mountain was constructed 65 metres higher and 200 metres further from the river. The blocks were then reassembled inside the new mountain with a precision that maintained the original solar alignment — the axis of the temples oriented so that twice a year the rising sun penetrates the full length of the Great Hall and illuminates the statues in the inner sanctuary.
The project cost USD 42 million in 1960s money — approximately USD 400 million in today’s terms. The solar alignment was preserved to within one day of the original.
The Abu Simbel relocation set the precedent for international cultural heritage protection that led directly to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention of 1972 — the framework that now protects heritage sites around the world. In a very real sense, the protection of every UNESCO World Heritage Site you have ever visited is a consequence of the decision to save Abu Simbel.
The artificial mountain looks completely natural. Standing in front of the temples and knowing this story gives everything you look at a second layer of extraordinary.
THE JOURNEY FROM ASWAN
Abu Simbel is 280km south of Aswan — approximately 3.5 hours by road. The road runs along the western shore of Lake Nasser through the Nubian desert, the landscape flat and immense, the lake occasionally visible to the east.
We travelled with our private driver through Egyptian Edu Travel. The journey felt like a genuine transition — leaving behind the monuments of the Nile Valley and entering the deeper south, the landscape increasingly remote, the settlements increasingly sparse. We found it fascinating in both directions, which we acknowledge is not everyone’s experience. The stillness of the Nubian desert is unlike the landscapes further north.
The halfway stop is at the Sarab Cafe — approximately 1.75 hours from Aswan — where you can use the facilities and buy water and snacks. Security checkpoints are a feature of the route. These are handled efficiently by your driver; you will simply need to show your passport. We felt completely safe throughout the journey in both directions.
Arriving at Abu Simbel from the north, the temples are not visible until you are very close, which means the first sight of the four colossal statues arrives without warning. This is part of the experience.
WHERE TO STAY: SETI ABU SIMBEL LAKE RESORT
There is one obvious place to stay in Abu Simbel, and we stayed there: the Seti Abu Simbel Lake Resort, 1.5km from the temple complex on the shores of Lake Nasser.
The resort is the right choice for practical reasons — five minutes from the temple entrance by car, a pool that becomes essential after a morning in the desert sun, an excellent restaurant, and views across Lake Nasser toward Sudan that remind you how far south you are. The accommodation is genuinely good: well-maintained, comfortable, with a personal hospitality that reflects the pride the staff take in being the destination hotel for one of Egypt’s most extraordinary sites.
We were upgraded to the Presidential Suite — a two-room, two-bathroom arrangement with a terrace overlooking the lake, a living room, and a king-size bed dressed in luxurious linen. Dining alfresco in the evening after the Sound and Light Show, the lake dark and still before us, was one of the finest dinner settings of the entire Egypt trip. We tried the local Egyptian beer, Sakkara — cold, light, and entirely appropriate to the moment.
Book well in advance. The Seti Abu Simbel books out significantly ahead of peak season. Our full hotel review is on the site.
DAY ONE: ARRIVAL AND THE SOUND AND LIGHT SHOW
Arrive in Abu Simbel in the afternoon, check into the Seti Abu Simbel, and rest. The Sound and Light Show is the evening’s centrepiece, and you want to arrive for it alert rather than exhausted from the drive.
Check the show schedule on arrival — different language performances run on different evenings and the timing shifts by season. The show lasts 30 minutes. Dress for the evening temperature: Abu Simbel is in the desert, and the nights are significantly colder than the days, particularly from November through February. A jacket is not optional. It is necessary.
THE SOUND AND LIGHT SHOW
The crowd that gathered for our evening performance was international in a way that felt right for this place — visitors from across Europe, North America, the Arab world, and Asia. Every major region of the world is represented, drawn to the same cliff face in the Nubian desert for the same reason.
We found seats in the chill night air and waited. The anticipation was real — we had been building toward this moment for three weeks in Egypt.
When the lights came up on the temples — the four colossal statues of Ramses II suddenly, dramatically illuminated against the total darkness of the desert — it was breathtaking in a way that daylight cannot quite achieve. The scale of the facade, which can feel somewhat manageable against the clear sky, becomes overwhelming in the darkness against nothing. The narration moved through the reign of Ramses II, the construction of the temples, the Battle of Kadesh, the rising waters of Lake Nasser, and the story of the relocation — 807 blocks, 65 metres up the cliff, the solar alignment preserved.
The lighting design serves the story rather than overwhelming it. The temples emerge and recede and reappear in sequences that make the narrative legible in a way that a daytime visit without prior knowledge cannot.
