• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Egypt Travel Blog

  • Cities & Regions
    • Cairo
    • Giza
    • Luxor
    • Aswan
    • Abu Simbel
    • Alexandria
    • The Red Sea
    • Siwa
  • The Sites
    • The Pyramids & Sphinx
    • Downtown Cairo Sites
    • Luxor Sites
    • Aswan Sites
    • Abu Simbel
    • Alexandria Sites
    • Edfu
    • Kom Ombo
    • Abydos
    • Dendera
    • Siwa
  • Museums
    • All Cairo Area Museums
    • Old Egyptian Museum
    • Grand Egyptian Museum
    • National Museum of Egyptian Civilization
    • Abdeen Palace Museum
    • Royal Carriages Museum
    • Manial Palace Museum
    • Nubian Museum
    • Sharm el-Sheikh Museum 
  • Food & Dining
  • Hotel Reviews
    • Greater Cairo Hotels
    • Luxor Hotels
    • Red Sea Hotels
    • Alexandria Hotels
  • Travel Advice
  • Trips
  • News
  • The Podcast

Exploring Aswan and Abu Simbel

August 8, 2019 by Egypt Travel Blog

Southern Egypt, also known as Upper Egypt, is most famous for the scores of majestic ancient temples that still line the shores of the Nile River for hundreds of miles. Of all the towns and villages in this region, Aswan is the largest in the far south of Egypt and a favorite base from which travelers have set out to visit and explore these ruins for thousands of years. And of all of the temple ruins reachable from Aswan, Abu Simbel is by far the largest and most famous of them all.

Although they are almost as far apart from one another as are Aswan and Luxor, Aswan and Abu Simbel are almost always linked together because it is rare for a visitor to visit one without next visiting the other. In fact for Abu Simbel, it is virtually impossible to visit this site without first going through Aswan together there, whether one goes by road or by air. Aswan is not only a convenient base for explorations of the far south of Egypt; indeed, it is a necessary gateway to this region.

Aswan is a small and super relaxed little town along the Nile, even smaller and more relaxed than Luxor. The main sites in Aswan are the Temple of Philae, the Nubian Village, and the Aswan High Dam. I’m personally not a huge fan of the damn and, although the Egyptians are very proud of it, I think you can skip it and not miss anything at all. It’s not an ancient or historical site, and really the only thing its notable for is finally controlling the annual flooding of the Nile. But that’s something more suitable for someone to tell you about verbally. You don’t need to go see the Aswan High Damn (and it’s not even that high compared to major dams we have in North America, Europe, and Asia) in order to get this point.

So unless you’re spending a few days in Aswan and run out of other stuff to see or do, take my advice and just skip the dam tour and spend more time wandering around the Nubian Village. This site, which is located about halfway between downtown Aswan and the site of the dam, is a remarkably colorful, fun, and whimsical collection of traditional Nubian houses and buildings along the shores of the Nile. There are several places in Aswan that call themselves a “Nubian Village,” but there’s really only one real Nubian Village when everyone talks about this site and it’s the larger one 30 minutes south of Aswan by boat on the western bank of the river.

If you’re into photography or even just like finding Instagrammable scenes, you can easily spend a few hours in the Nubian Village doing photo shoots of yourself and the colorful walls, doors, and vistas, both interior and exterior. Don’t be afraid to wander inside of places if their doors are open. Many restaurants and cafes have nooks, stairways, and terraces that make some of the most incredible shots you’ll find. It’s also nice to plan to have lunch there too, but if you’re going to be more than about three hours in total just make sure you are clear with the boat driver that takes you there about when you expect to be ready to leave. Sometimes it can be difficult to find a boat back if you’ve only arranged for one-way transportation to the village from downtown Aswan.

If you want to squeeze in another museum, the Nubian Museum there is small but surprisingly quite nice by Egyptian museum standards. It obviously focuses more on southern Egypt’s Nubian heritage, but you’ll also find a lot of artifacts that look similar to the ones on display in other museums throughout Egypt. You’re not missing much if you don’t make it there, but if you have some extra time it can be a worthwhile way to spend an hour or so while there too.

