Abu Simbel Sun Festival: what happens, when, and how to plan the day

The Abu Simbel sun festival is the name often given to the days when the sun reaches the inner sanctuary of the Great Temple of Ramses II. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities names two dates, 22 February and 22 October. From Aswan it is a long road day, so the date and the start of the drive need planning first.

What the sun does

The ministry says the temple was built with such precision that on those two days the sun's rays enter the temple, cross the main hall and illuminate the innermost statues. The sanctuary holds four statues: Amun-Ra, Re-Horakhty, Ptah and a deified Ramses II. The ministry says the light reaches three of the four, Ramses II, Amun-Re and Re-Horakhty, and leaves Ptah in shadow, which it links to his role as god of the underworld. A sanctuary is the innermost room of a temple, where the statues of the gods stand.

The dates, and what the sources do not say

The ministry's page for the site and its event post from February 2024 give the same two dates, 22 February and 22 October, and say it happens twice every year. The February 2024 post says visitors from around the world watched it at dawn. No official page that we could open gives the minute the light arrives, how long it lasts, or a programme for the day. A 2022 ministry post speaks of celebrations attended by bloggers and influencers from several countries, but lists no events. So treat any timetable you see elsewhere as unconfirmed until it is confirmed for your date.

Why the temple can line up with the sun

The temples are not on their first site. The ministry says the two temples were moved in 1968 after the Aswan High Dam was built, because the dam threatened to submerge them, in an international effort led by UNESCO. UNESCO's description of the Nubian Monuments says the temples of Ramses II at Abu Simbel and the sanctuary of Isis at Philae were saved from the rising waters of the Nile by the International Campaign it launched, which ran from 1960 to 1980. The ministry adds that the temple was admitted to the World Heritage list in 1979. The ministry pages we opened do not say whether the date of the alignment changed after the move, so this guide does not claim it either way.

The day from Aswan

Our Abu Simbel tour is a private day: hotel pickup in Aswan, 283.4 km to Abu Simbel (about 3 h 26 min without traffic), the Great Temple of Ramses II, the Temple of Nefertari, and 283.2 km back (about 3 h 25 min without traffic). The site is open from 6 AM to 5 PM daily. If you want to be inside for first light, the drive alone of 3 h 26 min means the day starts long before the gates open. The same Abu Simbel place page, Abu Simbel, has the site itself, and the guide early starts and long drives on Egypt day trips covers what a long road day is like.

Tickets on the two dates

The ministry lists a higher foreign ticket on 22 February and 22 October. Prices are in Egyptian pounds (EGP), as of August 2026.

Two ministry sources give different everyday prices, so both are shown. The tour lists entrance fees to the mentioned sites as included. Whether that covers the higher ticket on the two dates is not stated, so ask when you send the request.

How to plan it

• Choose the date first. Send the date, the number of people and your contact details; the reply gives the price for that date and the plan for the day.
• Ask the three open questions. Ask what time the day would start, whether the entrance fee on the day is covered, and whether the sanctuary light can be seen from the visit. The official pages do not answer these.
• Book late if you need to. There is no cut-off time: you can ask for a tour tomorrow or even the same day, and the reply comes within an hour at most. A 25% deposit confirms the booking, and cancelling is free up to 24 hours before the tour starts.
• Compare with Philae. If the date is not possible, Abu Simbel or Philae compares the two, and Abu Simbel from Aswan describes an ordinary day.

Send the request through our contact page.