Private Day Tour to Abu Simbel Temples from Aswan
Badge of Excellence
Aswan, Egypt
- 10 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Overview
Discover a part of Egypt that most first-time visitors miss on a private day trip to the Abu Simbel temples from Aswan. You’ll stay cool and skip the hassle of car hire with private, air-conditioned transport, and enjoy the chance to ask as many questions as you like to your private guide. Plus, you’ll enjoy the freedom to make tweaks to your itinerary.
Note : To confirm your booking will need copy photo from your passport please update it with booking process
- Discover the temples of Abu Simbel with ease on a private tour
- Listen to historical anecdotes you're unlikely to find in the guidebook
- Make comfort stops whenever you need as you travel in air-conditioned comfort
- Hassle-free hotel pickup and drop-off are included
What's Included
- All Transfers by Private A/C latest Model Vehicle
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Entry fees (if option selected )
- Lunch at local restaurants(Local Egyptian Food) (if option selected )
- Guide ( if option selected )
- Bottle of water
- Personal Items
- Tipping
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Itinerary
After pickup from your Aswan hotel or Nile cruise ship at your chosen morning time slot, spend around 3 hours traveling through the desert in a comfortable private car to the little town of Abu Simbel and the Abu Simbel Temples.
Depending on the option you’ve selected, line up and pay for your own tickets or relax with entrance fees included.
You’ll have around 3 hours to explore the site, either independently or with a guide. If you’ve opted for a guide, you’ll learn all about Ramses, Nefertari, and the gods they represent as you explore these majestic lakefront temples.
If you’ve chosen the tour with lunch, you’ll unwind over an included meal in a local restaurant before the drive back to your ship or your hotel.
Depending on the option you’ve selected, line up and pay for your own tickets or relax with entrance fees included.
You’ll have around 3 hours to explore the site, either independently or with a guide. If you’ve opted for a guide, you’ll learn all about Ramses, Nefertari, and the gods they represent as you explore these majestic lakefront temples.
If you’ve chosen the tour with lunch, you’ll unwind over an included meal in a local restaurant before the drive back to your ship or your hotel.
1
Abu Simbel Temple
10 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Near public transportation
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Infant seats available
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- Note : To confirm your booking will need copy photo from your passport please update it with booking process
- Entry fees includes basic area only
- Entrance fees -Depending on the Tour Options Chosen
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
zhangcheng_z
We had a great time visiting the Abu Simble. Our guide Weilly and driver Ali were punctual, professional and made the trip very smooth. Weilly gave us comprehensive history of the temple and was attentive to us throughout the entire day. I highly recommend them!
Reviews
4.4
based on 623 reviews
Leslie_O, Apr 2026
The tour guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. The car was nice and comfortable. They came to pick us up on time. It was a very nice trip for us.
Maggie_S, Apr 2026
Our tour guide was very knowledgeable, fun,and an absolute sweetheart! The temples were such a beautiful experience. Awesome driver and amazing food!
Christian_V, Apr 2026
Definetly worth visiting and the trip was less tortuous than expected, not even that long. Driver didn't speak a word of english but at least was polite and respectful. I can recommed.
KONSTANTINOS_P, Apr 2026
It was great experience and the tour guide whose name is Magdy is passionate with his job and specially with Abu Simbel. Everything was just it was referred to the program and the organization was great. Trust this tour office.
Nicole_G, Apr 2026
Read the reviews. Good, easy trip to the temples. The driver is very convenient - he was quiet and kind. Didn’t explain what was happening though. When we got there, another man walked us from the car to the ticket counter, where he scanned us in. We then walked to the temples, where our guide met us. He gave us a 10-min lesson on the temples (much appreciated) and then told us we had an hour to explore before we had to go back to the car. Post experience, I’m seeing other people had 2 hours - not sure why we only had 1! I wish we had more time. Once we left the guide, he moved on to new tour groups, which is fine, but we never went back to him with our questions because we didn’t want to interrupt his other groups.
All in all, this is “private” but it’s not like other private tours. It’s not personal and you don’t get the opportunity to make a connection with your guide. That’s fine, but just know that before going in.
Would I do it again? Sure. Temples are amazing and it’s worth the trip. Would I pay for the guide? No.
Jennifer_K, Apr 2026
We booked a private Abu Simbel tour through Viator. Abu Simbel itself is absolutely worth the trip, but our experience was mixed due to the early morning logistics.
