Kom Ombo & Edfu Day Trip from Aswan

About this trip

Head north from Aswan to Kom Ombo's double temple in the morning, stop for lunch at a local restaurant, then visit the Temple of Horus at Edfu before driving back. A good choice if you are staying in Aswan without a cruise. Private car, guide, lunch and entrance fees are included.

The day

1. Morning

   Pickup from your hotel or Nile cruise in Aswan

   Your Egyptologist guide and driver meet you at your hotel or ship in Aswan. The road heads north beside the Nile, past sugar cane fields, date palms and farming villages, with the desert never far away. There is water in the car, and your guide uses the drive to explain the Ptolemaic period you are about to see.

2. Morning

   Kom Ombo Temple on the Nile

   Kom Ombo stands on a rise right above the river. Its plan is split down the middle: the left side belongs to Haroeris, Horus the Elder, and the right side to Sobek, the crocodile god who was worshipped where crocodiles once basked on the sandbanks. Your guide shows you the carvings, the Nilometer well and the view over the water.

3. Midday

   Lunch at a local restaurant

   A sit-down lunch at a local restaurant, included in the price. It is a real break in the middle of the day, out of the sun, and a good moment to ask your guide anything the morning raised before you continue north to the larger of the two temples.

4. Afternoon

   The Temple of Horus at Edfu

   Built by the Ptolemaic kings between 237 and 57 BC, Edfu is the second-largest temple in Egypt after Karnak. Sand and silt covered it for centuries, which is why so much survived. You pass the giant pylon, cross the open court, walk the halls of columns and reach the sanctuary where the image of Horus was kept.

5. Late afternoon

   Drive back to Aswan

   After Edfu you start the drive south to Aswan along the river road, and your driver drops you at your hotel or Nile cruise. Your guide, the car, lunch, water and the entrance fees are all covered, so the only money you need on the day is for tips and personal extras.

Questions about this trip