Egypt Nile river sights - Abu Simbel?

I haven't gotten there yet (it's on my list), but here's a link to the Abu Simbel Travel Forum on Tripadvisor, where someone asked that question on Jan. 2: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g297540-i9436-Abu_Simbel.html

Thanks for the link.....good reviews and Q & A. Go to my answer and save for this great priced tour!

I, too, haven't made it there yet, though Egypt is #1 on my personal wish list (much lower on my wife's.) From what I've read, it seems a shame to go all that way and NOT see Abu Simbel. In the dream plan I've formulated, we would take the early morning bus caravan from Aswan to Abu Simbel. You might have read recently about the bus crash that killed 8 tourists on that caravan. I know accidents can happen anywhere (even in the air), but with the roads notoriously bad in Egypt, we've wondered whether busing to Abu Simbel was worth it. How much are they charging to go by air?

If you go to Aswan, you must go to Abu Simbal. I went by bus caravan, although I was on a small tour (8 people) and our guide arranged a private bus for USD 45 per person. The bus ride was long and we had to leave very early (before 5am), but we got to linger once we were there. Flying is much faster, but your time at the temples may be limited. My recollection is that even flying isn't horribly expensive, and my suggestion is that you not pass on the opportunity to visit.

We just got back from our egypt tour in december and we visited Abu Simbel by the road convoy - we were a group of 11 people and so had our own mini bus. The convoy by road starts at 4AM and 10AM every day. In either case, the convoys have to return back in the same group. You should not miss Abu Simbel. The other place we went to was Hurghada - it is a resort town and good for us to wind down after a hectic time during the rest of our trip Sagar

We just got back from Egypt this afternoon and did the bus trip to Abu Simbel from Aswan about 5 days ago. We stayed at the Keylany hotel in Aswan and just booked the trip through them. There were two trips offered - short trip costs 60 LE (about $11) and I believe only includes the road trip to Abu Simbel. The long trip costs 70 LE (approx. $12) and besides Abu Simbel includes a stop at the Aswan high dam, the Temple of Isis at Philae and the Unfinished Obelisk. The trip started at around 3:15 am picking up folks at different hotels and the convoy only got going around 4:14. We arrived at Abu Simbel around 9 am where you get about 2 hrs to visit the two temples (Admission is now 95LE for adults and 53LE for students, teachers, kids (must have ISIC cards for the student/teacher discount)). Leaving AS around 9 am puts you back into the outskirts of Aswan around noon. The High Dam (admission 20LE) was not worth it. Temple of Isis is in an awesome location (admission 50LE)). The trip we took was in a mini bus that seated about 26 people. The bigger the bus the better as it provides for greater comfort. All in all, AS is a great place to visit and for the price of transport well worth it. You can fly but it will be a lot more expensive. Feel free to ask any other questions you may have.

I thought it was definitely worthwhile like most UNESCO sites. It's been years but we flew, in April, and it was already hot. Still very happy I saw it.