Abu Simbel Tour from Aswan: Private Overnight with Sunset & Sunrise
Aperçu
Almost everyone sees Abu Simbel the same way: a 3:00 AM departure from Aswan, three hours in the dark, ninety minutes at the temples in a crowd, and three hours back. This private abu simbel tour does the opposite. You leave Aswan mid-morning, stay the night in the village, and have the temples at sunset and again at sunrise — the two hours of the day when hardly anyone else is there.
Ramses II cut both temples straight into a sandstone cliff in the thirteenth century BC. Three thousand years later they were cut apart again: when the High Dam raised Lake Nasser, an international team sawed the whole complex into more than a thousand blocks and rebuilt it sixty-five metres higher on an artificial hill. Standing in front of the four colossi, you cannot see the joins.
You travel in your own air-conditioned vehicle with a licensed Egyptologist who stays with you across both days. Hotel, temple tickets and the Sound and Light show are all arranged before you arrive.
Itinéraire jour par jour
Day 1 — Late-morning pickup and the drive south across the desert
Your Egyptologist collects you from your Aswan hotel or cruise berth at around 10:00 AM. The road runs 280 kilometres south-west across open desert, three to three and a half hours with a stop along the way. Most travellers do this drive twice in one exhausting day; you do it once, at a civilised hour.
Day 1 — Check in beside Lake Nasser
You arrive in Abu Simbel village in the early afternoon and check into a simple, clean hotel on the shore of Lake Nasser. There are no luxury properties here, and that is part of the appeal: the village empties out every afternoon and you have it largely to yourself.
Day 1 — Late afternoon and sunset at the two temples
You reach the temples in the late afternoon, as the coaches and the morning convoy are pulling away. The four seated colossi of Ramses II catch the low sun full on, and you have time to walk into the Great Temple, through the hall of Osiride pillars to the sanctuary, and then across to the smaller temple Ramses dedicated to Nefertari. Your guide reads the Battle of Kadesh reliefs with you rather than at you.
Day 1 — The Sound and Light show, then overnight in Abu Simbel
After dark the temples are lit for the Sound and Light show, projected onto the rock face itself. Your ticket is included. Afterwards you return to the hotel for the night, the only travellers left in the village.
Day 2 — Sunrise at the Great Temple, then the return to Aswan
You are back at the gate as it opens, before the first convoy from Aswan arrives. First light on the facade is the reason people who have seen Abu Simbel twice keep coming back. After breakfast at the hotel, you drive north and reach Aswan by early afternoon.
Points forts
- Overnight in Abu Simbel — the temples once the day-trippers have gone
- Sunset and sunrise at the facade, not a rushed 40-minute window
- Sound and Light show ticket already included
- Your own air-conditioned vehicle for the 280 km desert drive
- A licensed Egyptologist with you on both days
- Hotel night, breakfast and both temple tickets all arranged
- One direct WhatsApp contact from booking to drop-off
Inclus & non inclus
- Private air-conditioned transfers from your Aswan hotel or cruise berth
- One night in a lakeside hotel in Abu Simbel village
- Breakfast at your hotel on day two
- Entrance tickets to the Great Temple of Ramses II and the Temple of Nefertari
- Ticket for the evening Sound and Light show at the temples
- Professional English-speaking Egyptologist guide on both days
- Bottled water throughout the trip
- All taxes included
- Lunch and dinner
- Optional flight upgrade between Aswan and Abu Simbel
- Drinks and personal expenses
- Gratuities and tips
- Anything not mentioned in the Included list
Questions fréquentes
How long is the Abu Simbel tour?
Two days and one night. Pickup from your Aswan hotel is around 10:00 AM on day one, and you are back in Aswan by early afternoon on day two.
Is Abu Simbel worth staying overnight for?
If you care about the temples rather than the photograph, yes. The overnight version gives you sunset, the Sound and Light show and sunrise, and it removes six hours of driving from a single day. Travellers who have done both almost always prefer this one.
How far is Abu Simbel from Aswan?
About 280 kilometres south-west, three to three and a half hours by road across open desert. There are also short daily flights, which we can arrange instead of the drive.
What is included in the price?
Private air-conditioned transfers from your Aswan hotel or cruise berth, one night in a lakeside hotel with breakfast, entrance tickets to both temples, your Sound and Light show ticket, an Egyptologist guide on both days, and bottled water.
What is not included?
Lunch and dinner, drinks and personal expenses, gratuities, and the optional flight upgrade between Aswan and Abu Simbel.
How much does the Abu Simbel tour cost?
From 290 USD per person. The exact quote depends on group size, pickup point and whether you choose the road or the flight. Send us your dates and we price it precisely, with no obligation.
When does the sun align with the inner sanctuary?
On 22 February and 22 October the sunrise reaches down the full axis of the Great Temple and lights the seated statues of Ramses, Amun and Ra-Horakhty. Those two mornings book out far ahead, so tell us early if you want them.
How do I book?
Contact us by email, phone or WhatsApp. We confirm availability, answer your questions, and send a quote with no obligation.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Great Temple facade by Arian Zwegers (CC BY 2.0); facade detail by UNESCO (CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO); temple of Nefertari by Olaf Tausch (CC BY 3.0); Lake Nasser by Ad Meskens (CC BY-SA 3.0); sunrise by Ladyzebra (CC BY-SA 3.0).
