- One private tour covers the High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk and Philae, with the motorboat to Philae and back included.
- Philae and the Unfinished Obelisk both take last visitors at 3 PM.
- The Nubian village of Gharb Soheil is a separate motorboat trip from your hotel or Nile cruise.
- Abu Simbel needs a day of its own: 283.4 km out and 283.2 km back, about 3 h 26 min and 3 h 25 min without traffic.
- Aswan's average daily high is 22.9°C in January and 41.4°C in July.
Spend the first part of the day at the Aswan High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk and Philae Temple, which one of our private tours covers together, and keep the rest for a motorboat to a Nubian village, a felucca sail in the afternoon or, in the evening, the Philae sound and light show. Philae and the obelisk both take last visitors at 3 PM, so they come first.
What to do in Aswan in one day?
See the High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk and Philae by day, then a Nubian village by boat or a felucca sail, or the Philae show in the evening. The table lists what our Aswan tours cover in town; hours are from the antiquities ministry's ticketing portal, checked in August 2026.
| Sight | What it is | Opens / last entry | Our tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aswan High Dam | Built in the 1960s to control the Nile floods and generate electricity, with views of Lake Nasser; 20.6 km from the hotel, about 20 min without traffic | Not in our data | High Dam, Unfinished Obelisk and Philae; High Dam and Philae Temple |
| Unfinished Obelisk | An obelisk left in the ancient granite quarries, showing how stone was worked; 18.7 km from the High Dam, about 19 min without traffic | 7 AM / 3 PM | High Dam, Unfinished Obelisk and Philae |
| Philae Temple | A Ptolemaic temple of Isis on an island, reached by motorboat | 7 AM / 3 PM | Both High Dam tours; Philae Temple by boat; the evening show |
| Nubian village of Gharb Soheil | A motorboat ride through islands and the cataract area (a stretch of rocks and rapids in the river) to a traditional Nubian home and a local family | Not in our data | Nubian village by boat |
| Nubian Museum | Opened in 1997 with UNESCO; statues, tools, jewelry, manuscripts and reconstructed Nubian houses; 2.6 km from the hotel, about 3 min without traffic | 9 AM / 4 PM | Nubian Museum |
| Felucca sail | A felucca (a traditional wooden sailboat) around Elephantine Island, between the islands of the first cataract, with a stop at the botanical garden on Kitchener's Island | Not in our data | Felucca sail in Aswan |
| Philae sound and light show | The temple lit at night, with the legend of Isis, Osiris and Horus told with lights and narration | Evening | Philae sound and light show |
Philae, the High Dam and a Nubian village in one day
No single tour on this site covers all three. Our High Dam, Unfinished Obelisk and Philae tour covers the dam, the obelisk and the temple, with the motorboat to Philae and back included; the shorter High Dam and Philae Temple tour leaves out the obelisk, and Philae Temple by boat goes to the island alone. The Nubian village tour is a separate boat trip from your hotel or Nile cruise to Gharb Soheil, a village on the Nile's west bank (Sehel is the island). The felucca sail is an afternoon on the river from your hotel or Nile cruise, around Elephantine Island to the botanical garden on Kitchener's Island.
To do both on one day, book the two and put the Philae tour first, since Philae and the obelisk stop admitting visitors at 3 PM and our data give no entry hours for the village. Clock times on our tour pages are approximate and the pickup time is confirmed at booking, so ask whether the two fit on your date. The Philae, Nubian village and Nubian Museum tours are private, with an English-speaking Egyptologist guide and the entrance fees included; the felucca sail is private too, with its captain and the garden entrance included. Philae Temple by boat and the felucca sail are newer tours, so their program is confirmed with your quote.
| Ticket, as of August 2026 | Foreign adult | Foreign student |
|---|---|---|
| Philae Temple | EGP 550 | EGP 275 |
| Unfinished Obelisk | EGP 220 | EGP 110 |
| Nubian Museum | EGP 400 | EGP 200 |
Prices are in Egyptian pounds (EGP), for reference. Student tickets need a valid student ID and an age of 24 or under. For the choice between the island by day and the show at night, see Philae by day or at the show.
