Egypt›The Nile Valley (Upper Egypt)›Abu Simbel›January
Abu Simbel in January
Great month: January is in the middle of the recommended season (October – April). Plan around: Peak Season Crowds. Christmas, New Year and the winter peak can fall this month.
The season runs to the end of April, 3 months away. Upper Egypt Summer Heat (40 °C+) usually starts in May, 4 months away.
2 days in Abu Simbel in January · from ₹10,826 for two
Stay, food & local travel; getting there extra
Before you book January
Closures, crowds and rules at Abu Simbel this month.
Heads up
Peak Season Crowds
Christmas to mid-January is the busiest time at the pyramids, the Grand Egyptian Museum, Karnak and the Valley of the Kings: book the museum's timed tickets, the sleeper train and any Nile cruise well ahead, and be at each site at opening.
What’s on in January
Timing a trip around these changes what you pay and what you can book.
Christmas, New Year and the winter peak
Late December to early January is the busiest fortnight of Egypt's season: Nile cruises, Abu Simbel flights, the Watania sleeper and Grand Egyptian Museum time slots sell out, and Luxor and Aswan hotels raise their rates. Book by October.
What it costs
For two sharing a room; 2 days on the ground, getting there not included.
Budget
₹10,826 for two
- Room a night₹3,390
- Food a day, each₹910
- Main sight entry, each₹1,320
Mid-range
₹21,691 for two
- Room a night₹7,740
- Food a day, each₹2,100
- Main sight entry, each₹1,320
Luxury
₹43,777 for two
- Room a night₹15,490
- Food a day, each₹4,900
- Main sight entry, each₹1,320
Totals cover the room (taxes included), food, local transport, entry and a 10% buffer: the figures the planner opens on. These are typical rates; Tourisma has no month-by-month rates for Egypt yet, so they don't move with the month.
Getting there
Fly into Luxor (LXR), 386 km away
Then: Transfer · 6h 45m (Car with driver / Uber, per vehicle)
Flights from India: from 2 cities, one way from ₹30,000
Fly into Hurghada (HRG), 590 km away
Flights from India: from 2 cities, one way from ₹30,000
Routes compared
Entry rules
E-visa before you fly for up to 30 days, about ₹2,900
- Before you fly, apply for the tourist e-visa at visa2egypt.gov.eg: US$30 single entry or US$65 multiple entry, each stay up to 30 days. Apply at least a week ahead and carry the printed approval.
- If you hold a valid US, UK, Schengen or GCC visa that you have already used once, you can instead buy a 30-day visa on arrival (US$30, cash, at the bank counter before passport control); carry that visa's passport.
- At immigration, show your passport, the e-visa and your return ticket. To stay longer than 30 days, apply for an extension at the passports office (in Cairo, Abbasiya) before the visa runs out.
Carry: Passport valid for at least 6 months from the day you arrive, with a blank page; E-visa approval (printout), or a used valid US, UK, Schengen or GCC visa for the visa on arrival; Confirmed return or onward ticket; Hotel bookings for the stay; US dollars in cash if you plan to buy the visa on arrival.
The visa fee rose from US$25 to US$30 in March 2026, and a separate levy (reported at US$12, rising to US$15 in 2027) may be added; pay only on visa2egypt.gov.eg, as look-alike sites charge more.
Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.
Elsewhere in Egypt in January
Also in season this month.
- Aswan · great month
- Bahariya & the White Desert · great month
- Cairo · great month
- Giza · great month
- Luxor · great month
- Siwa Oasis · great month
Nearby in The Nile Valley (Upper Egypt):
Want this as a real plan?
Abu Simbel in January, day by day, priced for your group.