Tour Overview
This private 2-day trip from Cairo joins Abu Simbel and Luxor, the two sites most travelers want to see in the south. You fly to Aswan, visit the temples of Ramses II at Abu Simbel and sleep in a 5-star Aswan hotel. On day two a first-class train takes you to Luxor for the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple, the Colossi of Memnon and Karnak before your flight back to Cairo.
Tour Highlights
- See Abu Simbel and Luxor's West Bank on one short trip, flying into Aswan and out of Luxor so there is no backtracking.
- Face the four colossal statues of Ramses II at the Great Temple of Abu Simbel and the smaller temple of Queen Nefertari beside it.
- Ride the first-class train from Aswan to Luxor along the Nile, past fields, palm groves and villages, a calm stretch between two busy sightseeing stops.
- Walk into painted royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings and see Hatshepsut's three-terraced temple against the cliffs of Deir el-Bahari.
- End your trip in Karnak's Great Hypostyle Hall after lunch at a Nile-view restaurant, before flying home to Cairo.
Tour Route
Can you see Abu Simbel and Luxor in 2 days from Cairo?
Yes, with a flight, a train and a second flight. You fly to Aswan and see Abu Simbel on day one, sleep in Aswan, then take the train to Luxor and see the West Bank and Karnak on day two. It is a busy plan that suits travelers with only a weekend free.
How is this different from the 2-day Luxor and Aswan trip?
Both trips join the same two cities by train, but in opposite directions and with different sights. This trip gives day one to Abu Simbel and skips Aswan's own temples. The Luxor and Aswan trip starts in Luxor and gives day two to the High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk and Philae.
Compared with the 2-day Aswan and Abu Simbel trip, this one trades a calm afternoon at Philae for a full day in Luxor. If you have never seen the Valley of the Kings or Karnak, that trade is usually worth it.
What makes Abu Simbel different from other Egyptian temples?
Most temples were built from blocks; Abu Simbel was carved straight out of the cliff, with its statues part of the rock. It also had to be moved: in the 1960s a UNESCO-led team cut it into more than a thousand blocks and rebuilt it above the waters of Lake Nasser.
What else can you do in Luxor and Aswan?
If you can add a night in Luxor, our Luxor day tours include Luxor Temple and the Karnak Sound and Light Show. Travelers who would rather see Abu Simbel on its own from Aswan can book the private Abu Simbel temples tour.
Tour Itinerary
Both days are full: day one is mostly the road to Abu Simbel and back, and day two packs a train ride and four Luxor sites before the flight.
Early in the morning we pick you up from your hotel in Cairo or Giza and take you to Cairo Airport for the flight to Aswan. Your private Egyptologist guide meets you on arrival, and you set off south toward Abu Simbel in an air-conditioned car.
Ramses II had two temples cut into the sandstone cliff near the Sudanese border, a project that took about 20 years. The Great Temple honors Amun-Ra, Ra-Horakhty, Ptah and the deified king himself, with four seated colossi at its entrance. The smaller temple is dedicated to Nefertari and the goddess Hathor.
A private air-conditioned car brings you back north to Aswan, where lunch is served at a restaurant with Egyptian and oriental dishes. Lunch is included in the price, and after the long morning on the road it is a welcome chance to sit down and rest.
After lunch you go straight to your 5-star hotel in Aswan to check in. The evening is free, so you can rest after the long drive, have dinner at your own pace and get a good night's sleep before the train.
After breakfast at the hotel, your guide takes you to Aswan station for the first-class train to Luxor. The line follows the Nile north past farmland and small towns. In Luxor a private car meets you at the station and drives you to the West Bank.
Kings of the 18th, 19th and 20th dynasties, including Tutankhamun, Seti I and many of the Ramesside line, were buried here in tombs cut deep into the hillside. The painted walls show the sun god's night journey through the underworld, which the king hoped to share.
Hatshepsut's temple rises in terraces against the cliffs, with reliefs of her divine birth and coronation. Then you stop at the Colossi of Memnon, two seated quartzite statues of Amenhotep III about 18 meters tall, carved with smaller figures of his wife Tiye and his mother Mutemwiya.
Lunch is at a Nile-view restaurant and is included. Then you cross to the East Bank for Karnak, the vast temple complex of Amun, Mut and Khonsu, where your guide leads you through the pylons and the Great Hypostyle Hall.
From Karnak you transfer to Luxor Airport for the flight to Cairo. A driver meets you on arrival and takes you to your hotel in Cairo or Giza. In two days you will have seen Abu Simbel, the Nile valley by train, and both banks of Luxor.
What's Included
What the tour price covers, and what to plan for separately.
Paid
★
Your
Own
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers about this tour. For anything else, message us on WhatsApp — we reply fast.
It starts at your hotel in Cairo or Giza, where we pick you up early in the morning for Cairo Airport. Pickup from downtown Cairo and the Giza area is included; other areas can be arranged for an extra charge. On day two, after the flight from Luxor, we drop you back at your hotel.
The price covers a flight from Cairo to Aswan, a first-class train ticket from Aswan to Luxor, a flight from Luxor to Cairo, one night in a 5-star Aswan hotel with breakfast, a private Egyptologist guide, air-conditioned transfers, two lunches, entrance fees to all sites in the program, and taxes.
Yes. Your guide is private to you and your companions. The per-person price falls as your group grows, because the guide, car and room costs are shared, and it changes by season, mainly because domestic airfares and hotel rates rise in the winter months and over Christmas and New Year.
It is demanding. Day one starts very early with a flight and a long desert drive to Abu Simbel and back. Day two has a train ride, four sites and a flight. Much of the time is spent sitting, but plan a quiet day in Cairo afterward.
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.
