# Aswan & Nubia Granite cataracts, Philae and Abu Simbel — the Nile at its most beautiful, in Nubian country. At Aswan, the Nile loses its hurry. South of the first cataract, the river broadens into something calmer — shallow in places, dotted with pink-granite boulders, edged by sandbanks where herons stand motionless. The air carries a fine desert warmth even in winter, and the light has a golden quality that painters have followed here for more than a century. This is where Upper Egypt dissolves into Nubia, and the culture shifts with the river's pace. ## The River and Its Traffic Feluccas — slender wooden sailing boats with billowing lateen sails — still move along the Nile as they have for centuries. A short sail takes you past Elephantine Island, its banks planted with palms and mango groves, and Kitchener's Island, where a botanical garden crowds its narrow paths with tropical greenery on both sides. On Heissa Island, Nubian villages painted in bright geometric patterns sit back from the water's edge. The sound of the wind in the rigging, the slap of water against the hull, and the call to prayer from a minaret drifting across at dusk are the steady textures of time here. ## Temples Carried Above the Water The construction of the High Dam in the 1960s created Lake Nasser, flooding many ancient sites and displacing Nubian communities. Several temples were dismantled and relocated to higher ground. The temple complex on Philae Island, dedicated to the goddess Isis, was moved stone by stone to Agilkia Island, and at night its pylons and colonnades are illuminated above the water. Nearby, the massive red-granite quarries hold the Unfinished Obelisk — left mid-carving when a crack appeared in the bedrock, its length still embedded in the rock face, showing exactly how these monuments were made. ## Nubian Culture The Nubian people of this region have a culture distinct from the rest of Egypt — their language, music, and domestic architecture forming a separate tradition. Houses are painted in bold geometric motifs in red, yellow, and blue. In the markets, you will find dried hibiscus flowers for making karkade, a tart red tea served hot or cold, and dark sorghum bread baked in sand ovens. The region's handcrafts include intricately carved wooden items and the bright painted pottery for which Nubian artisans have long been known. Sitting in a Nubian guesthouse with a glass of karkade and a view across to the Western Desert, the colour of the stone and the quality of the silence feel particular to this place alone. ## Tours that visit Aswan & Nubia No tours visit this place just yet. ## Before you book you should know ### Is this trip right for you? Our groups are capped at eight travellers, which is about a third of what the industry calls a small group. Eight people share one vehicle, one table at dinner and one guide's attention, and the day can change on the road without anybody being left behind. If you are looking for a coach, a fixed script and a microphone, this is not that. Most days involve real walking, often on ground that was laid two thousand years before walking shoes: marble worn smooth, cobbles, uneven steps and long site paths with little shade. Bring shoes you can spend a morning in. Some days move between regions and are largely a drive, with stops along the way. Summers are hot — well over 35°C inland — and winters are colder than most people expect, so layers, a hat and sunscreen earn their place in the bag whatever the month. How demanding a particular trip is, is written on the trip itself: the physical rating in the header, and the day-by-day itinerary above. ### Rooms, and travelling on your own Trip prices are per person, sharing a twin room. Each traveller picks their own room while booking, so a party can mix the three: - **Twin share** — two single beds, shared with someone you are travelling with or with a traveller of the same gender. - **Travelling as a couple** — one double room. - **Individual room** — a room of your own, for a single supplement on top of the trip price. Availability is limited, and the supplement for a given date is shown next to the option when you book. Solo travellers are welcome on every departure, and most of our groups have one or two aboard. ### Accommodation The hotels named in an itinerary are a guideline rather than a guarantee. Where one is full, or has dropped below the standard we booked it for, we substitute a property of a similar standard in the same area — we would rather change the hotel than the trip. Check-in is usually mid-afternoon. If you arrive early we will ask for the room, but no hotel can promise one before its own check-in time; luggage can normally be left at reception in the meantime. If you want the room from the night before, ask us and we will add the extra night to your booking. ### Passports, visas and insurance Entry requirements depend on your nationality and change without much notice, so the only reliable source is the official one: the government of the country you are travelling to, and your own foreign ministry's travel advice. Check both before you book a flight. Many countries ask for a passport valid for at least six months beyond your travel dates, and for blank pages. It is worth looking at yours now rather than at the airport. We ask every traveller to carry travel insurance covering medical treatment and repatriation, and we would strongly encourage cover for cancellation and for your luggage as well. ### Your departure is guaranteed — the day can change Once a departure is on the calendar it runs. We do not cancel a trip for want of a minimum number of bookings, so a booked date is one you can plan flights and leave around. What can move is the shape of a day. Museums and archaeological sites change their hours, roads close, weather turns, a local holiday lands in the middle of the week. Where that happens your guide reorders the day, or swaps a stop for one of the same weight, and tells you why. Changes to a booked itinerary are covered by our Booking Terms & Conditions. --- Full page: https://www.smallvoyage.com/destination/aswan/