Description
Aswan is the gentlest of the Nile cities, and this day treats it that way. A motorboat carries you to Philae, rebuilt stone by stone on Agilkia island after the High Dam rose, then upriver past the granite quarries to a Nubian village where lunch is cooked in a family courtyard.
The group never exceeds ten. Most of the day is spent on the water, which is the honest way to see Aswan.
Highlights
- Private motorboat to the island temple of Philae
- The Unfinished Obelisk, still lying in the granite quarry that shaped it
- Lunch in a Nubian family courtyard on the west bank
- Late-afternoon felucca around Elephantine and Kitchener’s Island
Itinerary
The High Dam and the quarry
An early start to beat the heat. A short stop on the High Dam for the scale of it, then the Unfinished Obelisk, abandoned in the granite when it cracked, still showing the tool marks.
Philae by motorboat
A private boat to Agilkia island. Philae was dismantled and rebuilt here block by block, and the joins are still visible if you know where to look. Around ninety minutes on the island.
Lunch in a Nubian village
Across to the west bank and into a family courtyard for lunch: slow-cooked tagine, fresh bread, hibiscus. Time afterwards to walk the painted lanes without a schedule.
Felucca at the cataract
The day ends under sail around Elephantine and Kitchener’s Island as the light drops, returning you to your hotel or dock by early evening.
Included and excluded
- English or Arabic speaking Egyptologist
- Philae, High Dam and Unfinished Obelisk entry
- All boat transfers
- Nubian house lunch
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in Aswan
- Abu Simbel extension
- Gratuities
- Personal expenses
- Drinks beyond those served at lunch
Location
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