Aswan City Highlights TourThe High Dam, Unfinished Obelisk & Philae Temple
The essential Aswan morning: the High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk and the island Temple of Philae.
- Duration
- 5 hours
- Your party
- Private, 2-8 guests
- Starts
- Your hotel in Aswan
The Aswan City Highlights Tour brings together three sites that tell Aswan's story, from ancient granite to modern engineering.
Your Egyptologist begins at the High Dam, completed in 1970, which tamed the Nile flood and created Lake Nasser, one of the largest man-made lakes in the world. Next you visit the ancient granite quarries and the Unfinished Obelisk, abandoned when it cracked. Had it been finished, it would have stood about 42 metres tall, the largest obelisk ever made.
The morning ends with a motorboat ride to Agilkia Island and the Temple of Philae, dedicated to the goddess Isis. When the old dam flooded its original island, the whole temple was dismantled and rebuilt here in the 1970s. Its colonnades and riverside setting make it one of the most beautiful temples in Egypt.
High Dam, Unfinished Obelisk & Philae Temple
Your Egyptologist collects you from your hotel and drives you to the High Dam for views over Lake Nasser and the Nile. Continue to the granite quarries to see the Unfinished Obelisk and how it was cut. Finish with a motorboat ride to Agilkia Island and a guided visit of the Temple of Philae and its graceful Kiosk of Trajan. Return to your hotel by early afternoon, with time to rest before a sunset felucca.
- 1
Aswan High Dam
Completed in 1970, it created Lake Nasser.
- 2
Unfinished Obelisk
It would have stood about 42 metres tall had it not cracked.
- 3
Temple of Philae
The island temple of Isis, reached by motorboat.
Included
- Private hotel pickup and return in Aswan
- Private air-conditioned vehicle with driver
- Private English-speaking Egyptologist guide
- Entrance tickets to the sites in the itinerary
- Bottled water on board
- All taxes and service charges
- Motorboat to Philae
Not included
- Gratuities
- Personal expenses
Before you go
How long is the Aswan City Highlights Tour?
About five hours, usually in the morning, leaving the afternoon free for a felucca or the Nubian Museum.
How do we reach Philae?
By a short motorboat ride from the Shellal landing to Agilkia Island, included in the tour.
Can we see Philae again at night?
Yes. The Philae Temple Sound and Light Show can be added in the evening.
