A Wonderful Day Visiting Abu Simbel in Egypt

On my first night in Aswan, Egypt’s gateway city for Abu Simbel, I checked into the Sofitel Legend Old Cataract. Like the country it calls home, the Old Cataract is one of those famous places that certainly lives up to its reputation. The hotel has hosted royalty and celebrities, but is probably most famously known as a prime location in Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile.

Since I was leaving quite early the next morning for the archaeological site, I met up with my tour guide, Mohamed, in the hotel lobby to discuss our itinerary. He advised me to order a “Breakfast Box” from the hotel that night so that I’d have something to eat on the road.

Breakfast boxes are relatively common Aswan hotel amenities as there’s not much food on the journey to Abu Simbel and there’s timed road closures that require visitors to leave earlier than breakfast buffets are available.

So, after setting my alarm for the next day, I placed an order with In-Room Dining, letting them know of my ask and my dietary restrictions and then headed to bed.

The next morning, I woke up bright and early by normal standards, and quite late by Abu Simbel standards. And no, I did not sleep through my alarm.

True to my nature of wanting to avoid crowds, I strategically timed my visit. While most tours leave Aswan at 4AM, I coordinated a 6:30AM departure with my guide. With this plan, we’d be arriving just as others were leaving so I could explore the temples relatively undisturbed. We didn’t dare push our departure past 6:30PM though for fear of the intense afternoon heat and of getting “stuck” in the desert due to the 5PM daily road closure between Aswan and Abu Simbel.

So at 6AM that morning, I sleepily began brushing my teeth, applying my skincare and packing my camera equipment. 15 minutes later, my breakfast box arrived and 15 minutes after that, I was greeting Mohamed in the lobby once more.

While my breakfast box arrived on time, my dairy-free request was not applied. I was still able to eat around more suspicious-looking foods and wasn’t too bothered, but Mohamed insisted on calling the hotel to let them know about the error.

I was a bit mortified at first as I’m not one to call out restaurant errors unless I literally can’t eat anything due to my allergy, but Mohamed assured me. Hospitality is taken very seriously in Egypt, he said. After his phone call, he said I’d be taken care of on return and that I should go to the hotel’s concierge.

After a few jokes and mentions about the landmarks we were driving by, I finished what I could from my breakfast box. Mohamed then reminded me: our drive to Abu Simbel would be 3.5 hours total, with one mid-way stop at a cafe and restroom. The road leading outside of Aswan would be fairly straight from here, with nothing to see but desert.

And so, with this, I decided to take a much-needed nap, only waking to use the bathroom at the mid-way point before quickly falling back to sleep in the car for the remainder of our journey.

Being able to sleep in the car was heaven and before I knew it, we’d arrived. I looked outside my window as we pulled into the car park, shaking off the final remnants of sleep. Just ahead, a group of tour buses were loading up with passengers – “Yes! The plan had worked“, I celebrated. And beyond, a series of tiny stone buildings and not much else – yet.

Luckily, I’d already visited many of Egypt’s ancient sites, so I knew to throw on my pair of tortoise sunglasses and best stoney facial expression before leaving the car: tactics that helped me maneuver past even the most aggressive salesmen posted up near the gates of these great places.

Our driver parked and Mohamed and I made our way toward and past those tiny buildings, which turned out to be exactly what I had expected: an aisle of small shops selling souvenirs that weren’t actually made in Egypt.

We made it through easily and stopped at the restrooms before meeting inside the Visitor Center. Mohamed directed me toward a table with a model of the site. Pointing toward the two temples, he explained the significance of their layouts, where they were originally built, how they were found and why they were moved to their current location at Abu Simbel.

The fact I found the most interesting was that the Great Temple’s rock-cut entrance was built so that sunlight shines directly onto three of the impressive statues inside the inner sanctuary on two days each year: October 22 and February 22. These dates are otherwise signify Pharaoh Ramses II’s birthday and ascension to the throne of Egypt, respectively.

We exited the Visitor Center and proceeded down a path along the hill I didn’t notice we were on top of before. Lake Nasser was to our front and right; a large rocky hill to our left. With every step, my excitement for Abu Simbel peaked even further, leaving me to almost glide down the hill.

Then finally, the path turned right and my head along with it. There it was – the Great Temple entrance in all its glory. Even after everything I read, even with all my built-up anticipation, nothing could prepare me for the vision before my eyes. I felt the goosebumps spreading across my arms in defiance of the hot, desert climate and I drifted closer.

After playing around with my camera and uncovering just about every photographic angle from the exterior, it was finally time to venture inside. The goosebumps returned as I stepped through the immense doorway. If I had thought that the exterior was grand (and it was), the interior of the Great Temple completely took my breath away.

Standing on a wood-planked pathway in the Hypostyle Hall, I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. Wow. Lining either side of me were even more large pharaonic statues and just above, a beautifully detailed ceiling that still kept much of its original paint, even after all these years. Turning around, saw Mohamed still standing just outside the entrance – guides are not allowed inside the temples here due to overcrowding. Then, I smiled and proceeded further into the temple, weaving my way in between and around the statues, admiring the ancient craftsmanship.

Moving into the now-emptied side chambers just off the main hall, I tried to envision the treasures they once held and how the room must have glimmered under torchlight, the vibrant hieroglyphs dancing in between the shadows on the walls.

Finally, I passed through the vestibule and another chamber, reaching the deepest point in the temple: the inner sanctuary, where only the high priests and pharaoh were formerly allowed. Now standing before the four statues here, I couldn’t help but laugh at what the Ancient Egyptians might’ve thought about me: a young woman – and even more, a solo female traveler – now venturing freely into this sacred and restricted area. Now sporting my best toothy grin, I turned back around and made my way outside.

Walking back out into the light, I joined Mohamed on the wooden pathway and we continued on to the Small Temple: The Temple of Hathor. While Abu Simbel’s Small Temple was designed to be a bit less tall and deep than the Great Temple, it was still stunning to behold.

Also built by Ramses II, The Small Temple was dedicated to the goddess Hathor and to his chief wife and queen, Nefertari. I loved the six figured facade here in particular, as two of the four colossal statues were of the queen herself, perhaps the largest statues of a woman I had seen during my trip.

Inside, columns with the face of Hathor lined the Hypostyle Hall. I’d seen this design twice before – once at the Temple of Hatshepsut and once at Dendera Temple, both of which were also dedicated to the ancient goddess.

Moving about, I took in even more of the detailed hieroglyphics marking the walls and columns, silently wishing Ancient Egyptian was more easily accessible to the modern-day explorer. Come on, Duolingo!

Heading back outside once more, I re-joined Mohamed and our driver, taking one final look at the monumental structures in front of me.

It had been an absolutely magical day – a dream of the past made reality. And now, it was time for another long car nap on the way back to Aswan.

Recommendations & Tips For Visiting:

Even though tour guides can’t go inside Abu Simbel with you, I still highly recommend visiting with a guide. There’s still lots to learn and see just outside the temples and having a guide makes the experience so much more enriching.

If you’re hoping to visit without crowds, book a private trip over a group tour and request to leave Aswan around 6:30AM – 8AM*.

*Err on the early side of this window if you want more time to explore the temples.

Tour Operators I Recommend: Memphis Tours & EMO Tours

Cost To Visit: Varies by tour type and operator. Typically at least 200 USD.

Bring: Sunscreen, Sunhat, Water, Snacks, Camera and a Taste for Adventure