--- title: "Top 10 Things To Do in Abu Simbel, Egypt | Wimup" description: "The ten best things to do in Abu Simbel: the Great Temple of Ramesses II, the temple of Nefertari, the Sun Festival and the Lake Nasser temples, ranked and mapped." url: https://wimup.com/city/abu-simbel type: City guide updated: 2026-10-25 publisher: Wimup (https://wimup.com) --- # Top 10 Things To Do in Abu Simbel Abu Simbel, Egypt · Africa · By Wimup Editorial, 11 min read Abu Simbel is two temples, a lake and a small Nubian town close to the Sudan border. Ramesses II cut the temples into a sandstone cliff, and in the 1960s engineers sawed them into blocks and rebuilt them 65 metres higher, clear of the rising Lake Nasser. ## Quick answer Most visitors give Abu Simbel two hours on a day trip from Aswan, arriving with the morning convoy of coaches. Stay one night instead: you get the sound and light show after dark and the temples at the 6am opening, before the coaches arrive. Come between November and February, or on 22 February or 22 October for the Sun Festival, and book a bed months ahead for those dates. ## Quick facts - **Best months:** Nov · Dec · Jan · Feb - **Ideal length:** 1 night - **Budget per day:** $40–110 - **Language:** Arabic (Nobiin spoken by Nubians) - **Getting around:** On foot in town; flights, road or cruise to arrive - **Tourism board:** [↗ Website](https://www.experienceegypt.eg/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## The 10 best things to do in Abu Simbel ### 1. The Great Temple of Ramesses II Temple · Abu Simbel temple complex, west bank of Lake Nasser Four seated colossi of Ramesses II, each about 20 metres tall, guard a temple that runs some 56 metres into the rock. Walk straight through to the sanctuary first, then work back through the halls before the tour groups fill them. - **Time:** 1 to 1.5 hours - **Cost:** Ticketed (one ticket covers both temples) - **Best at:** The 6am opening - **Tip:** Tripods and professional cameras need a separate permit Links: [Website](https://egymonuments.gov.eg/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 2. The Temple of Hathor and Nefertari Temple · Abu Simbel temple complex, north of the Great Temple Six standing colossi, four of the king and two of his queen Nefertari, all at the same height of about 10 metres, which is rare for a royal wife. Inside, the hall of Hathor pillars is smaller, brighter and calmer than the Great Temple. - **Time:** 30 to 45 minutes - **Cost:** Included in the temples ticket - **Best at:** Mid-morning, after the Great Temple - **Tip:** Look for the queen with the sistrum, Hathor’s rattle, on the pillars Links: [Website](https://egymonuments.gov.eg/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 3. The Sun Festival Event · Inside the Great Temple, Abu Simbel Twice a year, on 22 February and 22 October, the rising sun runs the length of the temple into the sanctuary and lights three of the four seated gods. Ptah, the god of the underworld, stays in shadow. - **Time:** Dawn, and the wait before it - **Cost:** Ticketed, at a higher festival price - **Best at:** Before first light, around 5am - **Tip:** Book a bed in town months ahead, or take a night coach from Aswan Links: [Website](https://egymonuments.gov.eg/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 4. The sound and light show Show · Abu Simbel temple complex The facades become the screen for a narrated history of Ramesses, Nefertari and the 1960s rescue, projected after dark. It is the reason to stay the night rather than coach back to Aswan. - **Time:** An evening, after dark - **Cost:** Separate ticket from the temples - **Best at:** The first evening show - **Tip:** Ask for the headset in your language when you book ### 5. The terrace at first light Viewpoint · Temple forecourt, above Lake Nasser Between the 6am opening and the arrival of the Aswan convoy, the forecourt and the lake below it are close to empty. This is the hour to stand back and see the two facades together. - **Time:** 1 hour - **Cost:** Included in the temples ticket - **Best at:** The first hour after opening - **Tip:** Only possible if you sleep in Abu Simbel or fly in on an early flight ### 6. A Lake Nasser cruise Cruise · Moorings below the temples, Abu Simbel Three or four nights between Aswan and Abu Simbel, stopping at temples no road reaches and arriving at Abu Simbel by water. The