The temples of Abu Simbel are among the top historical destinations in Egypt.
These temples, with their colossal statues, were carved into a hillside over 3200 years ago during the reign of Ramesses the Great, and are a must-visit for any history lover in Egypt.
But because of its remote location in the far south of Egypt, only 20km from the Sudanese border, reaching Abu Simbel isn’t as straightforward as most other historical sites in the country. You’ll first need to reach Aswan before covering another few hundred kilometres to the temples.
In this quick but detailed Abu Simbel guide I’ll walk you through everything you need to know to visit the ancient temples in 2025 – including how to get there, when to go and what to expect once you arrive.
Table of Contents
About Abu Simbel
The temples of Abu Simbel were built in the 13th century BCE, during the reign of Ramesses II. To put this into perspective, this was about 1000 years after the main pyramid building period of Egypt’s history. By this point Egypt was already an established civilization with a long history.
Ramesses II (often called Ramesses The Great) was one of the most influential rulers of ancient Egypt, and a prolific builder. If you come across a statue of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, chances are it’s Ramesses II.
At the time, Abu Simbel was right on the southern frontier of Egypt, bordering Nubia. It’s believed that the temples were built not just for religious worship, but to demonstrate the pharaoh’s power to the conquered people of Nubia.
There are 2 temples at Abu Simbel:
- The Great Temple is dedicated to the sun god Amun-Ra. Its facade is dominated by 4 massive statues of Ramesses II, although one is partially collapsed. Twice a year, on 22nd February and 22nd October, the morning sun aligns perfectly and shines directly into the temple entrance, illuminating the inner sanctuary.
- The Smaller Temple was built in honour of Queen Nefertari, Ramesses’ wife, and is dedicated to the goddess Hathor. Its facade statues are of both the queen and the pharaoh.
Abu Simbel became largely swallowed up by the sands of the Sahara desert until it was ‘rediscovered’ in 1813.
Originally, Abu Simbel as we know it today is not where it was originally built. In the 1960s, when the construction of the Aswan High Dam threatened to submerged several ancient sites along the Nile, a massive international project, led by UNESCO, went underway to relocate Abu Simbel, along with the Philae Temple and several other monuments.
Over the course of 4 years the temples were dismantled piece-by-piece and relocated to higher ground just a few metres above the new water line. The project was an incredible feat of archeological engineering, and is arguably almost as impressive as the construction of the temples themselves.
Best time to visit Abu Simbel
Does the time of year matter when visiting Abu Simbel?
While the site is open all year round, choosing the right time of year to visit Abu Simbel, and Egypt in general, can make quite a difference – especially if you’re not used to hot climates.
Abu Simbel can get HOT. It is located in the Sahara Desert after all. The hottest months are between May and September, especially from June to August, when daytime temperatures will consistently stay around 40℃ and above.
The best time to visit Abu Simbel, and Egypt in general, is between October and April, or ideally between December and February. During this time of year the daytime temperatures generally stay between 20 to 30℃.
The downside is this is also the busiest time of the year, and you’ll have to contend with more tourists who also have the same idea as you.
You don’t need to worry about any rainy seasons in Abu Simbel. In fact, Egypt receives the lowest amount of rainfall of any country in the world (according to the World Bank), and when it does it’s mostly near the Mediterranean coast.
How to get to Abu Simbel
Abu Simbel is located in the far south of Egypt, about 20km from the Sudanese border.
It’s one of the most isolated historical sites in Egypt, but don’t let this deter you from visiting. It has become a very popular tourist attraction and getting there is pretty simple.
No matter which transportation option you choose to reach Abu Simbel, you will need to get yourself to Aswan first. Aswan is the closest major city to the site and the main jumping-off point.
The drive from Aswan to Abu Simbel is around 3 to 4 hours. It’s quite a long drive through some of the most barren landscape on Earth, but it’s worth it every minute.
Aswan is easy to reach from any other major city in Egypt. Whether you’re coming from Alexandria, Cairo or Luxor, you can reach Aswan by either flight, bus or train. In my experience, a domestic flight to Aswan is roughly the same price as the train ticket, making it the obvious choice.
Once you arrive in Aswan, there are 4 ways to reach Abu Simbel:
Tour
The most convenient way to reach Abu Simbel from Aswan is by booking a guided tour.
A half-day tour to Abu Simbel is the top tourist activity in Aswan. If you spend just a little time around the city you’ll notice how common these tours are, and will no doubt have people trying to sell them to you.
Most tours to Abu Simbel start bright and early, with pick-ups from your accommodation starting around 5 to 6am. This may seem early, but it’s so you can get to the site and explore it before the intense heat starts.
Once you’re there, your tour will likely last from 90min to 2 hours before making the long drive back. Overall, you’ll likely spend more time driving than at the site, but it’s worth it.
