Philae Temple and Aswan High-Dam Half-day tour

Was a nice time learned alot of history and got to visit a Nubian village as an added bonus.

The tour was awesome had a great time an excellent tour guide throughout the trip!

MO was amazing. He made certain that we, two older ladies, were able to safely negotiate the rough terrain of the temples and assisted us on to and off the boat at Philae with the greatest of care. He is very knowledgeable and explained everything well. He is fun and shared laughs with us. We had a great time. KM

I took the tour with my mother in late August 2026. Our tour guide was Moataz, and he knows the area very well and went above and beyond for us. Initially, we weren’t sure if it would be possible to get picked up from near the apartment we were staying at since it was located in the middle of a market, and wanted to get picked up from a nearby hotel. However, he assured us that he would have been able to organize a better meeting spot for us if we’d let him know earlier, and was able to drop us off much closer to our apartment. Later that day, he personally came back to our apartment to deliver some cotton goods we’d bought during the tour that we had to leave at the shop to get tailored. We really appreciated this since we wouldn’t have been able to get it otherwise without transport. This delivery was coordinated via WhatsApp, and he was very responsive. The tour itself lasted around 4 hours. We were picked up in an air conditioned van, which was greatly appreciated since the temperature outside was 100 degrees. On the way to the Aswan High Dam, Moataz explained the history of the dam starting from the Old Aswan Dam, giving us some good context. We stopped for around 20 minutes total at the High Dam, where we were given some information about the dam’s construction and geography, before being able to wander an small exhibition of pictures detailing the dam’s construction, geology, and geography, and also take pictures of the surrounding area. After driving to the Philae Temple dock, Moataz gave us our tickets and went with us a short 5 minute ferry to the island. It seemed like it was easier to have him get the tickets and ferry, as some other groups there seemed to be having challenges. It still was doable independently though as we saw those groups on the island later. Once we were on the island, we went for a 1-hour guided tour that explained the history of the site and explained what the key inscriptions on the wall were depicting. It was helpful for making sense of what we were looking at, and also raised our awareness of some pretty interesting things that we wouldn’t have known otherwise, like why only half of the temple is defaced. We then got 30 minutes of free time to wander around the temple on our own. After arriving back at the dock, my mom let Moataz know that she was looking to buy Egyptian cotton clothing, and he was able to recommend somewhere and take us there. He waited patiently for us to finish shopping (~30 min), and as mentioned, was able to deliver some tailored clothing to us later that day. Overall, we had an enjoyable and enriching experience that didn’t feel rushed or pressured. If in the area for longer, we would take another tour with this operator. Again, thank you to Moataz for being a great guide!

+1

The guide was a little too jokey. This ruined the tour a bit. I was also not sure about some of the information he provided. The temple itself is well worth visiting.

Philae Temple is a majestic island-based complex in Aswan, Egypt, primarily dedicated to the goddess Isis.

+4

Had an interactive guided tour with our tour guide Moataz Salah through Aswan. Picked up in AC from our hotel and back by our driver was prompt and efficient.

I really enjoyed my trip to the Aswan High Dam and Philae Temple. My driver, Mohammed, drove safely and was friendly and respectful. He spoke good English, which allowed him to share some information about the dam with me. The Aswan High dam was impressive and the Philae Temple was beautiful. I would recommend this experience to anyone.

I had a great experience on this tour ,The AC car was very clean and comfortable, which made the journey enjoyable. Our guide Moataz was very knowledgeable, shared interesting information throughout the trip, and also had a great sense of humor that kept the atmosphere fun and engaging. The tour stops were well planned and gave us enough time to enjoy each place. Overall, a wonderful experience and highly recommended

Solo woman, did this tour and Mo was a good guide, who let me do the tour my own pace, I wanted quite a quick tour with no extras. Picked up on time and got me to the Dam and Philae quite early when it wasn’t too busy. The boat trip was quick and easy, no waiting. Took some good photos and some interesting facts about the temple and the dam