Off the Beaten Path in Aswan

by Kuznetsov_Sergey, 4 more photos
Send Photo to a Friend

Aswan - Felucca trip

A felucca trip round Elephantine is full of interest. A felucca is a small boat for 15-20 passengers under a sail. You may admire with beautiful sights of the river and the Nile banks. You will listen to Nubian songs! Some 500m south, near the right bank of the Nile, is a small islet on which can be seen a number of "potholes", gouged out of the rock and worn smooth by the Nile flood.

I don’t know how much the trip cost because we had a complex excursion, which included a felucca trip, a botanical garden and a Nubian village (all together $20).

You may see my VIDEO-Clip from my personal YouTube channel: 6 min 05 sec Egypt Aswan Felucca Trip 2007

You may watch my Felucca trip high resolution photo on Google Earth in Aswan according to the following coordinates 24º 6' 4.47" N 32º 53' 43.07" E
or on my Google Earth Panoramio Aswan Felucca trip 1, Aswan Felucca trip 2, Aswan Felucca trip 3.


	Abu Simbel	Tip Rating:

By sachara

on August 25, 2003

by sachara
Send Photo to a Friend

Abu Simbel

In 1983 we visited Abu Simbel by air from Aswan.
The original temple of Abu Simbel was carved out at the westbank of the Nile in the 13th century BC. The by the Unesco rescued temple is rebuilt 65M higher than the original site, 210M away from the water of the new Nasser Lake. The location is wonderful.
The temple is dedicated to Ra, Amun, Ptah and to Ramses II himself. Their four huge statues of 20M are very impressing. Between the legs are small statues of family members.


	Lake Nasser	Tip Rating:

By MalenaN

on January 15, 2006

by MalenaN
Send Photo to a Friend

Lake Nasser in Aswan

Lake Nasser is one of the biggest artificial lakes in the world. It was created when the High Dam was built south of Aswan and it stretches more than 500 km south to Abu Simbel, and it has a maximum depth of 180 metres. A huge area was inundated and about 800 000 Nubians had to move from their homes. Also a lot of historical monuments and items are now deep under water, but several of the temples were saved and moved to higher ground, like Abu Simbel and Philae.
It is possible to go on a cruise from Aswan to Abu Simbel and on the way visit some of the saved temples.
In the lake there are big Nile perches (the record is almost 100 kg) and crocodiles. Many migrating birds stop by the lake for rest. Other animals that can be seen around the lake are foxes, gazelles, snakes and monitor lizards.


	Cataract area	Tip Rating:

Updated By Kuznetsov_Sergey

on December 23, 2007

by Kuznetsov_Sergey,
4 more photos
Send Photo to a Friend

Aswan - Cataract area

I think the most impressive excursion we had in Aswan was a trip to the Cataract area. I couldn’t even imagine after two days sailing over the Nile that it would have such unusual river landscapes. Our motorboat floated through fast currents maneuvering between rocky islands.

There were fine views of the rocks of the First Cataract some brown and some black, some rugged and some smooth between which the Nile pursues a tranquil course.

You may see my VIDEO-Clip from my personal YouTube channel: 7 min 54 sec Egypt Aswan Nile Cataracts 2007

You may watch my Cataract area high resolution photos on Google Earth in Giza according to the following coordinates 24º 4' 6.84" N 32º 51' 58.63" E
or on my Google Earth Panoramio Aswan Cataract area 1, Aswan Cataract area 2, Aswan Cataract area 3.


	Abu Simbel	Tip Rating:

By CandS

on December 6, 2005

Abu Simbel

by CandS,
4 more photos
Send Photo to a Friend

If you get the chance then make sure you get down to Abu Simbel while in Egypt! It is definitely worth the visit!!! It is an amazing place with two huge temples built into the sides of hills... The trip from Aswan down to Abu Simbel is about 3 hours each way by bus (in a convoy apparently although we didn't see another bus anywhere near us).

