Aswan is the place to ease into the sounds and sights of Egypt or the place to calm down in after the hustle and bustle of Cairo.From the plane you get a great view of the High Dam and Lake Naser - get a window seat!If you fly to Egypt on Egyptair then internal flights come at half price - worth considering if you want a good deal. Egyptair in Manchester or Birmingham are better offices to deal with than London although Soliman Travel has late discounts.(for the remaining few of us who smoke, it's allowed, or even encouraged, on International Egyptair flights!!) The best place to stay is the New Cataract Hotel - or the Old if you can afford a Nile View room. From floor 4 up you get one of the best balcony views in the world - or go up to the roof - I do this in every hotel and can recommend it!! Walk by the river and felucca "captains" will accost you. Bargain hard and you can have your own boat for about £6 for 3 hours. A good silor will take you up river to the first Cataract - whizzing in the current between small island and enormous boulders - scary!! There are plenty of passenger ferries to take you to Elephantine Island but if you go by felucca the captain will probably live there and will show you his village and his house. Women should cover up for this as they are strict Muslim and the women will hiss at you if you are in revealing clothes! Camel riding is good on the west bank but beware of rip-off merchants. Make sure that you are paying for a round trip as some will want to charge you to bring you back. There are some wonderful tombs across the river - visit by camel or felucca or a combination. Kitchener's Island is lovely if you get there before the crowds. The new Nubian Museum near the Cataract is amazing! Don't miss it. It's a good place to talk to locals as there are loads of Egyptians who visit in the evening.Philae temple is lovely and you can get there easily by taxi as can you to the High Dam. The golden rule in Egypt is never to buy excursions - always do it yourself. Local life is to be found in any of the restaurants on the river-side of the Corniche.Taxis are very cheap but bargain hard, make sure that you are talking £ sterling not Egyptian pounds, have the correct change ready as they always profess to have none! The Souq is amazing but if they would leave you alone you'd buy more!Whatever you do you must not miss Abu Simbel - buy your trip from Egyptair office on the Corniche and go early - the fare includes transfer but not entrance. If you go in summer you can have it to yourself but the heat is almost unbearable. You can also afford the Old Cataract in summer but the air conditioning can't cope! Best place to buy hotel rooms is through a Cairo travel agent. Go to Egypt Tourism site and they list approved agents. try 2 or 3 as their prices vary.You will want to go back!!
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Advantages: Not crowded, still pretty exclusive, do it now before everyone gets there Disadvantages: Quiet, not much nightlife, limited shopping, not everyone's cup of tea, very very hot
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