- Philae is on an island: each of our Philae tours lists the boat to the island and back as included.
- Two official sources give the hours: 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, or 7 a.m. with last entry at 3 p.m. in summer, winter and Ramadan.
- The two High Dam tours drive 20.6 km from your hotel to the High Dam first, about 20 min without traffic; one adds the Unfinished Obelisk.
- The evening sound and light show tells the legend of Isis, Osiris and Horus among the lit temple columns.
- Student tickets need a valid student ID and an age of 24 or under; children under 6 enter free.
You go by boat. Philae Temple stands on an island near Aswan, and each of our Philae tours includes the boat to the island and back: two day tours that start at the Aswan High Dam, a shorter visit to the temple alone, and an evening sound and light show. The temple opens at 7 a.m.; one official source has it closing at 4 p.m., the other gives last entry at 3 p.m.
Our Philae tours side by side
| High Dam, Unfinished Obelisk and Philae | High Dam and Philae Temple | Philae Temple by boat | Philae sound and light show | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| When | Day, in Aswan | Day, in Aswan | Day, in Aswan | Evening |
| Before the boat | Aswan High Dam, 20.6 km from your hotel (about 20 min without traffic), then the Unfinished Obelisk, 18.7 km from the High Dam (about 19 min without traffic) | Aswan High Dam, 20.6 km from your hotel (about 20 min without traffic), with views of Lake Nasser and the Nile | No other stop | No other stop |
| The boat | Motorboat to the island and back | Short motorboat ride from the marina to the island, and back | Short motorboat ride from the marina to the island, and back | Boat to the island and back |
| At Philae | The temple of Isis with your guide | The temple, with the guide explaining its myths and its UNESCO-led relocation | The temple of Isis with your guide | A walk among the lit columns while the legend of Isis, Osiris and Horus is told with lights and narration |
| Drop-off | Your hotel or Aswan Airport | Your hotel | Your hotel | Your hotel or Nile cruise |
Each one picks you up at your Aswan hotel in a private air-conditioned vehicle and includes the entrance fees to the sites it mentions. The three day tours, High Dam, Unfinished Obelisk and Philae, High Dam and Philae Temple and Philae Temple by boat, are private, just your group, with an English-speaking Egyptologist (a guide trained in ancient Egyptian history). The High Dam was built in the 1960s to control the Nile floods and generate electricity; the Unfinished Obelisk was left in the ancient granite quarries and shows how stone was worked. The first tour can end at Aswan Airport instead of your hotel. Philae Temple by boat goes to the temple alone and also collects guests from Nile cruise boats; it is new on this site, and its program follows how the day usually runs and is confirmed with your quote. The Philae sound and light show is the evening option; ask for the show time when you book through our contact page.
Opening hours
Two official Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities sources give different hours, so both are shown.
| Source | Opens | Closes or last entry |
|---|---|---|
| Ministry monuments website | 7 a.m. daily | Closes 4 p.m. |
| Ministry ticketing portal | 7 a.m., in summer, winter and Ramadan | Last entry 3 p.m. |
Read together, plan to be on the island before 3 p.m. The Ministry advises arriving at least an hour before a site's closing time. The portal lists the same Philae hours for Ramadan as for summer and winter. Aswan is hot in summer: the average daily high is 41.4°C in July, against 22.9°C in January.
