The first convoy
leaves at 4 a.m, arrives in Abu Simbel at 7 am, leaves at 9 am and is back at about 12.30.
The first convoy is used by almost all Nile Cruise tourists - therefore the temples are much more crowded in the morning.
With the first convoy you can choose:
• reserve seats in a minibus for 100 EGP each (= "car sharing" - not really advised, these busses are full up to the last jumpseat, some people snore, some dont wear fresh clothes). Please see more informations about car saring at the bottom*
• reserve a car with driver (f. ex. Toyota Corolla, space for 2-3 persons): 500 EGP
• reserve a minibus with driver (space for 8 persons): 650 EGP for all
The second convoy leaves at 11 a.m, arrives in Abu Simbel at 2 pm, leaves at 4 pm and will be back at about 7 p.m. With the
second convoy there is no "car-sharing" possible. Which leaves:
• reserve a car with driver (f. ex. Toyota Corolla, space for 2-3 persons): 500 EGP
• reserve a minibus with driver (space for 8 persons): 650 EGP for all
Meeting at the reception of your hotel will be 30 to 45 minutes before departure of the convoy. Of course all vehicles have air condition.
Advices: 
The tourist police requires copies of your passports (the main page with photo and passport number) from Waleed. He needs them the previous day to prepare the papers for the convoy for you. You can give the copy (copies) to him, if you arrive in Aswan two days before your visit at Abu Simbel, or you can send them to us as jpg or pdf.
Photographing is
not allowed inside the temples.
Guides are also not allowed inside the temples. Thats why I recommend to buy this book instead (I have no contact to the publisher in any way). It is available at Egyptian airports and in souvenirshops in Aswan and Abu Simbel for about 80 EGP. It has beautiful pictuers and good descriptions. I would suggest to read some before leaving to Abu Simbel and reread after your return. Like this you will have beautiful memories which cannot be forgotten.
If you come with a Nile Cruise, you might be surprised to find our prices to be much lower than these from your tour operator. That's why we are frequently asked to organise the excursion for guests on Nile Cruises. But most tour operators don't allow their guests to go on their own. Please read more here, if you booked with a tour operator.
These who would like
to stay longer / overnight, to see the monument at off-peak-hours, or who would love to
see the Sound&Light-Show in the evening, use the first or second convoy to get there
and return with the same driver with the first convoy or the next day.
My opinion about the Sound And Light Show in Abu Simbel: not the best one
in Egypt ... 30 minutes slight show, at the end blue lasers, then 10 minutes
to make photos from the (very nicely!, see picture) illuminated statues. I
stayed at Nefertari (4*hotel), didnt like the food and got an aching back
from the bed.
More informations (without responsibility taken): www.soundandlight.com.eg/Shows/AbuSimble.aspx
WARNING: Guides at Abu Simbel, cafeteria and souvenir shops
There are guides in Abu Simbel waiting around the ticket counters to offer their services. Please know they are not allowed to go inside the temple with you! They will stay outside, show you some postcards, talk much within a very short time and then open their hand to get as many Pounds from you as possible.
Also (when buying the ticket) you might get a paper that sais in English "guide fees" - but explains in Arabic that part of your ticket price is used to pay pensions for retired guides. To get this paper does not include the service of a guide!
There is a cafeteria near the ticket counter. Please note they have prices like airports in Western Countries, and they only sell bisquits, chips, etc. If you think you might need something to eat, bring some nuts, bred or lunchbox from your hotel with you to eat - if possible outside the vehicle . (Please understand that drivers are not happy to have guests smearing cheese and joghurt through the car or eat dropping oranges).
Souvenir shops at Abu Simbel will try to sell you items to a price that is higher than what you would pay in your own country. Please never let yourself talk into something. Calculate with a quiet mind, what you would like to spend for postcards or books, and then you can negotiate. But never pay more than what you have calculated as maximum before. With such a short time you dont have much time for shopping anyway. I would just try to stay away from these merchands.
Careful drivers
Often we are asked to provide careful drivers after guests have read horror stories in the internet about the convoy. Please understand that the Egyptian government cares about its tourists and laws are hard for Egyptians in case anything happens. Of course the driver will do everything that is in his hands to avoid accidents.
It is as hard for drivers to drive “European Style” as it is hard for Europeans to drive “Egyptian Style”. Also drivers have to follow “convoy rules”:
The first car and the last cars are with police officers – the schedule says all cars in between have to drive 120 – 130 km per hour. No car, microbus or bus can stay behind or drive more slowly. The convoy has to stay together. It is not possible for the driver to slow down.