The last major site worth mentioning in Aswan proper is the Temple of Philae. This entire temple was relocated from its original location, which became partially submerged in water after the original Aswan dam was built in the early 20th century, to its current location on a small island in the middle of the Nile in Aswan.

While the original Aswan dam threatened the preservation and integrity of several ancient sites along the Nile in southern Egypt, the more modern Aswan High Dam threatened to submerge and destroy many more. The most magnificent of these temples that faced ruin due to the High dam project were two massive structures carved into a mountain and dedicated to Ramses II and his favorite queen Nefertari.

So aghast was the world at the potential loss of these incredible ancient monuments that UNESCO and an international coalition of donors came together to untertake a project to carve the massive temples out of their original mountain and relocate them on the side of another mountain on higher ground. As a result of their unprecedented feats of engineering and determination to save Egypt’s endangered history, these imposing temples today are preserved for all to admire at their new site of Abu Simbel.

Abu Simbel is about a three-hour journey even further south than Aswan, very close to the Sudanese border on the shores of Lake Nasser, which is the reservoir created by the construction of the Aswan High Dam. Abu Simbel is accessible by a short flight from Aswan on EgyptAir, although most visitors to this site endure a super early wake-up to make it into the 5 a.m. mandatory convoy that escorts large groups of tourists to and from Abu Simbel every morning. There is now only one convoy per day to Abu Simbel, and no travel there is permitted outside of this convoy. This rule is strictly enforced by the Egyptian State Security Service, so it’s critical to make logistical arrangements for getting to Abu Simbel in advance.

Abu Simbel excursions usually cost between $50 and $120 per person, depending on whether you’re going with a big group on a tourist coach or taking a private car and private guide with just one or two others in the convoy. Regardless, you’re going to need to budget two extra days for the journey if you want to include Abu Simbel in your itinerary. One of those will be to get to Aswan and the other will be for the all-day trip to and from the site. Remember that it’s a three-hour trip from Aswan down to Abu Simbel, and a three-hour trip back. You’ll be allowed a few hours to spend time there and explore the site, but expect the nine-hour excursion to really wear you out.

And that’s about it for Aswan and Abu Simbel. If you have any further questions, always feel welcome to email me and I’m more than happy to help travelers plan and answer all the questions I can.

Filed Under: Abu Simbel, Aswan, Cities & Regions, Evergreen Egypt Travel Advice

Other Neat Stuff

The Mystery of King Tut’s “Other Worldly” Burial Dagger Finally Solved

Although the entire field of Egyptology is only about 200 years old, dating back to the deciphering of the Rosetta Stone and the unlocking of the ancient hieroglyphic script in which the civilization’s history was recorded, the study of ancient Egyptian history and artifacts is still accelerating at an astonishing pace. With the application of […]

New archaeological finds in Egypt continue to astonish

Important discoveries out of Egypt have again been flooding the global news as archaeologists continue to explore beneath the sands of the Saqqara necropolis near Cairo, which is home to temples, burial grounds, and pyramids of the once-mighty ancient empire. Over the last year, researchers have unearthed at least 210 sarcophagi not touched since their burial two millennia ago, including the coffin of Queen Neit, […]

More Unsealed Mummies Discovered at Saqqara

If you’ve ever wandered around the rocky grounds of the Saqqara royal necropolis, the site of the Pharaoh Djoser’s famous Step Pyramid just south of the most famous pyramids at Giza, you’ve likely walked above hundreds of undiscovered treasures, mummies, and noble tombs still hidden in the ground beneath your feet. Frequent readers of the […]

Step Pyramid Interior Reopens to the Public

The Step Pyramid of Djoser at Sakkara is one of the most unique pyramids in Egypt and the oldest pyramid still standing anywhere in the world. While most of the other famous pyramids nearby at Giza and Dashur have been generally open for the public to go inside of them to explore the narrow passageways […]

Mummies on the Move

There have been quite a few recent developments about mummies in Egypt lately, including the largest discovery of mummies in over a century near Luxor, which was followed by the eruption of a minor a controversy over where those mummies will now be housed (national officials prefer the new Grand Egyptian Museum while local Luxor […]

