Aswan's slow hour
Aswan Felucca to Elephantine and the Botanical Garden
Two hours under sail around Aswan's islands.
About 2 hours · Nile & Aswan · Small group
- Nothing is booked until you accept a written quote
- A Deluxe Travel Egypt brand: read the reviews
- Duration
- About 2 hours
- On the road
- Short transfer to the river
- At the sites
- About 2 hours on the water and the islands
- Format
- Small group
- Pace
- Easy
Before you choose
Is this the right tour for you?
An Aswan felucca ride is the city at its own pace: a wooden sailing boat, the granite islands, and no engine. This two-hour sail takes you around Elephantine Island, which was Egypt's southern gateway and a centre of the ivory trade, with ruins, temples and Nubian villages on its banks.
You land on Elephantine to walk among the remains, then sail on to Kitchener's Island, home to the Botanical Garden, where shaded paths wind between rare plants and palms. You sail back to the landing and are driven to your hotel.
Hotel pickup, the entrance fees for both islands and an English-speaking guide are included. The boat carries up to 20 guests, and the guide explains the islands' history as you sail between them. It is an easy, gentle outing that suits every age, and it is the best counterweight in Upper Egypt to a morning of temples. Fit it into an afternoon in Aswan, before or after your Nile cruise.
Our advice
Book it for late afternoon, after a temple morning. It is the easiest two hours in Upper Egypt.
5 stops
How the day runs
Start
Pickup
From your Aswan hotel to the river.
Stop 2
Sail
Board the felucca and sail around the islands.
Stop 3
Elephantine Island
Ruins, temples and Nubian villages. The island is made of boulders, so builders often buried older sanctuaries instead of clearing them away, which is why Elephantine keeps the beginning of the story.
Elephantine: A granite island at the first cataract, where Egypt used to end.
Stop 4
Botanical Garden
Kitchener's Island and its plants and palms.
Finish
Return
Sail back and transfer to your hotel.
The details
What is included
Highlights
- A traditional felucca sail on the Nile
- Elephantine Island's ruins and Nubian villages
- The Botanical Garden on Kitchener's Island
Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in Aswan
- Entrance fees to the Botanical Garden and Elephantine Island
- Transfer by air-conditioned vehicle
- English-speaking guide
- Taxes and service charges
Not included
- Tips
- Insurance
- Personal expenses
Places you visit
- Elephantine Island
- Kitchener's Island Botanical Garden
- Nile at Aswan
- Group
- Up to 20 guests
- Transport
- Felucca; air-conditioned vehicle to the river
- Meeting point
- Your Aswan hotel
- Guide languages
- English
- Best time to go
- Late afternoon, for the light and the breeze
- Entrance tickets
- Included: Botanical Garden and Elephantine Island
- Cancellation
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour for a full refund.
- Your price
- Set in your written quote for your party, dates and pickup, with the payment and cancellation terms.
Add to the day
Experiences nearby
Local tips matched to this route
Complete this day
We place these around the tour’s real timing. Anything that cannot fit cleanly stays an untimed request until we confirm it.
Around Elephantine and the islands of the First Cataract
Paddle the Nile at Aswan
An hour on the water among the granite islands, quieter and closer than any boat trip; some paddles end near Philae at sunset.
Late afternoon · About 1–2 hours. Late afternoon, when the light softens and the river is calm.
We confirm the kayak operator, life jackets, the route and the water conditions on the day.
Add as a request
Photo: Hananelmahmoudy123, CC BY-SA 4.0
Questions
Before you ask
What is a felucca?
A traditional wooden Nile sailing boat with a single large sail and no engine.
Is it suitable for children?
Yes. It is a gentle two-hour outing.
How much does it cost?
$35 per person, or $34 each for groups of 8 or more, in US dollars.
Pairs well with
Tours that go with this one
Deluxe Trips Egypt
Ask for this tour, for your dates.
Send your dates and party size here. We reply with a written quote: the price for your party, what is included and the terms. Nothing is booked until you accept it.
Prefer to talk? WhatsApp us
Photography credits (5)
Marc Ryckaert (MJJR), CC BY 3.0; Claude Valette, CC BY-SA 4.0; Warren LeMay, CC0; I, Rémih, CC BY-SA 3.0; Mohammed Moussa, CC BY-SA 4.0
.jpg){kind=link}