lake carries a fraction of the traffic of the Nile cruises. - **Time:** 3 to 4 nights - **Cost:** Full board, priced by the boat - **Best at:** Arriving at Abu Simbel after dark, for the facades lit from the deck - **Tip:** Boats sail on fixed weekly days, so build the trip around the departure ### 7. Qasr Ibrim Fortress · Lake Nasser east bank, north of Abu Simbel A fortified hilltop, occupied for more than two thousand years until 1812, that is now an island and one of the very few Nubian sites the lake did not wholly drown. Its cathedral is the largest surviving building. - **Time:** A short stop, seen from the deck - **Cost:** Included in a cruise - **Best at:** From the top deck of a cruise - **Tip:** Boats do not land, so bring binoculars ### 8. Amada Temple · New Amada, Lake Nasser, about 160 km south of Aswan A small temple begun under Thutmose III whose painted reliefs were too fragile to cut, so the whole building was moved on rails. The colour inside is the best on the lake. - **Time:** 1 hour with the Derr temple - **Cost:** Ticketed, usually in a cruise - **Best at:** A cruise stop in the morning - **Tip:** The temple of Derr and the tomb of Pennut share the site Links: [Website](https://egymonuments.gov.eg/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 9. Wadi el-Seboua Temple · New Sebua, Lake Nasser The “valley of the lions” is named for the avenue of sphinxes in front of a temple of Ramesses II. Christians later used it as a church, and saints painted over pharaonic reliefs still look out from the sanctuary. - **Time:** 1 to 1.5 hours with Dakka and Maharraqa - **Cost:** Ticketed, usually in a cruise - **Best at:** A cruise stop, early or late - **Tip:** Two more relocated temples stand a short walk away Links: [Website](https://egymonuments.gov.eg/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 10. Eskaleh Nubian Ecolodge Stay · Abu Simbel town, on Lake Nasser A small lodge built of mud brick in the Nubian style, about ten minutes from the temples, with its own restaurant cooking Nubian dishes. The best reason to stay overnight in town. - **Time:** One night - **Cost:** Priced per room - **Best at:** Dinner after the sound and light show - **Tip:** Book well ahead for the Sun Festival dates ## Inside the Great Temple of Abu Simbel Four things to find on the way from the door to the sanctuary. 1. **The hall of Osiride pillars** (First hall · Great Temple): Eight pillars fronted by standing figures of Ramesses as Osiris line the first hall. Vultures fly across the ceiling. 2. **The Battle of Kadesh relief** (North wall · First hall · Great Temple): A wall-length account of Ramesses’s campaign against the Hittites, chariots and all, presented as a victory. 3. **The sanctuary** (Innermost room · Great Temple): Four seated gods: Ptah, Amun-Ra, Ramesses himself and Ra-Horakhty. The Sun Festival light falls here. 4. **The side chambers** (Off the main halls · Great Temple): Storerooms off the halls, carved with offering scenes. Quieter than the axis while the crowds hold the centre. ## Inside the Temple of Hathor and Nefertari Three rooms, built for Hathor and for Nefertari. 1. **The facade colossi** (Facade · Temple of Hathor and Nefertari): Queen and king stand at the same height, about 10 metres, with their children at their knees. 2. **The hall of Hathor pillars** (Pillared hall · Temple of Hathor and Nefertari): Six pillars with Hathor’s face on the capitals, and the queen playing the sistrum before the gods. 3. **The vestibule and sanctuary** (Rear rooms · Temple of Hathor and Nefertari): A narrow vestibule leads to the small sanctuary of Hathor at the back of the rock. ## Around the Abu Simbel temples Four details most visitors walk past on the way in. 1. **The fallen colossus** (Facade · Free with ticket · Great Temple): One of the four seated kings lost his head and torso in antiquity. The rebuilders left the pieces at his feet, as found. 2. **The Greek mercenaries’ graffiti** (6th c BC · Free with ticket · Southern colossi): Soldiers serving Egypt in the 6th century BC scratched their names into the southern colossi, an early record of the Greek alphabet. 3. **The Marriage Stela** (Rock stela · Free with ticket · South end of the terrace): Records Ramesses’s marriage to a Hittite princess, framed as the Hittite king’s submission. 