RENT A HOUSE IN A NUBIAN VILLAGE |
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Who doesn’t want to experience living in an
African village just once in his life? Here is your chance!
You’ll have a completely different holiday: the village people
accept you as one of them; a local from West-Aswan instead of a
tourist. You do your own shopping in the village, cook by yourself
if you like. Time is yours to discover Nubia all by yourself.
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For details about Nubian house rental see the photo's:
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The houses are clean and completely furnished,
with kitchen, bathroom, toilet, television, warm and cold running water etc.
By renting a house you support the local economy as well.
More than 30% of the rent is for the house owners.
One week rent is comparable with two average month salaries! |
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Price
per house per night
€ 40,-
(breakfast: € 5,- per person)
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If you prefer a hotel room in Aswan, we are able to mediate for you to get a reasonable price. |
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SIGHTS AND ACTIVITIES
AROUND ASWAN |
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HISTORICAL SIGHTS |
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Tombs
of the Nobles &
Qubbet el-Hawa
The northern hills of the west bank (Qubbet el-Hawa meaning
windy dome) are filled with the rock-hewn tombs of princes from
the Old Kingdom to the Roman period.The 6th Dynasty tombs, some
of which form linked family complexes, contain important
biographical texts.
Inside, the tombs are decorated with vivid wall paintings
showing scenes of everyday life, hieroglyphic biographies and
inscriptions telling of the noblemen's journeys into Africa. |
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Nubian museum
In November 1997, the long-awaited Nubia Museum opened in Aswan.
It has been worth the wait as it displays thousands of
antiquities that would have been lost under the waters of Lake
Nasser had not a major international effort salavaged them
during the 1960s and '70s. Also among the highlights are scenes
of Nubian life demonstrated with a range of life-size displays.
Sited on high ground, the complex comprising the museum building
itself, an open-air exhibition, and an open-air theatre is an
impressive achievement. The spacious museum building has three
floors. The exhibitions represent all stages of Nubian history :
Prehistory, the Pharaonic period, Graeco-Roman Period,
Christianity in Nubia, Islam in Nubia, and Nubian Folk Heritage.
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The botanical gardens on
Kitchener island
Kitchner's Island is a botanical garden, filled with exotic
plants and trees imported from all over the world. It is a
perfect place to spend a lazy afternoon in the shade.
The island
must be reached by boat, and is located on the other side of
Elephantine Island from Aswan. The Island was given to Lord Kitchner for his campaigns in the Sudan, and he moved their and
created his garden, importing plants and trees from all over the
world. |
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Elephantine Island
Elephantine Island is the largest of the Aswan area islands, and
is one of the most ancient sites in Egypt, with artifacts dating
to predynastic periods. This is probably due to its location at
the first Cataract of the Nile, which provided a natural
boundary between Egypt and Nubia. As an island, it was also
easily defensible. In fact, the ancient town located in the
southern part of the island was also a fortress through much of
it's history. At one time, there was a bridge from the mainland
to the island.
One
of it's main attractions is it's Nilometer.
Another major attraction is the ruins of the
Temple of Khnum. Don’t forget to
visit
Animalia. It’s the small museum of
guide Mohamed, who collected all kinds of Nubian products and
objects from nature around Aswan and Lake Nasser. You’ll find a
lot of information about daily life in Nubia and even
connections with the history of the pharaohs. |
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Mausoleum of the Agha Khan
This is the Mausoleum of the spiritual leader of the Ismailis, a
Shi'ite sect (as were the Fatimid) based principally in India
but with followers around the world. It is a very elegant pink
granite structure of late 1950 origin, which also resembles the
Fatimid tombs in Cairo. Members of this sect consider themselves
to be the direct spiritual descendants of the Fatimid. The
Mausoleum has an excellent view, including Aga Khan's white
villa below. |
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Monastery of
Saint Simeon
The history of the monastery of St. Simeon dates back to the 7th
century, and survived long as a Christian stronghold of southern
Egypt until destroyed by Saladin in 1173. While
still in use it housed 300 monks, and could in addition receive
up to 100 pilgrims at a time. The monastery was surrounded by a
10 metre high wall, and doubled as a fortress. Apparently, the
monastery did not return to its original use after Saladin's
destruction. |
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Aswan Dam
The Aswan High Dam was designed to control the Nile River. The
