How to Visit Abu Simbel: Tour, Cruise or Package

There are four ways to see Abu Simbel with us: a day tour from Aswan, a Lake Nasser cruise that ends there, an optional excursion from a Nile cruise, or a package that adds it to Cairo and the Nile. The site is open daily from 06:00 to 17:00, with last entry at 16:00, and every route involves an early start.

Key Takeaways

The Great Temple is dedicated to Ramses II and the gods Ptah, Re-Horakhty and Amun-Re; the smaller temple honors Queen Nefertari and the goddess Hathor.
Both temples were moved in the 1960s, in a UNESCO-led effort, to keep them above the rising waters of Lake Nasser.
Twice a year, on February 22 and October 22, the Sun Festival aligns the temple with the sun to light the sanctuary statues.
Our packages reach Abu Simbel by road from Aswan on the 8 Days Egypt Christmas Holiday, the 8 Days Egypt Tour Package for Family and the 09 Days Egypt and Nubia Tour, and by a short flight from Aswan on the 10 Days Luxury Holiday Tour Egypt.
The Lake Nasser cruises arrive by boat on the fourth evening, so the temples are the first stop of the last morning.

Four ways to get there

Way	Example	How the day works
Day tour from Aswan	Abu Simbel Tour	A day from Aswan with hotel pickup and a private Egyptologist guide who explains the reliefs
Lake Nasser cruise	Lake Nasser Cruise, Aswan to Abu Simbel	Five days from Aswan; Abu Simbel on the last morning after an optional sound and light show the evening before
Excursion from a Nile cruise	Acamar Nile Cruise between Luxor and Aswan	Listed as an optional extra on the Luxor to Aswan sailing; the page says transfers go by car or by flight, at extra cost
Package including Abu Simbel	8 Days Egypt All Inclusive Holiday	Cairo, a five-star Nile cruise and an early-start excursion to the temples on day four

Choosing a route

You are already in Aswan: the Abu Simbel Tour is the simplest plan. Pair it with a day in Aswan for Philae and the High Dam.
You want the Nubian temples as well: the Steigenberger Omar El Khayam Lake Nasser Cruise and the Mövenpick Prince Abbas Lake Nasser Cruise stop at Kalabsha, Wadi El Seboua, Amada and Derr on the way. Our guide to the Lake Nasser cruise gives the day-by-day route.
You are on a classic Nile cruise: take the Abu Simbel option on a Luxor to Aswan sailing. See which cruise direction offers it.
You are building a longer trip: the 09 Days Egypt and Nubia Tour adds Abu Simbel to Giza, Luxor, Philae, Kalabsha and a Nubian village; the 10 Days Luxury Holiday Tour Egypt flies from Aswan to Abu Simbel and then on to Cairo; the 8 Days Trip to Egypt from the USA makes it a private excursion on day seven.

What you see

The Great Temple's four colossal seated figures of Ramses II sit at the entrance, each described on one itinerary as about as tall as a five-storey building. The interior reliefs are the reason to go inside. Our article on the Battle of Kadesh says Abu Simbel depicted scenes of that battle and celebrated the king's divine right to rule, and the Statue of Ramesses II covers the king himself. The smaller temple is for Nefertari and Hathor. More background is on our pages for the Abu Simbel temples.

Families will find the scale registers on everyone regardless of age, which is how the 8 Days Egypt Tour Package for Family puts it. Include it in a trip of eight days or more and plan for an early start.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Abu Simbel open? Daily from 06:00 to 17:00, with last entry at 16:00. These are official hours at the time of writing.

When is the Sun Festival? February 22 and October 22.

Can I see it from a Nile cruise? Yes, as an optional excursion on some Luxor to Aswan sailings, at extra cost.

Is a sound and light show offered? Yes, as an optional evening show on the Lake Nasser cruises.

Why were the temples moved? To keep them clear of the rising water of Lake Nasser, in an international effort led by UNESCO in the 1960s.