Abu Simbel Tours by Car, Flight or Package

Our Abu Simbel tours start in Aswan, the nearest city, and come in three forms: a day trip by private car, a day trip by flight, or a multi-day Egypt package that already has Abu Simbel in its itinerary. By road the excursion costs $120 per person; by air it costs $380 per person for two travelers, and the packages fold the visit into a wider trip through Cairo, Luxor and Aswan.

This page compares the three ways side by side: time on the road, start time, cost and who each one suits. It also covers getting to Abu Simbel from Cairo or Luxor, the sun festival mornings and what to pack.

Why Abu Simbel Is Worth the Long Day

Abu Simbel is the far south of Egypt’s classic route, close to the Sudanese border on Lake Nasser. Ramses II cut two temples into the cliff here, his own Great Temple with four seated colossi at the entrance and a second temple for Queen Nefertari and the goddess Hathor, and in the 1960s both were cut into blocks and rebuilt on higher ground before the lake rose. Few sites in the country match it for sheer scale, which is why most travelers accept the early start. For the history, the carvings and the rescue project, read our Abu Simbel temples guide; the rest of this page is about how to get there.

Abu Simbel Tours Compared

Prices are per person in US dollars, taken from each tour’s price table. The two excursions and the 6 to 8 day journeys are priced by the number of travelers, so the rate for two to four people is shown; the 10 day tours are shown for a double room from October to April.

Every tour in the grid above this guide links to its full itinerary. Every package comes with private guided sightseeing, and the luxury journeys use a private Egyptologist and domestic flights. Each tour page sets out which entrance fees and meals are part of the price. The 5 day tour is the exception: its published inclusions list only its two flights, so the rest is set out in your quote.

By Car or by Flight: How the Day Differs

The choice comes down to how much of the day you are willing to spend in a vehicle, and how much more you will pay to avoid it.

Abu Simbel by private car

The road runs about 280 km south through open desert, and the drive takes roughly three to four hours each way. Pickup is very early, well before sunrise, from your hotel or ship in Aswan, so you reach the temples in the morning and are back in Aswan in the afternoon. You travel in a private air-conditioned vehicle with an English-speaking guide, which means you choose when to stop, and nobody waits for a coach to fill up.

The car is the sensible pick for budget travelers, for families or friends splitting the cost, and for anyone who sleeps well in a moving vehicle. It is a long day, though, and the return drive is in the warmest hours.

Abu Simbel by flight

The flight from Aswan takes about 45 minutes each way. A private transfer takes you to Aswan airport, a private Egyptologist meets you at Abu Simbel, and after the visit you fly back and are taken to your hotel or ship. Departure and return times follow the airline schedule of that day, which also sets how long you have at the temples, so we confirm them with your booking along with the airfare and entrance tickets.

Flying suits travelers short on time, anyone who finds long drives tiring, and cruise passengers who have only one free morning in Aswan.

The cost difference

• Two travelers: $240 in total by car, $760 by air.
• Three travelers: $360 by car, $1,080 by air.
• One traveler: $120 by car, $550 by air.

Entrance tickets to Abu Simbel are not itemized in the published inclusions of either day trip, so your quote sets out exactly what is covered.

Abu Simbel Tour From Aswan, Cairo or Luxor

From Aswan. Both day trips start here, collecting you from your hotel or Nile cruise ship. If you are on a 3 night Nile cruise that boards in Aswan, the easiest plan is to arrive a day early and see Abu Simbel before you sail. On Cheops and Romantic Nile, the four-night cruise reaches Aswan and you are collected from the ship before dawn with a breakfast box, then return to it for lunch. More half-day and full-day options are on our Aswan tours and excursions page, and the Aswan travel guide covers the city itself.

From Cairo. We do not sell a same-day Cairo to Abu Simbel trip; the realistic way is to fly to Aswan and stay at least one night. Jewels of Egypt does exactly that in six days, flying south after Giza and giving Abu Simbel its own day before moving on to Luxor. If you want to fit it into a short Cairo stay, we can arrange the flights, an Aswan night and the excursion as a tailor-made trip.

From Luxor. Abu Simbel lies far beyond Aswan, so from Luxor you first need to reach Aswan, by cruise, by road or by air. Treasures of the Pharaohs drives you from Luxor to Aswan with stops at Edfu and Kom Ombo, and the cruise packages sail the same stretch. Our 10 day Egypt tours page compares the longer cruise-based options.

Staying Overnight in Abu Simbel

None of our current tours includes a night in Abu Simbel itself: every program returns to Aswan the same day. A night there lets you see the temples at quieter hours and avoid the round trip in one go. If that appeals, ask us to build it into a tailor-made itinerary and we will price it with your dates.

The Sun Festival on 22 February and 22 October

Twice a year, on 22 February and 22 October, sunrise reaches the inner sanctuary of the Great Temple, an alignment our temples guide explains in detail. Egyptian press reports put the 22 October 2025 alignment at about 22 minutes, from 6:54 to 7:16 am, with around 4,000 visitors watching.

The next expected dates are 22 October 2026 and 22 February 2027. On those mornings the temple is busiest, and an Aswan stay should be planned well ahead. Tell us your dates and we will check whether a car or flight works best for a festival morning. For the rest of the year, our page on the best season to visit Egypt explains when the far south is most comfortable.

What to Bring for an Abu Simbel Day Trip

• A warm layer. The road trip starts in the dark, and desert mornings can be cool even when the afternoon is hot.
• Sun hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. There is little shade between the visitor area and the temple fronts.
• Water and a snack for the drive, unless your package provides a breakfast box.
• Comfortable shoes for the walk around the hill to the facades and the uneven floors inside.
• Your passport, kept with you for the whole day.
• Small cash for tips, since tipping is not included in any of our programs.

Which Abu Simbel Tour Suits You

• Already booked a cruise or Aswan hotel: add the car excursion for the lowest price, or the flight to save the morning.
• A short trip with Abu Simbel as a must: Jewels of Egypt or Treasures of the Pharaohs, both hotel-based, or compare the wider set on our luxury Egypt tours page.
• Ten days with a long Nile cruise: Cheops on a budget, Romantic Nile at classic level or Sun Ray for luxury. Our Nile river cruises page explains the ships if you prefer to build a cruise first.
• Two weeks with a beach finish: Royal Egypt, with Abu Simbel by air from Aswan before the Red Sea.

We have arranged travel in Egypt as a family-run company in Cairo since 1974, and our team is on WhatsApp throughout your trip. Send us your dates and where you will be staying, and we will suggest the right way to see Abu Simbel or add it to a tailor-made Egypt tour.