4. **The sun chapel** (Chapel · Free with ticket · North end of the terrace): A small open-air chapel at the north end of the terrace, buried under sand until 1910. ## Best Lake Nasser temples near Abu Simbel Four more monuments rebuilt beside the cruise stops at Amada and Sebua. 1. **The temple of Derr** (Ramesside · Ticketed · New Amada): A rock-cut temple of Ramesses II, moved to New Amada, later used as a church. [Website](https://egymonuments.gov.eg/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 2. **The tomb of Pennut** (Tomb · Ticketed · New Amada): The rock-cut tomb of a Nubian governor under Ramesses VI, moved from Aniba with its paintings. [Website](https://egymonuments.gov.eg/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 3. **The temple of Dakka** (Ptolemaic · Ticketed · New Sebua): A Ptolemaic and Roman temple to Thoth, rebuilt at New Sebua with its pylon intact. [Website](https://egymonuments.gov.eg/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 4. **The temple of Maharraqa** (Roman · Ticketed · New Sebua): A small unfinished Roman temple moved from Ofendina, about 40 km north of its new site. [Website](https://egymonuments.gov.eg/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## Best Lake Nasser cruises to Abu Simbel Three long-running boats between Aswan and Abu Simbel. 1. **MS Prince Abbas** (Cruise ship · $$$ · Aswan to Abu Simbel): A paddle-steamer-style ship with 65 cabins, sailing three and four nights each way. 2. **MS Kasr Ibrim** (Cruise ship · $$$ · Aswan to Abu Simbel): An art deco ship named after the fortress, and the best known on the lake. 3. **Eugenie** (Cruise ship · $$$ · Aswan to Abu Simbel): Run by Belle Epoque of Cairo and on the lake since 1994, the boat that opened the lake temples to cruising. ## Best places to stay in Abu Simbel Three more places to sleep, from a lake resort to a Nubian house. 1. **Seti Abu Simbel Lake Resort** (Resort · $$$ · Lakeshore): On the lakeshore, with pools and an à la carte restaurant, about ten minutes from the temples. 2. **Nefertari Hotel** (Hotel · $$ · Near the temples): Set high above the lake, a two-minute ride from the temple entrance. 3. **Kabara Nubian House** (Guesthouse · $ · Abu Simbel town): A family-run Nubian guesthouse with a garden and terrace, about 2 km from the temples. ## Best day trips from Abu Simbel Every route out runs to Aswan, so these make the onward day. 1. **Aswan** (City guide · 3.5 hours · 280 to 300 km north by road): About three and a half hours north by road, or under an hour by air. Granite islands, feluccas and the Nubian villages. [City guide](https://wimup.com/city/aswan.md) 2. **Philae** (Ptolemaic · Ticketed · South of Aswan): The temple of Isis on its island, reached by motorboat south of Aswan. Stop on the drive north. [Website](https://egymonuments.gov.eg/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 3. **New Kalabsha** (Roman · Ticketed · By the High Dam, Aswan): The temple of Mandulis, the largest free-standing temple of Egyptian Nubia, rebuilt by the High Dam. [Website](https://egymonuments.gov.eg/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## Festivals & annual events in Abu Simbel (2027) - **Coptic Christmas** (7 January): A public holiday across Egypt. Offices and some banks close, and the temples stay open. - **Sun Festival (February)** (22 February): Dawn light reaches the sanctuary of the Great Temple. Thousands gather on the terrace before first light. - **Ramadan** (February to early March 2027): The month of daytime fasting. Sites keep hours, restaurants serve late, and the town wakes after sunset. - **Eid al-Fitr** (Early March 2027): The holiday that ends Ramadan. Domestic travel peaks, so book flights and beds early. - **Sham el-Nessim** (The Monday after Coptic Easter): A spring holiday kept by Egyptians of every faith, with picnics and salted fish. - **Eid al-Adha** (Mid May 2027): The feast of the sacrifice and a long public holiday. Expect Egyptian visitors and full buses. - **Summer heat** (June to August): Afternoon highs regularly pass 40°C. Arrive at opening and be off the terrace by late morning. - **Sun Festival (October)** (22 October): The second alignment of the year, in milder weather than February. Book months ahead. ## Must-try dishes in Abu Simbel, Egypt - **Lake Nasser fish**: Nile perch or tilapia from the lake, grilled or fried, and the local catch. - **Fatta**: Rice and toasted bread under lamb, with a