huge dam controls flooding and stores water for times of
drought, it is equipped to provide hydroelectric power. These
benefits however do not come without a price tag. When the Aswan
Dam was built, the country of Nubia was flooded. The Egyptian
government made arrangements for the Nubians to be relocated,
but their lifestyle was destroyed. |
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Unfinished
obelisk
Much of the red granite used for ancient temples and colossi
came from quarries in the Aswan area. Around these quarries are
many inscriptions, many of which describe successful quarrying
projects. The Unfinished Obelisk located in the Northern Quarry
still lies where a crack was discovered as it was being hewn
from the rock. |
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Abu Simbel;
the famous temples of Ramses
Not only are the two temples at Abu Simbel among the most
magnificent monuments in the world, but their removal and
reconstruction was an historic event in itself. When the temples
(280 km from Aswan) were threatened by submersion in Lake
Nasser, due to the construction of the High Dam, the Egyptian
Government secured the support of UNESCO and launched a world
wide appeal. During the salvage operation which began in 1964
and continued until 1968, the two temples were dismantled and
raised over 60 meters up the sandstone cliff where they had been
built more than 3,000 years before. Here they were reassembled,
in the exact same relationship to each other and the sun, and
covered with an artificial mountain. |
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Tempel
of Isis
on Philae Island
The Ancient Egyptians built a beautiful and magnificent Temple
on this island for the Goddess Isis, but the Temple became
submerged after the first Aswan dam was built in 1906, and it
was not until the seventies that many nations attempted to save
the Temple. All these countries, together with UNESCO, selected
a suitable place, but they had to wait until the completion of
the High Dam, in 1971, which would stabilize the level of the
water around their chosen island. |
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Tempel
of Kalabsha near Lake Nasser
Kalabsha Temple originally built at Kalabsha (Talmis) was moved
to its present location at New Kalabsha (Chellal) in 1970,
together with other monuments from Nubia, including the Kiosk of
Qertassi (Kertassi). Also nearby is Beit al-Wali. It was the
largest free-standing temple of Egyptian Nubia and the design of
Kalabsha Temple is classical for the Ptolemaic period with
pylons, courtyard, hypostyle hall and three room sanctuary.
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Double
temple of Kom Ombo
Located in the town of Kom-Ombo, about 28 miles north of Aswan,
the Temple, dating to the Ptolemies, is built on a high dune
overlooking the Nile. The actual temple was started by Ptolemy
VI Philometor in the early second century BC. The Temple known
as Kom Ombo is actually two temples consisting of a Temple to
Sobek and a Temple of Haroeris. |
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Camel market
Just 8 km south of Kom Ombo is the camel market. Sometimes up to
2,000 camels are brought to the market, which is usually
liveliest on Sundays. Most of the camels come from
the Sudan in caravans up to Abu Simbel. |
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ACTIVITIES |
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- Rent a bike and discover the West bank on your own:
the traditional farming areas along the Nile,
the unspoilt Nubian villages, the desert roads:
Take your time to enjoy it all.
For sure, people will invite you for a drink in their houses: it’s the Nubian hospitality!
- Boat trips: by felucca to
Elephantine Island, to the botanical garden of
Kitchener Island and to the
Mausoleum of the Agha Khan.
- Try a camel ride in the desert to the
Monastery of Saint-Simeon and enjoy the beautiful view from the hill top of Kubbet al Hawa.
- Bird watching with a
professional guide near the first cataract
- Horse riding in the
desert
- Henna painting
on your
hands and arms
- A day trip looking for
desert
foxes
- Workshop
Nubian cooking
- Workshop playing
Nubian music
with typical Nubian instruments
(oud, tambourine, tar, oud)
- Play a match with the local
football team
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OUR FLEXIBLE TOURIST PROGRAMS |
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Creative
painting holiday
Egypt has centuries old culture but also a special
palette of natural beauty.
Welcome to this fascinating
world:
temples from the times of the pharaohs,
breathtaking views, moving village scenes, colorful
botanical gardens.
the pleasant temperature, the African
rest
this atmosphere will give you
inspiration to create and develop your own style
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Programme 8
days creative holiday |
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First
day:
Flight to Luxor.
By train to
Aswan. Welcome
diner in Bet el Kerem.
Second day:
By camel
through the desert,
past the Nile river
to the village of Gharb
Sehel, where
we
are going to paint
and draw.
Lunch in the house of a Nubian
family.
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Third day:
A bicycle trip on the
Westbank
of the Nile,
past green
agricultural areas and white-blue houses
at
the edge of the desert.
