This is our departure day from Luxor to Aswan, but before leaving this beautiful city, we will live an extraordinary experience.
Our contact in Luxor, Abdelgawad helped us book a hot air balloon flight.
The reservation must be made at least 24 hours in advance for security reasons.
The flight is prohibited for children under 6 years old.
With our 2 year old child, we have to do the flights separately.
The first flight leaves at sunrise and the next one, just after.
Each flight lasts 45 minutes
The first flight costs 2000 EGP (40 €), the second: 1400 EGP (28 €)
The meeting is at 02:30 in front of our hotel.
The excursion is perfectly organized.
We are picked up by a van in front of our hotel, which takes us to a pier of the Nile.
We find groups of tourists spread out on small boats to cross the river.
On the other side of the Nile, Vans are waiting for us to take us to the place from which the hot air balloons take off.
We arrive at 05:30 in the middle of a vast area and with a few hundred tourists.
We watch the inflation of the hot air balloons.
Each hot air balloon carries between 20 and 30 passengers
It is piloted by a pilot (who has the same training as an airplane pilot)
The first flight leave at 06:00, the second at 07:00
The first flight will allow you to admire the sunrise
It is an extraordinary experience.
The pilot is adorable and explains the landscapes to us.
He manipulates the hot air balloon to make 360° turns to allow all the passengers to see all the landscapes.
We admire the Valley of the Kings, the countryside, the Nile and the city of Luxor. Extraordinary.
PS: Be careful of the landing which can be violent, but not dangerous.
This is our last experience in Luxor, we return to the hotel (by the same means) to pick up our luggage and leave for the train station.
We loved Luxor. It is a city full of life, history and magnificent landscapes.
If you have time in Luxor, you can also visit:
- The Luxor Museum: Located between the Karnak temple and the Luxor temple. There are treasures from ancient Egypt (relics, statues, sarcophagi …)
- The Ramesseum which was once the University of Thebes.
- Deir el Medina or the valley of artisans where the skilled workers who built many monuments lived (We were able to see it from the hot air balloon)
And you can also try one of these addresses:
- Beyt Ward Restaurant and cafe shop : not far from the Karnak temple and with a magnificent view
- Al Sahaby Lane Restaurant : From the roof, admire the view of the Nile and the Alley of the Sphinxes
- Restaurant de l’hôtel Nour El Gourna Hotel : Quiet and between the Ramesseum and the Colossi of Memnon
We arrive at Luxor train station. Our train is at 10:20 (even if it will arrive an hour late)
We had bought our tickets 3 days earlier for 300 EGP (6 €) per person in first class (special price for Arabs)
It is an old train. The hygiene of the toilets is more than questionable. But the seats are spacious and comfortable in first class.
3 and a half hours later (during which we passed small villages and farmland), here we are in Aswan.
As soon as we leave the station, we realize that the city is a beauty.
We have planned to spend 3 nights in Aswan. (2 nights on the elephantine island and one night in the Nubian village. Between the 2 stays, we will spend 1 night in Abu Simbel).
We find a taxi that agrees to take us for 100 EGP to the public boat pier. It is a small boat that crosses between the city of Aswan and Elephantine Island. A round trip costs 20 EGP per person (0.4 €). This boat is called « Maadyya«
Our pier is next to the KFC restaurant.
The wait is not long. There is only one boat that crosses. The crossing takes 5 minutes. This service is available between 06:00 and 00:00.
It is a practical, inexpensive, available and above all authentic means of transport.
The majority of passengers are locals. Women sit at the front, men at the back.
There are 2 public boat services to Elephantine Island.
The first, to the north (the one we took), leaves near the KFC and arrives next to King Jamaica restaurant
A second pier is located to the south of the island.
We arrive at our first accommodation in Aswan.
Accommodation: La Terrace
Address: Elephantine island, Aswan
Location: 24°05’20.9″N 32°53’23.4″E
2 nights, from 05/11/2024 to 07/11/2024
Price: €128
Booked with Booking.com
We had the highest room in the house, which offers a breathtaking view of the Nile. But we had to climb 4 floors by stairs.
Elephantine Island with its colorful Nubian-style houses has a lot of charm. It remains quite preserved.
You will inevitably notice the presence of the Jamaican atmosphere. The restaurant « King Jamaica » is known to be one of the best spots on the island. We loved it.
You can settle there to enjoy the magnificent view on the banks of the Nile
And also to taste their delicious dishes and drinks. Even if it is a tourist restaurant, the quality of the dishes is present. We loved it.
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