Our pickup was more than 25 minutes late, whic at 4:30am was frustrating — especially as we were coordinating a private boat transfer from Elephantine Island back to the pickup point. The start felt rushed, including having to quickly cross the street to meet the vehicle, and a few early stops (like for gas) made things feel less organized than we expected.
That said, once underway, the experience improved. Our guide, Dahlia, was a highlight — communicative, organized, and clearly working to keep the day on track.
Overall, a good experience with strong guiding, but the early logistics did not meet expectations for a private tour.
Robert_C, Mar 2026
Good driver, nice car, on time pick up, enough time was available at the temple. Highly recommended.
SeongHun_K, Mar 2026
As others pointed out, the tour includes only the driver and the guide is waiting for you on site and gives you 15 min explanation. You have 2 hr to explore Abu Simbel which is beautiful and magnificent. As long as you are aware of this, and accept it, it is a good tour. Lunch included is a traditional Egyptian food which was surprisingly good. The driver did not speak English well, but was very nice and accommodating
Mary_K, Mar 2026
We are on a Nile cruise and had the choice between flying for $585 per person or arranging this trip, taking a group of 4 on a 3 hour drive to and from Abu Simbel. While 3 hrs seems long, our guide, Zach, made it enjoyable, educational, fun, insightful and above all, clear. His English is excellent, he speaks slowly, he's astute, follows American politics, and is clearly intelligent and well-educated. Yes, the group who flew got back to the ship earlier, but at dinner, we ended up explaining Abu Simbel to them bc we had learned so much from Zach. Always felt safe, driver was very careful and drove with caution. We arrived earlier than the cruise group and the temples weren't very crowded. Warning: no guides are allowed inside temples, so make sure you get a good explanation before you walk in. Fortunately, Zach provided that for us so our visit was very rich.
Pranav_c, Feb 2026
The driver was prompt and the tour was on time, however the guide was smoking the full time and only spent 30 minutes explaining the history and significance of the site and then left us for 1.5 hours to see the monuments ourselves. Also did not take us back to our taxi, which meant we were stranded for 30 mins in the parking lot and had to contact viator to find out driver again at the end of the tour.
Valerie_R, Feb 2026
Driver, journey and temples were very good, but the guide was not worth the money. He only showed us a few pictures with a quick description, then left us.
Ana_O, Feb 2026
I am so glad we did this trip, and with this tour company (Emo Tours). They picked us up in a super comfortable mini van even though it was just my husband and I. There were 2 drivers so that no one would be too tired of driving that day. And our guide “Max” was super knowledgeable. The entire team was super helpful and professional.
Communication between the man agency and the drivers was not as flawless, so I suggest you make sure to communicate very clearly with them to avoid mixups (we changed our pick up spot and they sent the driver to the original place. It took us a bit of back and forth until they realized they sent the drivers to the old hotel)
Pat_H, Feb 2026
We booked a private tour with driver and guide. The driver was very good, although he was late picking us up and then stopped to get the paperwork for the checkpoints and get himself a coffee. We thought he could have done this before collecting us! The guide met us at Abu Simbel and was pointless! He spent about 5-10 minutes taking us through a photo album about the first temple then left us to it until after we’d visited both temples on our own. He went through the album for the second temple after we’d seen it! We discovered that guides are not allowed inside the temples, so unless you get someone willing to spend more time explaining the history of the site etc you’re better off saving the money on the guide and read about it online or in your own guide book. All that said we thought the temples were amazing and well worth the 3+ hours drive each way to get there and back.
Shahzad_m, Feb 2026
I booked a private day tour to Abu Simbel from Aswan through Viator with Emo Tours Egypt for three people, costing around £160. The only reason we travelled to Aswan was for this tour — we even booked an early flight from Cairo, arriving at 6:30am for airport pickup.
When we landed at Aswan Airport, there was no driver or tour guide waiting. We searched everywhere and waited, but no one from the tour company appeared.
We contacted Viator for help. Their adviser gave us a WhatsApp number for Emo Tours and asked us to contact them. We tried multiple times — no response. Viator also attempted to contact them and couldn’t reach anyone. At this point, we were stranded at the airport with no tour and no assistance.
The Viator adviser asked what resolution we wanted. I clearly explained that I expected:
A full refund, and
Compensation for our flights, as the trip to Aswan was solely for this tour.
Later that day, I received a refund notification. However, the situation then became even more frustrating.
The tour company contacted me asking why I had requested a refund and claimed their driver was at the airport. This was completely untrue — we were there the entire time and no one from their company appeared. They could not provide any evidence that a driver had been sent. After challenging this, they eventually agreed to refund us but only paid £51.45.