We will choose our painting location by the
roadside and have lunch
in
a traditional
"Nubian house".
Fourth day:
Visit to the Isis
temple
on
Philae
Island
and
to the temple
of
Kalabsha in
lake
Nasser. This will as well
be our painting location for today.
Fifth
day:
Day off.
If you like to, we can organize
(optional)
visiting the temple
of Abu Simbel.
But
Aswan centre, the market,
the floating restaurants etc. are also worth a visit!
Sixth
day:
Sailing trip by
felluca
to Elephantine
Island
and
to
the
picturesque
museum Animalia.
The painting location for today will be the
botanical
garden
on
Kitchener
Island.
Seventh
day:
Nice ending of our stay in
Aswan
with
a traditional
breakfast
with a Nubian
family.
Afterwards by train back to
Luxor, where we stay the night in an
hotel.
Eighth dag:
In the morning visit to the famous Valley of the Kings.
Still full with historic impressions we'll fly back
home in the afternoon. |
The painting and drawing lessons are suitable for either
beginners or advanced. The lessons are
toughed by professional artists.
Focus is on nature, with attention to developing or
intensifying your own style. E.g. drawing big or small,
with heavy or light material, omit, add, recognizing the
subject etc. A proces of watching, let go and painting, in
your own personal way. |
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Depature dates
2008: 20th of
November
First week of March |
Artist
Joséphine Verbist
Hein
Kuipers |
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Price
€ 875,-
incl. flight Amsterdam-Luxor v.v., five nights in
houses in a Nubian village and one night hotel in Luxor;
meals on location. |
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1. |
Arrival at Luxor airport;
transfer to a 3* hotel in the centre of Luxor |
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Daytrip to the world-famous temples in the
Valley of the Kings in Luxor-West |
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Day off,
e.g. to visit the Luxor temple or the
museum, the market etc. In the evening we'll visit the "Sound & Light show" in
the Temple of
Karnak |
4 |
After breakfast we
leave for Aswan by train. We'll arrive there 3,5 hours later.
By taxi to the house in West-Aswan,
where you will stay the nights. In the evening welcome diner
in
restaurant Bet el Kerem. |
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5 |
Camel trip in the desert to the centuries old
Monastery of Saint Simeon and to the
Mausoleum of the Agha Khan.
Lunch with a Nubian family in the village Gharb-Sehel. |
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Day trip by bicycle near
the green agricultural areas past the Nile river and through
the Nubian villages. |
7 |
Day off, e.g. to
discover Aswan centre, the market, the Nubian museum or to relax,
for example in one of the hotel swimming pools (you only pay
entrance for the pool). |
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A visit to the historical Nubian
pharaohic temples: Philae temple and Kalabsha temple (partly
by taxi, partly by motorboat). On the way back we'll pass the
"Unfinished Obelisk" as well as the High Dam of Lake Nasser
(the biggest reservoir of Africa). |
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2 days felucca trip;
(sleeping and eating in the boat) to Daraw, where we'll visit
the largest camel market of Africa and to the double temple in
Kom Ombo. |
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Day off. |
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1 day sightseeing Aswan by motorboat (Kitchener
Island, Elephantine Island,
Gharb-Sehel) with picknick lunch |
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A day
trip by air-conditioned minibus to the famous temple of
Abu Simbel. |
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With the
afternoon train we travel back to Luxor,
where we'll finally stay the night in a hotel. |
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Transfer
to the Luxor airport to take a flight back home. Price €
649,-
incl.
the nights in
a Nubian house, one night in a felucca and two in an
hotel in Luxor. Meals as far as mentioned in the program
(excl. flight). |
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Unique 8-days
program to the Nubian monuments on Lake Nasser
You
feel like being back in the time of
the "Black Pharaoh's"! Far away from the
rest
of the world sailing from
temple
to
temple.
Climax: the
spectaculair
Abu Simbel
complex. There
is even a chance to see
wild
animals like crocodiles and jackals. |
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After the
construction of the Aswan dam in the sixties, the Nubian temples menaced to disappear under the water of the arising reservoir.
With
international
help
the temples
were replaced to higher parts around the Lake.
During
this trip
you
will visit
all the temples around the lake,
accompanied by a professional guide.
You will
stay all together four days (three nights) in a small, intimate
safari boat on Lake Nasser.
