Abu Simbel
 

I have read the trip reports, guide books and looked at photos...but I am sorry this place isn't grabbing me and I am contemplating leaving it out of my plans. If I include it, I don't think I will have enough time to do an overnighter there, so will take the early plane it and late am fly out route. I know it is only half a day but…here is the question "Is it worth it"

There are few "greats" of the world that I was unsure of, and my visit confirmed it - for example, Great Wall of China, Uluru (Ayres Rock) and Stonehenge - wonders that other people loved but did not do much for us. I have a feeling that Abu Simbel is going to be one of those places for us, but don’t want to exclude it from the itinerary because of a mis-informed view. (Places that did resonate Taj Mahal, Barrier Reef, Kerela Backwaters, Uxmal, Venice)

Many thanks for the input

From a scale perspective, it can't be beat. For me, my amazement at it was in part due to the engineer in me who couldn't believe they could actually MOVE something of that size. But I've always wanted to see it so that was a bigger factor. We stayed over because I thought the idea of the flying in and out was exhausting, so in that respect, I'd say it's probably a skip it for you.

I think it will be hard for people to answer this question in a way that is meaningful for you, because what's "worth it" for one person may not be "worth it" for another. Many, many people say that Abu Simbel was the highlight (or at least one of the highlights) of their trip to Egypt. I have read some reports, though, where people came away feeling like it was just another temple to check off the list. I thought it was worth it, and was glad I didn't miss it, simply because of the sheer scale of the temples and the knowledge that they had been moved, piece by piece, in order to escape inundation by Lake Nasser. Most people, I think, do it in a 1/2 day as you are contemplating, and it does make for a long day. If I had it to do over, I would do it again (in a perfect world, I would probably take the time to overnight there in order to see the temples at night).

I also was underwhelmed by Stonehenge but I enjoyed Uluru, partly because I was there at sunrise when it was gorgeous colors.

I loved Abu Simbel, though it was a different feeling than the other temples. Part of it was just the feeling of "oh holy buckets, they moved THAT!?!?" Both temples are enormous, and no matter how many times I was told that it's impossible to believe it was moved I was skeptical. I was impressed, I would never have guessed. I flew from Aswan in the morning and back to Aswan in the early afternoon. I didn't think it was tiring to fly down and back in the same day, it's a quick flight from Aswan.

I traveled with a tour and I think the trip to Abu Simbel was $200-something and definitely worth it to me.

Worth it to me...for sure

I was not disappointed in the least

You seem to be a very sophisticated traveller so what grabs you may be different than what grabs a person who has experienced less than you. I agree that the Great Wall was a disappointment as were the terra cotta warriors but for myself Abu Simbel was one of the major highlights of the Egypt trip.If your limitation is time then perhaps there are other things you may want to do but as long as you have time for Luxor, Valley of the Kings/queens Edfu, Kom obo, Giza . the museum and can fit in Abu Simbel I would rewcommend you go.

Many thanks for the very thoughtful replies.

Twelveoaks - forgot about the warriors. I had a similar reaction - but it wasn't a trek to get to them (from what I can remember).

This is very useful input to me - I agree abby that it is difficult for one person to tell another what is "worth it" to them, but this is helping and appreciate all the comments.

I agree that what one person thinks is worthwhile might be different than someone else. That being said, I was underwhelmed by Abu Simbel. I agree it was just another site to 'check off my list'. For me, the highlights of the trip were the Pyramids and the Museum of Antiquities.

We're going to Petra this Fall so I hope it will be more interesting than Abu Simbel!

Me-International flight attendant who has traveled alot of the world. Abu Simbel-was amazing and well worth it!
I understand when you say that some things aren't worth it but getting up early and taking the flight there to see this magnificent temple and area was one of the highlights of my recent trip to Egypt and Jordan.
As I said in a thread that I started about Abu Simbel tips-all of the bus/car people leave around 930am so if you are fortunate to not have a return plane until after 1030am or 1100am you will have the place to yourself with just the guards which is magical!
I don't know how old you are but for those of us growing up in the 1960's who read Life magazine's article about moving these statues to a higher level it was surreal seeing them.

airline spouse here--traveled ALL over the world and missed Abus Simbel the first time due to time/expense. I am taking Boss to Egypt next month and would NOT have him miss it. (ps--Stonehenge was a dud to me!!)
AB SIM is such a great accomplishment. I never thot I'd enjoy the High Dam but I said the same about Itaipu (Brasil) and it blew me away. Never thot I'd find Panama Canal so cool and we only did the Miraflores Locks. You don't have to spend the $$ and fly-you can take oh-dark-hundred convoy. We plan to take the later one and take our time.
Something for everyone!

