Nile Cruise

The largest temple complex ever built. For about 2,000 years, some 30 pharaohs added gates, halls and obelisks to honour the god Amun.

• The Great Hypostyle Hall has 134 giant columns, the tallest about 21 m
• The obelisk of Queen Hatshepsut is one of the tallest still standing in Egypt
• A sacred lake where priests purified themselves
• A sound and light show runs in the evening

After the pyramid age, New Kingdom pharaohs were buried in hidden tombs cut deep into this desert valley on the West Bank.

• More than 60 tombs have been found
• Howard Carter found the tomb of Tutankhamun here in 1922
• Tutankhamun’s mummy is still in his tomb
• The general ticket includes 3 tombs; Tutankhamun and Seti I cost extra
• No photos in some tombs – ask your guide

The terraced temple of Hatshepsut, one of the few women who ruled Egypt as pharaoh, built against the cliffs of Deir el-Bahari.

• She ruled for about 20 years
• Reliefs show her trading expedition to the land of Punt
• Three terraces rising to the cliff face

Built by Amenhotep III and Ramses II in the heart of today’s city. It is most beautiful at dusk, when the lights come on.

• The twin of its obelisk stands on the Place de la Concorde in Paris
• A mosque, Abu el-Haggag, still sits on top of the ancient columns
• The Avenue of Sphinxes links it to Karnak

Balloons take off before sunrise and float over the temples, the villages and the green fields of the West Bank.

• Flights last about 30–45 minutes
• Flights depend on the weather and can be cancelled at short notice
• You see the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut and the Nile from above

The island temple of the goddess Isis. When the dams flooded its island, it was moved stone by stone to nearby Agilkia Island in a UNESCO rescue campaign.

• One of the last places where the old Egyptian religion was practised
• Reached by a short boat ride
• Sound and light show in the evening

The dam that controls the Nile flood and created Lake Nasser, one of the largest man-made lakes in the world.

• Lake Nasser is about 500 km long
• The dam ended the yearly flood of the Nile

Two temples cut into the mountain by Ramses II, one for himself and one for his wife Nefertari. In the 1960s they were cut into blocks and moved 65 m higher to save them from Lake Nasser.

• Four seated statues of Ramses II, each about 20 m high
• On 22 February and 22 October the rising sun lights the statues deep inside the temple
• About 3–4 hours south of Aswan by road

A double temple on the Nile, one half for the crocodile god Sobek and the other for Horus the Elder.

• A small museum shows mummified crocodiles
• Visited on the Nile cruise

The best-preserved temple in Egypt, dedicated to the falcon god Horus.

• Its roof and walls are almost complete
• Visited on the Nile cruise

Colourful villages on the West Bank of Aswan where Nubian families welcome visitors with tea, music and home cooking.

• Houses are painted in bright colours and patterns
• Reached by boat on the Nile