Aswan Day Trip to Tombs of Nobles and Monastery of St. Simeon

Both the Tombs of Nobles and the Monastery of St. Simeon are located on the west bank of the Nile River in Aswan. If you stay in a hotel on the east bank like most travelers do, please take a ferry to reach the west bank at first. The closest dock to the Tombs of Nobles is Dock Memnon. It is open 24 hours a day and a single trip to get here from the east bank is around EGP2 - EGP5 per person. After arriving, walk west for about 260 meters (285 yards) to reach a wide street, the Aswan-Giza Street, then turn left and walk along the street for about 1,000 meters (1,100 yards) to find a sign with a camel. The ticket office of the Tombs of Nobles is right opposite the sign. You need to pay EGP60 to enter the scenic area, which is open from 08:00 to 16:00.

The Tombs of Nobles is on the top of a hill and it takes about 30 minutes to walk there. The first half road is steps and the latter half is dirty road, so it is recommended to wear a pair of comfortable shoes. You may also choose to get there by camel or donkey, costing EGP100 - EGP200. By now, all together 6 tombs have been open to tourists, among which the most recommended are Tomb No. 25 and Tomb No. 26, an adjoining tomb of a father and his son, Tomb No.31, and Tomb No.36.

After, move on to visit the Monastery of St. Simeon. It is about 8 kilometers (5 miles) to the northwest of the Tombs of Nobles, taking about 20 minutes to get here by taxi. Reaching the foot of the hill, there is still an 800-meter-long (880 yards) desert track leading to the monastery. In addition to walking, there are also camels available for riding. This monastery built in 7th century is considered the first Christian construction in Egypt. Here, you can see a principle church, monks’ rooms, stable and some interesting graffiti. Its admission fee is EGP40 per person and open time is also 08:00 to 16:00.

After the visit, you may go back to your hotel on the east bank. The closest dock from the Monastery of St. Simeon is around 1,200 meters (1,300 yards) away. You may cover the distance either by foot or by camel. On the way, you will pass by the Aga Khan Mausoleum. As the mausoleum is closed most of the time, it is advised that you only make a stop to take some pictures at the hill foot.

From the dock, you can easily catch a ferry to get back to the east bank of the Nile. There are many small beautiful islands around the dock, like the famous Elephantine Island. If you are interested and time is enough, you may take the ferry to pay a visit to one of them. Or you may take a traditional felucca to travel among the islands before going back, which can be a nice ending to today's trip.