On a side note, I do still wonder who got so utterly drunk that they said "hey, lesh move the tandpoles at aboooo thimble!"

It worked, but I still think moving all of those temples (I think 13 were moved due to Lake Nasser) was the result of either a really long night of drinking, or an acid trip.

:D

My Canadian sister in law took me to a salmon farm in Vancouver. She was embarassed at going and said "don't tell my friends". At the end of it she said "that was really cool". I loved it too.. so you never know!!

I'm headed there in March and really looking forward to it.. I wont be flying to Abu Simbel, but going by car from Aswan.. I think what I am looking forward to the most is what I hear is a pretty wild convoy of tour vehicles to the site!..
I agree about Stonehenge though.. It was just a pile of rocks to me, but I'm still glad I went to see it.

My family, including my two sons 27 and 29 wouldn't have missed it for the world! We LOVED it. It was one of our highlights. After Luxor and Karnak, this was the BEST (and the pyramids of course. and talk about a great photo op!!

P.S. Bring those small rolls of Charmin toilet paper. You won't be sorry. I don't know about you but ONE square of toilet paper, which i had to PAY for, just doesn't do it for me!

During our trip in 2006 we chose to do a camel ride to St. Simeon's Monastery instead of Abu Simbel. I wanted to camel ride and actually by then we had seen so many other temples I didn't miss seeing it. And we sure didn't miss the 3AM wakeup call to catch the fight. We did get some pictures taken by other persons in our party who went and it is a neat looking site but I enjoy looking at our camel pictures also. Everybody has to make their on decision and live with it. By the way, I loved Stonehenge. We took a special access tour and got to get up close and personal with the stones.

Julie

The interiors of both temples are quite amazing but you have to be somewhat into Egyptian art - huge wall works with color intact, room after room.

The sculptures outside are enormous. I saw it on a day when it was over 100 degrees with no shade and I had stupidly not brought liquids with me, so I was not in a mood to enjoy it barely being able to walk and yet I'm glad I saw it all.

I came back and sent for movies of it as I did not get to spend enough time wandering the rooms inside. And I got the Life and Nat'l Geos from 1969, which showed how they transported this huge scene cut out of where it had been (the statues' heads cut in half) and raised way above, safe from the waters, with a new structure built above that holds it all up.

I will, eventually put up photos I took and a videoclip of what it looked like.

If the pictures you've seen have not interested you, I imagine you might not be drawn to it in person either, but it's hard to say.

Good luck on your decision.

- Andrys
http://www.pbase.com/andrys/egypt_jordan

For me Abu Simbel is a must see. I thought it was magnificent. I even went on the 4am convoy, on a rackety old bus (my first time in Egypt) and had a really bad tummy bug, was really sick when I got there and everything that could have went wrong went wrong.

All of that in mind, Abu Simbel blew me away, and I would always say to anyone going to Egypt, try to get to Abu Simbel.

It is also one of the 50 things to do before you die on the BBC Worldwide public vote in 2008

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBHjI8Dj7iA

Scotsgirl

I agree that StoneHenge was underwhelming but a lot of it has to do with the season and time of the day you see it and if you're familiar with the history behind it. If you visit midday in the summer with the harsh sun brightly overhead then yeah it look just like a bunch of rocks, LOL. I wish I could've seen it at dawn or dusk. It's all about the lighting :)

The Great Wall... which part of the Wall did you see? When I was in China two years ago during late Oct/Nov timeframe, I visited Simatai and Mitnyaui (can't remember correct spelling). Mitnayuai was surrounded with tree in their fall colors, and it was gorgeous even in midday. Simatai had dusting of snow on ground and was remote and gorgeous also.

If I make it to Egypt this Spring then I plan to overnight at Abu Simbel so that I can see it in the late afternoon, at night and early in the morning :)

Does anyone know if it's possible to do a climb to get a high view looking down at Abu Simbel?

