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Facts & Useful
Informations
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To See The Aswan
Map |
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THE PLACE |
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Aswan
is Egypt’s southern most city. This pleasant and
fairly modern town has a population of around 230,000 and
is possibly the best winter resort in all of Egypt.
Renowned for its many islands, the Elephantine,
Kitchener’s and Philae, as well as the thousands of
felucca’s with white sails going back and forth
between them. Not dissimilar to Luxor, there are various
Pharaonic sites in Aswan, the most important of which is
the Philae temple and island. Aswan is also home to
Egypt’s High Dam, the main source of power for the
entire nation, and it might be worth a visit. A walk
through the Elephantine island or Kitchener’s island
is enough to make your heart sink. Aswan was very popular
with the British as a winter resort during their
occupation of Egypt, it was also there where Agatha
Christie wrote and based her best seller, Death on the
Nile. The Nile River becomes magnificent in Aswan, as it
flows around the palm-filled islands, and the giant
granite boulders. We definitely recommend that you site
by the river during sunset, and watch the feluccas go by.
Tourists usually visit Aswan as part of a five day cruise
which also includes Luxor, Esna, Edfu and Kom Ombo. Again
like Luxor, Aswan is a mixture of past and present, the
locals have their souvenir shops, the horse drawn
carriages, the white Peugeot taxis and of course the
dozens of Nile cruisers parked against the banks of the
Nile. Once in Aswan, an option to be considered is to
take a taxi, or more preferably a plane to Abu Simbel,
where you can see the great and exotic temple of Ramses
II. We recommend a period of three days and two nights
for the Aswan area. |
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WHEN TO GO? |
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Not
to visit Aswan in the winter is truly a great loss. The
city has the best winter weather in all of Egypt. It is
sunny and averages around 22’C, making it warm and
definitely worth a visit. During the summer Aswan is
unbearably hot, with the afternoon temperature often as
hot as 45’C, nevertheless the locals seem to endure
it. During Autumn and Spring the weather is also great,
note that Aswan is sunny all year round, just try to
avoid coming during the months of May, June, July, or
August. If you do come during the summer, make sure your
entire trip is air conditioned (bus, room and all), and
be sure to drink a whole lot of water for dehydration is
not uncommon. Aswan gets so hot by noon and you won't
believe the number of flies, so we suggest you do your
site seeing very early in the morning or late in the
afternoon. |
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HOW TO GO? |
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EgyptAir
has a dialy flight to Aswan International Airport and
back from Cairo. Other international airlines organize
charter flights to Aswan and back. Cheaper still you can
take the train from Cairo (12 hours). From Luxor you can
come by boat (Nile cruiser), felucca (5 days), or by bus.
It is not advisable to come to Aswan by car from Cairo,
the road isn’t very safe and it’s a long ride.
The best way to visit Luxor and Aswan is by taking a
plane from Cairo, and then taking a Five-day Nile cruise
from Luxor to Aswan, or vice versa, it is truly a once in
a lifetime experience. See travel agents. As for getting
around in Aswan, you have to options: the expensive horse
drawn carriage, or the even more expensive white Peugeot
taxi. Taking a taxi to Abu Simbel is almost as expensive
as taking the plane. So we would strongly suggest the
plane, as the taxi ride is very long and very
uncomfortable. |
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PEOPLE |
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Being
Egypt’s southern most city, Aswan and its population
of 230,000 people consists mostly of Nubians, (or
dark-skinned Egyptians originating from Sudan).
Originally farmers and ivory traders, the Nubians are
known for their extreme hospitality and their renowned
smile. Unlike the Luxor shop owners they will not push
you into buying anything. As a matter of fact you’ll
find them very helpful and willing to give you any
information free of charge. You might want to check out
the new Nubian Museum in town, to learn more about their
culture. |
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ACTIVITIES AND NIGHTLIFE |
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Feluca Rides:
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| Again
the popular felucca ride is one of the activities
in Aswan. These canvas-sailed boats are an option
anywhere in Egypt. You could possibly take a
felucca tour around the Elephantine Island,
Kitchener's Island, and the west bank. Feluccas
in Aswan are even more popular than in Luxor
because of the many islands. Prices however
should be similar, around 20LE an hour. |
Felucca Trips:
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| Felucca
trips are available from Aswan to Kom Ombo (one
night), from Aswan to Edfu (two nights), from
Aswan to Esna (three nights), and finally some
captains may be willing to go as far as Luxor
(four nights). The advantage of sailing south
from Aswan is that the river current is to your
advantage, and the felucca goes pretty fast.
Feluccas can carry up to nine people. It costs
around 20LE per person to Kom Ombo, 40LE to Edfu,
50LE to Esna, and 80LE to Luxor. Be sure to bring
a lot of water for both drinking and cooking,
sleeping bags, canned food and an insect
repellent would be nice. |
Organized Tours:
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| Many
of the hotels and travel agents organize tours to
Abu Simbel, the Aswan Dam, Edfu and Kom Ombo. If
you haven't already been to these places it would
be nice to explore them by taking day trips from
Aswan. The tours will probably include a meal,
and air-conditioned buses. Kom Ombo is only 40 km
north of Aswan, and Edfu is 65 km north of Kom
Ombo. |
Nightlife:
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| Nightlife
in Aswan is nothing to get excited about. You can
attend one of the Folklore or Nubian dance shows
at any of the five star hotels, or Nile cruisers.
The five star hotels mostly have a pub and a
disco each. In Egypt a disco just signifies a pub
with a pist. It is nothing like the large dance
clubs of Europe and the US. The idea behind going
to Aswan isn't to enjoy the nightlife, but to
enjoy the primitiveness and peacefulness of this
nature-filled resort. Sit by the Nile, smoke a
sheesha, get on a felucca and forget yourself. |
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OFFICIAL
HOLIDAYS: |
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January 7 - Coptic Christmas
(Christians only)
March 26 - Sinai Day
May 1 - Labor Day
June 5 - Suez Canal Day
July 23 - Independence Day
October 6 - Armed Forces Day |
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ENTR
REQUIREMENT |
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All foreigners traveling to Egypt,
except those from other Arab countries and Malta, need a
visa. Visas are obtainable at Egyptian consulates
internationally, and also can be bought at Cairo Airport
upon arrival.
Immunizations is only required required to visitors
arriving from sub-Saharan Africa or South America, and
then a yellow fever shot is necessary. |
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ELECTRONICS: |
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The electric current voltage is 220
Volts, with European-style plugs.
For TV broadcasting, Egypt uses MESECAM which is a
derivative of the SECAM standard. |