As we walked back to the car afterwards, we were quiet. The Sound and Light Show had done something we hadn’t quite expected: it had tied together three weeks of Egypt. The pharaohs whose names we had first encountered in Cairo, the construction techniques we had discussed at Karnak, the political ambitions carved in stone across the whole journey — here, in the desert at the furthest southern reach of our trip, it had crystallised into something complete and coherent. There was a feeling of finality about it. A journey arrived at its destination.
And we were due back at sunrise.
Purchase tickets for the Sound and Light Show through the official website
DAY TWO: SUNRISE AT THE TEMPLES
Set your alarm for before dawn.
The temples open at 6 am. Arrive then, before the day-trip buses from Aswan begin arriving around 8 am. In those first two hours, the temples are yours in a way they will not be later in the day.
The entrance is a 5-minute walk downhill from the main gate — a buggy is available for visitors with mobility concerns, which the site handles gracefully. Coming down toward the temples in the early morning light, the lake visible through the desert scrub, the great facade appearing as you round the final corner — this arrival is different from the Sound and Light Show’s revelation in darkness. It is slower, and in some ways more powerful. The light builds gradually. The statues emerge from the dawn in stages.
THE TEMPLE OF RAMSES II
Stand at the entrance and look up before you go in. The four seated colossi are 20 metres tall — approximately six storeys. They represent Ramses II wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt, his hands flat on his knees, his expression of absolute serene certainty that has been looking south from this cliff face for 3,200 years. The second statue from the left is damaged — an earthquake in antiquity brought the upper portion down, and it has remained as it fell.
The facade is carved with reliefs showing Ramses smiting enemies of Egypt. Above the entrance in a niche sits the figure of Ra-Harakhty — the falcon-headed sun god. Ramses was not building a monument to the gods here in any straightforward sense. He was building a monument to himself and placing the gods in the service of his own immortality.
Inside the Great Hall
The Great Hall is supported by eight Osiride pillars fronted with standing statues of Ramses II in his role as Osiris. The walls carry painted reliefs of the Battle of Kadesh — the largest chariot battle in ancient history, fought in 1274 BC against the Hittites. Ramses is shown in his chariot, bow drawn, the Hittite forces in chaos before him. It is propaganda — the battle was actually a draw — but it is propaganda executed with extraordinary energy and craft.
The colours in the reliefs are among the best-preserved in Egypt. The burial of the temples in desert sand for centuries protected them from the elements, and the pigments in the Great Hall retain a vividness that feels impossible for paint that is 3,200 years old.
THE INNER SANCTUARY AND THE SOLAR ALIGNMENT
At the far end of the temple, the inner sanctuary contains four seated figures: Ramses II, Ptah, Amun-Ra, and Ra-Harakhty. They sit side by side in the darkness.
On two days of the year — February 22nd and October 22nd — the alignment of the temple with the rising sun sends light travelling the full length of the Great Hall into the inner sanctuary, illuminating three of the four figures. Ptah, the god of darkness, remains in shadow. The two dates correspond to ancient Egyptian celebrations of the cultivation season and the flood season — the two events on which the entire agricultural economy depended.
The precision of this alignment, carved into a cliff face 3,200 years ago without surveying instruments, without calculators, is the single most extraordinary architectural achievement at Abu Simbel. And when the temples were relocated 65 metres up the cliff face, the engineers maintained this alignment to within one day of the original.
THE TEMPLE OF HATHOR — THE TEMPLE OF NEFERTARI
Walk east from the main temple to the smaller Temple of Hathor, built by Ramses II for his Great Royal Wife Nefertari — the queen whose love he recorded in poetry, whose tomb in the Valley of the Queens is the most beautiful in Egypt.
The facade carries six colossal standing figures — four of Ramses, two of Nefertari — each approximately 10 metres tall. This is extraordinary. In virtually every temple in Egypt, royal wives appear as small figures beside the legs of the pharaoh. Here, Nefertari stands at the same height as Ramses. The inscription beside her figure reads: “For whom the sun does shine.” Ramses built this temple for a woman he regarded as his equal, which in the context of ancient Egypt is a statement of remarkable personal feeling.
Inside, the Temple of Hathor is smaller and more intimate than the main temple. The atmosphere is quieter. In our experience, it is the more moving of the two.
PRACTICAL NOTES FOR THE TEMPLES
Opening hours: 6 am to 5 pm summer; 6 am to 4 pm winter — confirm on arrival.