Pet Mummies

We all know that the ancient Egyptians mummified the dead bodies of their loved ones with elaborate rituals and scientific rigor, whether they were a revered pharaoh or, if non-royal Egyptians could afford it, a beloved family member. But even in modern times, we can understand that human love and affection extend beyond just our […]

New Major Mummy Discovery Unveiled in Luxor

The largest new discovery of ancient Egyptian mummies in over a century has been revealed to the public by Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities at a ceremony in the southern city of Luxor, resting place to hundreds of ancient pharaohs, other royalty, high court officials, and evidently more middle class folks as well. The discovery, which […]

New Discovery Makes Pharaohs Look Modern, Sort Of

A team of archaeologists work in northern Egypt have discovered the site of an ancient settlement that makes even the Pharaohs and the Pyramids look young, relatively speaking. The discovery was made in the town of Tel el-Samara, which is located north of Cairo in the fertile Nile Delta region. Egypt’s most famous pyramids at […]

Tracing the Physical Legacy of Cleopatra

On this year’s International Women’s Day today, Egypt Travel Blog would like to pay homage to one of ancient Egypt’s most famous figures and a woman whose life and legacy are worthy of remembrance. Cleopatra is one of the most famous women in all of human history. She was a beloved queen of an ancient […]

New Discoveries

One of the amazing things about Egypt is that the entire country is still an active archaeological site. With over five thousand years of history under its sands, the slice that we know about and have uncovered so far is by no means all there is to be discovered. When you visit the Pyramids couples, […]

Ancient Knowledge and Modern Remembrance

It’s National Library Week in the United States, so it’s as good of a time as any to talk about one of the world’s most famous libraries – the ancient Library of Alexandria. After the death of Alexander the Great and the founding of the Ptolemaic Dynasty in Egypt, the Library of Alexandria was created […]

Visiting the Pyramids of Giza

Egypt’s most popular historical site, and one of the most well known the world over, is of course the Pyramids, the most famous of which are located just outside of Cairo. The greater Cairo area is a sprawling metropolis of nearly 20 million people spread out over dozens of suburbs on both sides of the […]

Luxor Temple

Despite its prominent name, Luxor Temple is actually the second most famous temple in Luxor behind the much larger and greater Temple of Karnak just down the road. However, Luxor Temple has several unique features of its own that merit a visit and some independent attention. The first and most obvious aspect of Luxor Temple […]

The Valley of the Queens

The Valley of the Queens in the area of Luxor is a lesser visited royal necropolis in which various family members of several dynasties of pharaohs were laid to rest. As the name suggests, many queens were buried here in elaborate tombs befitting their status and wealth, but many princesses and even princes had dedicated […]

World’s Oldest Haute Couture

Anyone a fan of vintage fashion? How about 5000 year old couture? One of the neat things about Egypt is that its advanced civilization was good at both recording and preserving its own history. Unlike most other of the world’s great ancient civilizations whose moist climates caused the disintegration of its remnants thousands of years […]

Primary Sidebar

Check out our hit podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Join our “Egypt Insider” email list!

Loading

Beware – Scams, Taboos, Faux Pas, & Other Crazy Stuff

“Dr.” Sherif and the Great Papyrus “Institute” Scam

All About Camels… and the Pyramids Camel Scam

What NOT to Wear in Egypt

Cairo’s Chaotic Traffic

Taking the Right Type of Taxi in Cairo & Giza

The Super Aggressive “Taxi Jumpers” at the Giza Pyramids

Discoveries, Artifacts, and Unique Takes on Egyptian History

The Mystery of King Tut’s “Other Worldly” Burial Dagger Finally Solved

New archaeological finds in Egypt continue to astonish

More Unsealed Mummies Discovered at Saqqara

Step Pyramid Interior Reopens to the Public

Mummies on the Move

Pet Mummies

New Major Mummy Discovery Unveiled in Luxor

New Discovery Makes Pharaohs Look Modern, Sort Of

Egypt Travel Blog and the Egypt Travel Blog Podcast are produced in partnership with Jetset.Ninja and Egypt Elite.
. .