We have
a few private boats
at our disposal. The size makes
a personal approach of the trip possible. Therefore, the
program is flexible.
Price:
€ 599,-
(incl.
nights and meals on Lake Nasser and as mentioned in the program.
Excl. flight).
Alone
with the breathtaking beauty of Lake Nasser (500 km)
and
with
the rests of an
centuries-old rich civilization. |
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Program 8 days nature
trip Lake Nasser |
1. |
Arrival at Luxor airport. Transfer to the train station; by
train after 3,5 hours in Aswan. On the way you'll get a first
impression of the beauty of the country. You'll stay the night
in a house in a Nubian village on the Westbank of the river
Nile. |
2. |
Visit to the Nubian museum;
a perfect introduction to the rest of trip. Time to discover Aswan:
the typical mix of Arabic and African
influences, the colors and the scents of the market, the
boulevard; dinner in one of the floating restaurants etc. |
3. |
In
the
morning we leave for the Philae-temple,
consecrated to the god Isis and with the help of the UNESCO
saved from the rising water of Lake Nasser. After this we go
on board of the safari boat for our four days sailing trip on
the Lake. |
4. |
First we sail to “New Kalabsha”. Naar deze lokatie zijn verplaatst
The Temple of Kalabsha (the largest
temple after Abu Simbel), the Kiosk van Qertassi
and the temple of Beit-al-Wali
are replaced to this location. The colored relief's are
maintained very well. The Kiosk of Qertassi was
an orientation point en because of it's high position it can
be seen form far away.
In the area of New Kalabsha we will stay the night. |
Kiosk of Quertassi
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5 |
After enjoying the sunrise and a breakfast we sail in the
direction of New Sebua.
Three temples are located here. the first one is the temple of Dakka.
This temple is consecrated to the god of wisdom Toth. In the
second place the Roman temple of Maharraqa.
At last the temple of Wadi-al-Sebua.
This means “Valley of the Lions” en refers to the road to the
temple, with sphinx statues on both sides. |
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We steer a
course for
New Amada,
located on one of the most beautiful parts of Lake Nasser,
where originally the Nile turned. The temple
is the oldest on the lake and the most impressive for its
decoration. An example of the
architecture in the New pharaohic Kingdom. To this location
are replaced as well the temple of Derr – temple
of Ramses II
– and the tomb of Pennut,
an important civil servant from the time of Ramses IV. Our
last cultural sight on the Lake is
Kasr Ibrim. A former fortress, which we can only view from
a distance out of the boat, in order not to disturb the
vulnerable nature on this island. At the end of the day we
will reach Abu Simbel. Here we will stay the night in a hotel. |
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Today we
have more than enough time to visit the huge temple complex of Abu Simbel.
In the afternoon we return to Aswan by airconditioned minibus. |
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By morning train we go back to (the airport of) Luxor to fly
back home in the afternoon.
You may extend your holiday if you like with
the 8-days active program:
In this case you'll stay in Aswan and join the
program on the 2nd day |
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| 1. |
Arrival at Luxor airport;
transfer to the train station for the 3,5 hours rail
journey to Aswan. In Aswan a taxi picks you up at train
station to bring you to your holiday home on the Westbank of
the river Nile.
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Camel trip in the desert to
the centuries old Monastery of
Saint Simeon and to the
Mausoleum van
the Agha Khan.
Lunch in the house of a Nubian family in the village
Gharb-Sehel.
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Start of the three days bicycle trip past
the green agricultural areas near the Nile river. Here
time stood still since the pharaoh's, if you look at the
methods used to work on the land.
We stay the night in
Daraw. In Daraw we
will visit the largest camel market of Africa.
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Cycling to
Kom Ombo, where we
visit the double temple.
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Our bicycle trip ends in
Edfu, where we pay a
visit to the temple of Horus.
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By minibus we cover the last
part of our route, which will end in Luxor. In between we
will visit the temple near Esna
as well.
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. In the daytime you will have
time to go to the Valley of the Kings on Luxor Westbank, or
to do some sighseeing in town: the market, the Luxor museum or
the Luxor temple.
We will stay the night in a 3* hotel
in Luxor. First we pay a visit to the "Sound & Light show" in de Temple
of
Karnak
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Transfer
to Luxor airport for the flight back home |
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A varied active program, including a three days
bicycle trip from Aswan to Daraw, Kom Ombo en Edfu.
We will pass several historical temples, which we will pay a
visit. And in Daraw we will see the largest camel market of Africa.
