Here, the Nile Valley changes its appearance entirely. No sooner than the cruise pass the First Cataract than Nubia emerges with its formidable vast desert and the crystal clear water of Lake Nasser.

Sailing for about 290 Kilometers south of Aswan - passing by Kalabsha, Wadi el Soboua, Amada, Kasr Ibrim fortress  - you reach the magnificent  Abu Simbel Temples. These two immense temples of extraordinary artistic beauty were destined to be submerged by the waters of Lake Nasser but with the patronage of the UNESCO a very complicated project was carried out whereby the temples were cut up into 1036 blocks and perfectly reassembled on a location 65 m higher and 200 m back from the river bank.

Now, Abu Simbel can easily be reached either by air / bus from Aswan or by air from Cairo.