Aswan Governorate · Lake Nasser · Southern Egypt
Two temples Ramesses II cut into the sandstone above Lake Nasser, some 280 km south of Aswan. Stand under four 20 m colossi, walk the painted halls to the sanctuary, then meet Nefertari's temple next door.
Tours to the temples
In the centre, the most-booked day trip from Aswan, with the entry ticket as an option. On the left, a group tour with the ticket and guide included; on the right, your own car and guide. Every card opens a full tour page.
Ticket included
★ 4.510 hoursFree cancellationA shared day from Aswan with the entry ticket and an English-speaking guide already in the price. Hotel pickup, the drive south and a guided visit of both temples.
Most booked
★ 4.510 hoursFree cancellationThe classic early run south from Aswan by air-conditioned van, with hotel pickup and both temples at the end of the road. Add the entry ticket and a guide when you book.
Private
★ 4.510 hoursFree cancellationYour own car, driver and English-speaking guide for the whole day, with the entry ticket included. You set the pace at the two temples and stop when you want.
Lunch included
★ 4.69 hours
Plus Nubian village
★ 4.710 hours
From Luxor
★ 4.615 hours
By air
★ 4.66 hours
From Cairo
★ 4.714 hours
Overnight
★ 4.82 days
Nile cruise
★ 4.54 daysCompare
Two questions sort most of it: where are you staying, Aswan, Luxor or Cairo, and do you want the entry ticket and a guide in the price? After that it is road or air, and how early you want to start.
| Tour | Starts from | Temple ticket | Best for | Length | From | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abu Simbel Day Trip from Aswan | Hotel pickup in Aswan | Ticket and guide as options | The cheapest way there, ticket added if you want it | 10 hours | $40 | Book |
| Abu Simbel Group Tour with Entry Ticket | Hotel pickup in Aswan | Ticket and guide included | Everything paid in one booking, in a shared group | 10 hours | $65 | Book |
| Abu Simbel Private Tour from Aswan | Hotel pickup in Aswan | Ticket and private guide included | Your own pace, your own guide, no group | 10 hours | $128 | Book |
| Private Abu Simbel Day Trip with Lunch | Hotel pickup in Aswan | Ticket, guide and lunch included | About 3 hours at the temples, then lunch | 9 hours | $145 | Book |
| Abu Simbel & Nubian Village Private Tour | Hotel pickup in Aswan | Ticket, guide and lunch included | The temples and a Nubian village in one day | 10 hours | $166 | Book |
| Abu Simbel Private Day Trip from Luxor | Hotel pickup in Luxor | Ticket, guide and lunch included | Staying in Luxor and only one free day | 15 hours | $194 | Book |
| Abu Simbel by Flight from Aswan | Hotel pickup in Aswan | Ticket, guide and flights included | Skip the long road: fly both ways | 6 hours | $450 | Book |
| Abu Simbel Day Tour from Cairo by Air | Hotel pickup in Cairo | Ticket, flights and guide included | Abu Simbel in a day without leaving Cairo | 14 hours | $691 | Book |
| Abu Simbel 2-Day Private Tour with Felucca | Hotel pickup in Aswan | Ticket, guide and a night included | A night by the lake and the temples without the rush | 2 days | $300 | Book |
| 4-Day Nile Cruise with Abu Simbel | Aswan to Luxor | Entry tickets paid locally | Abu Simbel as part of a cruise to Luxor | 4 days | $580 | Book |
Every tour booked here cancels free up to 24 hours before. The entry ticket itself costs EGP 822 for foreign adults in 2026 on the Ministry's official site, is non-refundable, and the gate takes bank cards, not cash.
Before you book
Ramesses II had two temples cut into the sandstone at Abu Simbel around 1264 to 1244 BC, at the southern edge of his kingdom in Nubia. The Great Temple is his own: four seated colossi of the king guard a hall of pillars that runs deep into the rock. The smaller one honours the goddess Hathor and his queen, Nefertari.
In the 1960s the rising waters of the new Aswan High Dam would have drowned both. A UNESCO campaign cut them into huge blocks and rebuilt them about 65 m higher, where they stand today. One ticket covers both temples; the tours here add the transport, a guide and, on most of them, the ticket itself.