We love Abu Simbel. It was a feat of engineering moving these rock carved temples. It's fabulous and a must to see.

I like the engineering aspect of it like Dave, but I disagree that it's a must to see. It's another Temple. I know I know I could get stoned for saying something like that on an Egypt forum. :/

I'm another one more fascinated by the incredible feat of moving those pieces than by the place. When I got back I got a Nat'l Geo and Life Magazine from the 60's to read more about how they did it (my interest sparked by the Nat'l Geo Egypt book initially and later AT Abu Simbel where I stayed in the little shack to read the explanations and see the huge pictures, for too long).

As it happens I was late following the group due to reading and forgot to bring liquid and it was 100+ degrees and I was very close to having a heat stroke (not exaggerating - it affected me for the next 3 days and I was glad to be on the cruise where I could relax). Anyway, the statues are enormous and interesting for that reason alone but I told others who missed it that I didn't feel they missed that much -- biased by my being too hot there. What was amazing was the interiors of the temples. BEAUtiful illustrations on the walls within.

It's definitely unique and I'd go again (w/ liquids) because it is such an unusual site and has sat in that area (lower) for thousands of years... it's at least very striking.

I just tried to imagine sailing by in those days and seeing that!

I should add that some discomfort can be there if they (as happened to us) wake us at 2am to get ready for a plane flight to Abu Simbel (from Aswan) and then you hit that heat.

Others in our group weren't so affected by it though. That they had liquids probably was one reason.

One more thing. Stonehenge. I was there in 1968 in the afternoon during a time before they roped it off. We decided to go back the morning to see it at sunrise. That was great.

I do try to imagine being back in the times when people were using the place. Same with Machu Picchu, where I thought it must have been wonderful to wake up there everyday.

- Andrys
http:///www.pbase.com/andrys

On my first trip to Egypt in around 1977 I couldn't afford to go so I didn't get there. On my second trip last year I could afford it, and flew down from Aswan in the morning and back to Cairo in the afternoon. It was worth every penny and every minute! Everyone who went with us felt the same. Yes, it's 'another temple'. But boy, oh boy! What a temple! If anyone said it wasn't jaw-dropping incredible, they have either been going to Egypt too many times or just can't appreciate being amazed too often (i.e. have seen it all kind of folks)(my opinion). The people who were with our group who either didn't think it was worth it, or couldn't afford the flights, well, we didn't have the heart to really tell them how incredible it was. We felt too sorry for them. I hope you choose to go. If you are excited about Egypt, you should love it. If you are going because you've just added Egypt to your already long list of places you have to visit in the world, well, maybe you shouldn't. All I can say is, if we go back to Egypt again, and someone tempts us to go again to Abu Simbel, we may just have to think about doing it. And P.S.: if you have a really, really good guide during your trip to Egypt, by the time you get to Abu Simbel you should really have a deep, well founded understanding of ancient Egypt, it's people, it's rulers, it's politics, it's artisans, it's architects. All which should really add to the impact. Just my opinion.

My husband and I are just back from a tour of Egypt, beginning in Cairo, Nile cruise, and flight to Abu Simbel. For us it was the highlight -- better than the pyramids. And the feat of moving it just added to my amazement. I'd not suggest missing it -- even for the camel ride!
Samcat

I was wondering how some of you arranged for either flights or car convoy to Abu Simbel? Did you do the arrangemetn with a travel agent/ agency before arriving in Egypt? Thanks.

I think you should go - the outside of the temples was amazing; the inside even more. We went on the bus (3 hrs each way) and had about 3 hours there - just enough time. The bus we were on was big with a w.c. - we napped going and looked at all our pictures on the way back...definitely more impressive to me than the pyramids. I agree on Stone hedge = have not been to other places that left you cold. Our tour had Abu Simbel as an optional trip but it could be arranged I am sure at your hotel or thru travel agents in Aswan. I also recommend Philae Temple during the day and at night - If you like to mix with locals be sure to go to a Nubian Village by camel if you think you owuld like that - more fun than it sounded

Axel2DP
Just to answer your question about arranging this trip. We have done the 7 day Nile cruise for the last 4 years and there are extra excursions that you can arrange whilst onboard. The tour guides will arrange this extra visit and you get the option to travel by either plane or coach. This excursion will occurr whilst you are docked at Aswan.

GO It's really beautiful.

