Aswan, Abu Simbel and Philae Temple
Aswan rewards 2–3 days: one for Philae Temple and the Aswan High Dam close to town, one long day trip to Abu Simbel's twin rock-cut temples 280km south, and a spare afternoon for a felucca sail past the Nubian villages on the Nile's west bank. It's Egypt's most relaxed major stop — smaller, slower, and noticeably calmer than Cairo or even Luxor. Reach Abu Simbel by a roughly 3-hour road transfer or a 25-minute flight from Aswan's own airport.
If Luxor is Egypt's open-air museum, Aswan is where the country exhales. It's smaller, greener, and slower than anywhere else on the classic route — a Nile-side town of felucca sails and painted Nubian houses that also happens to be the gateway to two of the most extraordinary temples in the country.
How many days do you need in Aswan?
Two to three days covers it well: a half-day for Philae Temple and the High Dam close to town, a full day (it's a long one) for Abu Simbel, and a spare afternoon or sunset for a felucca sail past the Nubian villages on the west bank. Aswan pairs naturally as the southern end of a Nile Valley trip, reached from Luxor by a short flight, an overnight train, or a multi-day Nile cruise.
Abu Simbel — the twin temples
Ramses II built Abu Simbel's two temples — the Great Temple, fronted by four 20-meter statues of himself, and the smaller Temple of Hathor, dedicated to his wife Nefertari — around 3,200 years ago, roughly 280km south of Aswan near the Sudanese border. In one of the 20th century's great engineering projects, UNESCO relocated the entire complex, block by numbered block, to higher ground between 1964 and 1968 to save it from the rising waters of Lake Nasser after the Aswan High Dam was built.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Standard entry | Around $20 per person |
| Sun Festival dates | February 22 and October 22 — sunlight aligns to illuminate statues deep in the Great Temple's inner sanctuary |
| Typical visit length | 1.5–2 hours at the site itself |
| Payment | A growing number of Aswan-area sites, Abu Simbel included, have moved to card-only ticketing — carry a Visa/Mastercard as backup, not just cash |
The Sun Festival mornings (Feb 22 and Oct 22) draw big crowds and often live music and dancing outside the temple before dawn — genuinely worth timing a trip around if the exact dates line up, but book accommodation and transport well ahead, since Aswan's hotels fill up fast around them.
Getting to Abu Simbel from Aswan
| Method | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Road transfer (shared minibus or private car) | ~3 hours each way | Most travelers do it as a very long day trip, leaving Aswan before dawn |
| Domestic flight (EgyptAir) | ~25–30 minutes each way | Faster and more comfortable, but a limited daily schedule and a noticeably higher price |
| Overnight in Abu Simbel town | — | An easy add-on if you want the site to yourself right at opening, before the day-trip convoys arrive from Aswan |
Philae Temple
Philae — the Temple of Isis — is Aswan's other great rescue story: originally on Philae Island, it was disassembled and rebuilt on nearby Agilkia Island in the 1970s and '80s to save it from permanent flooding after the original Aswan Dam (not the later High Dam) was built. Today it's reached by a short, scenic motorboat ride (about 10 minutes) from a dock a short taxi ride from central Aswan — entry runs around $14, plus a small separate boat fare split among your group.
The Aswan High Dam and Lake Nasser
Completed in 1970, the High Dam created Lake Nasser — one of the largest artificial lakes on Earth — and its construction is the whole reason both Abu Simbel and Philae had to be relocated in the first place. Most visitors see it as a quick 20–30 minute stop (a viewpoint and a small monument to Egyptian-Soviet cooperation) on the way to or from Philae, rather than a destination on its own.
Nubian villages and felucca sailing
- A felucca sunset sail — a traditional wooden Nile sailboat, no motor, just wind and a local captain; roughly $4–6 per hour for the whole boat (not per person), split among your group and negotiated before boarding.
- Gharb Seheil (Nubian village) — reachable by boat from central Aswan, known for its brightly painted houses, home-hosted tea, and a relaxed slower-paced culture distinct from the rest of Egypt; organized boat-plus-village tours run roughly $10–55 per person depending on length and operator.
- Elephantine Island — a short boat ride from the Aswan Corniche, home to a Nubian museum-adjacent village and the ruins of the ancient city of Abu — an easy, low-key half-day.
What it costs
| Item | Approx. cost |
|---|---|
| Mid-range Nile-view hotel, per night | $40–90 |
| Abu Simbel road transfer (shared) | $25–50 per person |
| Abu Simbel domestic flight, round trip | $100–180 per person |
| Felucca sunset sail (whole boat, 1 hour) | $4–6 |
| Casual restaurant meal | $4–10 |
Mistakes worth avoiding
- Day-tripping Abu Simbel without confirming the return schedule — road transfers typically depart Aswan very early (around 4am) to reach the site by opening; missing the group departure means an expensive private taxi back.
- Assuming cash works everywhere — several Aswan-area ticket counters, Abu Simbel included, are now card-only; don't rely on cash alone for entry fees.
- Skipping Philae because it feels like a 'smaller' version of Abu Simbel — it's a genuinely different, more intimate site, and the boat ride there is part of the appeal.
Look for a room with a Nile view — Aswan's river is genuinely its best feature
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