Philae Temple Sound and Light Show

About this trip

Philae Temple lit up at night. We drive you from where you stay in Aswan, you cross to Agilkia Island, walk the temple after dark and watch the sound and light show, then we bring you back. Water and soft drinks are included.

The day

1. Evening

   Pickup from where you stay in Aswan

   Your driver collects you from your hotel, Nile cruise or other accommodation in Aswan and drives you south of the city toward the old Aswan Dam, where boats leave for Philae. Water and soft drinks are in the car. Tell us where you are staying when you book, and we will plan the pickup to fit your show.

2. Evening

   Crossing to Agilkia Island

   Philae can only be reached by water, so the last part of the journey is a short motorboat ride across the reservoir to Agilkia Island. As the boat comes around, you get your first look at the temple from the river, the same approach that pilgrims to the shrine of Isis would have taken.

3. Evening

   The temple after dark

   You step ashore beside the long colonnade that leads to the first pylon of the Temple of Isis. In the dark, the size of the gateway and the depth of the carvings are hard to judge until the lights come on, and the first lit view of the gateway shows the scale the builders intended.

4. Evening

   The sound and light show

   As the narration tells the story of Isis, her husband Osiris and their son Horus, the lights move across the courts, halls and smaller chapels of the island. You follow the story from scene to scene, and each part of the temple you have just walked past takes its place in the tale of the goddess.

5. Late evening

   Return to your hotel or cruise

   After the show you cross back to the landing, where your driver is waiting to take you back to where you are staying. You only need money for tips and anything extra you decide to buy along the way.

Questions about this trip