Driving in the dark leaves guests sometimes shaking: to avoid lights in the mirror and being bedazzled by the light of the man behind, many drivers drive without lights – convinced after years of experience they can see more without than with lights in the mirrors that would confuse their eyes. These who still use lights are sometimes in trouble with other drivers who tell them to close their lights in the future. And upper beam headlights are used to warn uncoming traffic which is answered also with full beam.
For people outside Africa this sounds unlogic. We have discussed with our drivers, but the pressure of the convoy rules is huge and they are afraid to make their colleagues angry. So they try their best to make their guests happy without breaking convoy rules. Please understand also their situation. Accidents during the convoy are very unusual - the drivers know their jobs well.
Flights
with Egypt Air
Aswan
Individual is not a travel agency / travel company and cannot book flights
for you. But we are frequently asked. In this case we recommend to book with your local
travel agency, or to write to Uwe Kossmann (mail to in English: info@mywayoftravel.de), a travel agency in Berlin, who works
with Egypt Air and can book flights for you if you pay with credit card.
Please be courteous and contact Mr. Kossman only if you have definitive plans for using a travel agency for booking your flights. He is extremely busy and would appreciate it very much if you used him as your travel agent and not just as an information booth.
This is part of a copy from an email to one of our guests (Sept 2009):
Dear Mr xxx,
thanks for your request.
It´s the policy of EGYPT AIR to have those flights on waitinglist first.
Unusual but normal for this airline. In thirty years of being in the business,
I never got a confirmation at the time of reservation.
It takes about some days up to a maxiumum of three weeks to get a confirmation
status
------------
* More about car sharing: not guaranteed every day!
Car sharing to Abu Simbel is only offered when there are enough tourists in Aswan asking for it. The owners and drivers of these microbusses only offer car sharing, when a bus is going to be full!
Also these microbusses for car sharing including a stop at Philae is only offered if there are enough tourists in Aswan to ask for Abu Simbel plus Philae! If there should not be enough tourists in Aswan who ask for Abu Simbel plus Philae, but for Abu Simbel only, there will be no bus extra for only a few tourists that want to share a microbus for both sights.
Because of this it is important to confirm to Waleed by call two days before the trip to Abu Simbel that you are interested in car sharing, so he can reserve (! ) a seat for microbus car sharing. But in case there won't be enough others in all Aswan to share with you, you would have to rent and pay a driver with car for you only (500 EGP) or tell Waleed that you would cancel the trip in case car sharing is not offered.
Waleed will know at about 4 pm the previous day if car sharing will be offered. If he will tell you that there is no microbus with car sharing the following day, you can be sure that no other tour provider could offer you one - as there will be no car sharing for independent travelers that day.
Reasons not to take the public bus, which is not allowed for tourists anyway
Note: Waleed (or someone he sends) will meet you in your hotel (if you stay at Movenpick or Pyramisa Island: at the ferry on the Aswan side) and wait with you for the driver. With Aswan Individual you will not be left alone to wait for the driver!
Convoy 4 a.m. or
Convoy 11 a.m.
500 EGP for limousine (AC, size Toyota Corolla) . Please give 30-50 EGP tip to te driver.
(up to 3 persons)
Private microbus with aircondition
for you and your group (no sharing with strangers):
650 EGP for microbus (up to 8 persons).
Please give 30-50 EGP tip to te driver.
-------------------
Optional:
with guide:
plus 200 EGP
(Guides are NOT allowed to go inside the temple with you!)
-------------------
Optional:
Meet guide near highdam on the way back to explain to you highdam, Philae, Obelisk - guide will also negotiate and pay the captain to Philae and back (boat included):
plus 390 EGP for limousine
or 460 for microbus.
(Tickets not included)
Optional:
Driver stops at highdam and Philae
- no guide,
- boat to Philae not included
plus 130 EGP for limousine
or 170 for microbus.
