Abu Simbel had been on my to visit list for a long time. After several community went for NYE and still being in possession of a Lufthansa 300EUR flight voucher from 2020, I decided to finally go.

Flying in from Cairo, I stayed in Aswan for 2 nights. On the first day, I visited Philae, Kom Ombo (T) and the ruins of Elephantia, ending the day drinking beer on the Nile. On my second day, I joined a way too early tour to get to Abu Simbel and then ticked of the unfinished obelisk in town proper. Due to bad planning, I missed the Islamic cemetery just across the road from the obelisk.

Both Elephantia and the Obelisk are rather normal WHS locations. It's Philae and Abu Simbel that make this a very special site. Of the components, I would rank Philae higher than Abu Simbel. The issue with Abu Simbel is that the setting feels artificial. The hill is man made. When you arrive as you have to walk around the artificial hill and it takes away from the wonder. I would assume that the original location was a scenic cliff side. While Philae was also moved, the island chosen is still an island and kept it's spirit. In addition, Abu Simbel is a 6h desert drive for a one hour visit. There is little to see apart from the two temples. ... Well, you will go anyhow.

Getting There

Luxor (and any itinerary featuring Aswan should feature Luxor), you can visit by driver, train or bus. I took the train. There are also cheap, direct flights from Cairo. The airport is way outside town and taxis are a monopoly. I would recommend pre arranging a transfer with your hotel/guesthouse.

The most touristy option is to take a Nile cruise. I only learnt during my visit that Nile cruises cannot continue to Cairo as post Luxor the bridges are too low for the cruise ships. I am not an expert at picking Nile cruises. All I can say is that the boats I saw in Luxor had very limited cruise appeal. They looked like container ships.

Getting Around

Several of the sites are in and around Aswan proper. The Obelisk and the Islamic Cemetery are in town. You can take a ferry to Elephantine Island to visit the ruins there. To get to the two sites on the Western side of the Nile, you need to take a boat. Your hotel/guesthouse can arrange a boat for you. From Elephantine Island, you should be able to get a ferry at Ibiza Beach Bar, close to the Mövenpick Hotel.

To get to Philae, you need join a tour or get a driver. Going alone is quite costly, as you have to pay for a full boat yourself. You can't join another boat, so consider joining a group tour.

To get to Abu Simbel, you can get a driver or join a tour. I don't think a driver adds much value in comparison to a group tour/van. In any case, drivers and tours leave really early, before the regular ferries operate. The reason is that Abu Simbel faces East, so morning hours are better for the light. Assuming you are staying on Elephantine Island (you should), your guest house or hotel will arrange a boat for you if you book via them. One way is 2-3h and before you can leave Aswan, you will pass through security. Expect to be back at 14:00h. I heard of people wanting to stay in the village; I would see no reason to do so as the village is rather dull.

General remark: If you are in a guest house, I would recommend to arrange all your travel needs via them (airport transfers, cabs, tours, ...). On site as a tourist, you will not get better prices (at least without major time invested) than the guest house offers anyhow.

While You are There

Between Luxor and Aswan you can visit some Pharaonic temples (T). Off the road between Aswan and Abu Simbel, several desert oasis (T) are found, but you will need to arrange a tour. On a Nile Island South of Aswan, is a spot of the Bird Migration Routes (T).

Aswan itself, has more options to explore. A botanical garden, a mausoleum, a boat trip. I really enjoyed exploring Elephantine Island with it's lush gardens and fields and simple houses. If you are looking for a beer on the Nile, the afore mentioned Ibiza Beach Bar comes highly recommended. It's the only place on Elephantine Island serving beer that is not a 5* hotel, as I remember. And the view you get is spectacular.

Sun Festival

A day after I left (22 Feb) was one of the two days on which the sun illuminates the main temple. When they moved the temple, they made sure to keep the orientation roughly in line. For a brief instance, I was wondering how to move my itinerary around, but skipped it as I really couldn't make it work. And looking back, I am not too sad. First things first, it's hard to get a good view as the place is overcrowded. The sun illuminates the cave only briefly. I Preferred my calmer visit.