Toubkal Trekking

2 Day Excursion to Abu Simbel and Luxor from Cairo

Let’s be honest—Egypt is a show-off. Pyramids here, mummies there, and a whole desert full of secrets just waiting to give your inner Indiana Jones a mild heatstroke. But if you’re sitting in Cairo, sipping mint tea and thinking, “I wonder what else this glorious ancient sandbox has up its sleeves,” then buckle up. The two-day whirlwind to Abu Simbel and Luxor is basically a crash course in jaw-dropping temples, time travel, and developing a complicated relationship with 4 AM wake-up calls. 2 Day Excursion to Abu Simbel and Luxor from Cairo is worth it!

Day One: Rise, Shine, and Fly South, My Pharaoh

The journey begins with a criminally early flight to Aswan. It’s the kind of morning where you question every decision that’s brought you to this moment—until you land, hop into a van, and realize you’re about to see Abu Simbel, the Brad Pitt of temples.

Now, Abu Simbel isn’t just any old monument. No, no. It’s Ramses II’s personal flex, carved straight into a cliff near the Sudanese border. There’s a good chance Ramses sat down one day and said, “Make me so immortal, UNESCO will have to move my face to save it from a flood,” and that’s exactly what happened. The temples were literally relocated block by block to avoid being submerged when the Aswan High Dam was built. Drama? Oh yes. Worth it? Absolutely.

Everyone walks up to Abu Simbel like they’re approaching royalty—and honestly, they are. Four colossal statues of Ramses glare down like ancient bouncers, and behind them? A maze of hieroglyphics and rooms that feel like they’ve never heard of Wi-Fi (refreshing, really).

After snapping photos your future self will brag about, it’s time for a nap—or more realistically, a drive to Luxor, which takes around five hours. Don’t worry. There are snack stops. And camels. (Though not for riding. They’re just vibing.)

Day Two: Luxor, aka “Ancient Egypt’s Greatest Hits, Live and Unplugged”

If Abu Simbel is the dramatic rock ballad, then Luxor is the full-blown concept album. You’ll start at Karnak Temple, a sprawling complex that looks like the gods accidentally dropped a dozen massive Lego sets and said, “Yeah, that works.” Giant columns, sacred lakes, and statues galore—Karnak is basically the Beyoncé of temple complexes: huge, iconic, and impossible to forget.

Then comes Luxor Temple, conveniently located in the city center like it’s just another coffee shop. Except, instead of flat whites, you get obelisks and sphinx-lined avenues. It’s also where Pharaohs once celebrated the Opet Festival, which was sort of like Burning Man but with fewer costumes and more divine legitimacy.

Cross the Nile (bonus points if you do it in a felucca), and suddenly you’re in the Valley of the Kings. This place is where Egypt’s VIPs went to rest in style. Tombs are carved into the hills, and every corridor feels like a secret passage into the afterlife—with wall art that makes modern murals look like finger painting.

Wrap it all up with the Colossi of Memnon, two statues who’ve been sitting down for 3,400 years and still manage to look majestic. Honestly, same goals.

The Return to Cairo: Slightly Sunburnt, Fully Enlightened

After 48 hours of temples, tales, and time-hopping, you’ll catch a flight back to Cairo with a camera roll full of proof that Egypt is the ultimate drama queen—in the best way possible. Sure, you’ll need a nap. Possibly three. But hey, you just saw the greatest hits of ancient history in two days flat.

Not bad for a weekend getaway, eh?