If you’re going to book a guided tour to Abu Simbel from Aswan, I suggest against booking through any random person who offers, and instead booking through a reputable company on an established site, such as Get Your Guide.
Private Car
If guided tours aren’t your thing, hiring a private car and driver is a convenient alternative.
Your driver will pick you up from your accommodation, drive you to Abu Simbel and wait for you while you explore the site before driving you back to Aswan.
Finding a driver isn’t difficult. Spend even a little time around Aswan and you’ll no doubt be offered. Just like with tours, I suggest against booking with any random taxi driver who offers. The drive to Abu Simbel is long, and the last thing you want is to make that journey in a beat-up old car without AC.
If you have the option, I suggest booking through your hotel reception as it’s generally more reliable and comes with less chance of being scammed or ripped off.
You should expect the private car to Aswan to cost between $40 to $60 USD, depending on your haggling skills.
Bus
It is possible to get a public bus from Aswan to Abu Simbel, but there’s a catch.
There’s one public bus that departs from Aswan Bus Station at 8am. Tickets can be purchased at the station, but not online in advance. The bus will drop you in the town of Abu Simbel itself, and from here you’ll need to pay a tuk tuk driver to take you the rest of the way to the historical site.
Getting to Abu Simbel this way is fairly simple, but getting back is a different story. The only bus back to Aswan is the same one you arrived on, and it departs about 30min after it arrives. In other words, visiting Abu Simbel and catching a bus back to Aswan on the same day isn’t an option.
From here you have 2 options. You can either stay in Abu Simbel town overnight and catch the bus back to Aswan the next day, or you may be able to score a seat on one of the shared minivans that depart from near Abu Simbel bus station when they’re full.
Depending on how you choose to return to Aswan, reaching Abu Simbel this way will cost between $20 to $30 USD.
Fly
The fastest, but most expensive, way to go from Aswan to Abu Simbel is to fly.
EgyptAir runs regular flights from Aswan International Airport to Abu Simbel airport, which takes about 45min one way. You’ll also need to account for the roughly 30min it takes to get to and from downtown Aswan to the airport.
Once you land in Abu Simbel, EgyptAir runs a return bus service from the airport to the site.
It’s important to plan ahead if you’re planning to fly to Abu Simbel, because the flight schedule seems to be inconsistent. You can check for flights directly on EgyptAir’s website, although you may find it easier to search between different dates using Skyscanner.
Overall, a return flight from Aswan to Abu Simbel should set you back between $200 to $300 USD. While it’s a lot more expensive than any other transportation options, it’s significantly faster than the roughly 8 hour overland journey.
Abu Simbel Entrance Ticket
You can purchase your Abu Simbel entrance tickets upon arrival at the entrance, or online in advance from the official website.
The prices for Abu Simbel ticket prices in 2025 are:
- 750 EGP – Adult
- 375 EGP – Student
During the ‘sun alignment’ (22nd February and 22nd October) ticket prices increase to 1200 and 600 EGP.
Abu Simbel Opening Hours
Abu Simbel is open from 6am to 4pm all year round, both summer and winter.
The only exception to this is during Ramadan, when the hours are reduced to 7am to 3pm.
What to expect
The drive to Abu Simbel
Unless you plan on flying, you’re going to have to make the long overland journey to Abu Simbel. The drive takes about 3 to 4 hours through some of the most barren landscape on Earth.
It used to be that tourists had to travel in a police-escorted convoy, but thankfully that was abolished in 2016. Although you will still pass through a couple of police checkpoints along the way.
Along the way there is at least one rest stop where you can use the restroom, grab some food & coffee, and stretch your legs.
The Entrance
Regardless of which way you reach Abu Simbel, your bus or car will drop you off at the parking lot, where you’ll also find a small restaurant.
From here it’s only a short walk to the entrance. Unless you already have your ticket, don’t immediately join the line entering the site. First, you need to purchase your ticket from the ticket booth, which is separate to the site entrance.
The ticket booth accepts card payments only, no cash.
The Temples
Once you’ve entered the site, you’ll follow a paved path around the artificial hill, leading first to the Great Temple. Just beyond it lies the Small Temple.
The interiors of both are open to visitors, where you’ll get up close with more colossal statues, the inner sanctuary and detailed reliefs depicting Ramesses’ victory at the Battle of Kadesh against the Hittites.
Being a popular tourist destination, Abu Simbel can get crowded. While there’s plenty of space outside the temples, the interiors can get hot, crowded and uncomfortable.
Abu Simbel consists of only these 2 temples, with no additional ruins or structures to explore.
The Exit
You’ll exit the site using a different path than where you entered. Along the way you’ll pass by the visitor’s centre, which provides some insight into how the Abu Simbel temples were relocated in the 1960s.
As is typical of Egyptian tourist sites, to exit you’ll have to pass through a series of gift shops where shop owners will harass you to buy their products.
Overall, you should plan to spend at least 90min to explore the full site at a comfortable pace.
