Tour Overview
This private day tour covers the three classic sights of Aswan: the High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk in the ancient granite quarries, and Philae Temple on its island in the Nile. A private car and an Egyptologist guide collect you from your Aswan hotel or Nile cruise in the morning, lunch is at a local restaurant before Philae, and you are driven back at the end. Entrance fees to all three sites are included.
Tour Highlights
- Stand on top of the Aswan High Dam, with Lake Nasser stretching south on one side and the Nile running north toward Aswan on the other.
- See the Unfinished Obelisk still lying in its granite bed, with the tool marks and cracks that show exactly how ancient stonecutters worked and why this one was left behind.
- Cross to Agilkia Island by boat for Philae Temple, the sanctuary of Isis, and walk its colonnades, pylons and courts with your own guide.
- Learn how UNESCO and Egypt took Philae apart and rebuilt it on higher ground before the waters of the High Dam could cover it.
- Travel in a private air-conditioned car with an Egyptologist, lunch at a local restaurant and bottled water on board, at a pace set by you, not a bus group.
Tour Route
Is the Aswan sightseeing tour worth it?
Yes, especially if you have one day in Aswan. In a single outing you see the modern dam that reshaped Egypt, the quarry where pharaohs cut their granite, and the most important temple in the city. A private guide ties the three together, so the day makes sense as one story rather than three separate stops.
The sites are all within a short drive of each other, so there is little time lost on the road. That leaves room in the rest of your day for a felucca ride, a visit to a Nubian village or simply time by the river.
Is this tour included in a Nile cruise program?
Often, yes. Many Nile cruises that start or end in Aswan include the High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk and Philae in their program. If you are booked on one, check your cruise itinerary first so you do not pay twice for the same visits.
This private tour is for travelers staying in Aswan hotels, for cruise passengers whose program leaves out one of these sites, or for anyone who wants their own guide and a slower pace than a cruise group allows. Pickup is from your Aswan hotel or from a Nile cruise ship moored in Aswan.
What should you wear and bring on the day?
The High Dam and the quarry have almost no shade, so bring a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen, and wear comfortable shoes for rough ground and stone floors. Light clothing that covers your shoulders and knees works well at all three sites. Carry some Egyptian pounds for tips and small purchases.
What else can you do in Aswan?
To see Philae again after dark, book the Philae sound and light show for the same evening. The Abu Simbel private tour takes you south to the temples of Ramses II, and the Nubian village tour shows you the living culture of the region.
Tour Itinerary
A day in and around Aswan, with three sites close to the city, a sit-down lunch and a boat ride to Philae to finish.
Your Egyptologist guide and driver meet you at your hotel or ship in Aswan in the morning. The sites on this tour sit south of the city, close to each other, so the drives between them are short and you spend most of the day on your feet at the monuments rather than in the car. There is water on board.
Built between 1960 and 1970, the High Dam ended the yearly Nile flood, gave Egypt a steady water supply and, at the time, a large share of its electricity, and created Lake Nasser, one of the largest man-made lakes in the world. From the top your guide explains what the dam changed for farming, for Nubia and for the ancient temples in its path.
In the old granite quarries of Aswan lies the largest obelisk the ancient Egyptians ever attempted, often linked to Queen Hatshepsut. Had it been finished, it would have stood around 42 meters tall. A crack appeared during the work, so it was abandoned in place, and the trenches around it show how the stone was cut by hand.
A sit-down lunch at a local restaurant in Aswan, included in the price. It is a proper break out of the midday sun, and a good moment to ask your guide about what you saw in the morning before you head to the river for the last stop of the day.
A short boat ride takes you to the island temple of Isis. You walk past Trajan's Kiosk by the water, through the two pylons and into the inner rooms, where your guide reads the reliefs of Isis, Osiris and Horus. Philae was built mostly by the Ptolemies, with Roman additions, and was one of the last working temples in Egypt.
After Philae you cross back to the mainland, and your driver takes you to your hotel or ship in Aswan. Your guide, the car, lunch, water and the entrance fees are all covered, so the only money you need on the day is for tips and personal extras.
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.
The tour starts at your hotel or your Nile cruise ship in Aswan. Your guide and driver collect you there in a private air-conditioned car in the morning, and at the end of the day they bring you back to the same place. Tell us where you are staying when you book so we can confirm the pickup point.
The price includes pickup and drop-off in Aswan, a private air-conditioned vehicle, a private Egyptologist guide, entrance fees to the High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk and Philae Temple, lunch at a local restaurant, bottled water in the car, and all service charges and taxes. Tips and extras outside the program are not included.
It is a private tour, so the car and the guide are only for you and your group. The cost of the vehicle and guide is shared between everyone in the group, which is why the price per person falls as the group grows. Prices also change by season, from {price} per person.
Philae stands on Agilkia Island, south of Aswan city, so the visit always starts with a short motorboat ride from the landing on the mainland. Your guide arranges the crossing and goes with you to the island. The boats are small, so hold the rail as you step on and off.
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.
