Esna to Abu Simbel Getting there & around

Getting around

Foreigners are restricted from travelling between towns in the far south of Egypt, but the rules within municipal boundaries keep on changing, and differ from place to place, from police officer to police officer. In some places foreigners are pretty much left alone and can use communal taxis (usually pick-up trucks) outside Aswan (fares are 25pt to 50pt). But in some towns, security people will be waiting to grab foreigners from the train and will insist on escorting them to their hotel and everywhere else they want to go. Security tightens considerably if there has been any kind of incident in the town, not necessarily related to tourists or terrorism.