Aswan, Egypt
Aswan Highlights: Philae Temple, the High Dam and a Felucca
The temple of Isis on its island, the dam that moved it, the obelisk still lying in the quarry, and an hour under sail as the sun goes down.
Trip highlights
- Philae Temple on Agilkia Island, reached by boat
- The Unfinished Obelisk in the ancient granite quarry
- The Aswan High Dam and what it changed
- A felucca among the islands at sunset
- Optional Nubian village visit on the west bank
About this tour
Aswan is where Egypt slows down, and this is the day that shows you why.
You reach Philae by motorboat, which is half the pleasure the temple of Isis sits on Agilkia Island, cut into forty thousand blocks and moved there stone by stone when the High Dam began to drown its original home. It was the last place in Egypt where the old religion was still practiced, into the sixth century AD.
The Unfinished Obelisk lies where it cracked, still attached to the bedrock of the granite quarry, forty-two meters and over a thousand tonnes, abandoned mid-cut, and the single clearest lesson in how these things were actually made.
We finish on the water. A felucca among the granite islands in the late afternoon, with the light turning gold and the sails doing the work, is what most people remember about Aswan long after the temples blur.
How the day runs
-
1Step
The High Dam
A short stop for the scale of it, and the story of what it gave Egypt and what it cost.
-
2Step
The Unfinished Obelisk
In the quarry, still in the rock, with the tool marks visible along its length.
-
3Step
Philae Temple
By motorboat to Agilkia. The temple of Isis, the kiosk of Trajan, and the last hieroglyphic inscription ever carved.
-
4Step
Lunch and a break
Back to your hotel or boat through the hot middle of the day.
-
5Step
Felucca at sunset
Out among Elephantine and the granite islands as the light drops. An hour, unhurried.
What's included
- Private air-conditioned vehicle and driver
- Licensed English-speaking Egyptologist guide
- Hotel or cruise-boat pick-up in Aswan
- Motorboat transfer to Philae and entrance tickets
- Private felucca for about an hour
- Bottled water
Not included
- Lunch
- Nubian village visit if added
- Tipping
- Personal expenses
Questions about this tour
Yes, and we recommend it — lunch in a Nubian house on the west bank is one of the warmest hours you will have in Egypt. It adds about two hours. Tell us when you book so the family can expect you.
Yes. Your group and the captain, not a shared boat. It is worth it — the point is the quiet.
No, it is a comfortable day with a break in the middle. If you are also doing Abu Simbel, put that on a separate day rather than stacking them; Abu Simbel is a 4am start.
On this tour
Where you will be
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