Day 01
Abu Simbel Nubian Monuments Excursion
- Early pickup from your hotel (approx. 05:00 am) for the drive south past local villages toward Aswan, after which you continue through the desert to the city of Abu Simbel.
- Explore the Nubian Monuments. Around 3,000 years ago, Ramses II built these monumental temples for himself and his beloved wife, Nefertari. The walls are adorned with scenes of his victory at the Battle of Kadesh. The facade of the Great Temple is 35 m high and 30 m long. On February 22 and October 22, sunlight penetrates the inner sanctuary to illuminate three statues at the back wall. Only the fourth statue of Ptah, God of the Underworld, remains in darkness.
- Visit the Small Temple of Hathor and Nefertari.
- At the visitors center, learn about the UNESCO initiative to move both temples to a plateau on the cliffs to protect them from flooding. The temples were dismantled, moved 60 m up the cliff where they originally stood, and reassembled.
- Lunch in a good local restaurant.
- Transfer back to your Luxor hotel (approx. 10:00 pm).
