Abu Simbel, Privately
The colossal temples of Ramesses before the crowds, by private arrangement. A private, tailored journey of 4-6 days in Aswan, Egypt, designed end to end by a Forest Travel advisor — with Virtuoso privileges at the finest luxury hotels, from US$11,200 per traveler.
- Heritage · Access
- Ideal length: 4-6 days
- Best time: October to April, when the desert heat eases and the temples show their best light
- Private guiding, access and transfers throughout
- From US$11,200 per traveler — a starting point, tailored to you
- Designed one-to-one by a Forest Travel advisor
- Virtuoso privileges at the finest luxury hotels
The colossal temples of Ramesses before the crowds, by private arrangement. A private, tailored journey of 4-6 days in Aswan, Egypt, designed end to end by a Forest Travel advisor — with Virtuoso privileges at the finest luxury hotels, from US$11,200 per traveler.
Egypt is the rare place where five thousand years of history can still be walked in private — but only relationships open the doors an online ticket never will.
When to go
October to April, when the desert heat eases and the temples show their best light; December–February is peak. Your advisor times it to the light, the crowds and your own calendar.
The experiences
A sense of what this journey can hold — each one arranged privately and shaped to you:
- A first-light arrival at Abu Simbel, the colossi of Ramesses yours before the day's flights land.
- A privately guided reading of the temple's carved walls, the scale settling in slowly.
- A quiet visit to the smaller temple of Nefertari, often overlooked, alongside its neighbour.
- A private return to Aswan and the calm of the southern river the same afternoon.
A sense of the rhythm
Abu Simbel asks for an early start and gives back a rare quiet. Reaching the temples at first light means standing before the colossi almost alone, before the arriving flights fill the terrace. The rest of the day eases back into Aswan's gentler pace.
How to do it well
The counsel our advisors give travelers planning this journey:
- Aim to be first at the temples; the difference from the mid-morning crowd is total.
- Give the smaller temple of Nefertari its due; it is too often passed over.
- The finest luxury hotels in Aswan make a serene base at either end of the day.
- In the cooler months the light on the facade at dawn is especially fine.
What only your advisor can open
The difference between a good trip and an unrepeatable one is access — and access is a relationship, not a booking. Every guide, room and moment is chosen and sequenced for you.
Who it's for
Travelers who value privacy, time and doing it once — beautifully — and who would rather have one trusted advisor orchestrate every detail than assemble it themselves.
Estimated investment
From US$11,200 per traveler, based on double occupancy — scaled to your dates, party size and level of privacy. A starting point, not a final quote; confirmed once your advisor tailors the itinerary.
Designed entirely around you
Nothing here is a package. A Forest Travel advisor shapes the whole journey and stays one message away before and throughout your trip.
Your Virtuoso privileges
As a Virtuoso member, Forest Travel includes benefits reserved for Virtuoso guests at the finest luxury hotels, at no added cost: a room upgrade on arrival when available, daily breakfast for two, a property credit toward dining or spa, and early check-in with late check-out when the hotel allows.
Continue exploring Aswan
Part of our Aswan travel guide. Related private journeys:
Begin the conversation
Tell a Forest Travel advisor how you like to travel and they will design Abu Simbel, Privately around you — privately, every Virtuoso privilege included. Request your private consultation →
Questions, answered.
Flying from Aswan is swift and gives you the temples between arrivals; a private road journey is longer but lets you set your own hour and pause along the way. For the emptiest terrace, the earliest arrival by either means is what counts. Your advisor will weigh the timings.
Arrive at first light. Reaching the temples at dawn means standing before the colossi of Ramesses almost alone, before the day's arriving flights fill the terrace. Our advisors' counsel is to aim to be first at the temples, because the difference from the mid-morning crowd is total. Whether you fly from Aswan or travel privately by road, the earliest arrival is what counts for the emptiest terrace.
Yes. The smaller temple of Nefertari stands alongside its neighbour and is too often passed over, which is exactly why our advisors suggest giving it its due. On this journey it is a quiet visit, arranged privately, after a privately guided reading of the great temple's carved walls, so you can let the scale of both settle in slowly rather than hurrying past.
Yes. After a first-light arrival at the temples, the journey includes a private return to Aswan and the calm of the southern river the same afternoon. Abu Simbel asks for an early start and gives back a rare quiet; the rest of the day eases into Aswan's gentler pace. The finest luxury hotels in Aswan make a serene base at either end of the day.
Abu Simbel, Privately is a journey of 4-6 days, based in Aswan. Those days are built around one early start: a first-light arrival at Abu Simbel, with the colossi of Ramesses yours before the day's flights land, a privately guided reading of the temple's carved walls and a quiet visit to the often-overlooked temple of Nefertari. You return privately to Aswan the same afternoon, and the remaining days keep to Aswan's gentler pace, with the finest luxury hotels as a serene base. Your advisor tunes the length to your calendar.
As a private, tailored journey it starts from roughly US$11,200 per traveler (double occupancy) and scales with your dates, party and level of privacy — a starting point, never a fixed package price. Your advisor confirms the figure once the itinerary is tailored.
October to April is the time to go, when the desert heat eases and the temples show their best light; December–February is peak. For this journey the cooler months matter most at dawn: our advisors note that the light on the facade at first light is especially fine then, just as you arrive before the day's flights fill the terrace. Your advisor times the visit to the light, the crowds and your own calendar.
At Abu Simbel, the journey includes a privately guided reading of the great temple's carved walls. It is paced so the scale of the colossi of Ramesses settles in slowly. Because you arrive at first light, before the day's flights land, the reading begins in near quiet. It is followed by a quiet visit to the smaller temple of Nefertari, which stands alongside its neighbour and is too often passed over.
Egypt is the rare place where five thousand years of history can still be walked in private, but only relationships open the doors an online ticket never will. At Abu Simbel, a private arrangement means a first-light arrival, with the colossi of Ramesses yours before the day's flights land. It also means a privately guided reading of the carved walls and a private return to Aswan and the calm of the southern river the same afternoon.
Egypt
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