Aswan Transportation

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I don't know if it's fun but definitely for tourists, it won't be fun taking the public buses or vans, especially if you're new in Aswan. There are lots and lots of minibuses and vans in different designs -- no standard bus (see pic). And I won't advise it unless you're over-the-top adventurous (which I'm not, just adventurous). Or unless you speak arabic (I do a little but I never dared), you might enjoy it albeit sometimes crowded and most are non-airconditioned.

I think fare is EGP0.50 - 1, and it's the locals popular means of transport around the city. I don't even know where they're going, and some of them have signs, some don't and only being shouted by the guy hanging on the entrance.

Either stick to walking if it's within the centrum or flag a taxi along the street and pre-negotiate the fare before jumpin' in.

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You can actually take a felucca boat either to just laze along the Nile River or take a full day's tour of the sights at the westbank or the Kitchener's island or the Elephantine island.

Hire one directly or from your hotel, I would suggest from the hotel. Memnon Hotel is offering it at EGP75 for I think 3 or 4 hurs of a trip to the sights in westbank, the felucca will wait for you at the wharf while your sightseeing.

The felucca is a nice way to sightsee -- you hit 2 birds in one stone, you'll get to sail along the Nile and take you to see the sights in the west bank of the islands.

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My air ticket is open-jaw from Cairo-Aswan, then Luxor-Cairo, so I have to take a train in-between the two cities.

It was hot in Aswan (am I repeatedly complaining about the heat in Aswan in most of my tips...or haven't you noticed that yet?) well good thing when I mentioned to one of the guys at the hotel that I'll be going to Luxor after Aswan and taking the train, he immediately volunteered to buy for me the ticket and I was asking for the first class seat but he highly recommended to take the 2nd which is cheaper and not much difference from the 1st in seat configuration or comfort...and he's right!

I gave him EGP30 for the one way ticket to Luxor. I know it's EGP25 but c'mon 5 egyptian pounds for the effort -- the train station is far from the hotel, a return taxi fare is 10 pounds. You may say, I could buy it from the station on the day of departure, well, how can I be so sure that I could still get a seat at the 2nd class, or that I would really be allowed (I know but...) to take the 2nd class as a tourist.

So if you're heading to Luxor from Aswan, take the 2nd class carriage of the train at EGP25 if you're gonna buy it at the station.

Very comfortable seat, spacious (see pic), supposed to be airconditioned but I think the AC is low or can't make the whole carriage really cold. There are staff selling food on board, and sometimes there are people who gets in and hand you a paper -- don't take it unless you're prepared to dole out few pounds for charity, don't know if it's genuine. Toilet at the end of the carriage. The train stops at several stations and the trip is about 3 hours or so passing along beautiful green countryside, nubian villages (or not), and mostly along the Nile river and some irrigations. You'll get a moving view of rural life along the way.

It's enjoyable, so don't sleep.

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The taxi in Aswan has different colors than the ones you'll see in Cairo. The taxis here are mostly of old model (in Cairo as well), no aircon, painted in white with orange stripe in the middle, some in light blue, some black, not uniform actually, and there are few which have also an airconditioning (in the most-of-the-time unbearable heat of the city, it was the noontime I left!).

Choose the driver, either get an old man driver or someone who looks pitiful (really?), that's how it work, cuz many drivers tend to overcharge even if you already have pre-agreed the fare. The second taxi (and the last) that I took on my way to the train station who looks pitiful charges me only EGP5. (t'works right?)

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I took the Egypt Air (express?) from Cairo to Aswan. I bought an open-jaw (return ticket) Cairo to Aswan / Luxor to Cairo which costs me EGP628 booked and paid for online.

The problem with Egyptair is - and in my case - they cancelled flights twice and changed booked it onto to the next available flight on the same day too. The first one was an advantage on my side because they cancelled my Cairo-Aswan flight from 11:15pm cheapest fare but I was moved to an earlier schedule at 8:45 then to 5:45pm, nice right.

Then again, they cancelled the 7:30am Luxor to Cairo so there was no other option but to get me into the earlier one, which on the other hand isn't nice, cuz I have to wake up earlier than planned.

Same thing happened with my Cairo to Istanbul, from 1:40pm to 12:40pm, no big deal here.

I arrive at around 7:30pm or so at the small airport of Aswan, easy to get out as the baggage claim is fast.

We flew from Cairo to Aswan on an EARLY flight! Had to get up at 4:30!! The Aswan airport seemed like a pretty good place... several places to buy souvenirs... Also, make sure to have your tip money handy if you need to go to the restroom! They do have restroom attendants!! I couldn't find many websites on the airport - this is the best one I could find.

We began our Nile cruise in Aswan on the Jasmin, operated by the Wings Group. We found her to be a wonderful ship with a very friendly crew! The only complaint I had was all the smoking around my cabin and the dining room. Other than that, it was great! Our room was nice (although the TV didn't work) and we had a nice view if there wasn't another cruise ship parked next to us. :) High Tea on the ship was fun and the buffet dinners were tasty... the staff there was wonderful, too.

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We left Aswan for our next destination in a felucca. Being raised in a city and never big into camping, naturally my friend and I are a bit skeptical about the overnight trip in the traditional Egyptian sailboat. So, to prepare for sleeping outdoors, we both packed our 0 degree sleeping bags, travel pillow, extra fleece blanket, fleece jacket, 2 bottles of deet, and a charged ipod. It was a bit challenging when there's a weight limit on our luggage! Turns out this was one of the best (and comfiest) parts of our trip. Never mind that we wimped out and picked the tour that provide a motorized support boat to accompany our feluccas.

For the most part, we spent a relaxing day on a mattress-covered felucca sailing down the Nile. The trip was definitely "comfort" - we were even served mint tea while on board! We were initially worried about overheating, but because the felucca itself was wind-powered, we were pretty much guaranteed a breeze as we went downstream. (Actually, I think it maybe upstream...)

At lunch, we disembarked from the feluccas on somewhat rickety planks to meet the support boat. The lunch was pretty simple, but they sell many types of drinks on board. The winds were much stronger after lunch, so we had to basically zigzag across the river to avoid being capsized, so we ended up stopping for about 2 hours to wait out the wind. We ended up "parking" on the shores of a nearby village as the sun was about to set.

With a bit of sunlight left, our guide took us exploring and we even got to watch a little soccer / football action. We then headed back to the boats and to get ready for the night. As we busily unpack our sleeping gear, we watched several Nile cruise ships past by and we waved enthusiastically at our fellow tourists. Clearly intrigued, many of them took out their cameras to snap photos of us! We had dinner on the deck, and watched the sun set along the Nile. After that, our crew broke out the "candlelight" (i.e. burning candle in a slightly deformed coke bottle) as we all just lay on the top deck and gazed at the stars, making up names and origins of the constellations.

It was a much cooler in the evening, so luckily we brought our fleece and sleeping bag (even though it was the end of May). There were also a lot of mosquitoes in the area, so the deet was also a good call. The next morning, the cows (yes, cows) woke us up with their strange call, and we got to watch the sun rise against the backdrop of the Nile. It was just perfect (after 2 cups of coffee).

Despite our initial skepticism, the whole trip felt safe and confortable, even though we were sleeping out in the open. In my opinion, this is definitely the best way to cruise along the Nile.