Abu Simbel
 

The Abu Simbel excursion is not included in our tour of Egypt (that seems to be quite common). Flights to the site for my husband and I are $289 US. To those that have been there, is it worth it? I know a bus operates as well, but apparently it leaves in the middle of the night. Any thoughts appreciated. Also, Egypt Air offers a shuttle to the site. Has anyone taken it? Many thanks!

Abu Simbel consists of 2 temples and is an amazing site not only from a historical but engineering standpoint.
It is an expensive and short side trip (just a couple hours). I felt it was worthwhile because I enjoy history and didn't tire of looking at temples and the decoration of them.
I'm not sure which shuttle service we used since we were part of a tour company. The site is close to the airport.

All of Egypt is a must see, but don't miss Abu Simbel, regardless of the cost. It one of the highlights of my trip this past March and I would have kicked myself around the block if I hadn't gone there. Per the previous post, it is truly an engineering as well as historical sight.

You have to go - far different than the many other sites you will be visiting. Worth every dollar spent.

If you do a search for Abu Simbel, this is a question that has been frequently asked. The overwhelming response has been YES go for it. Based upon previous posts, my husband and I included it in our September itinerary. Have a great trip to Egypt. T

We were in Egypt in August last year and had the option to visit Abu Simbel, which we took. However after looking back on the whole trip I feel we would have been better off spending more time enjoying mixing with the locals and getting to know the current culture better. Whilst the site is great, we saw equally amazing places. We had to leave on the 4am flight from Cairo and were told that guides were available when we arrived at Abu Simbel but somehow they were not. So we cut short Cairo and wished we hadn't.
Our opinion... unlike many others.

My husband and I flew from Aswan to Abu Simbel. Even though our travel agent told us it would be expensive and short, it was well worth the time and expense. Buses left at 4:00 A.M. with a military escort. We also left early, but flying was better than the long bus ride. No food, but definitely worth your time from historical and engineering viewpoint. We also didn't have a guide, but we had read enough Egyptian history to get the high points.

Deb M brings up an interesting issue. As with any trip, one must establish priorities/goals for what they want to see or do. For this trip for us, we wanted to see as many antiquities as we could. Food, local culture, etc. was a distant second. For example, we chose to follow the strictest diet restrictions to eliminate chance of GI problems -we did not want to miss even a half day being ill. Others in our group preferred to experiment at local restaurants. To each his own.

But with limited time in Egypt, you will have to decide if local culture or other things are more important to you - and then decide about Abu Simbel. On our particular trip, what we gave up was more time in Aswan.

As far as guides being available at site - we did not see any nor did we feel the need for one there, even though at all other places we visited we had an extremely comptetent guide.

Loru100 - is the price you quote per person or for both of you? And is the flight from Cairo/Aswan or somewhere else.

Abu Simbel was one of my real highlights of my trip to Aswan and looking back, I am really glad I took the chance to go there. I flew from Aswan and other people I met perhaps wished they'd flown too after the coach journey they took.

What surprises me is the price people here seem to be quoted sometimes for this add-on trip to Abu Simbel. I think some Tour Operators charge extortionate amounts compared to others. That's why I asked what your price covered.

As others have mentioned, Abu Simbel is a highlight. We booked the trip through our tour company with the tour. Our guide told us the company charged more if you booked with them after arrival. Our tour company used the busses provided by Egypt Air to get to the site. We had an early flight as others mentioned. The buses that went left before 3am when we were there and I was very happy to fly at 6am. The flight is about 30 minutes.

ttt

Thank You all for your comments on Abu Simble.

I found them all very helpful

Percy

Oh yes, I will be going to Abu Simble.

I will fly from Aswan and back again and then re board the cruise ship.

Thanks again
Percy