Wadi es-Sebua means Valley of the Lions, and the name is earned. The temple here, built by Ramesses II, is approached down an avenue of sphinxes, with a colossal statue of the king standing at the front, and then it burrows into the rock behind. The sphinxes have lions' bodies and the faces of the pharaoh, and in the late afternoon their shadows lie long along the sand. Part of the building is freestanding stone, part is cut from the cliff, which makes it feel half temple and half cave.
Like its neighbours in Nubia, it was moved. When the Aswan High Dam filled Lake Nasser in the 1960s, the original site went under, and the temple was taken apart and reassembled on higher ground to the west, a few kilometres away. A smaller Roman-era temple at Dakka and the shrine of Maharraqa were brought to the same place, so you get a little collection of rescued monuments in one stretch of desert above the shore.
There is no town here to speak of, so treat the visit as a pure desert stop. The land is flat, bare and pale, with scattered acacia and the occasional bright green fringe where the lake laps the shore. Wind can be strong, and it carries fine sand that finds its way into zips and visors, so keep your visor shut when you ride in or out. Heat is the main thing; from late spring to early autumn the middle of the day is punishing and the metal of the bike will burn bare skin.
Plan fuel and water from Aswan, which lies far to the north, or from Abu Simbel, and do not count on finding either nearby. Take your time on the approach, because the surface close to the temple is often sandy, and a heavy bike on soft ground is no fun. Then walk the sphinx avenue slowly, once, from the road toward the carved doorway, and you will understand why the builders chose this place.