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Assouan- Beauté du Nil – Egypte

Aswan- Beauty of the Nile – Egypt

November 6, 2022

ASWAN

The famous ancient capital of the kingdom of Upper Egypt, home of the Nubian pharaohs, is where it all began ! Here, the Nile is at the height of its beauty, meandering between the many green islets that inhabit it, sporting its many feluccas. Jewel of southern Egypt, Nubian and proud of it !
This city on the banks of the Nile is an essential point of Egypt because:

  • It has beautiful sites, vestiges of ancient Egypt
  • It is the point of arrival (or departure) of cruises on the Nile
  • It is the starting point to get to Abu Simbel, located in the far south of the country, with its 2 magnificent temples

What to do in Aswan ?

  • Philae Temple
  • Elephantine Island
  • The Nubian Village of Gharb Seheil
  • Kitchener Island and its Botanical Garden
  • Abu Simbel Temples
  • Ride on the Nile in a Felucca
  • The Aswan Dam
  • Nile Cruise
Aswan Egypt

TRANSPORTS

Luxor - Aswan
3h30 by train for 180 EGP (7 dollars)

I strongly advise you to take the bus. They offer the same price but they are much more reliable in terms of timetables and more comfortable. In addition, you can buy tickets online with Gobus

Regarding my train, it left 1h40 late, I arrived in the middle of the afternoon suddenly. 

Visit Aswan

Philae Temple

Temple entrance fee : 200 EGP (8 dollars)

Boat price : 200 EGP that you can share with several people. Insist because they will do everything to charge you double. This service covers the round trip, so your boat captain must wait for you at the exit of the visit.

To get to the pier, the easiest way is to take a microbus. They cost 2 EGP regardless of the route.

Another temple will you tell me!!! Well, we never get tired of them, being so different from each other. And this one is no exception to the rule, it takes effect from the 1st glance. Temple dedicated to Isis, its particularity is that it is on a small island which is accessed by taking a boat. The arrival by small motor boat is therefore worth its weight in gold. Superbly preserved, it was erected by Isis in homage to her husband Osiris (ah love)! Saved in the 1960s and 1970s from the rising waters due to the construction of the Aswan dam, like Abu Simbel, it was cut into many pieces and recomposed not far away, on Aguilkia Island. The temple of Philae is admirably well preserved with in particular sculptures, engravings, hieroglyphs and numerous columns.

Possibility to attend a sound and light show.

Philae Temple Aswan
Click on a photo to start the slideshow
Elephantine Island Aswan

Elephantine Island

Elephantine Island is officially a district of Aswan. There are two Nubian villages, a few hotels, and at its southern end ancient ruins (the remains of the city of the Old Kingdom).

From this island, as elsewhere, you can see the Mausoleum of the Aga Khan. This one is on the west bank of the Nile, on the heights. It houses the tomb of Sultan Mohammed Shah, and dates from the second half of the 20th century (the sultan died in 1957).

We succumb to the charm of this island by strolling through the dusty alleys of these villages straight out of a history book. The inhabitants, Nubians, live to the rhythm of the sun, motor boats draining a few tourists here and there, and Egyptian teas that the men follow all day long sitting at the edge of the water. You feel cut off from the world there. A simple but eternal paradise…

Click on a photo to start the slideshow

The Nubian Village of Gharb Seheil

This village is on the west bank of the Nile, south of Aswan. Its peculiarity is that it is populated by Nubians, a nomadic population of southern Egypt, mainly from Sudan. Their skin is much darker, their culture more steeped in black Africa than Arabia. They speak a different language too and are very proud of their origins. Before the construction of the Aswan Dam, the Nubians occupied most of the south of the country. But the dam had the effect of swallowing up hundreds of villages, pushing thousands of people to migrate north or south of Lake Nasser. The village of Gharb Soheil is thus resulting from the migration of Nubians to the north  and is a perfect example of traditional villages. Essentially oriented towards tourism, it is now losing its authenticity but this allows the locals to be fed, so…

This very colorful village is an opportunity to meet Nubian families with their culture. The visit of a traditional house allows you to taste their local flavors. We tasted 3 dishes: their tahina, a dark honey made from cane sugar and finally what they call old cheese. A cheese that they let mature for 3 years. They add red pepper to it in order to hunt any type of insect. Tasting it immediately sent me back to the film “les Bronzés font du ski” 😂(French movie). It has the same look without the worms and a similar taste that will knock your socks off like Michel Blanc 🤣. I had a blast. Also interestingly, they suspend a piece of furniture in the air to expose it to the coolest temperature in the house. This allows them to preserve certain foods. It is sort of their fridge. 

The Nubian Village of Gharb Seheil
Click on a photo to start the slideshow
Kitchener Island

Kitchener Island and Botanical Garden

It is the former property of Lord Kitchener, a British soldier of the same name who, on his way to Sudan, decided to bring back all the plants found during his trip to this island. He thus created an incomparable botanical garden; small paradise of exotic trees, palms, various plants and flowers. The Egyptians then recovered the island and continued its work. Today, the inhabitants of Aswan like to come there to rest. A haven of peace !

Abu Simbel Temples

Transport price: 500 EGP (20 dollars)
Entry price: 280 EGP (11 dollars)
Departure is at 4am from Aswan by minibus. For an arrival around 8am and 2 hours of visit on site.

