Trying to figure out my days here. Seeing this without a tour company.

Flying into Cairo and spending a couple of days.

Flying to Abu Simbel, seeing the sights.

Flying to Aswan, cruising to Luxor--cruise leaves on Wednesday afternoon.

Fly back to Cairo then home.

How and when to I get from Cairo to Abu Simbel then to Aswan?

Do I need to fly (with luggage) to Aswan on Tuesday, spend the night. On Wed. morning, fly to Aswan, see the sights then fly back for the cruise?

Do I do it on Tuesday and then spend the night in Aswan, and board the boat on Wednesday? Can I get from Cairo to Abu Simbel and back to Aswan in one day?

I'm totally lost about this part of the trip!

You can certainly get from Cairo to Abu Simbel and back to Aswan in 1/day.

Suggest you have a local in-country tour operator coordinate your flights and transfers, hotels, sightseeing, Nile cruise - many here have used Lady Egypt with success. There are a few other operators that a "search" on this board will bring up.

Using a TO will be beneficial as a contact, handle any problems should they happen, and not more costly than trying to do it yourself.

Since you'll be traveling on your own with luggage, I'd recommend flying into Abu Simbel direct from Cairo (the flight is at some ungodly early hour) and then staying overnight in the hotel there. You can then walk over to the sight and see it in the late afternoon after almost all the tourists have gone and get up and see it again in the morning before they arrive about 8 or 9am. The only people who will be there are the few who stay overnight and those on the cruise ships that spend the night. You can see the Sound & Light show there in the evening of your arrival.

Then fly to Aswan the next day. Just be sure to make your flight reservations far in advance. Virtually all the seats are taken by tour companies and groups. And I'd recommend that you use an Egyptian travel agency to book this flight; some offer a little package deal that can save you money (it's an expensive flight because it's all tour groups).

If all else fails, you can always hop on the overland convoy that goes back to Aswan in the afternoon, though that's not very comfortable.

FYI: The best hotel in Abu Simbel is the Seti Abu Simbel.

If you have the time - I 2nd what Doug said.

I've done Abu Simbel twice - once the quick in/out way and once with a Lake Nasser cruise. I really enjoyed being there in the afternoon when it was basically empty. And the Sound and Light show (not normally my favorite things) was excellent.

When we did this route we had our main luggage as after AS we were going on Nile cruise. When landing at AS, we visited the site and then about 2-3/hrs later back to airport and flew to Aswan. On landing our luggage came off the carousel.

Believe the same plane that flew us south to AS waited to return us to Aswan. It was all coordinated. The reason I suggest you contact a Tour Operator who can advice and handle this for you... of course, that's if you plan to do this in 1/day

There is a flight from Cairo that leaves at 5:00a, lands in Abu Simbel at 7:45a. Then leaves AS at 10:45a and goes to Aswan. Is that 3 hour time difference long enough to get us off the flight, drive there, tour the site and back in time to catch the flight?

I'm trying to decide if I should do that on Wednesday (long full day) or fly 5a-7:45a on Tuesday, see the site, light show, etc. spend the night and fly out on Wednesday.

The 2nd way sounds better, but will only give me Sunday and Monday in Cairo. On Sunday, are things open? I know the bazar will have stores closed. How about seeing the Great Pyramids or the Cairo museum on Sunday? Will they be open?

I don't think 3 hours is enough. I know we had more time allotted when we did it the first time. But maybe others can be of more help here.

Virtually everyone who goes to Abu Simbel does that 3-hour trip. On arrival, you're taken in a pre-arranged bus direct to the site from the airport, you walk around, and then you reboard the bus to go back to the airport for your flight to Aswan.

I did my visit that way (about 90% of all visitors do), but that's not what I'd recommend. It's really worth spending the extra time in Abu Simbel since it can be very crowded during the day and you miss out on the magic of seeing it at night. But if you don't have time, then that's that.

All the main tourist sites in Cairo are open on Sunday (except for some of the few Christian sites); Friday and Saturday are the "weekend" for most people in Egypt. Sunday is not a holy day for the vast majority of Egyptians, though most of the shops in the Khan are closed then.

Thanks for all the help..........

How does this sound?

Arrive Saturday around 2:00p. Rest, eat dinner, nothing special since we will be so tired after a long overnight flight and little rest.

Sunday, go to the museum early, before it gets too hot. Relax in the afternoon. Possible dinner cruise with belly dancing.

Monday, see Great Pyramids, and step pyramids (with a guide). Spend a few hours at the Bazaar. Is all that possible in one day?

Tuesday--fly to Abu Simbel, tour it, see light show. Spend night here.

Wednesday--maybe AS again???, 10:45a flight to Aswan, board boat.

Wed-Tues--cruise with stops

Tuesday morning--off ship in Luxor (hot air balloon ride if working by then). Flight back to Cairo. I need to see when this flight time is.

Wed--leave Cairo headed home.

What do you think??

This sounds like a really nice itinerary to me in terms of seeing most of the highlights at a reasonable pace.

I would make one change. I'd do the pyramids and the sphinx on Sunday and save the museum for Monday and then do the Khan after that. It's shady enough in the bazaar that you won't be overheated, and there are a lot of nice cafes where you can rest and recuperate and have lunch.

You don't say where you're staying, but if you stay near the pyramids, that makes the logistics a little easier. You have to make only one drive into Cairo that way if you do the museum and bazaar on the same day (and you might have time to see the Citadel or the Hanging Church or some of the other sights in Cairo on the day you visit the museum and bazaar.

I wasn't impressed by the belly-dancing shows. But perhaps that's just me. I'd probably skip that and perhaps see the Sound & Light show at the Spinx, though it's a little hokey.

I'm planning on seeing the light and show at Abu Simbel. Should I see the one in Cairo too or is it about the same?

I saw two of them when I was in Egypt a couple of years ago. One was at the pyramids ... very Ten Commandments (actually sounded like the same narrator or similar) and kind of silly. However I also went to one at Philae, and it was quite enjoyable because you actually moved through the temple complex and they lit up different parts for you.

The same company operates all the sound and light shows, so there's a certain similarity, and there's no real "need" to see more than one ... I offered it as an alternative because I enjoyed it more than the belly dancing, which is really not my thing. But if you like to see the monuments at night, they can be nice in that respect. People have said the one at Abu Simbel is better. And several people I know went to the one in Luxor too and liked it (but 3 was just too much for me on one trip).

Something to remember when you're at Abu Simbel... it's hot! Very hot. The farther south you travel, the hotter it gets.

Sure if you get down there in the morning, for some visitors 3/hrs might not be sufficient, but even if you decide to stay overnight, after you tour (for how many hours... you're out in that brutal sun). Then, there's not much else to do, but go to your hotel and settle IN the pool. Then in the evening do the Light & Sound.

We found the 3/hrs sufficient and caught the Light & Sound at Luxor.

Personally, I'd prefer to spend the extra time in/around Cairo or even in Luxor.

We visited the Bazaar on Sunday and though out taxi driver said "it's closed" - to which I replied "bazaars do not close" and it wasn't. It was very busy and except for the jewelry shops, everything else was open. We arrived early as most shops were opening, so not crowded... by the time we departed mid-afternoon... very very busy.

"Then, there's not much else to do, but go to your hotel and settle IN the pool. Then in the evening do the Light & Sound."

That sounds great to me. Just some relaxing time in the pool, waiting for the show. Am I missing something? It sounds relaxing since we'll be going and blowing so much!