2-Day Aswan and Abu Simbel Tour from Luxor

Built in the 1960s, the High Dam ended the yearly Nile flood and created Lake Nasser. Your guide explains how it changed Egypt, and why it forced the international rescue of the Nubian temples, including the ones you will see at Abu Simbel tomorrow.

In the old granite quarry lies an obelisk from the time of Queen Hatshepsut, abandoned after the stone cracked. Had it been finished, it would have been about 42 meters long, the largest ever made. The tool marks around it show how ancient masons worked.

A short boat ride takes you to the island temple of Isis, the goddess who brought Osiris back to life and gave birth to Horus. Begun under the last native pharaohs, it was built mainly by the Ptolemies and finished by the Romans.

Lunch is at a restaurant overlooking the Nile, included in the price. It is a good place to slow down after the morning's sites and watch the feluccas sail between the granite islands and the desert hills on the far bank.

You check in to a 5-star hotel in Aswan on a bed-and-breakfast basis, and the rest of the evening is yours. Walk along the Corniche or rest by the river, but go to bed early if you can: tomorrow starts before sunrise.

A very early start with a breakfast box from the hotel. Your guide and private car take you south through the open desert to Abu Simbel, near the border with Sudan. Most people sleep for the first part of the drive.

Ramses II had both temples cut into the cliff in the 13th century BC. Your guide explains the history outside, then you go in at your own pace, through the great hall of Osiris pillars to the sanctuary, and on to the temple of Nefertari.

Back in Aswan you have lunch at a restaurant, then transfer to the station for the first-class train to Luxor, where we drive you to your hotel. The train, hotel, guide, car, listed meals and entrance fees on both days are covered.

The price includes hotel pickup and return in Luxor, first-class train tickets both ways, one night in a 5-star Aswan hotel, an Egyptologist guide, a private air-conditioned vehicle, entrance fees for the sights listed, two lunches and one breakfast, bottled water, and all service charges and taxes. Tips and optional tours are extra.

It is a private tour, with a guide and car for your group only. The cost of the guide, vehicle and hotel is spread across everyone in the group, so the price per person goes down as the group grows. Prices also change by season and are highest over the holidays, from {price} per person.

Possibly, if your second day falls on the morning of the festival, around 22 February or 22 October. It needs an even earlier start and draws very large crowds, so tell us your dates when you enquire. We will tell you honestly whether the trip can be arranged for that morning.

Yes. Avicon Travel is a Class "A" travel agency licensed by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism under License No. 1962 and registered since 2010. Our office and team are in Karnak, Luxor, so the guides, drivers and cars on this tour are our own local team, not a booking desk abroad.