Moreover we'll bring you in contact with
the different music styles from the Saidi and Nubian population,
which lives between Aswan and Luxor.
During the three
days cycle trip you will stay the nights alternately in houses past
the route and in the boat. Meals will be arranged.
We will cycle about 30 km a day.
Price
€ 399,-incl. nights and meals as
mentioned in the program. (Excl. flight) |
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First day:
Arrival in Aswan; sightseeing trip through Aswan and the new, modern bridge to the West bank. Welcome dinner in our restaurant Bet el Kerem.
Second day:
Excursion to the Philae Temple, the High dam and the unfinished Obelisks (by taxi)
Third day:
Cycling tour along the Nubian area: the villages, the desert road and the agricultural Nile side
Fourth day:
Free, to take the ferry to Aswan (for example), visit the market, the Nubian museum, the floating restaurants etc. Optional: by bus or plane to Abu Simbel.
Fifth day:
A very relaxing day by felucca and visiting the botanical garden of Kitchener Island and Elephantine Island
Sixth day:
A camel trip to the Saint Simeon Monastery and the Mausoleum of Agha Khan, lunch on “Nile beach” Barber and visiting the village of Gharb-Sehel.
Seventh day:
Day off; end of the program
Participants for the 10-day program will end up with a 3-days felucca trip:
Seventh day:
Sailing to Daraw and visiting the camel market
Eighth day:
Sailing to Kom Ombo for visiting the Crocodile Temple
Ninth day:
Sailing back to Aswan.
Tenth day:
Day off; end of the program
Price (excl. flight, incl.
nights) €
395,- (7 days) or € 549,- (10 days)
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1. |
We'll pick you up from Luxor airport. We'll arrive by train in
Aswan in about 3,5 hours. On the way you'll get a first
impression of the beauty of the country. You will stay the
night in a private house in the Nubian village Nagh el Quba on
the West bank of the Nile river. |
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2. |
Early in
the morning we leave by motorboat for the Nubian village of
Gharb Sehel. Here the walking trip starts. We walk past the
Nile, the
Mausoleum of the Agha
Khan and through the desert. In the desert (behind
the Tombs of the Nobles) is
an obelisk, were we will
rest a bit. On our way we visit as well the
Monastery of Saint Simeon.
We'll have a lunch in the tent of "Mohamed the camel man" in
the desert. At the end of the trip we return to the village of
Nagh el Quba.
Total walking duration:
5-6
hours
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3. |
Visit
(by taxi and motor boat) to the cultural highlights around Aswan:
the Nubian temples out of pharaonic times:
Philae temple and
Kalabsha temple. On the way
back we will visit as well the High Dam of Lake Nasser, the
largest reservoir of Africa. And we'll see the
"Unfinished Obelisk".
Later in the afternoon you might visit for example the Nubian museum,
to get an impression of thousands years of Nubian culture.
It's also nice to visit the market of Aswan and dinner in one
of the (floating) restaurant past the Nile. |
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4. |
We'll continue our walking trip. Starting point: the tent
from Mohamed the camel man. From this location we walk to
Bet el Nubie, a large traditional Nubian house with
an inner court yard, surrounded by several rooms. We'll walk
alternate through the desert, past the Nile and in the Nubian
villages. In Bet el Nubie we will eat and sleep.
Total
walking duration:
3-4
hours
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5 |
From Bet el Nubie we walk to the village of
Kubania; the same walking
pattern as the day before: partly through the desert, past the
Nile, through the villages. In Kubiana we will stay the night
in ptivate houses.
Total
walking duration:
5-6
hours
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6 |
By bicycle we return in about half a day in the village of Nagh el
Quba. In the afternoon we have enough time (if you like) to
take the local ferry to town. We can recommend a sailing trip
on the Nile by sunset or a camel trip in the desert.
We'll stay the night again in the houses in Nagh el Quba.
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Day off.
Optional is a visit to the famous temple complex of Ramses in Abu Simbel. Or
you might have for example a relaxing day at one of the hotel
swimming pools of Aswan.
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By morning train we return to Luxor and fly back home in the
afternoon.
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Price (excl.
flight, incl. nights, local transport, guide, and meals as
mentioned in the program) €
498,-
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You may extend your holiday if you like with
the 8-days
nature trip by boat on the Lake Nasser:
In this case you'll stay in Aswan and join the
program on the 2nd day
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