Thanks davecutter73 and fthomasbond.

I have to just add that we both have several things we visited that we'd have to say were the highlights, we found it so very difficult to pick just one. Which only means that there are more than one wonderful surprises to find in Egypt. On my personal don't miss list would be: Pyramids and the Solar Boat, Egyptian Museum, Karnak temple including the sound and light show at night, Abu Simbel, Dar el Bahir (Hatsepshuts palace), Valley of The Kings, tombs of the nobles at Saqqara. The one we had to miss but would go back again just to see is the Ramesseum in Luxor because it's supposed to have the most well preserved original colors, as many of the most visited tombs have been touched up. We learned a lot about ancient cultures that can evolve tremendously and then seemingly just disappear. We were speechless. Gosh, I wish we were going again!

PS: Thought you might enjoy this site: http://lexicorient.com/egypt/index.htm

If cost is a major issue for you and it's a choice of spending $300/person to fly in and out of Abu Simbel vs spending 5 days in Cairo/pyramids/Luxor (ie you're a budget traveler), then it might not be worth it. If you are a person who would spend $300 at a fine restaurant then there is no reason not to go. It only takes a half day of your trip and there isn't much else you can do in one morning in Egypt that will equal it (except maybe Giza). (even if you are a budget traveler, you can go IF you are planning to visit Aswan - it's a long drive through the desert, and yes you get up painfully early, but that is how I first saw it and it was magical to me. But you need to add at least 3 extra days to your trip to take the train from Luxor to Aswan, see Aswan and Abu Simbel, and take the train back to Cairo)

I just did my Egypt portion of the trip.

I did the fly in and fly out same day. My flight to Abu simbel was at 5am. Got to Abu Simbel at 0745 after a stop in Aswan. Got to the site at 0800. It twas quite busy for the first hour. Then magically, all the tour buses left at around 0915 and I had the place pretty much to myself. I had to go back and retake alot of pictures because now there were no people there!

My driver and tour rep got me back to the airport at 1040 for my 1045 flight. I basically got off the car, went through the scanner and onto the bus to go to the plane. Abu simbel is a really small airport and you can cut times close. Flew back to Aswan to catch a nile cruise

I think that half a day was pretty good for me. It is definitely more impressive than Phillae, Kom Ombo, Edfu. But I feel that Karnak was more impressive than Abu Simbel.

In terms of logistics of the trip. It was arranged by lady egypt. My bag (luggage) only went so far as aswan so I had no bag to pick up in Abu simbel. Transfers were quick to and from the airport.

I would recommend it...but if cost and time are a factor then you may have to reconsider

doc

Thanks doctorjohn.

Doctorjohn,

How did you find the light in Egypt for photography? Is the sun directly overhead and too harsh for most of the day for good pictures? At about what time is the sun directly overhead and about what time does it start to come down to give you good side lighting? Can you see a good sunset from Islamic Cairo?

Axel2DP,

The sun is very harsh by 1045 and lasts most of the day. Things improve after 3pm but many sites close at 4. The problem with afternoons is that the haze is mostly dissipated by this time but the sun is in direct site of many of the sites. As an example, at the pyramids of Giza, the sun sits directly behind the Khaffire pyramid and the sphinx, such that good pictures of this are pretty much impossible unless you are 90 degrees to the sun. Because of this, i preferred morning light for good picture taking.

During mid day (i assume you are a photographer), I recommend a couple of things:

1. Have a UV filter to dissipate unwanted UV rays.

2. Have a circular polarizer filter. When used at 90 degrees to the sun, it give more depth of color to the sand and stone and sky and helps to prevent washout of the picture due to the harshness of the sun

3. Most importantly, I suggest that you learn how to use the Auto Exposure bracketing feature of your camera (if its an SLR). This allows u to take multiple shots at different exposures in order to achieve an acceptable picture. Basically, you will need to decrease the exposure level in order to compensate for the harsh sunlight. You can still take good pics in harsh sunlight...you just need to know how to manipulate the settings to get what you want.

In terms of sunsets, I saw a few good sunsets...one from the dunes behind the giza pyramids, and a few from the nile cruise we took. To be honest...what was more interesting was the hues of pinks and orange that were on display in the sky after the sun had set. The actual sunset itself wasn't that impressive.

doc

Thanks for the tips doctorjohn.