Felucca ride in Aswan: which trip should you book?
3 min read
Book the Elephantine Island sail if you want to see the river and the gardens, and the felucca with an Egyptian meal if the meal on board is part of the plan. Both trips take two hours or less, so they fit around a morning of temples. The felucca ride with an Egyptian meal is listed from €37.88 per person and the felucca ride to Elephantine Island and the Botanical Garden from €21.39.
| Trip | Duration | From | Rating | What the page lists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Felucca with Egyptian meal | 1.5 hours | €37.88 | 4.5 · 203 | Private felucca, a meal (breakfast, lunch or dinner by chosen time), hotel pickup |
| Felucca to Elephantine Island and Botanical Garden | 2 hours | €21.39 | 4.7 · 135 | About one hour of sailing, private guide, bottled water, hotel pickup |
Felucca with an Egyptian meal
The page describes a private felucca, the classic lateen-sailed boat, with a meal served on board: breakfast, lunch or dinner depending on the time you choose. Pickup and drop-off at your hotel in Aswan are included, and there is time for photos. The rating is 4.5/5 from 203 reviews.
Two cautions. First, a Gharb Soheil, Island, Basma Hotel, Aswan Nile Palace, Nagaa al-Mahatta or New Aswan pickup is listed at US$10 per person extra. Second, check what is open when you go: one reviewer on the page reports that on a Friday prayer day the local restaurants for the Egyptian lunch were closed. The page lists wheelchair users as not suitable.
Elephantine Island and the Botanical Garden
This trip sails around Elephantine Island and on to Kitchener’s Island, where the Botanical Garden stands. The page says Lord Kitchener transformed the island in 1899 into a garden of rare plants. The itinerary shows a 30-minute car transfer each way and about one hour on the water. UNESCO’s Nubian Monuments listing names the ruins of the town of Elephantine as one of its components, though this trip is a sail past it, not a site visit.
The page is clear about wind: if there is none on the day, you will go by motor boat rather than felucca. The page carries a wheelchair-accessible label but gives no detail on boarding, so ask the operator how it works. Entrance to the Botanical Garden, if you go inside, is listed as not included. Extra costs apply if your hotel is on Soheil Island or Hisa Island, at the Aswan airport or at a Nubian hostel.
How to choose
Choose the meal trip for a private, food-centred evening or lunch on the water. Choose the Elephantine trip for scenery and the Botanical Garden, which costs extra if you go inside. Neither is a full day. If you want to combine the river with the Nubian side of Aswan, read our guide to the Nubian village tours, and see all options on the felucca rides page.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start applies to both trips, according to their booking pages.
