See a quieter side of Aswan on a private half-day journey combining the Tombs of the Nobles at Qubbet el-Hawa with the desert ruins of St Simeon Monastery.
Your experience begins at your accommodation in Aswan. We transfer you to the river, where a private motorboat carries you across the Nile to the West Bank. From here, you climb toward the rock-cut Tombs of the Nobles at Qubbet el-Hawa, overlooking the Nile and Elephantine Island.
The tombs introduce you to the governors and officials who administered ancient Aswan and its southern routes. Among the figures associated with the necropolis is Harkhuf, whose tomb inscriptions record expeditions into Nubia.
After exploring the tombs available on the day, the character of the journey changes. You continue by camel through the sandy West Bank landscape toward St Simeon Monastery, which lies inland from the river.
At the monastery, you explore a large fortified Coptic complex whose surviving walls, rooms and defensive features reveal both its religious function and its isolated desert setting.
At the end of the visit, you return to the river, cross the Nile by motorboat and transfer back to your hotel or docked cruise ship.
The tour operates privately. Exact pickup time and overall timing are confirmed when you send us your travel dates and accommodation or cruise-ship details.
The St Simeon Monastery Aswan tour combines a Nile crossing, an ancient hillside necropolis, a journey through the West Bank landscape and one of the area’s substantial Coptic monastic ruins within a single private excursion.
If you would like to include this experience in your stay in Aswan, fill out the enquiry form with your travel dates, number of travelers and your Aswan hotel or cruise-ship details.
The Egypt Luxury Trips team will use those details to provide more information about the tour, confirm the available arrangements, discuss timing and help you understand how the journey can fit into your stay in Aswan.
We meet you at your accommodation and transfer you to the river for your motorboat crossing to Aswan's West Bank.
The journey across the Nile provides the transition from the city side of Aswan to the quieter desert-edge landscape where the day's historical sites are located.
The tour is paced to allow time for questions, photographs and short pauses as you move between the different sections of the programme.
Local insight: Confirm your exact pickup point with us before the tour. Arrangements differ slightly depending on whether we are meeting you at an Aswan hotel or at the gangway of a docked cruise ship.
After reaching the West Bank, continue to the Tombs of the Nobles at Qubbet el-Hawa.
Carved into the hillside, these rock-cut tombs are associated with governors and officials who administered ancient Aswan and helped control Egypt's routes toward the south.
The site also provides views across the Nile toward Elephantine Island.
Your guide will explain the tombs that are accessible during your visit and place what you are seeing within the wider story of ancient Aswan.
Harkhuf is among the figures associated with the necropolis. His tomb inscriptions record expeditions south into Nubia and provide an unusually direct connection with the journeys undertaken by ancient officials.
The exact tombs visited cannot be guaranteed in advance because access can vary. Your guide checks what is open on the day and selects from the available tombs.
From Qubbet el-Hawa, continue toward St Simeon Monastery by camel.
This is not an optional activity added simply for entertainment. The monastery lies inland from the riverbank, and the camel journey connects the archaeological sites across the sandy West Bank landscape.
As you move away from the river, the setting changes noticeably, with the Nile behind you and the desert leading toward the monastery ruins.
The camel ride is included in the tour.
If someone in your party would prefer a different arrangement for this section of the route, tell the Egypt Luxury Trips team when you enquire so we can advise you about what may be possible.
Your next stop is the ruined complex of St Simeon Monastery.
Here you explore surviving walls, rooms and other parts of the fortified complex while your guide focuses on the layout of the monastery, its desert position and the Christian history represented by the site.
The monastery was abandoned in the 13th century and remains one of the largest surviving complexes of its kind in Egypt.
Its substantial walls and layout make the site feel more like a small fortified settlement than a single religious building.
Take time to look beyond the individual interior spaces. The outer defensive walls and the relationship between the monastery and the surrounding desert are important parts of understanding its scale and character.
After exploring St Simeon Monastery, you make your way back toward the Nile.
Return across the river by motorboat and continue to your accommodation, completing your private West Bank excursion.
Pickup and return transportation, motorboat crossings, the camel ride, entrance fees, taxes and service charges are included in the tour.
Meals are not included, so plan your meal around the confirmed tour timing rather than expecting a scheduled restaurant stop during the programme.
This itinerary combines two very different parts of Aswan's history. You explore the rock-cut tombs of ancient governors at Qubbet el-Hawa before continuing to a fortified Coptic monastery in the desert rather than arranging two separate excursions.
The route involves more than simply arriving at an attraction by road. We arrange your Nile crossing, the approach to Qubbet el-Hawa, the camel section of the route and your return journey, keeping the different parts of the excursion connected.
The rock-cut tombs open to visitors at Qubbet el-Hawa can vary. Rather than promising a fixed list that may not be accessible when you arrive, your guide checks what is open and selects from the available options.
Hotel pickup and return, motorboat transportation, the camel ride, entrance fees, taxes and service charges are included. Meals, tipping, personal expenses and services not specifically listed are excluded.
The tour can begin from an Aswan hotel or a docked Nile cruise ship. When you enquire, provide your accommodation details or your cruise ship name and mooring information so the pickup arrangements can be confirmed.
This is operated as a private half-day excursion covering the Nile crossing, the Tombs of the Nobles, the camel journey and St Simeon Monastery. Your exact pickup time and tour timing are confirmed when you send us your travel dates because arrangements depend on your accommodation and the timing of the boat crossing.
The tour crosses the Nile by private motorboat to Aswan's West Bank. After visiting the Tombs of the Nobles, you continue toward St Simeon Monastery by camel across the desert. The monastery lies inland from the riverbank, making the camel section part of the route between the sites.
Yes. The experience is listed and operated as a private tour. The specific group-size arrangements for your booking can be confirmed with Egypt Luxury Trips when you enquire.
The rock-cut tombs accessible to visitors can vary. Your guide checks which tombs are open on the day of the tour and selects from the available options rather than guaranteeing a fixed list before your visit.
Yes. Pickup and return can be arranged whether you are staying at an Aswan hotel or aboard a docked cruise ship. When submitting your enquiry, provide your ship name and mooring information so the pickup arrangements can be confirmed.
Yes. The camel ride between the Tombs of the Nobles area and St Simeon Monastery is included as part of the itinerary. If someone in your party would prefer a different arrangement for this section, mention this when you enquire so our team can advise you about the available possibilities.
Yes. Entrance fees are listed among the services included in the tour, together with hotel pickup and return, motorboat transportation, the camel ride, taxes and service charges.
No. Meals are excluded from the tour. Tipping, personal expenses and additional services not specifically listed are also excluded. You can plan your meal around the confirmed pickup and return timing.
The route includes the stairway leading up to Qubbet el-Hawa and a camel ride across sandy terrain. If you have mobility or health considerations, tell the Egypt Luxury Trips team when you enquire so we can discuss the route with you and advise on what alternatives may be possible.
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