Two days later, I contacted Viator again, provided screenshots of all conversations (including their adviser’s messages and the tour company’s responses). Only then did Viator issue the remaining balance for the tour.
What is unacceptable:
It took two days to receive the full refund.
Viator refused to honour the promised compensation for our flights.
No clear response when I asked what action would be taken against the tour company or whether they would continue to be listed.
Poor communication and lack of accountability.
I chose Viator because I believed it was a reliable and reputable platform. After this experience, I’m very disappointed and have lost confidence in their service.
I have formally requested that Viator contact me regarding this complaint.
Would not recommend based on this experience.
MANTIK_W, Feb 2026
Even I am a timid and weal-willed traveler, after this experience, I think Just book a car and buy ticket online is enough. NO NEED to have a guide.
Daniel_M, Feb 2026
I had originally booked an excursion to Abu Simbel (driver, private guide, admission, and lunch), from Aswan for 2/13/26 based on our cruise ship itinerary given prior to leaving the USA for Egypt. The itinerary for our time in Aswan changed and we were notified the Tuesday before our booking. I went online to manage the booking and changed only the date to the 12th. Pick up was scheduled for 4:30 AM. Driver was an hour late and had to then get gas for his car. When we arrived at the Twmple site. I reached out multiple times to Viator to find out where our guide was. At this point I was told our booking had been amended to just a driver. I had done no such thing. I asked them how we could fix this - we were at the temple. No solution provided other than a $10.00 reimbursement for the supposed trip amendment. 90 minutes later, my party and I just bought tickets to go into see the temples and I told my expectations of Viator to reimburse is for the cost of the admission, linxh and the lack of a guide - more that $10.00. But as we had plans at 3 PM on our boat, I could no longer waste time with them while they provided no solution. Very angry and disappointed..
Stephen_B, Feb 2026
Although a long drive, the combination of guide presentation and occasional dose made the 3hrs pass quickly. The guide was informative and spoke English well. Despite other crazy drivers, we felt safe with ours. The historic site was certainly worth the visit.
George_V, Jan 2026
Overall good experience. Driver picked us up in time. Had about 1 1/2 hour in Abu Simbel, which is just enough to see the site (with some time for in-dept explorations).
The driver had Italian-like driving skills with Autobahn speeds on the desert road, making the trip less than 3 hours (which arguably is impressive). Fun fact: our cruise offered the same trip, everyone left at 4AM. We left at 7AM and arrived back in Aswan around the same time.
CHRISTOS_K, Jan 2026
Magdy from Emo Tours was my guide for the day trip to Abu Simbel. I can honestly say that Magdy went the extra mile for me. He was very informative, honest, and kind-hearted, and he made sure I had a wonderful time.
I finished my trip having learned a great deal about the site, the life and achievements of Ramses II, as well as gaining solid general knowledge about the Ancient Egyptian gods. In addition to the excellent service, we had a very comfortable car, and Mohamed was an extremely experienced and professional driver.
Today I felt content, more educated, and truly pampered by Magdy. I sincerely thank both of them for delivering such a special experience. Communication with the tour company was also excellent.
Thank you, guys, for the amazing experience!
Stephen_D, Jan 2026
The 3-hour van ride to Abu Simbel from Aswan is remarkably smooth and not exhausting. Once at Abu, our driver connected us with an official guide who gave a rudimentary overview of the temple complex. The lunch afterwards was wonderful and giant, one of our best meals in Egypt. We're so glad we went the extra kilometer to Abu Simbel.
ANILM_Y, Jan 2026
This is one tour nobody should miss the temple and Lake Nasr are spectacular and will make for life memories
Maria_V, Jan 2026
The trip to Abu Simbel from Aswan was perfect in every aspect. The guide was knowledgable and helped us navigatenthe site smoothly, pointing out important details of the temple and the reliefs. The driver was careful while driving through a mild sand storm. He was also attentive. Thank you to Emo tours for providing an experience of a lifetime.
MASOUMEH_H, Jan 2026
We booked only driver. The car was new and clean. The driver was driving very carefully as well. The Emo tour had a great communication with us about the driver and the pick up time. During the tour, the driver was very quiet assuming due to language barrier. Everything went well and smoothly.
Jillian_W, Jan 2026
Ignore anyone who tells you that you should head out at 4am or 5am. We left at 7am as all private tours, tour busses, and cruise ship passengers were leaving. We literally had the place to ourselves!
Abu Simbel is a MUST SEE in Egypt. It's the most impressive site in Egypt, and I think it was more stunning than the Pyramids of Giza.
