My video takes you through Abu Simbel’s Great Temple, starting at the entrance flanked by colossal statues of Ramses II and then into its ornate interior. Click the icon in the lower righthand corner of the player to expand the video.
Home to two of ancient Egypt’s most iconic temples, Abu Simbel isn’t easily reached by solo travelers. Here’s how I made it to the town and toured the ruins.
Constructed by Ramses II (ruled 1279-1213 BCE) during the 19th dynasty, the temples of Abu Simbel are a shining example of the artistic excellence of ancient Egypt. The Great Temple was built in honor of the pharaoh, whose likeness was recreated by the four colossal statues flanking the entrance. The Small Temple was dedicated to Nefertari, Ramses’ beloved queen.
If you are a solo traveler like myself who prefers to arrange your own transportation, Abu Simbel isn’t the easiest place to reach. The remote Saharan town, which is near the Sudanese border on the bank of massive Lake Nasser, is nearly 300 km (~185 miles) south of Aswan, the nearest population center of note. Nevertheless, it is an essential stop for anyone who wants to fully experience the remnants of ancient Egypt’s extraordinary dominion along the Nile River Valley.
Including how I got there and where I stayed, here are my notes on taking a self-guided tour of Abu Simbel:
1. Book a flight from Aswan
While there are ground transportation options from Aswan to Abu Simbel, taking a flight is significantly safer and more efficient. It takes approximately 30 minutes from wheels up to touchdown. Walking along the road leaving Abu Simbel’s tiny airport, I encountered a few tuktuk drivers. One of them agreed to take me into town (~5-minute ride) for around $200 EGP ($4 USD).
Attempting to cover the same distance on land is risky at best.
I spoke to an experienced backpacker at my hotel on Aswan’s Elephantine Island who rode the shuttle there and back; he didn’t recommend it. The desert road is poorly maintained and apparently shuts down at night due to limited visibility and the persistent threat of sandstorms. Near the end of his return trip to Aswan, he said the driver demanded an exorbitant tip. After a short but tense exchange, he managed to talk him down to a nominal amount.
You could also hire a taxi, but I believe the high cost and potential difficulties of finding a return driver make it an unreasonable option.
2. Find a place to stay
This one shouldn’t be too hard; even though Abu Simbel is only a fraction of the size of Nile River Valley hubs like Aswan, Luxor, and Cairo, there are several places to stay. I found a cheap homestay called Nabra that I shared with a Brazilian couple who had arrived from the Red Sea.
The major factor that you should consider when making your lodging choice is the distance to the ruins. It took me around 20 minutes to reach the ticket windows from Nabra, which is in the center of town. There are hotels even closer if you want to make your commute shorter, or you could also take a tuktuk.
3. Arrive early at the temples
The temples open at 6 a.m.; I recommend getting there before that time and waiting for the gates to open to give yourself the best jump on the crowd. Once you purchase your ticket ($750 EGP/~$15.50 USD) and clear security, you still have a few minutes’ walk downhill before you reach the ruins. Walking quickly, I was one of the first to make it to the entrance of the Great Temple. There was already a large tour group from a docked cruise ship gathered near the walkway.
Penetrating nearly 200 feet (~61 m) into the mountainside, the Great Temple is dedicated to the Egyptian sun gods Amon-Re and Re-Horakte. Adding to the four 66-feet-tall (~20 m) statues flanking the entrance, the three side-by-side hallways feature additional statues of Ramses II and paintings of his alleged triumph at the Battle of Kadesh.
Just to the north of the Great Temple is the Small Temple that was constructed in honor of Nefertari. After finishing up at the Great Temple as the morning tour groups began to fill its interior, I got a more intimate look at the queen’s temple. The entrance is surrounded by 35-feet-tall (~11 m) statues of Ramses II and Nefertari. I found the interior of the Small Temple, which is dedicated to the goddess Hathor, to be even more beautiful than the Great Temple.
During your tour of the temples, it’s important to remember that their present position isn’t where they were originally located. When the Aswan High Dam project got underway in the 1960s, the site was in imminent danger of being lost forever beneath the rising waters of mammoth Lake Nasser. A multinational engineering effort led by UNESCO deconstructed the temples and reassembled them around 200 feet (~61 m) above where they were first built.
4. Attend the light show
Like other major archaeological sites along Egypt’s Nile River Valley, Abu Simbel regularly hosts multiple light shows daily after dark (I was traveling during the month of Ramadan, which limited it to only one.) Tickets for the presentation, which gives a dramatic, approximately half-hour summary of the temples’ history, are available for purchase at Bazaar No. 2 next to the main entrance for $1000 EGP (~$20 USD).
My show began at 8 p.m.; I recommend showing up 30 minutes early to get a good seat. Most of the audience was Japanese, so the prerecorded audio from the speakers was narrated in their native language. Headphones are distributed with several channels that translate the show into common languages like English.
Expect somewhat cool and gusty conditions at the light show; while the Sahara is often scorching during the daytime, the temperature drops significantly in the overnight hours. Crisp winds off the lake whipped constantly during the presentation that I attended, so you may want to pack a light jacket.
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