The height of each seated colossus of Ramesses II on the facade of the Great Temple.
Foreign adults, 2026; students EGP 445.5; under 6 free. Cards only at the gate.
Open daily; last entry at 4pm. The sound and light show runs in the evening.
About 280 to 300 km from Aswan: 3.5 hours by road or 45 minutes by air.
On 22 February and 22 October the sunrise reaches the inner sanctuary.
Your visit
The order of a typical day trip from Aswan, from the dark start to the drive home.
Pickup around 4am to 5am, then about 3.5 hours south through the desert, past security checkpoints.
About 3.5 hoursYour guide explains outside; inside you walk the pillared hall to the sanctuary at your own pace.
About an hourA few steps along the cliff: six standing statues outside, the queen and Hathor inside.
30 to 45 minutesThe same road north, back at your hotel by early afternoon on most tours.
About 3.5 hoursPlan your trip
From Aswan, from Luxor or Cairo, by air or staying the night: one tab each.
Where it is
The temples stand on the west shore of Lake Nasser, beside the small village of Abu Simbel and its airport.
Road tours pick you up at your hotel in Aswan and drive south on the desert highway. Flights land at Abu Simbel airport, a short shuttle ride from the temples. Tickets are checked at the gate of the visitor area, a short walk from the temples.
Around your trip
When to go, what guests wish they had known, what is nearby and the fine print.
Southern Egypt
The temples face east, over the water, to catch the first light.
Check availabilityGuest reviews
★★★★★All the pick ups were timely. Starting EARLY was very important, as the check post opens at 5 am. Early visit to the Temples is very comfortable. The guide Haany [...] was very clear, informative and gave us adequate time for the interior visits and photos.
★★★★★The team was very friendly and punctual. Our guide, Mustapha, is very professional and very kind. He explained everything to us very well. Highly recommended.
★★★★★We started at 7:00am and by the time we reached it was almost empty and was able to take good pictures.
★★★★★Very nice comfortable air conditioned van, we met the guide Hani at the site and he was funny and very knowledgeable. His English was excellent. We had an hour of free time to explore both temples which was enough. Unbelievable site.
★★★★★great! the guide saved us time out of the sun by explaining a lot of the history in the van on the way there, with diagrams and photos. lots of time to explore and lunch was an amazing local experience with fresh fish from the lake.
★★★★★Ahmed Ashraf's explanations were very clear, and it was great that we could go around at our own pace and take our time to look around. He also took a lot of pictures of us. I'm very satisfied.
★★★★★Very well-organized tour with a smooth flow. Our guide, Ahmed Achraf, gave good explanations about the temples and allowed us plenty of time to visit them.
★★★★★Incredible seeing the temples. Long drive is well worth.
★★★★★Best way to visit the temple. Departing at 10 so no morning wake up and having the temple with very few people- amazing!
One more temple
Back in Aswan, Philae was moved to Agilkia Island in the same UNESCO campaign as Abu Simbel.
A guided half day at Philae, the temple of Isis moved to Agilkia Island in the same UNESCO rescue as Abu Simbel, with hotel pickup and the boat ride across. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Boat rideTemple of IsisHalf day
The guide
Two temples, one ticket and a long road south. Here is how to read the tours before you book.
The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities sells one ticket for the whole site: the Great Temple of Ramesses II and the Temple of Hathor and Nefertari. On its official booking site it costs EGP 822 for foreign adults and EGP 445.5 for students up to 24 in 2026, and children under 6 go in free. On the two Sun Festival days it rises to EGP 1,272 (students EGP 670.5).
The booth at the gate takes bank cards, not cash, and phone photos cost nothing extra. Prices are set by the Ministry and change from time to time, so check them before you travel. The tickets guide has the details.
The cheapest trips sell you the seat in the van and let you add the ticket and a guide at checkout. The most-booked day trip works like that. Others put everything in one price: the group tour with the ticket, the private tour and the flights from Aswan and Cairo. Nile cruises usually leave the temple tickets to be paid on the spot. Every tour page here says which.
