Tour Overview
This Aswan night felucca ride is a one-hour sail after dark on a traditional Nile sailboat, circling Elephantine Island with a tour guide on board, and the route also takes in the Botanical Gardens on Kitchener Island. We pick you up from your hotel in Aswan and bring you back afterward, and boat fees, entrance fees and bottled water are included. At night the heat lifts, the river goes quiet and the lights of the city shimmer on the water.
Tour Highlights
- Sail the Nile after dark for about an hour, when the air is cooler and the river is far calmer than during the busy daytime hours.
- Watch the lights of Aswan's Corniche reflect on the water while the wind carries the felucca slowly around Elephantine Island.
- Hear your tour guide tell the stories of Elephantine, Egypt's ancient southern frontier, and of the Botanical Gardens on Kitchener Island.
- Look up from the open deck at the night sky; the dry desert air around Aswan often gives a clear view of the stars beyond the city glow.
- Have boat fees, entrance fees and bottled water covered, with pickup and drop-off at your Aswan hotel, so there is nothing to arrange yourself.
Tour Route
Is a night felucca ride in Aswan worth it?
Yes, especially in the warmer months or at the end of a long day of sightseeing. After dark the heat eases, the river is calm and the city lights give the Nile a look the daytime sail does not have. It is a quiet, low-effort hour that asks nothing of you except to sit back.
How is the night felucca different from the day ride?
The day ride is about seeing: granite rocks, green islands and desert hills in clear light. The night ride is about atmosphere: cool air, reflections, stars and quiet. Both last about an hour, sail around Elephantine Island and take in the Botanical Gardens on Kitchener Island, with a guide on board.
Choose the night sail if you have already toured in the heat of the day, if you are traveling as a couple or a small group of friends, or if you simply want a calm end to the day. If photography is your main goal, the daytime ride is the better choice, since phones and cameras struggle in low light on a moving boat.
When is the best time of year for a night felucca in Aswan?
The night ride works all year. In summer, when daytime temperatures in Aswan are among the highest in Egypt, the evening is by far the most comfortable time to be on the water. In winter the nights can turn chilly on the river, so a warm layer becomes essential rather than optional.
What should you bring on a night felucca ride?
Very little, but a few things make the hour more comfortable after dark, when it is harder to see where you step and the temperature drops on the water:
- A warm layer: a jacket, sweater or scarf, even in the warmer months.
- Insect repellent: there can be mosquitoes near the water in the evening.
- Shoes with grip: you step on and off the boat at a riverbank in low light.
- Cash: small notes for tipping the boatman and your guide.
What else can you do in Aswan in the evening?
The night felucca takes about an hour, so it leaves room for dinner or another evening plan, and it pairs well with the other short outings in and around Aswan.
For a show at an ancient site, see the Philae Temple sound and light show. If you would rather see the islands in full daylight, book the daytime felucca ride around Elephantine Island, and our Aswan travel guide has more ideas for your stay.
Tour Itinerary
An hour on the river after dark, with a short transfer from and back to your hotel.
We pick you up from your hotel in Aswan and introduce you to your tour guide, who stays with you for the whole outing. Bring a light jacket or scarf: once the sun has gone down, the breeze over the open water can feel noticeably cooler than the streets of the town.
At the riverbank you step down into the felucca and settle on deck. With the sail up and no engine running, the loudest sounds are the water against the wooden hull and the creak of the ropes. The boatman reads the night breeze to set his course, so the exact line varies a little from one evening to the next.
The felucca circles Elephantine, where house lights glow in the Nubian villages on the island and the big granite boulders along its shore show as dark shapes against the water. Your guide explains how this island guarded Egypt's southern border for thousands of years and why its ancient name, Abu, means elephant.
The route includes the Botanical Gardens on Kitchener Island, which Lord Kitchener filled with exotic trees and shrubs at the end of the nineteenth century, after the island was given to him during his years commanding the Egyptian army. Your guide tells you the story of the island and its gardens while you are there.
After about an hour the felucca returns to the bank and we take you back to your hotel. Boat and entrance fees, the transfer, the water and all service charges are covered, so you only need a little cash for tips.
What's Included
What the tour price covers, and what to plan for separately.
Paid
★
Your
Own
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers about this tour. For anything else, message us on WhatsApp — we reply fast.
We pick you up from your hotel in Aswan, take you to the riverbank where the felucca is moored, and bring you back to your hotel after the sail. Send us your hotel name when you book. If you are staying on a Nile cruise boat instead, ask us and we will confirm the pickup arrangements.
Pickup and drop-off at your Aswan hotel, boat fees and entrance fees, a felucca ride of about an hour, bottled water during the tour and all service charges and taxes. Tips, personal expenses and anything not in the itinerary are extra, and your hotel stay in Aswan is not part of the price.
The per-person price depends on group size, from one traveler up to 16, and drops for larger groups because the boat and transfer costs are shared among more people. It also changes a little by season. Tell us how many of you are coming and we will confirm the boat. Prices start from {price} per person.
Yes, with some care. The sail is gentle and only about an hour long, but stepping on and off the boat in the dark needs a steady hand, and children should stay seated on deck. Ask us about life jackets when you book, and bring a warm layer for them as well.
Yes. Avicon Travel is a Class "A" travel agency licensed by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism under License No. 1962 and registered since 2010. Our office and team are in Karnak, Luxor, so the guides, drivers and cars on this tour are our own local team, not a booking desk abroad.
