Aswan Travel Forum

Hi all,

I'm going to be in Aswan for 2 days. What would be the most economical and fastest way for me to go to Abu Simbel from there.
I need to be back in Aswan by 8pm on the 2nd day for me to catch a night train back to Cairo.
First time to Egypt and I'm very excited!

Pls help with feedback and suggestions.

Thanks people!

That might interest me. Do you have a trip that leaves early to AS in order to see sunrise there as well?

Could you try and be as specific as possible as to how much this coach trip will cost?

cheers.

There are basically two ways to get to Abu Simbel, fly or go by bus as part of a convoy escorted by the military. The flight is about 25 minutes and costs about $200 which includes transporation, entrance fees, and a guide. The bus trip is 4 hours each way. The day we went the bus left about 1:30 in the morning and our flight left about 3:00 AM. Our return flight left about 7:30. ABu Simbel is very small and the site is close to the airport so most of your time is spent at the site. Not sure when the buses returned. There is nothing to see between Aswan and Abu Simbel except possibly Lake Nasser but trip to Abu Simbel is in the dark. Don't know about the trip back. The day we went it was very crowded and we were glad we got there well in advance of the people on buses.

I would definitely recommend taking a flight to Abu Simbel. Sure, it costs more than the convoy but (1) you'll save a heap of time that you can spend seeing other things in Aswan; (2) do you really want to spend 8-9 hours on a bus travelling through the desert?; (3) if you get the right flights you'll arrive when convoys *aren't* there, so you only have a planeload of other people to contend with rather than several buses worth.

Oops, forgot to add: unless you're staying overnight in Abu Simbel, then you'll have to fly back on the first flight out after you arrive. That's OK however as it gives you more than enough time to see the site.

Many thanks for that Brian and Sally-- sounds very good advice to me. I will be on one of those cruise ships down the Nile that, I assume, will moor up at Aswan. The company does offer it's tours to AS but seems very costly. No real times mentioned other than a very early departure. No times given either as regards the trip by air.

In all honesty, are we talking about a 'must see' site? We will probably be seeing a lot during the course of the trip.

Is it a "must see"? I think it's certainly almost at that status. If you make the side trip to see it you'll certainly be glad you went, but on the other hand if it doesn't happen and you can't get there, don't think that you've missed out on the ultimate Egypt experience.

In our opinion, we would have enjoyed it less if we had to get up at an ungodly hour in the morning for a several hour bus trip through the desert to get there, then have the same to look forward to going back, hence our recommendation to take the plane if possible even though it will cost more. We still would have taken the convoy if there was no other choice though.

Make the effort and go if you can, it's worth the time and expense. Of the three photos from our Egypt trip that we decided to enlarge and frame and put on our holiday wall, one of them was from Abu Simbel. But if you can't make it, it won't be the end of the world.

Many thanks for that very sound advice. Did you book the flights whilst you were in Aswan or did you do it through a tour operator(i am going with First Choice). Can you actually go inside the atriums etc of the Abu Simbel?

Many reports I have read talk about horrendous crowds etc. I wonder if there is anything like a high or low season for the visit. Maybe some local people may respond to that. We will be there in mid April.

I saw a programme on TV last night about engineering in ancient Egypt. I understand that the Abu Simbel had to be moved stone by stone because it was at risk of flooding on Lake Nasser. They moved it 600yds back to higher ground. That is why I asked about the inside atriums etc. It was not clear if the whole thing was moved or just the main stautes etc.

We booked the flights before we left home via a local agent - but then Egypt Air went and changed the flight times on us anyway so we ended spending a while in the local Egypt Air office in Aswan sorting it out anyway! I imagine if you wanted to do it locally it'd be fine. If you book beforehand, visit a local EA office when you arrive and confirm the tickets ("don't assume, check everything" is our motto)

I don't know about seasonal crowds, but we timed our flights to Abu Simbel to be there when the daily convoy wasn't - so it was just a planeload of us there and nobody else.

The temples were moved in their entirity, including building a false hillside so that you can see the temples as they would have looked before moving them. Inside, outside, it's all there and able to be viewed. That fact alone almost makes it worth visiting, just to try and comprehend what a task it must have been!

We booked the flights before we left home via a local agent - but then Egypt Air went and changed the flight times on us anyway so we ended spending a while in the local Egypt Air office in Aswan sorting it out anyway! I imagine if you wanted to do it locally it'd be fine. If you book beforehand, visit a local EA office when you arrive and confirm the tickets ("don't assume, check everything" is our motto)

I don't know about seasonal crowds, but we timed our flights to Abu Simbel to be there when the daily convoy wasn't - so it was just a planeload of us there and nobody else.

The temples were moved in their entirity, including building a false hillside so that you can see the temples as they would have looked before moving them. Inside, outside, it's all there and able to be viewed. That fact alone almost makes it worth visiting, just to try and comprehend what a task it must have been!