| Aswan climate:
Best:
Oct - May. It never rains here!
Worst: Christmas and Easter school holidays [overpriced and
overcrowded] June-Sept [heat].
Why
Travel to Aswan?
Aswan is a lovely, relaxed oasis-kind-of-place beside the Nile down south from Luxor, good for a little felucca sailing but not much else [Aswan
Photo].
There are no monuments here but Aswan is on the way to the Temple of
Ramses II at Abu Simbel, a 180 mile
road trip or short flight, [Abu
Simbel].
Aswan suffers a similar problem to Luxor regarding Nile tourist
boat overload, though a boat trip down the Nile from Luxor to Aswan,
stopping off at a couple of wonderful, monumental temples on the
way - Edfu and Kom Ombo - is a great way to experience the Nile.
Notes on Aswan:
The endless Egyptian monuments of Luxor and Cairo can bring any mortal
tourist to his or her knees, so any vacation in Egypt should end with
a little peace and quiet and an almost complete lack of mega sights.
That's where Nile-friendly Aswan is onto a winner, as a tranquil retreat
from the frantic must-see madness up the river. The river is particularly
curvy, calm and attractive here in the deep south, with desert scenarios
on the opposite [west] bank and fleets of felucca waiting to take you
for a ride, literally and metaphorically - if anything is a must-do in
Aswan it's a lazy sail in a [necessarily] crewed felucca, but a little
walking, price comparison and firm negotiation is vital if you're not
going to spend a month's wages on a boat trip. And keep a sense of humour!
This is the Egyptian way.
Of
course Aswan's other must-do is a final Egyptian sight, 175 miles
[280kms] further south and practically on the border with Sudan, Abu Simbel's
monumental Ramesses II statues and temple, moved here when the Aswan High
Dam was built and Lake Nasser was about to drown the edifice.
Many tourists coming to Abu Simbel fly but a long car or bus ride is an option
and could include a visit to the Aswan Dam and another potentially immersed
temple that was moved to a dry spot, little but lovely Philae.
Henry:
From Cairo we got the train down the Nile to Aswan to visit the Sun Temple of Abu Simbel, built by Ramses II over 3,000 years ago. It was one of the most impressive sights I have ever seen and what was even more incredible was that the whole thing had been moved to a higher position above the Nile to prevent it being flooded by the waters trapped behind the Aswan dam.
Feluccas:
Over two million tourists cruise the Nile every year, most of them aboard
two hundred squat, hideous and smelly cruise boats and mostly on the Aswan
- Luxor route, but with a little courage and a few Egyptian pounds any
serious traveller should experience Egypt's traditional sail boats, the
felucca, even if it's only for a sunset experience. And BYOB - bring your
own bottle!
The
felucca's primitive design dates from the medieval times and whilst a
competent western dinghy sailor might feel capable of piloting one himself,
the owner will never rent the boat out for self-drive, only with - at
minimum - the 'captain' and a crewman. This is fair enough since owners
are totally dependent on boat profits and the Nile does have hidden rocks
and tricky currents, especially in the Aswan area.
Felucca's
crude and leaky hulls are propelled by a triangular cotton sail, or the
Nile current, or in the case of failure of both systems a couple of massive
oars can be thrust into action.
The guest seating arrangement is cushions laid on a flat bench so travellers
with back problems are not going to enjoy much time on one of these craft.
Naturally there are no toilets [a bush on the riverbank is as good as
it gets], fridges, electricity or cabins, but there will be an essential
sun canopy.
Sleeping involves - if you're lucky - a strip of foam on the deck or the
bank of the river, while washing is taken care of by Mother Nile. Eating
and drinking facilities are equally basic.
However, if you are reasonably hardy and enjoy camping this kind of calm
and restful travel is the perfect way to maximise the Nile experience,
stopping off wherever seems interesting or pleasant, getting a fish-eye
view of Egypt's bird life, herons, egrets, coots and visiting riverside
temples before or after tourist mega-boats arrive.
The
most efficient route in a long-distance felucca is downstream with the
current, so from Aswan to Edfu is a favourite three day trip, stopping
off at villages and temples en route. Kom Ombo's crocodile god temple
is the first, and monumental and well-preserved Edfu, province of Horus
the falcon god, last.
Nile Cruises:
Almost all Egyptian cruise ships travel the Luxor-Aswan route [as opposed to Cairo-Luxor or Aswan-Abu Simbel] which is safe, scenic and terminates at two of Egypt's most important tourist towns. A week long cruise is about average.
An alternative cruise is a few days from Aswan onto Lake Nasser to visit the magical Abu Simbel temple when all the day-trippers have gone home.
Avoid travelling this area - southern Egypt - in summertime as it's brain-boiling hot then.
The cruise boats range from super-luxury to leaky, smelly barges or even - if you are long on time and short on funds - hire a felucca [with captain and crewman] for a more personal and adventurous trip.
Activities:
Riding: camels or horses, around the west bank could be interesting.
Sailing: laze for an afternoon or travel
a few days down the Nile in a felucca [open old sail boat]; a local captain is necessary.
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