I think this loses stars because I regretfully booked with Emo Tours, which I didn't realize was so bad until I spent time in Egypt and met other travelers with bad experiences like us. The guide just wants to take you shopping and to sell you more tours, and they don't take no for an answer. It was our mistake not to trust our guide about the Emo Tours scams in Cairo.
I highly recommend this style of tour to Abu Simbel! Just do yourself a huge favor and book someone other than Emo Tours.
Anna_S, Jan 2026
We would recommend the tour. The agency did not contact us through WhatsApp in advance as it is often the case, but our driver, Shikou, was there on time. Thanks to him, the way to Abu Simbel and back was super interesting and smooth and we did not feel the time pass. We felt secure and taken care of. We give 4 instead of 5 stars because the experience with the guide at the temple was deceiving. We met the guide there, he was knowledgeable, but gave explanations to us in 15 min max. It is true there is not a lot of time at Abu Simbel but we think there is enough to make for example a one hour, more detailed guided tour. We therefore think it is not worth paying more for this option with the guide if you wish to obtain deeper information about the temple.
Eoghan_B, Jan 2026
We booked the driver only option. Driver arrived on time and the car was clean and new. Great.
The driver didn't speak a word -not even a greeting. When we stopped at a rest place, he parked, got out without a word. Nothing. Got himself a coffee. No explanation of toilet location/ fee, departure time... nothing.
We arrived safely and enjoyed the temples.
When leaving, he just got in the car, no door opening, no eye contact, not a word...and off we went.
Definitely better than a talking-machine-driver, but it was VERY uncomfortable.
VERY.
zhangcheng_z, Jan 2026
We had a great time visiting the Abu Simble. Our guide Weilly and driver Ali were punctual, professional and made the trip very smooth. Weilly gave us comprehensive history of the temple and was attentive to us throughout the entire day. I highly recommend them!
Iris_C, Dec 2025
It's a long good road across the dessert, no towns, and just a pair of coffee/ toilet/ stops. The car was in very good shape, the driver was good, and arrived on time, he kept the speed, and with only a 5 minute toilet break we did in exactly 3 hours. Same 3 hours return. That was great. Spend 2 hours at Abu Simbel but would have liked to stay for another one, just to admire the place and setting even more. It is worthy.
Madalina_P, Dec 2025
This bad review is due to the horrible communication we had with the agency. It was the first time that WE reached out via Viator to the agency 1 day before the trip, because they didn’t write to us and the trip was due to start at 05 00 next day.
In short, if your hotel is on one of Aswan’s island, they will not pick you up from the hotel, even if it is written that this is included. The agency will maybe confirm that is - in our case, they confirmed even the night before that everything is fine - and the driver will be lost in the morning of the pickup - because he has a car, not a boat, he cannot reach you. We lost 3hours in the morning of the pickup because of this miscommunication and we struggled not to make our trip bitter.
Furthermore, the start of the trip can easy be at 07 00 or even 08 00. There is no need to rush. We didn’t understand why starting at 04 00 😵
5 stars for the driver Mohamed - fast and still safe, almost no use of phone while driving, nice music, no talking non-sense.
5 stars for the Abu Simbel site - we stayed for 2hours, seeing everything, taking pictures, shopping, coffee and it was enough. More would have been welcome, but also 2h was just fine.
5 stars for the lunch - take the fish, it’s grill made. The tahini was awesome, too. One of our best meals in Egypt so far.
Last but not least - the guide (s). Yes, there are two, which we found quite funny and creative. They didn’t travel with us from Aswan, we met them there. One will pick you up from the parking and walk with you till the site. The second one is just standing there in front of the site and saying the story to the tourists that are brought to him by the first guide - who probably has a list. Our expectations were quite low about the guide in itself, so we were able to find the humor in the situation and to appreciate it. The story in front of the site was not exceptional, but good. His English was good. So book the guide if you don’t expect a full fledged Egyptologist in depth storytelling, otherwise you will be disappointed.
Neal_M, Dec 2025
We booked the driver+guide option (double the price of driver alone) and when we arrived at Abu Simbel, there was no guide! Their folks at Abu Simbel kept telling us “a guide will come” and made us wait for close to an hour before we finally just walked off to see the monument ourselves. We then requested a PARTIAL refund of 50% (reduce to cost of driver only) and they refused. Very very dishonest company. There are a dozen companies that can take you to Abu Simbel, book with ANYONE but Emo Tours. The company is nothing short of con artists.
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