Entry tickets: Purchase at the main entrance, or through your driver/Egyptologist.
Photography: Permitted outside. Rules inside vary — check the current policy at the entrance.
Mobility access: Buggy available from the main gate to the temple facade. Ask at the entrance.
Time required: Minimum 2 hours for both temples; 3 hours if you want proper time in the Great Hall and inner sanctuary.
GETTING TO ABU SIMBEL
By Private Car (Recommended)
A private driver through Egyptian Edu Travel gives you flexibility over departure time, the ability to stop along the route, and the experience of the Nubian desert landscape in both directions. 3.5 hours each way from Aswan.
Quote promo code TTT2024 for a 5% discount when booking through Egyptian Edu Travel.
Contact: [email protected]
By Flight
EgyptAir operates flights from Aswan to Abu Simbel — 48 minutes. The airport is 4.5km from the temple complex. All Cairo to Abu Simbel flights route via Aswan; there is no direct flight from Cairo.
By Tour Bus
Group tours run from Aswan in the pre-dawn hours for a daytime visit. This allows you to see the temples but misses the Sound and Light Show and the sunrise experience entirely. Not our recommendation.
OUR OTHER EGYPT GUIDES
Abu Simbel was the final destination of our 21-day Egypt journey. Our other guides cover each part of the trip:
– Four Days in Luxor — Valley of the Kings, Karnak, Hatshepsut, Sofitel Winter Palace
– Two Days in Aswan — Old Cataract Hotel, Philae Temple, Nubian Village
– Nile Dahabiya Cruise — Nour El Nil’s Malouka from Esna to Aswan
– Cairo in Three Days — Pyramids, Egyptian Museum, Coptic Cairo, Khan el-Khalili
– Two Days in Alexandria — Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Catacombs, Pompey’s Pillar
– The Best Egypt Itinerary — 8, 15 and 21 day options
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
When to Go
October to April. November is excellent — manageable daytime heat, cool nights, and fewer visitors than the December to February peak. The solar alignment visits (February 22nd and October 22nd) attract larger crowds; book everything well in advance if your dates coincide.
What to Wear
Lightweight, breathable clothing for daytime. A proper jacket for the Sound and Light Show — the desert night is cold from October to March. Comfortable walking shoes.
Safety
The Aswan to Abu Simbel route has consistent security checkpoints. We felt entirely safe throughout. Your driver manages the paperwork at each checkpoint.
Visa
Most international visitors obtain an Egyptian visa on arrival at Cairo, Luxor, and Aswan airports. Check current requirements for your passport before travel.
Travel Insurance
Essential. Egypt’s major cities have good medical facilities; Abu Simbel’s remoteness makes comprehensive coverage more important than at accessible destinations.
Travel is full of unforgettable moments — but sometimes the unexpected happens too. That’s why we always recommend travelling with insurance. Ekta Travel Insurance offers flexible coverage options to help protect your trip, so you can focus on enjoying the adventure ahead.
THE VERDICT
We came to Abu Simbel at the end of three weeks in Egypt. We had been preparing for it, in a sense, since Cairo — each temple, each tomb, each hieroglyphic relief building toward a cumulative understanding that arrived, finally, at the Sound and Light Show on a cold desert night.
The feeling of completion we felt walking back from the show that evening was real, and it was earned. Abu Simbel is where Egypt makes sense — where the political ambition, the religious imagination, the engineering capability, and the sheer human determination to be remembered are most purely expressed. Everything else we had seen across three weeks was context for what we found here.
Two days. Not one.
The Sound and Light Show in the evening. The sunrise visit in the morning. The drive through the Nubian desert. The cold night air and the silence of Lake Nasser and the four statues looking south across three millennia.
It was the right way to end.
With thanks to Egyptian Edu Travel for organising our private driver and Egyptologist throughout our 21 days in Egypt. Quote promo code TTT2024 for a 5% discount on all Egyptian Edu Travel services. Contact [email protected].
BUDGET GUIDE: TWO DAYS IN ABU SIMBEL
GETTING THERE FROM ASWAN
Transport options and approximate costs:
Private car return from Aswan to Abu Simbel (Egyptian Edu Travel, recommended):
USD 150-200 for a private vehicle. Split between two people, this is USD 75-100 each.
Quote promo code TTT2024 for 5% discount. Contact [email protected]
Flight Aswan to Abu Simbel one way (EgyptAir):
Approximately USD 60-120 per person one way, depending on season and booking lead time.
