A felucca at sunset in Aswan
Sail, not engine: an hour or two on the Nile between the granite islands, as the light goes gold over the west bank.
- Where
- The Nile at Aswan, around Elephantine Island
- Proposed length
- 1–2 hours before sunset
- Needs
- None
The story
Elephantine sits just below the First Cataract, where a fort stood from about 3000 BC and where Egypt's southern frontier ran (Wikipedia). A felucca moves only with the wind, so the Nile here is seen the way it was travelled for thousands of years.
Reviews of Aswan's felucca sails praise the captains who talk, or keep quiet, as you prefer. The complaints are about boats that switch to a motor or cut the sail short. We confirm a sailing boat and a sunset timing.
Our judgement: Every hotel can find you a boat. We ask for a sail, a captain worth listening to and the right hour.
What happens
- Board a traditional felucca at the Corniche with its Nubian captain.
- Tack upstream on the wind past Elephantine and the granite boulders of the cataract.
- Drift back as the sun drops behind the desert on the west bank.
- Step off in the last light, in time for dinner in town.
A proposed shape, not a fixed programme. The host sets the order on the day.
What it asks of you
Nothing but an easy step aboard. There is little shade, and the wind decides the speed.
- Minimum age
- All ages
- Best season
- Year-round; sunset comes early in winter
What we confirm before you go
- A sailing felucca, not a motor launch, with a licensed captain
- Life jackets on board, and the length of the sail
- A departure time that catches the sunset for your date
Where it fits
More in sea & water
Ask us
Ask about “A felucca at sunset in Aswan”
Tell us your dates, where you will be and who is coming. We confirm the host, the timing, the price for your party and the terms before anything is booked.
Sources and review
Reviewed on by Deluxe Trips Egypt. Facts are attributed to their sources; where we give a judgement, we say so. Arranged on request; we confirm every detail before anything is booked.
