If you have time for only one day trip from Aswan, pick a visit to Abu Simbel. Built by Ramses II, and saved from destruction by a remarkable UNESCO rescue project in the 1970s, Abu Simbel is not only a triumph of ancient architecture, but also of modern engineering. The mammoth scale of the Great Temple
The quintessential way to sightsee in Aswan is by taking to the river on a felucca (traditional lateen-sail boat). You’ll have no problems finding a captain willing to take you on a river tour. Felucca captains hang out along Aswan’s Nile-side corniche all day, touting for customers. A typical short tour of around two hours sails
Peppered with palm tree plantations and sloping villages of colorful mud-brick houses, Elephantine Island is Aswan’s major tourist attraction. At its southern end are Aswan Museum and the Ruins of Abu, Aswan’s most ancient settlement, which contains the Old Kingdom Temple of Khnum and the Temple of Satet. The museum building, in a beautiful late 19th-century villa, is partially open, with