(Tickets not included)
-------------------
Convoy 3.45 a.m. only:
With minibus
"car sharing" for
Abu Simbel only:
100 EGP each seat*
(tickets not included)
Convoy 3.45 a.m. only:
With minibus
"car sharing" for
Abu Simbel & Philae:
with stop at Philae on way back (boat and guide not included):
plus 50 EGP
= 150 EGP each seat* (tickets not included)
-------------------
Ticket for Abu Simbel during the day: 100 EGP
Ticket for Sound & Light Sound-Show: 75 EGP
Highdam: 20 EGP
Philae: 50 EGP
** guides are not allowed to go inside the temples with you!!!
" ... Petra, you were right about Abu Simbel being as impressive as the pyramids and we were glad you advised us to see it – we originally thought it was too far away. It was worth the long drive." (Sian and family, Netherlands)
"It’s hard to write about this place without using words like ‘awesome’ and majestic’ but it really is. You feel dwarfed by the gigantic statues, the whole place really does take your breath away, not only because of the sheer size of these structures, but also by the intense feeling of power you get..." (Liz from England, more about her time in Aswan, please see her blog)
" .... The next morning at 3:00 am., Waleed was at the hotel to introduce us to the drivers who will take us to 3:45 convon to Abu-Simbel. I was worried that the round trip (540 km) will be too much for us but it turned out ok. Nobody complained. The drivers were polite and very careful and alert which was very important to us. I could hear that Walee was always in contact with the driver to check how everything was going. The sight of Abu-Simbel temples exhilirated us. I am glad aswan_individual could offer it..." Madeleine Vega, Los Angeles
"Hi Petra,
Just to thank you for your good services. We had a super time in Abu Simbel, and the temples for ourselves between 16:00 and 17:30pm. It is well worth spending the night in a crap hotel just to avoid the crowds and be able to appreciate the temples in peace and quiet, but honestly, Nefertari wasn't that bad, it is very run down, overpriced of course, very 60s, and old, and too quiet, the bed not too comfortable, but the pool was very clean! We had dinner at Escaleh, which was great. Escaleh is quite far from the temples (I would estimate 30 to 40 minute walk), so our choice of Nefertari paid up in the end.
I will certainly advise your site to other travellers in the future. Waleed was on time, very profissional, and the driver Meena did his best to please us.
Take care and hope business is good for you, Odile and Laurence from Cairo"
"... Again, the nice air conditioned car was used for this long jouney which made a big difference for my wife as she was starting to recover from her fatigue. In fact, she slept very comfortably in the car and did not feel any motion/travel sickness at all. Very courteous and professional driver too ... (Chris and Jimmy from Australia)"
" ... The next day we had arranged to go to Abu Simbel. Waleed met us at 3:30am as arranged to introduce us to the driver. We had a great drive in a comfortable, clean, airconditioned van (we all comfortably slept on the way there). We figured the 3 hour drive back would be tough for the kids, but we were thrilled when our driver turned on a movie for them to watch! We had the same driver take us to Luxor the next day…he drove safely at all times and was highly professional." (Sheila and family, Canada)
More comments in our guestbook
It is 4 a.m. and the convoy is gathering together. „Why at this early time before any healthy man is getting up?“ I ask the driver, „because we will be back before the day becomes real hot“. Good argument. Beside this, there is a second convoy at 11 a.m. I have the chance to sit in the front beside the driver. In the back of the minibus light snoring from eleven different nationalities drowns the sound of the motor. The sleeping people do not see the stars and the moon above the desert. They do not see how the sky is building a luminous stripe in the east and the red sun getting up like fire.
After 280 km, 40
km from the frontier to Sudan, we arrive at 7 a.m. on the parking lot
behind Abu Simbel. "9 a.m. we will meet again here, the bus will
not wait.“ At the ticket counter people are pushing to get a ticket.
One has to walk around the mountain (the cupola of the monument), marvelling
at the grotesque shapes of the coasts of Lake Nasser, and the sudden sight
around the corner is taking your breath away ... The Temple of Ramses
II (1279 – 1213 BC) is so huge and powerful, a second smaller temple
beside having been built for his wife Nefertari and God Horus. Four Ramses
are sitting beside each other, all statues being 20 meters high. Head
and upper part of the body of one of the hulks fell after an earthquake
down to his own feet. Time is short if one wants to see both temples from
the inside. Because all tourists are coming with the same convoy there
is a lot of tailgating.
But in spite of all
this fidgetiness a big calm is lowering down on the visitor after entering
the halls inside. The old statues upraise themselves. Paintings grace
the walls and in the sanctuary of the big temple, four archaic Gods (inclusive
Ramses) are waiting to meet the light of the sun, which will fall down
on them every 21st of february and 21st of october, to wander from one
to another, taking 10 minutes time all together. Abu Simbel is one of
the most impressive places I ever saw.
