Welcome to Aswan

Aswan ... men in galabeyas and turbans, galloping donkeys in front of their carts, the muezzin, calling to prayer. Feluccas sail in the wind down the river Nile, in the cafeterias the shishas are smoking, with this typical apple-tobacco-odour, which greets everyone in this exotic country while people enthusiastically watch a football-game on tv together.

"Marhaba" is the magic word of the beduins for "welcome", "ahalan" is "hello" in Arabic, but mostly any foreigner is endowed by a hearty "welcome to Aswan" in English and a big smile.

This website about Aswan gives offers and advices for people who like to travel on their own. This is not a travel agency ...
The idea was, to create a website, which offers services described in detail and with a fixed price. There is no haggling nor hassle. Aswan Individual is a network founded by a tourist, who - after years of experiences in Aswan - put together trustworthy people: to honour their hospitality and honesty by publishing their services: with low prices for visitors, but which are also fair for the Egyptians. We wish you wonderful days in Aswan!
More: please see below!

Aswan has so much to experience. Of course there are the old temples like Abu Simbel, Philae, the Unfinished Obelisk, Kalabsha temple, the Tombs of the Nobles or the temples of Komombo and Edfu.
And: the Aswan of today is so vibrating and lively: you should visit the colorful market called Suq, visit the island Elephantine, have dinner with a Nubian family there, stroll through our Botanical Garden, have a look from the Highdam and see Nubian Villages.

Feluccas will take you whereever you want: sail for hours or days (f.ex. crossing the Cataract on the way to Sahel Island, Sahel Village, Gharb Aswan or even make a long trip to Komombo, Edfu or the camelmarket in Daraw). Or would you like to fish ? Did you ever swim in the Nile?
How about "Crocodile Watching" on Lake Nasser? Would you like to travel with a Nile Cruise ship with stops at Komombo Temple and Edfu Temple?

Camels for you or donkeys for children are waiting to bring you to the Tombs of the Nobles and Qubet Al Hawa or the Monastery of St. Simeon. And after all you may relax at the swimming pool, or take a bath in healthy sand if you have rheimatism or rheumatoid arthritis. In the evening its nice to have a perfect view over Aswan from the restaurant Nubian house.

If you plan to visit Aswan on your own, we offer places to stay (holiday flats or hotels), we pick you up, offer microbusses with aircondition (if you like with guide) for the convoy to Luxor, convoy to Komombo / Edfu or Abu Simbel and choose from any other offer on the sites of Culture / Sightseeing or Adventure / Sport.

Of course, we can also help you in Luxor. If you need a microbus (with guide?) to visit the Valley of the Kings, the temple of Hatchepsut, Karnak or Luxor temple, please ask. Hot air balloons fly early, but its worth to see Theben with the sun coming up.

A place, which is not touristic at all, but which I recommend to visit if you love animals, is the Brooke Hospital in Aswan: a charity helping working horses, donkeys and mules through free veterinary treatment. And we listed Carriage drivers, who care well for their horses.

Have a beautiful time in Aswan and please come back to visit the friends you will have made!

From our guestbook

Dear Petra -
I feel so lucky to have found Aswan-Individual while planning our recent family trip to Egypt in March, 2008. We (myself, husband and two teenagers) wanted to travel independantly, have unique experiences where we could connect with the real people of Egypt yet still have some assistance with making our plans. And you, and your local people in Egypt - Waleed and Mustafa - really made the Aswan part of our trip one we will forever treasure. We got to see a slice of Egyptian life and culture that I know we would never would have experienced if we had been on a big group tour or on a nile cruise boat and we felt like we made some new Egyptian friends in the process. Mustafa ("the Nubian Eddie Murphy") and his friends and family were so warm and invitiing in both the Elephantine Island and Westbank Nubian Villages. He was the perfect laid-back but highly skilled felluca captain and we loved our time on the Nile. Waleed (the "man with the plan") was so dedicated and so totally attentive to our needs, the changes we made to our schedule were easily handled and he made sure all was well during our entire stay. Whatever we needed - a place to find change for small EP bills for baksheesh, a place to get my broken glasses fixed - he was genuinely happy to help. Both Waleed and Mustafa made us feel like family and we are happy and grateful to have had the chance to meet them in this beautiful part of Egypt.

And of course, you, Petra, made all this possible because of Aswan-Individual and your interest in having others experience the real Aswan that you clearly know and love. Making these kinds of plans over the internet at first seemed intimidating, but you were always so prompt with your follow up to any questions and were so eager to make sure we had a great time, I just knew that I could trust your advice and your guidance. Thanks again to all of you at Aswan-Individual for making our trip to southern Egypt a fantastic one - its only been a month since our visit and I am already longing to return.

Carol Waller, Idaho, USA

(If anyone wants to contact me directly for any recommendations and/or information, Petra can provide you with my email)
Please see Carols photos (like the last 6 here on the left and the one above, thank you for sending them to us!

Pdf for download (in german)
with speech in front of the jury of the
Travel One Gründerpreis 2006,
for which Aswan Individual had been nominated

Press: Photos for download for journalists (please send us a voucher copy)