The trip to Abu Simbel is a must see if you find yourself in Aswan! We had high expectations for the visit to this temple.
When we booked the trip, we couldn’t find our hotel listed for the pickup. We chose one a nearby option (though our hotel was actually on the other side of the Nile) and later contacted the agency to check if pickup from our hotel was possible, or if we would need to arrange a boat early in the morning. An agent asked for our hotel name, confirmed pickup was possible, and reassured us twice that they would collect us directly from our hotel.
At 4am, as scheduled, we were waiting outside our hotel and texted the agency to let the know. A few minutes later, they asked if we were at the other hotel (the one we had selected on the website). We explained again that we were not, as we told them the night before. The agency mistakenly relied on the information on the booking system instead of the confirmation from our conversation. We understood it was a human error, so we didn’t make an issue of it. However, this required us to cross the Nile at 4am to meet the van - quite stressful at that hour, though fortunately the hotel helped us arrange a last-minute transport.
Once we crossed the river, the problems continued. When we met the driver at the new pickup point, the first thing he said was that he had been waiting a long time — despite it clearly not being our fault, since we had repeatedly confirmed the pickup location. His attitude was not nice at all. The nearly four-hour drive was uncomfortable: the van wasn’t in great condition, the AC was freezing, and the driving was harsh. On top of that, no water was ever provided, even though it was supposedly included — which was especially disappointing given that the temperature was close to 40°C.
At the site, passengers from the van were separated into different groups without explanation. A guide led four of us to the ticket office, where we bought our tickets, and told us to wait for another guide. A few minutes later, the second guide arrived, welcomed us, and took us to the entrance. He then launched into an extremely fast explanation, flipping through photos at a speed where we could barely see them, while overwhelming us with information. After just five minutes, he told us we had an hour to explore on our own and that he would wait by the café. That was the entirety of our “paid tour.” Most of us didn’t understand much of what he said, and we only realized afterward that those five rushed minutes were meant to be the guided portion.
After exploring the temples on our own (which were, of course, breathtaking), we met him again to return to the van. On the way, he began asking if we had TripAdvisor or Viator accounts and pressured us to leave a review immediately, insisting he wanted to see what we wrote. We explained we had no internet left, which was true, but he kept insisting and even offered to hotspot us so we could post it on the spot.
On the return drive, once back in Aswan, they dropped us at the same point where they picked us up in the morning. Before letting us go, the driver asked for a tip. We gave him something, but then he pressed for more, saying there were two drivers.
The temples themselves are absolutely worth visiting — impressive and unforgettable. But the tour experience was very disappointing. While we accepted the pickup mix-up as human error, the attitude we received afterward was unpleasant. Being told they had “waited a long time” when it wasn’t our fault, being rushed through a five-minute “tour,” not being given water in such extreme heat, pressured to leave a review in front of the guide, and then pushed to give extra tips made the whole experience feel unprofessional and uncomfortable.
In the end, it felt like we only paid for transportation — and even that wasn’t enjoyable. Seeing so many positive reviews, we chose this tour expecting the same, but it left us wondering if those reviews are influenced by the pressure guides put on tourists to post feedback in front of them.
La prise en charge a été plutôt cahotique , le bus est arrivé avec 1h de retard, aucune communication de la part de Nice tour sauf quand nous avons tenter de les joindres.
Au final le bus est partis a 5h25 pour un départs initialement prévu a 4h.
Nous avions pris la première excursion pour éviter les autres touristes et la chaleur , c'est loupé.
Concernant le trajet, ce n'est qu'un ressenti personnel, la chaleur dans le bus était assez élevé. Le reste du trajet c'est bien déroulé.
Concernant le guide, Andro, a l'air gentil, mais nous n'avons pas eu recours à ses services, nous avons préféré ne pas écouter sa présentation pour profiter du temple.
En effet nous sommes arrivés vers 9h15 et nous devions retrouver le guide a 10h15 a la sortie, Nous ne voulions pas perdre plus de temps.
Les temps en eux même sont magnifiques et val le détours, notre expérience ne doit pas vous empêcher de venir les découvrir.