garlic and vinegar sauce. Feast-day food. - **Nubian tagine**: Meat or vegetables baked in a clay pot with tomato and onion. - **Ful medames**: Fava beans stewed with cumin, lemon and oil. Breakfast across Egypt. - **Ta’ameya**: Egyptian falafel, made with fava beans rather than chickpeas. - **Molokhia**: A green soup of jute leaves with garlic, poured over rice or bread. - **Karkade**: Hibiscus tea, deep red, served hot or iced. The south grows the flowers. - **Dates**: Aswan Governorate dates, sold dried by the kilo and served with tea. ## Abu Simbel transport & airports - **Abu Simbel Airport** (ABS): A few kilometres from the temples, with EgyptAir flights from Aswan and Cairo. - **The road from Aswan** (About 3.5 hours): A desert highway of 280 to 300 km. Tour coaches leave Aswan in the small hours to arrive mid-morning; check the current rules for independent cars locally. - **Lake Nasser cruise** (3 to 4 nights): Cruise ships sail between the High Dam at Aswan and moorings below the temples, the only way to see the lake temples on the way. - **On foot and by taxi** (In town): Hotels, the town and the temples sit within a few kilometres. Walk, or take a local taxi and fix the fare first. ## Abu Simbel at a glance - **Country:** Egypt - **Region:** Upper Egypt (Nubia), Aswan Governorate - **Population:** About 8,400 in Abu Simbel markaz (2023 estimate; 7,617 at the 2017 census) - **Founded:** Temples cut under Ramesses II in the 13th century BC; rebuilt 1964 to 1968 - **Nickname:** The temples of the sun - **Language:** Arabic (Nobiin spoken by Nubians) - **Currency:** Egyptian pound (EGP) - **Time zone:** UTC+2 (EET) - **Calling code:** +20 (area code 97) - **Airports:** Abu Simbel (ABS); Aswan International (ASW) for wider connections - **Power:** 220V, plug types C and F - **Emergency:** 122 police, 123 ambulance, 180 fire, 126 tourist police ## Interesting facts - The Great Temple was cut into some 1,035 blocks of 20 to 30 tonnes each and rebuilt inside an artificial hill. - The rescue ran from 1964 to 1968 and was declared complete on 22 September 1968. - After the move the solar alignment arrives a day later than before, on 22 February and 22 October. - The Swiss traveller Johann Ludwig Burckhardt reported the half-buried temples in 1813. - Nefertari’s colossi match the king’s in height, a rare honour for a royal wife. ## Abu Simbel travel FAQ ### Is Abu Simbel worth the trip from Aswan? Yes. The Great Temple is among the most famous monuments in Egypt, and the scale of the facade and the story of its rescue are hard to grasp from photographs. The cost is the distance: 280 to 300 km each way by road, or a short flight. ### Should I stay overnight in Abu Simbel? If you can. A night lets you see the sound and light show after dark and the temples at the 6am opening, before the Aswan coaches arrive. The day trip gives you about two hours at the site in the busiest part of the morning. ### When is the Abu Simbel Sun Festival? On 22 February and 22 October, at dawn, when sunlight reaches the sanctuary of the Great Temple and lights three of its four statues. Tickets cost more on those mornings, and beds in town sell out months ahead. ### How do I get to Abu Simbel? Fly from Aswan or Cairo to Abu Simbel Airport, drive about three and a half hours from Aswan by tour coach or private car, or arrive by water at the end of a three- or four-night Lake Nasser cruise. ### When is the best time to visit Abu Simbel? November to February, when days are warm and nights cool. In summer afternoon heat regularly passes 40°C, so arrive at opening and leave the terrace by late morning. ## Nearby guides - [Aswan](https://wimup.com/city/aswan.md): Egypt · 10 picks - [Luxor](https://wimup.com/city/luxor.md): Egypt · 10 picks - [Hurghada](https://wimup.com/city/hurghada.md): Egypt · 10 picks - [All of Africa →](https://wimup.com/africa): 66 cities Part of the [Egypt guide](https://wimup.com/country/egypt.md) · [Africa](https://wimup.com/africa.md) ## Sources - [Abu Simbel tourism board](https://www.experienceegypt.eg/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [The Great Temple of Ramesses II (official site)](https://egymonuments.gov.eg/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - Rankings are Wimup editorial picks. Prices, durations and budgets are editorial estimates, not live quotes; check the official site before you go.