What to do in Aswan

Hey guys,

I'll be in Aswan for 4 nights. What i'd like to know is what is there to see exept Abu Simbel? I like taking things nice and slow that's why i thought i'd stay there 4 nights. Is it nice and are there other things to see or is 4 nights a complete waste of time?

Thanx

I think that I stayed in Aswan for 3 nights, and I was getting a little bored toward the end. If you are not already doing a felucca cruise, that is another option of how to spend the extra time. You could do a 2 day/ 1 night trip from Aswan to Luxor (I think Edfu is where you would dock). Or you could spend the night at Abu Simbel it have it all to yourself.

Here are some sights/activities in Aswan:

1. The Temple of Isis at Philae. The #1 temple to see in Aswan, it was also reconstructed like Abu Simbel. I went there on the way back from Abu Simbel because it was the cheapest way.

2. Felucca ride. You can go for a couple hours up and down the Nile. The Nile is the prettiest here.

3. The Nubian Museum. It was much better laid out and educational than the Egyptian museum. If you want to be able to read about the different periods and learn a little about history, this is the museum to do it. However, it's hard to compare the artifacts to those in the Egyptian museum.

4. Elephantine Island. This is a little off the tourist path, but interesting enough. If you take the ferry here you will have no shortage of people wanting to guide you around the villages. Of course, the island is pretty small so you can wander on your own too. There are some ruins with a Nilemeter at the far south end.

5. Kirchener's island. This is an island with a botanical garden. It's fairly quiet and a nice getaway from traffic and honking, but the flowers and plants are not really spectacular. Lots of unsolicited "guides" at the entrance will pick the flowers for baksheesh, so maybe that's why the gardens aren't in full bloom.

Ahhh, thanx for the tips. So if i want to take things easy 3 nights will be more than enough?

If i take a felluca trip it's only a one night trip to the temples between Aswan and Luxor? And then i can take a minibus to Luxor from there?

My wife and I enjoyed our stay of 3 or 4 days in Aswan last year. If you want to see were we went and what we did see the "Jordan & Egypt" section of Our Travel Journals: www.evcal.org</a>

Gidday Derick, I loved Aswan.
The Nile is really beautiful here and as #1 said there is certainly things to see and do.
Along with the things to do mentioned you can put your feet up in the Old Cataract hotel (famous for Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie).
Take a camel ride on the opposite bank to see various ruins and tombs.
The markets here are way friendlier than Luxor and the Khan in Cairo.
Visit the Nubian village.
Take more than 1 felucca trip. Get one of the last remaining wooden feluccas as nearly all of them are now Steel hulled.
See the old Roman Nilometre a few minutes away on the island.
You can see the temple complexes between Luxor and Aswan by hiring a vehicle and driver for the day costing USD20.
I was becalmed here for 10 days and really didn't want to leave at the end of it.

Cheers and good luck.

I

I spent 4 full days and nights in Aswan, including 1 day in Abu Simbel. For me, the right amount of time. It was very hot in early Oct (35-38C) and I booked a place with a pool, so after early morning touring I hid under a tree by the pool. Very good hotel bargains in the off season.

I also spent 6 nights and 5 full days in Cairo (Cairo is great if you give it some time and a chance) and 5 nights in Luxor. Again I got a place with a pool and was up visiting sites bt 6:00am to avoid the heat.

Rooms in all 3 places cost me 35 Euros per night (single) and I got extremely good value for the money. I know that's a lot of money for many readers on this site but I figured my costs were 50% less than I would have spent on even a budget tour.