2026 - The Ladies Go South. A Nile Riverboat Cruise from Aswan to Luxor. Part 1 - Travel to Aswan and the Philae Temple of Isis

After a few days in Cairo, Linda and friends traveled south to Aswan, Abu Simbel, Luxor and the Valley of the Kings. As is typical of such a journey, the group proceeded from Aswan to Luxor on a Nile Cruise ship. 

The trip south from Cairo to Aswan began in the early hours of the morning with a 4:30 departure to the airport from the ladies' hotel in the shadow of the Giza Pyramids, for a 6:45 flight to Aswan, some 500 miles south. 

 

  

Baggage check-in at the domestic terminal at Cairo International.  The ladies hoped for warmer desert temps along the Nile near the southern border of Egypt. 

Nile Air is one of several domestic airlines offering transportation to the south.  These airlines offer competitive rates to the overnight train or bus transportation that once was the traditional mode of travel.  For travelers with the time and inclination, smaller river boats still offer an "Agatha Christie" experience in the wind-powered Dahabiya - the Thomas Cook steamers having long disappeared.

Here's a map from our trip south last year showing the geography of the area.

Arriving in Aswan in early morning presents the problem of what to do until check-in time on the Nile cruise ship.  This problem is usually solved with an expedition out to the Aswan High Dam, source of much of the electricity in Egypt and the stabilizer of water flow that has eliminated the annual flooding of the countryside downstream.  This view is on the downstream side of the dam with Aswan in the background.

Another picture gives an overview of the area near the dam.

 

The 250 foot high monument from 1967 commemorating the friendship of the people of the Soviet Union and Egypt is one of the few reminders of the Soviet Union's presence in Egypt.  Travelers of a certain age may conjure up memories of the Cold War, Sputnik and other 1950s-60s events as they walk through the lotus-flower inspired monument.

 

 

On the way back into town, the group stopped to visit the Philae Temple of Isis, located on an island just below the Aswan High Dam.  This temple is a highlight of any visit to Aswan.  Dating from the Ptolemaic era of Greek and Roman world power, this temple is one of the monuments that was relocated to protect it from the rising waters of the Nile as the new "High Dam" was built.  The temple's pillars are spectacular.  Access is via a fifteen minute ride on small ferry boats in the nearby harbor, a fun adventure itself. 

 

  

 

After checking in at the Nile Cruise boat/floating hotel, visitors usually tour the city of Aswan (population almost 400,000) offering some insight into the Nubian population of southern Egypt and a variety of sights on Elephantine Island.  (Tom highly recommends spending time at the Aswan Museum and its surrounding archeological highlights discovered by Egyptian archeologist Labib Habachi).

When Linda first visited Egypt in 1977, to put her Arabic language study to a practical test, Aswan was a sleepy town of perhaps 50,000.  As the tourism business has grown to be a major pillar of the Egyptian economy, Aswan has  boomed.  The usual tourist shops selling spices, cotton, tee-shirts and tiny pyramids are doing well.  A visit to both the bazaar and Nubian marketplace are worthwhile if only for lively banter with the merchants. 

 

  

 

  

 

 

 

 

   

We stopped in this lovely location for a relaxing cup of tea,

Additional photos for this post (and the next post from Abu Simbel) can be found on this Flickr Album.

Other posts on this blog pertaining to a particular topic can be found by entering the topic (such as Aswan) in the search bar at the top of this post and clicking the little magnifying glass nearby.

 

 

 

 

 

2026 - Linda and Friends Visit Wadi el-Rayan, Home to Egypt's Only Waterfall

After their  overnight stay in the desert south of Wadi al-Hitan (Valley of the Whales) the group moved on to Egypt's only waterfall at Wadi el-Rayan.

 

Now a popular tourist attraction near the town and oasis of Fayoum, this stunning pair of man-made lakes, joined by a waterfall was created in 1968 - 1973 to provide drainage and solve a flooding issue in the Lake Qarun area.

Linda and I first visited Wadi el-Rayan in 2009.  A friend drove us out to see the waterfall in the midst of a mild sandstorm proving that it can be reached from the oasis in the comparative comfort of a sedan.

  

Today the classic photo of the falls looks like this and is a popular site for photography.

