Practical Information

Abu Simbel is 274km south of Aswan and 50km from the Sudanese border. An excellent paved road through the desert has opened the way for land vehicles. Every morning an air-conditioned bus leaves from the Aswan station at Sam, making the trip in about three and a half hours and returning in the afternoon. Another bus (alas, not air-conditioned) leaves Aswan at 5pm, leaving you in Abu Simbel for the night (LE12.50 each way). Buy your tickets at the Aswan bus station at least a day in advance; buy your return ticket on the bus on the way back.

The proprietors of Aswan’s El-Amin, Mena, Marwa, Molla, and Nubian Oasis hotels organize taxi tours to Abu Simbel and the High Dam for LE20-25 per person (a little more in high season; entrance fees extra). You will generally leave at 4am and be back in Aswan by l-2pm (your driver may offer to stop at the High Dam on the return trip). The advantage of these tours is that you will arrive early at Abu Simbel when there are fewer tourists and the desert heat is bearable. The cramped taxis, however, can be more uncomfortable than the bus over the long desert haul. You will also be herded into a tour group upon reaching the temple, and will be expected to depart shortly after the tour ends. To explore freely, organize a rebellion of your fellow passengers, risk their hatred by straggling, or set up you own transportation. A private taxi trip arranged on your own will also save a few pounds if you’re in a group of seven.

For those who cannot make the sometimes eerie and often beautiful road trip, several flights a day wing between Aswan and Abu Simbel. The frequency depends on demand. EgyptAir provides free bus service to the temple; after a whirlwind tour, you’ll be driven back to the airport for the return flight (round-trip LE337).

In Abu Simbel, the police station is 400m up the dead-end road from the temple. The Tourist Police are across the street from the New Ramses Hotel, by the temple. The town is also equipped with a post office and hospital. There are no telephone numbers qua telephone numbers here; you simply pick up a phone, dial zero, and the operator will connect you to anyone or anything in town.

Hospitable villagers are easy to find. The town of Abu Simbel, a displaced yet Hospita former self, lies about 2km from the temple site. The cheapest sturdy versi e Nefertari, has double rooms for US$49 (US$43 in win-?Reservations can be made at the Cairo office (tel. 75 79 50) or the Aswan office Camping at the site is forbidden, but the Nefertari operates a campground (LE5) nearby the hotel.