Make sure you go early if you can, there are HEAPS of people there and it gets very hot! It is almost impossible to move when inside the temples but it is worth having a look...the walls inside are great!

by Kuznetsov_Sergey, 2 more photos
Send Photo to a Friend


	Aswan Hydroelectric Station	Tip Rating:

on October 7, 2007

Aswan Hydroelectric Station

There is a bypass canal 1,600m long on the east bank of the river. After passing through six tunnels with a total length about 300m this drives the turbines of a Hydroelectric Station, which produces 10 billion kWh of power annually, making a major contribution to the industrial development of the Nile Valley.

It was built under the Soviet assistance in 1960th.
Hundreds villages have received electricity.


	San Simeon: Early Christian Monastery	Tip Rating:

By atufft

on May 23, 2006

by atufft, 4 more photos
Send Photo to a Friend

Camel Boy, Camel, and San
Simeon in the Distance

Early Christian Monasteries typically included a sense of isolation and ascetism, and few places fit this need than San Simeon on the west bank of Aswan. I don't know if it's related to the San Simeon of the Stylites, which I visited outside of Aleppo, Syria though. The access to these ruins can be by bus or car, I believe, if one goes over the high dam, but I choose the ascetic route by camel through the sand and rubble, departing near the entrance to the Tombs of the Nobles. I bargained with a camel boy, who took a blurry picture of me on the camel, and then we set off. For part of the trip, I could see nothing but sand dunes and I felt like some early explorer. I could see neither San Simeon nor Aswan, nor any vestige of civilization. Eventually, we came over a rise, and in the distance I could see the ruins sitting on a hill.


	The High Dam	Tip Rating:

Updated By MalenaN

on January 6, 2006

by MalenaN, 2 more photos
Send Photo to a Friend

The High Dam

The building of the High Dam started in 1960 and it took eleven years to complete it. The dam is 2830 metres long, 980 metres wide at the base and 111 metres high. The Dam created Lake Nasser, one of the largest artificial lakes in the world..

There are both benefits and disadvantages with the dam. The dam generates electricity and provides Egypt with a predictable water supply and the agricultural production has increased. But the dam has prevented the annual flood and the fertile silt that came with the water. Now the farmers must use artificial fertilisers and salinity of the soil increases. Irrigation canals full of water the year around have lead to infection with bilharzias parasite. And in the Nile Delta fishing grounds and shrimp beds have disappeared.

I visited the High Dam for short on the way from Abu Simbel to Philea. The entrance was 5 pounds and it was not very much to see. The dam is huge but the scenery not too nice.


	Mausoleum of the Aga Khan	Tip Rating:

By atufft

on May 24, 2006

by atufft
Send Photo to a Friend

Masoleum of Aga Khan

I didn't stop to visit this memorial which was built in 1957, but the view of it was irresistable on the horizon at dusk for a photo. Below the memorial is the winter home of the immam's wife, Begum. The Mohammad Shah Aga Khan was the 48th imam of the Ismaili sect of Islam. Lonely Planet guide reports that admission is free, but that one must remove their shoes.


	Aswan High Dam	Tip Rating:

Updated By Tijavi

on August 14, 2007

by Tijavi
Send Photo to a Friend

Aswan High Dam

This is not a must-see attraction for me, unless one is fanatical about large-scale infrastructure projects. I went to see the High Dam as part of the organized Nile cruise tour I got myself into.

Instead of bothering you with forgettable details, you may wish to click on this site from Wikipedia for more information.

As the guide pointed out during the tour, the dam has its pros (reliable power source, no more disastrous flooding, irrigation) and cons (dislocation of the Nubians, and flooding of many of ancient Egyptian monuments like Temple of Ramses II and Temple of Isis on Philae). Efforts to rescue and relocate the Temples of Ramses II and Isis on Philae are well-documented and presented at the Nubian Museum.