Note: All Cairo to Abu Simbel flights route via Aswan. No direct Cairo to Abu Simbel service.
Group tour bus from Aswan to Abu Simbel (day trip, no overnight):
Approximately USD 40-70 per person. Does not include Sound and Light Show or overnight stay.
Not our recommended approach for the reasons explained in the main guide.
ENTRY AND ACTIVITIES
Temple entry fee:
Approximately EGP 600 per person (approximately USD 12-15 at current exchange rates).
Confirm current pricing at the entrance as Egyptian entry fees are updated periodically.
Sound and Light Show ticket:
Approximately EGP 250 per person (approximately USD 5-8).
Book in advance through soundandlight.show/en/show/abu-simbel-show
Different shows run in different languages on different evenings — check the schedule for your dates.
Optional: buggy from the main entrance to the temple facade:
Small fee (approximately EGP 20-50) for visitors who prefer not to walk the downhill path.
ACCOMMODATION
Seti Abu Simbel Lake Resort (recommended, the only significant hotel in Abu Simbel):
Standard room: approximately USD 80-120 per night
Superior/lake view room: approximately USD 100-150 per night
Presidential Suite (what we stayed in): significantly higher, varies by season
This is the primary hotel in Abu Simbel, and it books out ahead of peak season. – book here
Budget alternative — guesthouses in Abu Simbel village:
Approximately USD 25-50 per room per night. Limited facilities, but significantly cheaper for budget-conscious travellers.
Check accommodation rates here
FOOD AND DRINK
Dinner at Seti Abu Simbel restaurant (alfresco, lake views):
Approximately USD 20-35 per person, including drinks.
Local Egyptian beer Sakkara: approximately USD 3-5 per bottle.
Lunch at the temple area (limited options):
Small cafeteria near the site entrance: approximately USD 5-10 per person.
Recommendation: eat a proper lunch at the hotel before the afternoon rest, and save the alfresco dinner at the Seti for the evening after the Sound and Light Show.
Halfway stop, Sarab Cafe (Aswan to Abu Simbel route):
Water and snacks: approximately USD 2-5. Bring your own water for the full journey.
FULL TWO-DAY BUDGET SUMMARY
Budget per person based on two people travelling together:
Budget traveller (shared private car, standard room, careful eating):
Transport: USD 75-100 (shared private car)
Accommodation: USD 40-60 (standard room, per person share)
Temple entry: USD 12-15
Sound and Light Show: USD 5-8
Food (2 days): USD 30-50
TOTAL: approximately USD 162-233 per person
Mid-range (private car, lake view room, full restaurant dining):
Transport: USD 75-100
Accommodation: USD 50-75 per person share
Temple entry: USD 12-15
Sound and Light Show: USD 5-8
Food (2 days): USD 60-90
TOTAL: approximately USD 202-288 per person
Flights option (fly one way, drive one way or both ways by air):
Add approximately USD 60-120 per person per one-way flight to the above figures.
MONEY-SAVING TIPS FOR ABU SIMBEL
Book the Seti Abu Simbel early. It is the only significant hotel, and it fills. Last-minute booking is not reliable and the alternatives are limited.
Buy the Sound and Light Show tickets in advance online. The website (soundandlight.show) allows advance purchase and confirms your language show — important as different languages run on different evenings.
Bring water from Aswan. Water at the temple site and at the halfway stop is available but more expensive than buying in Aswan before departure. The desert heat and the temple visit require significant hydration.
Travel with Egyptian Edu Travel in a private car. The 5% discount with code TTT2024 applies to all their services, and the private driver gives you flexibility over timing that a group tour cannot match — particularly important for the early 6 am arrival at the temples.
The temple entry fee covers both the Temple of Ramses II and the Temple of Hathor. No separate ticket required for the smaller temple.
QUICK REFERENCE
Don’t miss: Sound and Light Show (evening, Day 1), sunrise arrival at 6 am (Day 2), inner sanctuary solar alignment explanation, Temple of Nefertari facade (six colossal statues at equal height), the relocation story told by your Egyptologist
Stay: Seti Abu Simbel Lake Resort — book well in advance
Get there: Private car with Egyptian Edu Travel (quote TTT2024 for 5% off) or EgyptAir from Aswan (48 minutes)
Buy tickets: Temple entry at the gate; Sound and Light Show at soundandlight.show in advance
Wear: Lightweight clothing for the day; jacket essential for the evening show October to March
Best time: October to April; November is excellent
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Oh wow, that place looks beautiful! Would love to go there, Thank you for sharing!