Aswan High Dam, Unfinished Obelisk, and Philae Temple: Guided Motorboat Tour
4.8
36 Ratings
Aswan
Embark on a guided motorboat tour in Aswan to explore the iconic Aswan High Dam, the awe-inspiring Unfinished Obelisk, and the beautiful Philae Temple. Marvel at the engineering marvels, enjoy stunning aerial views, and learn from a friendly and knowledgeable tour guide.
Duration: 6 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Aswan High Dam - Start your day tour in Aswan by getting picked up from your hotel or cruise ship and drive to the High Dam of Aswan, an engineering miracle when it was built in the 1960s. From the top of the High Dam you can gaze across Lake Nasser to the Kalabsha temple in the south and the huge power station to the north.
  • Unfinished Obelisk - Continue to the Unfinished Obelisk in the granite quarries of Aswan, where much of the red granite used for ancient temples and colossi came from. The Unfinished Obelisk still lies where it was carved when a crack was discovered as it was being hewn from the rock. Your qualified Egyptologist guide will explain how the 1 tonne obelisk was carved, and why the crack caused it to be abandoned.
  • Temple of Philae - The last of the 3 famous Aswan sites you will see is generally regarded as the best. Philae Temple was carefully moved to its current location (around 500 meters from the original site) when the construction of the High Dam caused surrounding Nile waters to rise. A short motorboat ride takes you to the island, where your guide will take you on a walking tour through the temple before allowing you free time to explore further on your own.

Dedicated to the goddess Isis, Philae Temple has a beautiful setting on an island in the river which has been landscaped to match its original site.

  • Aswan - After finishing your tour, you’ll be dropped off your hotel or Nile cruise in Aswan.
What's Included
  • Nile tour by motor boat
  • Visit Phiale temple
  • Qualified multilingual tour guide
  • Air-conditioned transport
  • Complimentary water
  • Transfers and pick-ups included
  • All service charges and taxes
What's Not Included
  • Entrance fees to all the sightseeing ( 23 USD per adult in total , student and child 50% discount )
  • Hotels In Gharb Sohile and West of Aswan Pickup or drop off will be extra…
Additional Information

Explore three of Aswan’s most popular and well known sites. Walk on the High Dam which separates Lake Nasser from the Nile, be astounded at the size of the Unfinished Obelisk, and enjoy the beauty of Philae Temple’s island location.

Visit the Philae Temple, built in honor of the goddess Isis

Enjoy a visit to the magnificent Unfinished Obelisk View the High Dam of Aswan

Marvel at the River Nile from a motor boat

Enjoy fantastic aerial views

Pickup from a centrally located meeting point

Free hotel pickup and drop-off included

Hotels/ Nubian guest house / Nubian Motels
In Gharb Sohile and West of Aswan Pickup or drop off will be extra 10 usd per person

Led by a Friendly and knowledgeable tour guide

  • The start and end times for this tour can be flexible to suit your needs
  • Please bring: Your Camera , Sunglasses , a hat or head scarf and wear light clothes
  • Student card (it gives 50% discount from adult rate for all the Entrance fees in Egypt)
  • The Egyptian government accepts only Egyptian pounds for all entrance fees around Egypt
  • Lunch is available with different options for extra small cost
Location
Aswan High Dam
Manteqet As Sad Al Aali,
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(36 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Ivan_g
Dec 28, 2023
Good experience - Tour guide Elia is a very friendly and good guide. We enjoyed our time. He did not pressure us to give tips unlike other guides.
Review provided by Viator
Steven_a
Apr 17, 2023
Great Tour With The Tour Guide! - Aida George was my tour guide for this tour. She was very knowledgeable and well versed. I had a wonderful time! Thank you for making my trip to Egypt very very memorable! So worth it!
Review provided by Viator
Stuart_b
Mar 31, 2023
Diverse and interesting half day tour - Three very different parts to the tour. Temple of Philae is magnificent, the unfinished obelisk was really interesting and the dam and the impact on the local community was fascinating. Michael was a great host -knowledgeable, articulate and he took a lot of stress out of the ticket purchases and boat hire. Would highly recommend
Review provided by Viator
Hlengiwe_r
Mar 14, 2023
Fantastic tour - The dam and the temple, the tour of the temple was educational. Understanding the importance of the Nile river for the country was interesting
Review provided by Viator
Jodi
Feb 26, 2023
A Fun Day - We had a great time exploring Philae temple and seeing the Aswan dam. The temple is gorgeous! Michael was a wonderful and knowledgeable guide who spoke perfect English. He also helped us make other arrangements for the next part of our trip which was very appreciated. I would highly recommend using this tour instead of trying to navigate it solo if you're not familiar with the area.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
480jeaninef
Jan 17, 2023
Amazing tour amd tour guide - We had an amazing tour with Aida. She was so knowledgeable , personable , accommodating to all our needs , she also helped arrange transportation for the other days of our trip that she wasn’t with us thanks to her boss Michael. Philae temple was amazing after a fun boat ride , the dam super cool and even did a trip to the Nubian village with her the next day ! Don’t hesitate to book with them ! They were amazing !!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Karinakq7562tg
Oct 27, 2022
Excellent tour !!! - Our guide Noel was extremally knowledgeable in regards with history of ancient Egypt and all we had to visit for the day, we really enjoy everything for the duration of the day. Many thanks to our driver who took us everywhere, wait for us and keep us safe. We highly recommend this tour to have a overview of Aswan, ancient and modern.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Anita_s
Oct 21, 2022
Private 5 star Tour of Aswan - Kerylos was our guide for my husband and I and he was fantastic! Cannot recommend him enough, very thorough, detailed, and an expert in his field. We asked him probably too many questions but he always had an answer and was happy to keep telling us about the history of Aswan and Egyptian culture, even giving us food recommendations! Highly recommend him to anyone visiting Aswan.
Review provided by Viator
Oahtea
Dec 16, 2022
Just okay - Based on other tours this one was just okay. Always great to have an educated guide so you know where you’re going and what you’re looking at. We had Mack or “Big Mac.” Knowledgeable but a little too touchy and my friend & I didn’t appreciate the pet names like Princess. He also didn’t want us taking pictures while he was talking. We did get time to take pictures after we were free to roam on our own. I understand wanting to keep us engaged, but constantly boasting if things are “clear?!” and telling us to not take pictures was annoying. Philae Temple was worth a guide but you can visit the Obelisk on your own & be fine. Once there they took us into a room and had us watch the History channel’s excerpt about how it was created & discovered anyways. Didn’t need a guide for that. One of my friends wasn’t feel and skipped out on this tour to rest. Of all the tours we did, this was a good one for her to miss.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kathleen_h
Apr 7, 2024
Tour guide disappointed - Missed 1 of 3 sights due to guide's late start - We were disappointed by the tour guide's, Ida, lack of guiding. For starters, she requested a later start than scheduled that caused us to miss one of the sights. At Philae Temple, she spent some time explaining what we were seeing and then spent the rest of the time on a bench on her phone. At the Unfinished Obelisk, unlike the other tour guides who accompanied their guests, she, again, sat in the shade and on her phone. We missed the dam completely as we ran out of time due to the late start. I recommend visiting Philae Temple, but unable to provide feedback on the dam. The obelisk may have had more significance had Ida done her job and explained everything we saw.
Review provided by Viator
Select Date and Tickets
up to 15 guests
1 Adult
May 2024
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Today