Abu Simbel lies some 280 to 300 km south of Aswan, close to the Sudan border. By road that is about 3.5 hours each way, with an early start and security checkpoints; the old police convoy is gone, but tourist vehicles still travel in daylight. The flight from Aswan takes about 45 minutes and lands a short shuttle ride from the temples.
The temples open at 6am and close at 5pm, with last entry at 4pm. October to April is the comfortable season; in summer the heat passes 38 C by midday and there is little shade. On 22 February and 22 October the rising sun lights the statues deep inside the Great Temple for about 20 minutes, and the site is at its busiest.
Guides
In-depth guides to the questions people ask most before booking. See all guides.
Abu Simbel tickets2026 prices, what one ticket covers, cards only, and which tours include it
Aswan to Abu SimbelRoad, flight, bus or tour: times, checkpoints and what each costsThe Abu Simbel templesTwo temples, the 1960s rescue and what you actually see inside
Best time to visitHeat by month, opening hours, crowds through the day, how long to stay, a night in the village and the evening show.Sun FestivalThe solar alignment on 22 February and 22 October: what you see, the next date, the ticket and how to get there in time.
From Luxor or CairoDistances, the long day from Luxor, flying in from Cairo, the Nile cruise and whether to base yourself in Aswan.From the blog
The next Sun Festival, this year's ticket prices and the sound and light show. All posts.
Sun Festival February 2027What October 2026 looked like, and how to be inside the Great Temple at dawn on 22 February 2027.
Ticket prices 2026The 2026 price on the official portal, the printed list, students, children, Arab visitors and cards only.
Sound and light show 2026Show times, prices in USD, the minimum audience, how to book and where to sleep after.FAQ
Straight answers to what people ask most about tickets, the temples and getting there.
On the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities' official booking site, entry costs EGP 822 for foreign adults and EGP 445.5 for students up to 24 with ID in 2026; children under 6 enter free. One ticket covers both temples. More in the Abu Simbel tickets guide.
Some do and some do not. The group tour and the private tours here include it; the most-booked day trip lets you add it as an option when you book, and Nile cruises usually leave temple tickets to be paid locally. Every tour page says which.
The temples open every day at 6am and close at 5pm; last entry is at 4pm, per the official ticket site. The sound and light show runs in the evening, 7pm and 8pm on the 2026 schedule.
About 3.5 hours each way for roughly 280 to 300 km of desert road. Tours leave Aswan around 4am to 5am; tourist vehicles pass security checkpoints and travel in daylight. Compare road, bus and flight in Aswan to Abu Simbel.
Most tours allow about 2 hours at the temples, enough for both. A road day trip from Aswan takes 9 to 10 hours in all; stay overnight if you want the site at opening time or the evening show.
For most visitors, yes: four 20 m colossi of Ramesses II cut into the cliff, the painted halls inside, and the temple of Nefertari next door. If the long road puts you off, the flight from Aswan takes about 45 minutes.
On 22 February and 22 October each year, when the rising sun reaches the statues in the inner sanctuary for about 20 minutes. The next one is on 22 February 2027; tickets cost more that day. See the Sun Festival guide.
October to April, when midday stays between about 24 and 36 C; from May to September it passes 38 C and there is little shade. Early morning or late afternoon is calmer than the late-morning rush of road tours. More in the best time to visit.
Only for the sound and light show: the temples close at 5pm. The show runs in the evening if at least 10 foreign visitors book, USD 20 for adults on the operator's 2026 price list, so it suits people staying the night.
Aswan: about 280 to 300 km by road against about 480 km from Luxor, roughly 6 hours each way. Day trips from Luxor exist but are long; see Abu Simbel from Luxor or Cairo.
The UK Foreign Office advice, updated on 27 October 2026, names Aswan and Abu Simbel as exceptions to its warning for the Western Desert. Tourist vehicles use a checked route and travel in daylight; check your government's advice before you go.
Yes. The Great Temple of Ramesses II, with its four seated colossi, and the smaller Temple of Hathor and Nefertari, with six standing statues. Both were carved around 1264 to 1244 BC and moved uphill in the 1960s.
Ready to book
Free cancellation on every booking on this site.
More: the private tour from Aswan · Abu Simbel by flight · the day trip from Luxor
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