Tombs of the Nobles and St. Simon Monastery: Half-Day Tour

Also, I will take you to the fortress-like 7th-century monastery of St Simeon, the first dedicated to the local saint. It was built on two levels (the lower level of stone and the upper one of mud brick) and surrounded by 10-meter-high walls. At its height, the monastery may have housed as many as 1000 monks.

We will also visit Aswan Botanical Gardens on Kitchener's Island. I will tell you the story about this island that was given to Lord Horatio Kitchener in the 1890s when he was commander of the Egyptian army. Indulging his passion for beautiful palms and plants, Kitchener turned the entire island into the stunning Aswan Botanical Gardens, importing plants from the Far East, India, and Africa.

ITINERARY

- I will pick you up from the hotel or the Nile cruise boat, we will ride a motor boat and head to the tombs of the nobles on the west bank of the Nile.

- After watching the tombs that are open for visiting, we will climb to the top of the hill to take wonderful panoramic pictures of Aswan and the Nile.

- We will return to the boat that will take us to the Botanical Garden, where you can marvel yourself at the sight of the rare and old trees.

- Again off we go to take the boat that this time will head to a beach, near the monastery of Saint Simon. There we can either walk about 500 meters or ride a camel to the legendary monastery. We will appreciate the monastery, its wonderful history and marvelous stories while our tour comes to an end.

- Finally I will drop you off at your hotel in Aswan or the Nile cruise boat.

** This itinerary is flexible. It can be customized for you. Please contact me for a quote.

Note: Any of the one-day trips can be combined with others to become a two-day itinerary.