The Abu Simbel temples are one of the symbols of Egypt. They are about 3 hours drive from Aswan in the south of the country, road to be made through the desert. Abu Simbel is a complex of two rock-built temples, one dedicated to Ramses II and the other to Nefertari, his first wife and favourite.
Their construction took about 20 years, during the reign of Ramses II (1279-1213 BC). Buried under sand for centuries, part of the temples were discovered in 1813 by Swiss explorer Burkhard. In 1817 the Italian Giovanni Battista Belzoni discovered the remains of the vestiges.
Threatened by the rising waters due to the construction of the Aswan dam, the temples were cut into 1042 blocks, dismantled and rebuilt 65 meters higher, with the help of engineers and international funds. This operation lasted 4 years and cost more than 36 million dollars. In exchange for the help received, Egypt donated some of its treasures and temples to other countries, such as the Temple of Debod in Madrid..

Admittedly, they are magnificent, but I advise you to stay overnight if you want to enjoy the site without the hustle and bustle. No meditation with everyone arriving and leaving at the same time. Added to this is the fact that these temples are not in their original place removing, in my opinion, their authenticity. Everyone will tell you that it is magical and a must. I do not think so. I do not regret going there but I do not have an imperishable memory of it like the Temple of Luxor or the one of Karnak. Read the article Unmissable Luxor..

Abu Simbel Temples
Click on a photo to start the slideshow

A peine arrivée à l’hostel, je croise 3 Estoniens qui partent faire une balade en felouque avant leur départ en train. Du coup, je me joins à eux. Balade sympa. Moment agréable de la journée. 

Sunset on the Nile in Felucca

Just like in Luxor, stroll along the Nile and take a felucca ride is one of the must-does in Aswan..

The felucca is a traditional sailboat in Egypt, about ten meters long, and with a characteristically shaped sail.

It is a means of transport still widely used by Egyptians. In Aswan, they are used a lot to transport tourists. A great classic is a felucca ride at the end of the day to watch the sunset.

The piers are located along the corniche, opposite Elephantine Island. The usual price is 150 EGP per hour. But everything is negotiable, we are in Egypt 😉.

Did you know ?

In Aswan, it is common to see the captains of the feluccas filling their cup with the water of the Nile and swallowing a full sip. Dumbfounded, I watch the scene on the felucca. The captain explains to me that here, the water passes through 2 natural filters just before reaching Aswan and specifies that people here do not throw anything into the water. The legend says that anyone who drinks the water of the Nile will return to Egypt at least once. I tried the experiment. I have not been sick at all. We will see if the legend is true.

Aswan High Dam

The purpose of this dam is to control better flooding, increase water storage, and generate more electricity. It is for this reason that it was built to replace the previous dam, which dated from the beginning of the 20th century. Unfortunately, it had as collateral damage the flooding of a hundred Nubian villages and the displacement of 2 ancient Egyptian sites; the Philae temple and the temples of Abu Simbel.
Like any dam, it has become a tourist spot.
On-site symbol: a large sculpture built by Russian architects and artists, and offered to Egypt as a sign of Arab-Soviet friendship. This sculpture represents a lotus flower.

Aswan Dam

Nile Cruise

Departures from Luxor or Aswan, both are possible.

It takes between 300 and 500 dollars depending on the duration of the cruise and the standing of the boat. There are many online agencies that offer these services.  

For those who wish to do it in a more traditional way aboard a felucca, I advise you to go to the piers and negotiate directly on the spot. It is very easy to find other tourists willing to do so and therefore to share the costs. 

Housing

-  Seko Kato Hostel -

Establishment located on the island of Elephantine, quieter than the other shore. The ferry costs only 5 EGP to cross and takes 5 mins. 

The view is really nice from the roof top. The staff is kind and helpful. Life on the island is great. On the other hand, the cleanliness of this hostel needs to be improved. As for the bathrooms, taking a shower is a challenge as they are poorly constructed. 

Advice: if you are a single woman, run away from the Seko boss who can become downright heavy.

Overall, I do not recommend this establishment. 

Bars & Restos

Here are some addresses on which I had a crush

KING JAMAICA RESTAURANT

  • Elephantine Island

I love this place, perfect in my opinion. Everything is incredibly delicious. For a dinner, the place is super cozy with these cushions spread over the floor. The view of the Nile and the city of Aswan is stunning. The staff are lovely. Reasonable prices. The cardamom milk tea is a must, the tajines to die for. As for the Nubian breakfast, it is super rich and succulent. To do absolutely ! A must on this island. 

Encounters

On the left, I present to you Vera, jeune taiwanaise de 30 ans rencontrée à Seko Hostel. Nous passons notre temps à nous baffrer au King Jamaica Restaurant tellement c’est bon😂. A droite, le couple Jennifer et Abdou, français rencontrés à Louxor et retrouvés avec grande surprise dans le van me menant à Abou Simbel. Supers moments partagés avec eux, ils ont franchement contribué à mon bonheur à Assouan. Merci les Loulous !

Assessment

Aswan is undoubtedly the most beautiful place on the Nile with its many small green islets here and there. It is good to live in these regions. For my part, the various encounters I made there and the quality of the food greatly enhanced my stay. But for now, it is time to discover the underwater life in the Red Sea, Egypt being one of the most beautiful diving spots in the world. 

Next destination:  Hurghada - Egypt

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