 

But, let's begin back on the route from the overnight campsite.  Approaching the Wadi el-Rayan area from the desert, there is plenty of opportunity for 4x4 drivers to demonstrate their skills among and atop the sand dunes.  For those of us preferring a more sedate tour, the highlight is going to be a stop at the edge of the cliff overlooking the lake.

 

Descending from the overlook, a stop at the water's edge is also rewarding.

 

A small tourist industry has grown up at the parking area near the falls offering snacks, drinks, and of course, souvenirs of various sorts. 

 

For tourists that haven't yet taken their obligatory Egyptian camel ride, a caravan of fresh animals was arriving for their morning's work.

 

Rejoining the road to Fayoum before heading back to Cairo, the commercial areas of this agricultural community could be seen along the road.

  

 

For those willing to spend more time in the area, the nearby pyramids of Maidum and Hawara, small museums and bird-watching tours are available.  Two or three days in Fayoum might be an interesting detour into a separate and more leisurely culture for those with the time and inclination.  (The photos below of the Maidum and Hawara pyramids were taken in 2014 and 2009, respectively

  

 

Links to other posts on this blog:

A visit to the pyramid at Maidum.

A visit to the Hawara pyramid.

A visit to the waterfall in 2009.

More details about the Wadi el-Ryan waterfall from 2014. 

And the link to the Flickr Album with all of these photos and more. 

 

Stones in the Desert

Linda noticed them two years ago when we toured the north shore of lake Qurun, opposite the city of Fayoum - stones with an unusual appearance.  Well, it was hard not to notice them - many were literally larger than life.  Linda posed by this one in 2023 to give us a sense of scale.

 

Even if a person didn't have a childhood rock collection or take an "Introduction to Geology" course in college to satisfy a nagging science requirement, the watermelon sized shapes inspire great curiosity as they show up sitting on the Sahara sand.  Proof that this vast desert was once an ocean?

  

 

Fossilized shells the size of a quarter or half dollar cover wide swaths of another area.

 

Basalt stones formed the base of an ancient highway lined by petrified wood.

  

 

Unusual shapes present themselves at every turn near the Climate Change Museum.

  

  

 

Linda and I disagree on this one.  Linda describes it as gourd-shaped. I claim it was the inspiration for Al Capp's Schmoos in the 1950s. 

 

More stones photos from both this trip and our 2023 visit to the the North Shore of Lake Qurun can be found on Flickr at this link. 

 

The Tour Continues - Camping in the Desert, then on to the Wadi El Rayan Waterfall

After the stop for lunch not far beyond the Climate Museum and whale fossils, the tour continued rambling through the desert for another twenty miles  to reach Wadi Rayan and its famous waterfall.  While the waterfall is reachable from Fayoum on paved roads, the back route through the desert offers much interesting scenery.

Our group stopped to overnight at a desert campsite before reaching the falls the next morning.  Camping in the Egyptian desert bears little resemblance to camping in a U.S. national park or KOA facility.  Drivers find an appropriate sand dune or rock formation offering shelter from the prevailing winds, and there is no shower building just down the road!

Once a suitable location was found, the drivers began breaking out the camp gear carried atop the 4x4s.

  

 

Soon a three-sided enclosure was established for meals.

 

Nearby, sleeping accommodations were set up, offering two options, a large communal tent or a one person tent.

  

 

On previous camping trips, Linda as opted to sleep outside under the stars - the desert air can offer breathtaking views of the Milky Way, star constellations and planets on moonless nights.  At this time of the year, the nights are a bit brisk for sleeping under the stars and besides the clouds blocked the view this night.  Lori opted for the smaller tent. 

Quite a bit farther out into the Sahara at the White Desert National Park, some years back, we watched a fox browse through our campsite as noted on this blog post.  The best anyone could do on this trip was to see a desert mouse passing by and no one got a picture.

Highlight of the evening, of course was the dinner, primarily roast chicken and potatoes in tomato sauce - a staple of Egyptian home cooking - served over rice.          

 

 

Following a pleasant night's sleep, the ladies arose to breakfast with tea or coffee before breaking camp and moving on.

 

 

The next stops will be the Magic Lake, the famed Wadi El Rayan waterfall and tourist center.