Egypt's Greatest Treasure: A Traveler's Abu Simbel Guide
How to get there, best places to see, & more
By Raphael M., a travel photographer and writer based out of New York City
Last Updated on August 4th, 2026
Ancient to the ancient Egyptians, an engineering masterpiece, Abu Simbel is one of the greatest cultural sites in the world, and the crown jewel of Egypt.
Located 3 hours south of Aswan is Abu Simbel, a historical site with two temples carved straight into the mountainside for Ramesses II and his wife, Nefertari. Constructed in 13th century BC, this 3,226 year-old temple laid quietly and abandoned in southern Egypt for millennias. This site was even ancient for Egyptologists, a testament to how ancient and old Egyptian history truly is. It was rediscovered by European researcher Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1813, and when he first saw the ancient site he could only see the top of the temple, a small glimpse of what was buried underneath.
They precisely cut up the entire mountainside, sectioned into movable pieces where they could relocate the entire historical site, literally moving an entire mountain. With this context, Abu Simbel is as much a historical masterpiece as it is a mark of revolutionary modern engineering. Here's a link to an article that details the entire process, worthy of a read.
With the creation of Lake Nasser, the temple would have been flooded, something that was unavoidably an issue. After commissioning a Swedish engineering firm, VBB, the Egyptian Government, UNESCO, the United States, and private donors put together a combined 36 million dollars to relocate the temple.
Abu Simbel has its own airport, located only 10 minutes from the actual site. The most common flights were coming from Luxor and Cairo, and would be the preferred method of transport if you are coming from either city. I was coming from Aswan, so I booked a private tour that included a shuttle to and from the site.
If you are coming internationally, my best recommendation would be to fly into Cairo and get a connecting flight to Abu Simbel directly. Keep in mind that almost every flight in Egypt will have delays, as each of my flights were at least 30 minutes delayed, with one being over 3 hours.
This historical site isn't complicated. What may be complicated is the amount of time you spend here, as I only had about 2 hours at the site because of the long drive to and from Abu Simbel from Aswan, which was around 4 hours. My shuttle picked me up from the hotel at 5:30AM and we came back around 2PM.
I would spend the majority of my time in the Great Temple, and spend whatever time you have left for Nefertari's Temple. Hers is less grand and detailed, but seemingly retained more colors.
I would also recommend seeing Abu Simbel at night, something I just didn't have the opportunity to do. A photographer I met at Philae Temple actually visited Abu Simbel at night, and the contrast with the night sky and the lit historical site were amazing.
The Great Temple took over 20 years to construct, and is dedicated to the gods Amun, Ra-Horakhty, Ptah, and Ramesses II. The front of the Temple has four enormous statues of Ramesses II, with one collapsed. These are arguably the most impressive feature of the Temple, as the faces visually are so smooth, yet retain a timeless humanistic aesthetic.
When you enter the temple, you are greeted with a hallway lined with 8 deified figures of Ramesses II, alongside large corridors on each side of temple.
There isn't a bare wall in the entire temple, with each hallway, prayer room, and pillar meticulously carved with historical scenes, Egyptian gods, and imagery of Ramesses II.
At the middle of the temple is a room that contains 4 figures: Ra-Horakhty, the king Ramesses, and the gods Amun Ra and Ptah. It is believed that the angle of the room allowed for the sun to beam straight through the temple and light up all the statues except Ptah, who is the God of the Dead, who always remains in the dark. It would only happen on October and Febuary 22nd, both correlating to the King's birthday and date of coronation.
Just walking around this temple is surreal, as it's just unfathomable that they constructed such detailed carvings without modern lighting, tools, or construction techniques.
On top of the impossibility of constructing such a site, the process of disassembly and reassembly is arguably just as impressive, as the temple appeared just as grand and preserved as it was before.
History of Abu Simbel:
How to get there:
Where to stay:
Things to see:
I did not stay in Abu Simbel, as I took a day trip from Aswan. If you are to do the same as me, you'd stay in the same accommodation as you did in Aswan, or if you didn't, I would book a nicer resort located in New Aswan. I do believe there are hotels directly in Abu Simbel, but there isn't much to do there except the site, as it is an extremely desolate location, seperated from any major city/hub. A rule of thumb is to stay in a nicer accommodation in Egypt, as the budget ones are definitely lacking compared to other countries.
The Great Temple:
The Small Temple:
I only had about 15 minutes to explore the Small Temple, which was dedicated to Nefertari and the Goddess Hathor. The temple is much smaller and has similar design qualities. The standout feature of this temple is the white color that still bleeds bright, something that was lacking from the Great Temple.
Final Thoughts:
Abu Simbel is arguably the greatest historical site in the world. I personally value it over the Pyramids of Giza, as my experience at the site was so much better at Abu Simbel (lack of pestering guards), the beautifully preserved carvings and statues, and view overlooking the blue water of Lake Nasser. When you combine the just stunning nature of the temple alongside the fact that they moved the entire structure miles away from its original location - Abu Simbel is one of the greatest places I've ever photographed. If there was only place you could visit in Egypt, Abu Simbel truly deserves to be number 1.
